Coupeville is looking into ways to accommodate growth and provide affordable housing options.
The town of Coupeville is looking into ways to accommodate growth and provide affordable housing options while maintaining the town's small-community feel and historic character.
For these purposes, the Middle Housing Code Update Project received in 2024 a $35,000 grant from the Department of Commerce to implement House Bill 1110, a bill that would facilitate the so-called "middle housing," which can look like accessory dwelling units, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes, cottage houses and more.
These types of housing differ from the traditional low-density detached single-family homes or high-density multifamily buildings, but tend to be affordable to residents who make between 50 and 100% of the area median income, according to the project's webpage.
House Bill 1337 is meant to prevent the restriction of accessory dwelling units, as they create a healthy mix of incomes in the town, and to lead to the creation of a new unit lot subdivision lot, according to a memo by Community Planning Director Joshua Engelbrecht. To implement this bill, the town is using $5,000 from the budget.
Engelbrecht explained the potential code changes during a meeting with the town council Tuesday, and will continue to make changes prior to a public hearing with the Planning Commission in February and the adoption of the amendments in March.
One of the additions is Chapter 16.19, which would allow for a parcel to be divided into separate unit lots with different owners. If a homeowner feels like their property is underutilized, they can sell an accessory dwelling unit while sharing ownership and maintenance responsibilities of common spaces, like a driveway.
Parcels with a single-family residence may add two accessory dwelling units, whereas now the code allows for one, Engelbrecht said.
Once the parcel is subdivided, the parent lot should comply with all zoning regulations, including maintaining minimum lot size, setbacks from property lines, maximum height and density regulations and more, according to the draft.
Unit lots don't have to comply with minimum size requirements or, unlike parent lots, to setback and lot coverage standards of the zoning district, according to the draft.
This lot's boundaries may be marked by the outside walls of the building or extend to include a private yard, driveway or patio, the draft states.
The amendments would also offer to waive utility connection fees and off-street parking requirements for accessory dwelling units that are leased or sold to households whose income is at 0% to 80% of Coupeville's average median income, according to the draft ordinance.
This would incentivize the development of affordable housing options, Engelbrech explained. However, not all the streets in Coupeville can accommodate parking on the side of the road, prompting Engelbrecht to ask the council and the mayor whether the town should implement this incentive by allowing homeowners to modify the right of way, making room for parking spots.
Mayor Molly Hughes expressed concern over this idea, which would bring unintended consequences. If the homeowner takes it upon themselves to create a parking spot, then they would likely reserve it for themselves when the town code does not allow for saved parking on the right of way.
"That will be a lot of police phone calls," she said.
Councilmember Rick Walti inquired if there would be a limit on how many cars can be parked on a shared driveway, as some may choose to park on the street to avoid getting in and out to make way for other cars. Residents might complain about cars parked in front of their homes and taking up their space, he said.
Widening the streets would also be an issue, Hughes said, as the town has to consult with Ebey's Reserve before making any changes. Because the town has other priorities to take care of, this project might take some time to complete, on top of copious amounts of money.
Public Works Director Joe Grogan warned that parking will be the biggest challenge posed by population growth, unless the town has a plan to provide better public transportation.
While parking troubles would be alleviated by adapting the streets to this growing need, he said, it would significantly alter the historic look of the town.
Councilmember Michael Moore had reservations about the utility connection fee waiver, citing "outstanding bond issues for utilities" and suggesting making sure the town wouldn't violate any rules by approving such an incentive.
Engelbrecht said parking and hookup waivers are common incentives, but he will look into the concern. The Department of Commerce, he said, has a program to reimburse waived fees, so the town could waive the fee and apply for a refund.
The subdivided lots may also choose whether to share utility services or not. Grogan pointed out this might pose a problem in the scenario of a sewer backup, and asked where the water meter would be placed. To Hughes, the idea of splitting the costs of utilities between three households sounds like a more compelling incentive than the off-street parking waiver.
In the code update development process, the draft will also look at accessory dwelling unit height limits and whether accessory dwelling units are appropriate in commercial zones (where ground-level residential is not allowed) and if allowing them would just facilitate vacation rentals.