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Middle Housing
Thank you for joining us at the Virtual Forum on May 31st!
At this forum, we talked about ways the City is considering to add more housing, in more affordable forms, to single family zones. There was also an opportunity to give your input.
Known as “middle housing,” these are structures the same scale as single-family homes that have multiple units, providing housing types between single family homes and larger apartment complexes and tend to be priced between those housing types.
Weren't able to attend?
Please check out the link below for the recording of the zoom meeting. The recording does not include the breakout sessions.
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/m9vonKitDx-GxSLSz6CNGp68OL8W-E9KLcwU2Ak5__cBwrojvZX3V0er3p0vGuo.utww0U36zW1QwbPj?startTime=1654045375000
You'll need this passcode: TmuV5ng&
Check out the summarized survey results here:
Middle Housing Survey Summary with Pie Charts (PDF)
These questions were part of the initial Middle Housing survey conducted in May 2022. Each question shown in the summary came after an introduction of the topic as well as context for the proposed code amendments. Survey results have been summarized to capture the sentiment of the responses.
Have questions, comments, or feedback?
Email imaginebothell@bothellwa.gov.
What is Middle Housing?
"Missing Middle Housing is a range of house-scale buildings with multiple units--compatible in scale and form with detached single-family homes--located in a walkable neighborhood." - Opticos Design
In this diagram from Opticos, you can see that there are many different types of Middle Housing options both in size and building type. The City of Bothell is specifically discussing duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, cottage housing, and accessory dwelling units. Middle housing can be provided in a transitional zone between Single Family and Multi-family zones, or scattered throughout many traditional residential areas.
Housing-type definitions:
What do we mean when we say "house sized building" in single family zones? Structures that have the same height and setback regulations as single-family homes.
What is an ADU? Accessory dwelling units, sometimes referred to as “granny flats” or “mother-in-law apartments,” are relatively small dwelling units that are accessory to a primary allowed use, like a single family home. Currently, ADUs are only allowed with single-family homes except in the Downtown Subarea, where they could also be accessory to a multifamily unit, like a townhome. Detached accessory dwelling units (DADUs) are sometimes referred to as “backyard cottages.”
What is a duplex? Structure with 2 independent dwelling units. These could be side by side, stacked, or front to back attached units.
What is a triplex? Structure with 3 independent dwelling units. These could be side by side, stacked, or front to back attached units.
What is a fourplex? Structure with 4 independent dwelling units. These could be side by side, stacked, or front to back attached units.
What is cottage housing? These tend to be smaller scale, detached single family units, built around a shared common courtyard or outdoor space.
What are townhomes? Side by side attached units that often have multiple stories and individual entrances.