Kenmore Sound

Development · Upcoming · Oct 6, 2026

Kenmore to weigh housing plan update on tax breaks and mobile home parks

A public hearing on the 2026 Housing Strategy Plan update will take up multifamily tax breaks, inclusionary zoning, and preserving manufactured housing communities. 1

What the records say

The City of Kenmore has scheduled a public hearing on its 2026 Housing Strategy Plan Update at the October 6 Planning Commission meeting. The hearing draft identifies four recommended near-term priority actions, including a calibrated multifamily tax exemption (MFTE) plus inclusionary zoning package for Downtown and transit-oriented development areas, and a manufactured home community (MHC) preservation policy package. 1 The MFTE effort would revise the city's existing tax exemption program and pair it with inclusionary requirements in the Downtown and TOD areas; the MHC effort would develop strategies to preserve existing mobile home communities, address displacement risk, and plan for ownership transfer and replacement housing. 1 After the hearing, the Commission is expected to forward a recommendation to City Council, tentatively in November, with Council adoption anticipated in early 2027. 1

  • The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the 2026 Housing Strategy Plan Update at its October 6, 2026, 7:00 PM meeting. 1
  • The hearing draft recommends four near-term priority actions, including an MFTE plus inclusionary zoning package for Downtown/TOD areas and a manufactured home community preservation package. 1
  • The Commission's recommendation to City Council is tentatively scheduled for November, with Council adoption anticipated in Q1 2027. 1
  • Virtual commenters must submit the request form before it closes at 12:00 Noon on the day of the meeting. 1

Why it matters

This hearing is residents' chance to comment on the city's housing priorities before the Commission makes its recommendation to Council. If you live in a manufactured home community, the preservation priority addresses displacement risk and replacement housing in places like yours. If affordable housing in the Downtown and transit corridors matters to you, the MFTE and inclusionary zoning package sets the terms. To speak virtually, you must submit the Virtual Public Comment Request Form before it closes at 12:00 Noon on the day of the meeting. 1

What changed / what's next

  • A public hearing on the 2026 Housing Strategy Plan Update, with the hearing memo and draft plan attached, has been scheduled for the October 6 Planning Commission meeting. 1
  • The hearing draft is a proposal; the Commission could adjust the priority list or phasing based on hearing input before recommending to Council. 1
  • A separate public hearing on Comprehensive Plan, zoning code, and map amendments is on the same agenda as its own item. 1