Urban Residential

Design Standards
Planning Commission Briefing
March 25, 2008

Snohomish County
Planning and Development Services
Department of Public Works
URDS Outreach
General Public

5 UDC Public
Forums

2 Workshops on
Design Standards
 URDS Outreach
Stakeholder Meetings

Development Community (7 meetings)

Cities/SCT (12 meetings)

Utilities (4 events)
 URDS In-Reach
County Council (6 meetings)

Planning Commission (3 meetings)

Staff (13 meetings)

 Policy Framework
General Policy Plan Objective
Develop and implement design guidelines and a
design review process that improves the quality of
residential, commercial and industrial development.

Policy LU 4.A.1
The county shall work with architects, builders and
others to establish a design review process,
innovative and flexible design guidelines and
development regulations for site planning and the
design of buildings, consistent with the urban design
policies of the GPP and utilizing reports such as the
report referenced in the introduction to Goal 4.
 Key Questions
Urban Greenspace

Compatibility/Neighborhood Fit

Development Character

Vehicle & Pedestrian Circulation

Review Process
Discourage Encourage

Sterile streetscapes Visually rich streetscapes

Discourage Encourage

Facades dominated Facades not dominated

by garage doors by garage doors
 Discourage

Encourage
Poor neighborhood fit

Neighborhood compatibility
 Discourage Encourage

Inadequate setbacks Landscaped sideyards

Discourage

Absence of tree canopy Encourage

Canopy retention and street trees

 Overview of Proposed Changes
Consolidation of Unified Development Code
(UDC) regulations for roads and landscaping
New urban residential design standards
Flexible standards through menu options
Increase in director discretionary authority
Low impact development
Reference summary table for details of code
sections
 Changes to Use Matrices
Add cottage housing

Remove townhouse from R-9,600 & R-8,400

Add attached single family dwelling

 Bulk Matrix
Measure setbacks from lot line
[current code: sometimes measures from centerline of ROW]

Increase setbacks for height above 20 feet

(1.5 stories) in T, LDMR and MR zoned
projects (stepbacks allowed)
[current code: single setback regardless of building height]

LDMR and MR maximum height increased to

45 feet [current code: 35 feet]
Additional height allowed for low impact
development [current code: not specifically addressed]
 Building Height
Use smallest rectangle around building average
elevation of final grade at mid-point of all 4 sides
[current code: uses average grade at building front wall]

Average final grade for measuring height is capped if

there is existing development on surrounding site
conditions [current code: no adjustment for surrounding site
conditions]

(mid-point
eave/ridge)
(Shaded Area =
D B Building
Footprint of
Building) Height
(average
final grade)

C Minimum rectangle (A+B+C+D)/4

 Residential
Design Standards

Chapter 30.23A (new)

 Residential Design Standards
Applicability
Snohomish County Residential Design
manual
Compatibility design standards
Design standards for residential dwellings:
Detached Single Family/ Duplex
Attached Single Family/ Townhouse
Multifamily
On-site recreation space
Flexible Administrative site plan review
 Applicability
Applies to all new residential development
within urban growth areas

Not applicable to:

Mobile and manufactured homes
A single home or duplex constructed on a lot
created prior to effective date of ordinance
Most remodels
Projects vested under previous regulations
 Snohomish County Residential
Design Manual
New manual

To be adopted by department through rule

making (30-day notice)

Provides detail to implement design

standards

User-friendly pictures and illustrations

[current code: generalized references to Residential Development
Handbook-never adopted through any county process]
 Compatibility Design Standards
Purpose: Improve neighborhood fit of higher
density residential
Based on use to zone relationship
i.e.: Multifamily structure use next to a R-9,600
zone will need to incorporate 2 design features to
enhance compatibility
Options include:
Lower height, increased setbacks, additional
landscaping, architectural features, and reduced
bulk and greater building separation
[current code: no comparable standards]
 Design Standards
Detached Single Family/ Duplex
Menu approach:
Must pick 2 options from list for building, and
Must pick 1 option from list for garage
Example of options include:
Breakup continuous rooflines
Porches
Building orientation
Vary setbacks
Smaller garage doors
[current code: no design standards for sf or duplex structures outside
of PRDs]
 Design Standards
Attached Single Family/Townhouse
Design standards address:
Site layout and pedestrian circulation
Building orientation to street
Surface parking to the side or rear
Limit each townhouse building to 6 or 8 dwellings
Menu options for architecture elements
[current code: some design standards for townhouses defined on
Chapter 30.31E]
 Design Standards
Multifamily
Design standards address:
Site layout and pedestrian circulation
Location of parking
Exterior lighting
Building orientation courtyard/ street
Menu options for architecture elements
[current code: no specific standards for multi-family structures]
 On-site Recreation Space
Required for new residential development
(minimum 7 dwelling units)

Sliding scale per unit based on dwelling count

Allow active and passive uses

Playground, sports court, clubhouses etc. (active)
Nature interpretive area (passive)

Total reduced if near park and/or school

[current code: only standards apply to PRDs and SFDUs]
 Administrative Site Plan
Administrative site plan to implement design
review

Flexibility may be integrated with land use

permits or independently reviewed at any
time prior to building permit

Five year vesting upon approval

 Cottage Housing

Chapter 30.41G(new)
 Cottage Housing
Allowed in R-9,600, R-8,400, R-7,200, T and
LDMR zones by administrative conditional
use permit

Maximum floor area = 1,200 sq. ft. (800 sq. ft.

on main level)

House groupings can be 4 to 12 dwellings

each (multiple groups allowed)
 Cottage Housing
Detached parking in separate building(s) or
shared lots

Common and private open space required

Bonus density:
120 percent of underlying zone
Roads & Access

Chapter 30.24
 Roads and Access
Consolidation of road and access standards
into one chapter

What is new:
Increase county engineer discretionary authority
Expand where certain road standards can be
applied
Standardize terminology
Standardize pedestrian facilities requirement
Require street trees
 Applicability
Ownership: public or private

Broaden the use of certain standards

Auto courts
Woonerfs (Dutch for street for living)
Alleys
Shared driveway/ Common driveway (new term)

Incorporate into the Engineering Design &

Development Standards (EDDS)
 Example of Auto Court

Accommodates vehicles, pedestrians and bicyclists within the

same circulation space.
 Example of Woonerf

Joint-use facility with greater emphasis on non-motorized users.

Special paving and features to encourage low speed.
 Alleys & Driveways
Alleys: provide private vehicle access usually
secondary to other road or pedestrian access
Driveways: provide private access to parking
and structures
Changes:
Shared driveways serve two lots
Common driveways serve up to 4 dwellings
on a single lot (limited applicability)
Examples of Alley & Driveways
Driveway

Alley

Street

Shared
Driveway
Common Driveway

Dwelling
 Standardize Terminology

Drive Aisle: a private access way

owned in common by property owners, but no
easement, tract or right-of-way
allowed in SFDUs and multifamily
development

Fire Lane: minimum fire apparatus access to

buildings and facilities per the fire code
 Standardize Requirements
Pedestrian Facilities:
Sidewalks are already required frontage
improvements in urban public rights-of-way
Internal network to connect dwellings to
community facilities and pedestrian facilities
in public rights-of-way
Street Trees:
Required in urban growth areas
Approved list in the EDDS
Further discussion in Landscaping
Landscaping

Chapter 30.25
 Significant Tree
Retention/Replacement
Applies to new residential development in
urban growth areas
Retention in critical areas/buffers, perimeter
landscape areas, and some on-site
recreation space
Exemptions hazardous trees
Replacement elsewhere caliper to number
of tree ratio
Incorporated into landscaping plan
[current code: only required in PRDs, cell towers and commercial
zones]
 Significant Tree Definition
Significant Tree
Changed from 10-inch for conifer and 12-inch for
evergreen to 10-inch for both
Alder is not considered a significant tree

Replacement Tree(s)
Minimum 2 inch caliper
[current code: 1.75 caliper in PRDs]
 Street Trees
Street trees required along public and private
roads and drive aisles

EDDS contains a list of approved street trees

Maintenance of street trees is the

responsibility of adjacent homeowners
Minimum caliper of 2 inches

[current code: 1.5 inch caliper]

 Perimeter Landscaping
Perimeter landscaping is based on use to
zone relationship:
Multifamily structure use next to a R-9,600 zone
provides perimeter landscaping

Not required between similar uses

Perimeter landscaping required to be in

easements
Comparison of Regulations
Single Family Site
Current Regulations
Proposed Regulations
 Multiple Family Site

Retail

Food
Retail Retail Office Building
 Current Regulations
MF MF

MF

Retail

MF
MF

Food
Retail Retail Office Building
 Proposed Regulations
MF

Retail
MF

Food
Retail Office Building
Implementation