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House Bill 1110 and Bellevue Update – October 2024

Hello middle housing fans – Bellevue is making progress!

COMP PLAN APPROVED

Bellevue approved their comp plan on September 27, 2024 which clears the way to focus on middle housing and HB1110 code updates among others! Next steps include a working session by City planning staff with the Planning Commission to review the state legislation and mandates and discuss staff recommendations for how to proceed.

PLANNING COMMISSION WORKING SESSION #1

City staff met with Bellevue Planning Commission on October 9, 2024 to begin working on the code amendments to be in compliance with middle housing, HB1110 and other mandates such as HB1337 requiring expanded use of detached and attached accessory dwelling units (ADU / DADU). Now that the comp plan has been adopted, the City is tasked with updating zoning codes to be in compliance with the policies within the adopted comp plan by the deadline of June 30, 2025. Some notable requirements that the Planning Commission is taking into account:

UNITS PER LOT – Bellevue to date has regulated single family zones as well as multifamily zones through lots per acre. HB1110 regulations will override in many cases the prior lots per acre calculation when calculating the minimum housing units allowed on site, with the larger of the two calculations likely being what will govern the final code language.

MINIMUM LOT SIZE – currently the land use code restricts density by invoking minimum lot sizes in many zones. City staff is recommending a range of options, including removing minimum lot sizes altogether and/or exempting middle housing developments from minimum lot size requirements.

PARKING – Bellevue code requires more parking than the lower minimums required under HB1110. However, some state-level changes to building codes such as for electric vehicle (EV) readiness may challenge how parking quantities are regulated. Building codes overlap zoning codes and may invoke provisions of parking, EV parking, and/or accessible parking stall quantities that supersede reduced parking requirements by zoning.

SEPA – appears that SEPA reviews for middle housing are intended to be the same as applicable to single family housing. How this happens, and at what thresholds it may be triggered, need to be reviewed.

DADUs – Bellevue appears to be taking a few pages from Seattle’s playbook and will be looking at developing a program of pre-approved DADU designs for pubic reference.

NEXT STEPS

City staff is targeting a draft of the entire revised code as it may pertain to HB1110 and other sections by February 2025 to allow time to have the final code updated by the June 30, 2025 deadline. Specific agenda scheduling at Planning Commission meeting and ultimately City Council agendas are typically handled on a by-meeting basis, so we’ll keep any eye on that. Later, once the code draft is available, we’ll review and offer up some insight on what we see and how you can best utilize it in your projects.