Kenmore sets June 9 public hearing on middle housing, ADU, and affordable housing rules

What the records say

The agenda for the Monday, June 9, 2025, 7:00 PM City Council meeting listed the item for public hearing, presented by Assistant City Manager/Community Development Director Debbie Bent and Principal Planner Todd Hall. ¹ The proposal came in two attached drafts: Attachment 1 covering middle housing and ADU amendments, and Attachment 2 covering affordable housing (inclusionary zoning) amendments. ¹ Analysis: Middle housing generally refers to home types between single-family houses and large apartment buildings, such as duplexes, triplexes, and cottage housing; ADUs are smaller secondary homes on the same property, such as a backyard cottage or basement apartment; inclusionary zoning requires new developments to include some below-market, affordable units. The agenda bill notes the Washington State Legislature passed HB 1110 and HB 1337 in 2023, which require cities to adopt zoning permitting middle housing in single-family zones and to allow two ADUs on single-family properties, with a state deadline of June 30, 2025 before the State Model Ordinance would take effect. ¹

• The June 9, 2025 City Council agenda scheduled a public hearing on proposed KMC amendments covering middle housing, accessory dwelling units (ADUs), and affordable housing through inclusionary zoning. ¹
• Attachment 1 would allow up to two ADUs per primary single-family dwelling unit, with an attached-ADU cap of 1,000 square feet and detached ADUs capped at up to 1,500 square feet on lots of 6,000 square feet or more. ¹
• Attachment 2 would require residential developments on R-4/R-6-zoned property producing four or more new units to provide affordable housing—10 percent of new units, excluding units under 1,750 square feet, as very low-income housing if renter-occupied or low-income housing if owner-occupied—with fee-in-lieu options for fractional units. ¹
• The agenda bill states staff requested council direction after the hearing to draft a final ordinance for adoption on June 23, 2025. ¹

Why it matters

These rules determine what kinds of homes can be built in Kenmore and who can afford to live there—from whether a homeowner can add a second ADU to whether new developments must set aside below-market units. Because the item was scheduled for public hearing, the agenda indicates residents had an opportunity to provide input before the council acted (the agenda includes virtual public comment registration and a three-minute speaking limit). ¹ The June 30, 2025 state deadline meant Kenmore needed to adopt middle housing and ADU regulations by that date or see the State Model Ordinance take effect in the interim. ¹ The available records do not establish the hearing's outcome; the packet contains only pre-meeting material. ¹

What changed / what's next

• The June 9, 2025 agenda scheduled a public hearing on amendments to Kenmore's municipal code rules for middle housing, ADUs, and affordable housing (inclusionary zoning), with staff seeking council direction toward a final ordinance for adoption on June 23. ¹
• The available records do not establish the outcome of the June 9, 2025 hearing; the packet contains only pre-meeting material. ¹
• Staff's requested adoption on June 23, 2025 was a stated aim in the agenda bill, not a confirmed result in these records. ¹
• The available records do not establish the meeting's outcome.