Kenmore Sound

Development · Occurred · Outcome pending · Jan 27, 2025

Kenmore City Council was scheduled to discuss middle housing rules and land capacity

The Jan. 27, 2025, City Council agenda included a discussion-and-direction item on the Joint Planning Commission Land Capacity Analysis and Middle Housing, presented by city staff and consultant Kimley-Horn. 1

What the records say

According to the agenda published ahead of the January 27, 2025, regular meeting, the Kenmore City Council was scheduled to take up 'Joint Planning Commission Land Capacity Analysis & Middle Housing' for discussion and direction. The item was to be presented by the Community Development Director, Principal Planner Todd Hall, and the Kimley-Horn Consulting Team. The same packet's 2025 Planning Commission docket analysis identifies middle housing and accessory dwelling unit regulations as a state-mandated update under HB 1110 and HB 1337, with adoption required no later than June 30, 2025, and notes Kimley-Horn was hired in 2024 to assist on the middle housing project with funding from a Department of Commerce grant awarded in 2023. 1

  • The January 27, 2025, City Council regular meeting agenda listed a discussion-and-direction item titled 'Joint Planning Commission Land Capacity Analysis & Middle Housing.' 1
  • The item was to be presented by the Community Development Director, Principal Planner Todd Hall, and the Kimley-Horn Consulting Team. 1
  • Supporting attachments listed were a Land Capacity Analysis, a Middle Housing Briefing Memo (updated 1/22), a Development Code Review Outline, and a Presentation (updated 1/22). 1
  • The packet's 2025 docket analysis identifies middle housing and ADU regulations as state-mandated under HB 1110 and HB 1337, with adoption required no later than June 30, 2025, and notes the project is supported by a Department of Commerce grant awarded in 2023. 1

Why it matters

State law required Kenmore to adopt new middle housing and ADU regulations by June 30, 2025, and the docket analysis states the proposed regulations would allow a variety of new housing options in the city, including duplexes, triplexes, and cottage housing in residential zones. The January 27 discussion was part of that work; the regulations shape what kinds of homes can be built in Kenmore neighborhoods. The supplied records document only the scheduled discussion, not any council decision. 1

What changed / what's next

  • The January 27, 2025, agenda packet added the middle housing and land capacity discussion as a business agenda item, with an agenda bill and four supporting attachments. 1
  • The records show the item was scheduled for discussion and direction at the January 27, 2025, meeting; they do not establish what the council discussed or decided. 1
  • The docket analysis set a June 30, 2025, state deadline for adopting middle housing and ADU regulations, so subsequent council and Planning Commission records would show how Kenmore met it. 1
  • The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.