Seattle City Council Vote Monday on Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADU's)

PRESS RELEASE

By Marty Liebowitz

Regarding- Upcoming Seattle City Council Vote on Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADU’s)

DADU’s are a crazy sounding abbreviation. Spelled in their entirety, the phrase is long, un-sexy, and not very catchy. But next week, on November 2nd, when the full City Council is slated to vote on whether to allow them throughout the city- this will be judgment day for the fate of single-family neighborhoods throughout the City of Seattle.

The ordinance they are voting on is flawed- maybe 30% flawed. In that amount of written legalese, much of what we all love about our City could be destroyed. The incision will be invisible since it affects only rear yards- so the damage will not be visible from the sidewalk. However the damage will be done- primarily to the backyard privacy we and our trees, and our backyard animals all enjoy.

As currently proposed, a 2 story 800 s.f. home will be able to be built in the rear yard of a property with an existing single family home- in all the single family neighborhoods in Seattle. The home which can be built will be allowed within 5 feet from rear and side property lines. It can be 15’ high at its eave and 22’ high at the ridge of a peaked roof. It can tower over the abutting 5 neighboring lots when built mid block. What is gained by 1 homeowner in building 1 new accessory dwelling unit is lost by the 5 abutting neighbors. This ratio of 1 to 5, winners to looser, should not be acceptable in the City of Seattle.

While hyped as being “Sustainable”, it is really not since we already have an attached accessory dwelling unit ordinance which allows the same thing if it is attached to an existing building and maintains regular setback requirements in side and rear yards. Hence, there will be no more units created by this ordinance. Also, they do not provide “affordable” housing since this is in general new construction at new construction costs.

The City planners are telling us that this is no different than similar ordinances on places like Mercer Island. However, on Mercer Island, the minimal lot sizes are 1/3 acre, while in Seattle, the minimum lot size proposed is 1/10 acre- hardly comparable.

One glaring problem with the proposed ordinance relates to a similar one past a few years ago for SE Seattle, which was to be a test of the DADU concept in Seattle. SE Seattle was chosen since politically the concept was a hot potato for neighborhoods in the rest of the city. SE Seattle was politically under-represented and an easy test case for the City Planners. Hence, under the cover of darkness (not unlike today) the Council benignly passed the experimental ordinance under the guidance of City Planners. In the last 2 years, about 17 of these new residences have been built- the majority of which are eyesores. However, as mentioned in the top of this posting, they cannot be seen from the street, and hence, are only a burden on their immediate neighbors who see these things out of their kitchen and bedroom windows every day. So, we could say “out of sight out of mind” and just walk away from this issue. But if passed on November 2nd, none of our rear yard sanctuaries is safe. No longer can we toke up in private or sunbathe au naturelle. No longer can we and our backyard critters enjoy a moment or careless, peaceful, piece of mind.

So folks- that’s what’s coming down. No one knows what’s coming down. There’s been little public disclosure on something so far-reaching. But noblesse oblige, “the Council knows what’s good for us”. Tell your Seattle City Council that this is a half baked ordinance. Tell them that you believe in Sustainability but that this is not the way to achieve it. Turn on the fans on their smoke screen, clear the air, and just tell them to vote no on November 2 on the DADU Ordinance.