On Monday, September 10th, the Seattle City Council will discuss a loophole some residents have identified, and have shown extreme concern about. Read more about their position on this matter on the ‘One House Per Lot’ website.
Essentially, the problem erupted over recent development of tall, skinny houses on properties the neighbors thought already had been built. A few developers have identified a few single-family lots in Seattle that while already built with a house, the property also has an historic tax parcel (an old sub-lot) that, through a petition process to the Department of Planning & Development, can sometimes also be built.
As the name implies, the sub-lots are very small, so the developers build on the entire footprint, and as tall as possible, to maximize the residence. The petition process, and the building, as a single-family residence, does not require any notification of adjacent neighbors.
To learn more about this issue, please visit the One House Per Lot website. Those who wish to weigh in on this matter are encouraged to contact City Council members as soon as possible:
- 206/684-8806, tim.burgess@seattle.gov
- 206/684-8802, sally.clark@seattle.gov
- 206/684-8807, jean.godden@seattle.gov
- 206/684-8801, sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov
- 206/684-8808, tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov
- 206/684-8800, mike.obrien@seattle.gov
- 206/684-8803, nick.licata@seattle.gov
- 206/684-8805, richard.conlin@seattle.gov
- 206/684-8804, bruce.harrell@seattle.gov
An ordinance drafted by Councilmember Conlin will be presented to the full council on Monday, September 10th, to temporarily close this loophole.