Share your thoughts with us! Please take the middle housing survey here: https://forms.office.com/r/C3bTXnX2UQ. The survey will close on April 30, 2024.
- PDF Version (click to open)
- If you prefer to take the survey on paper, print the PDF using the link above, complete the survey, and return to the Public Works Building (1030 Roe Street), ATTN: Town Planner. The Public Works Building reception also has paper copies available for pickup.
Middle Housing Overview
What is middle housing?
“Middle housing” means buildings that are compatible in scale, form, and character with single-family houses and contain two or more attached, stacked, or clustered homes.
Examples of middle housing include duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, courtyard apartments, and cottage housing.
Middle housing is “middle” in two ways:
- Middle housing types have the same height, lot coverage and setback regulations as single-family homes. This leads middle housing buildings to be house-sized, with a footprint, scale, and form similar to a single-family home while containing more than one unit. In this way, middle housing is in the “middle” in terms of scale and number of units between single-family homes and large apartment buildings.
- Middle housing also tends to be more affordable (for renters or owners) than a single-family home and can therefore be more attainable for middle income families. These housing types can also be built more easily by “mom and pop” or small-scale developers without access to large amounts of financing, compared to larger apartment complex projects that may not be feasible for homeowners and small developers.
Why did the state pass a middle housing law (HB 1110)?
In reaction to a lack of affordable housing in Washington, the State Legislature has taken a more active role in setting rules for how cities can plan for and regulate housing. One action taken by state legislators was passage of HB 1110, the “middle housing” law, which sets minimum residential density requirements for cities and towns in Washington. Some of the stated findings included as reasons for passing the law include:
- To meet the need for 1,000,000 new homes by 2044 to support Washington’s population growth.
- To provide a variety of housing options and configurations that meet the need for development of housing at all income levels.
- To allow more Washingtonians to live near where they work.
- To reduce pressure to develop natural and working lands, and create efficiency and cost savings by increasing housing in areas already served by urban infrastructure.
Read the full text of the bill here and the bill report here.
How does the middle housing law impact Steilacoom?
HB 1110 created three “tiers” of cities and towns across the state, based on both city/town and county populations, as well as proximity to large cities. Steilacoom falls in tier three of the law, because it has a population of less than 25,000 and has urban growth boundaries contiguous with Tacoma within Pierce County, which has a population above 275,000.
The law sets the following minimum residential density that cities and towns must allow on all residential lots based on the tier they fall into:
| Base number of dwelling units (du) of middle housing that must be allowed per lot | Near a major transit stop: within ¼ mile of transit | With affordable housing: if affordable units are provided | Affected Pierce County Jurisdictions | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1: Cities with population of at least 75,000 | 4 du/lot, unless zoning permits higher densities | 6 du/lot, unless zoning permits higher densities | 6 du/lot if at least 2 units are affordable, unless zoning permits higher densities | Auburn Tacoma |
| Tier 2: Cities with population between 25,000 and 75,000 | 2 du/lot, unless zoning permits higher densities | 4 du/lot, unless zoning permits higher densities | 4 du/lot if at least 1 unit is affordable, unless zoning permits higher densities | Lakewood Puyallup University Place |
| Tier 3: Cities with population under 25,000 that have an UGA that is contiguous with the UGA of the largest city in a county if that county has a population over 275,000 | 2 du/lot, unless zoning permits higher densities | N/A | N/A | Bonney Lake DuPont Edgewood Fife Fircrest Milton Pacific Ruston Sumner Steilacoom |
Other HB 1110 Requirements:
In addition to the minimum residential density that must be allowed, the following other requirements from HB 1110 apply:
- Development and design standards must be objective and approved administratively (without a public hearing) outside of a designated historic district.
- Within the historic district, design review for middle housing will follow the same process as a single-family home.
- The Town must allow at least 6 of the following 9 types of middle housing:
- Duplex
- Triplex
- Fourplex
- Fiveplex
- Sixplex
- Cottage Housing
- Townhomes
- Stacked Flats
- Courtyard Apartments
- The Town must allow unit lot/zero lot line subdivision to enable separate sale and ownership of housing units.
- The Town may not require standards for middle housing, such as setbacks, lot coverage, stormwater requirements, and tree protection that are more restrictive than those required for detached single-family residences.
- The Town must apply the same development permit and environmental review processes to middle housing that apply to detached single-family residences.
- The Town may not require more than two off-street parking spaces per unit of middle housing on lots greater than 6,000 square feet.
When will the changes go into effect?
The deadline established in the law for cities and towns to update their zoning with required changes is June 30, 2025. The Town has received a grant to assist with completing the necessary work, and per the grant schedule will prepare a draft ordinance by June 15, 2024, and must adopt a final ordinance by June 15, 2025.
Learn more at the Town’s FAQ page.
