Excellent idea for more affordable housing/reducing sprawl

Backyard cottages OK'd in Seattle

Backyard cottages will be allowed in single-family zones throughout Seattle under an ordinance approved unanimously by the City Council Monday. . . .

Height limits would be set at 22 feet for most cottages. If a lot is more than 50-feet wide -- or 40-feet wide and adjacent to an alley -- units could be 23-feet tall. Units could not exceed 800 square feet - or 60 percent of the primary residence -- whichever is smaller.

The peak of a cottage roof could not be more than 15 feet higher than the peak of the primary structure. That provision is intended to prevent backyard cottages from looming over nearby structures in neighborhoods built on a slope.

The measure prohibits the construction of cottages on lots less than 4,000 square feet or located in a shoreline district. Also, the owners of the primary residence would have to live on the property for at least six months of the year.

"I think this legislation strengthens our neighborhood," said City Councilman Tim Burgess, adding it would help people provide housing for family members or to offer low-cost rental units. "That's a positive way to create affordable housing in our city."