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Redmond citizens value a variety of housing options for those
that call Redmond home. Four of the several ways that Redmond promotes choice in
home types are through its Cottage Housing regulations, Innovative
Housing Ordinance, and through allowing and encouraging accessory dwelling units
and backyard homes. Cottages. In 2002, the City adopted cottage housing regulations to
provide a new housing choice in Redmond. A cottage is a
single-family home of no more than 1000 square feet. Cottages
include small yards, but are also situated around a community open
space, which functions as an extended yard, recreation area, and
community gathering space. At Redmond’s
Conover
Commons, parking is provided either behind, below, or apart from
the cottages themselves, allowing the front yards to serve as places
for living.
In Redmond, cottages are built in groups of four to twelve homes,
except where otherwise allowed by neighborhood regulations. At
present, cottage homes are permitted in the Willows/Rose Hill, Grass
Lawn, North Redmond, and Education Hill neighborhoods.
Innovative Housing. Redmond’s
Innovative Housing Ordinance, adopted in 2005, facilitates
innovation in design, site planning, and green building, while
promoting neighborhood compatibility and the provision of affordable
homes. The program has its own page – take
a look! Accessory Dwelling Units. Also called mother-in-law apartments, or simply “ADUs,” these
homes are secondary to an existing home and – as of April 2007 (see
Ordinance 2331)
– are allowed in all of Redmond’s residential zones. In most cases,
ADUs are limited to 1500 square feet; they may be attached to, or
detached from, the existing home.
Backyard Homes. A backyard home is a single-family
detached unit that does not exceed 1,500 square feet and that is
affordable to an individual or family earning less than 120% of the
area median income (see the Affordability page for those figures). These homes are
allowed in the Education Hill neighborhood on single-family lots
that are at least 200% of the minimum average lot size, or about 15%
less land than would otherwise be required to subdivide a lot.
See the final three pages of Exhibit 2 to
Ordinance 2356
for more information. For more information about
housing choices, please contact Sarah Stiteler at 425-556-2469 or
sstiteler@redmond.gov. |
