The Snohomish County Council voted 5-0 on Wednesday to adopt four ordinances focused on increasing the available housing supply and addressing housing affordability challenges. The ordinances, introduced by Councilmember Nate Nehring, are the result of efforts by the “Opening Doors to Home Ownership” housing committee, convened by the council’s Planning and Community Development Committee.

“The lack of available housing is a major factor in housing costs and the challenge of affording a home for many families,” said Nehring. “Homeownership is critical to economic mobility and security. These ordinances will help increase the supply of housing and put homeownership within reach of more of our families, friends and neighbors.”

The four ordinances address various county-level regulations that reduce the number of residential homes that can be built on land in unincorporated Snohomish County. A brief description of each ordinance and links to more information are below. All four of Nehring’s ordinances received positive recommendations from the Snohomish County Planning Commission and County Executive Dave Somers.

The first amendment, Ordinance 24-058, amends county regulations for calculating average lot size. The ordinance reduces minimum lot widths in urban areas by calculating average lot size, simplifies open space requirements, and eliminates unnecessary provisions that conflict with the Health Code. The ordinance and staff report can be found at this link.

The second proposal, Ordinance 24-059, creates more flexibility in parking regulations. These changes will allow for more shed-style parking in single-family homes and increase the number of units that can be sensibly built in these developments. The ordinance and staff report can be found at this link.

The third law, Ordinance 24-060, reduces the minimum lot size requirements in the county’s low-density residential and multi-unit residential areas. In these areas, homes can be a combination of single-family homes on small lots, townhomes, and apartments. By reducing the minimum lot sizes, more of these lots can be built on more efficiently. The ordinance and staff report can be found at this link.

The last ordinance passed on Wednesday was Ordinance 24-061. This change in regulations creates more flexibility in the subdivision of duplexes and brings the regulations into line with other similar housing types. The ordinance and staff report can be found at this link.

After the district council has passed these regulations, they will now be submitted to the district executive board for review.