9a - AWC Housing SolutionsCity Council: 17 January 2023
Briefing on AWC Housing Solutions Group Process
CITY OF
Federal Way
Centered on Opportunity
Identify policy solutions that cities broadly support that will result in creating more
housing availability and affordability.
Ensure proposals are scoped to the true size of the challenge and the true barriers
Demonstrate cities commitment to identifying solutions to impact housing availability
MwM and affordability.
v
Identify areas of middle ground to inform AWC's approach to develop a package and
advocacy strategy strate for 2023.
Housing Solutions Workgroup Recommendations:
Cities play an important role in promoting housing development,
particularly in terms of development authority and permitting, and
infrastructure provision. Increasingly accessing revenue tools.
• Cities want everyone to do their part, but flexibility on how.
• Cities do not build housing and do not fully control when and where
building occurs.
• Any successful package of proposals that will meaningfully improve our
housing availability and affordability must involve more than just zoned
capacity and supply-side trickle -down solutions.
There is
a need for
significantly more
investment in housing for people at
income
levels
that
the
market
cannot
and
will
never serve.
Recommendation Highlights
• No maximum density allowed within %z mile walking distance of rapid
transit (rail -based and bus rapid transit), if 20% of units are affordable
at 80% of AMI or below for fifty years.
• 75% of residential lots in a city must allow at least three units per lot,
in any configuration, by permitted use.
• Individual lots can be excluded with a documented finding of an
infrastructure deficiency.
• Support changes to the state building code to facilitate middle
housing (eg. apply the residential building code up to six units).