The Planning Commission discussed potential changes to Blaine’s accessory dwelling unit rules at its meeting on Thursday, Aug. 20.
The board talked about state regulations and if and where it would make sense for the city to adjust its rules.
The City Council will ultimately decide what new ADU regulations Blaine will adopt, but the Planning Commission will outline its recommendations to the council.
ADUs are residential units that can be detached or attached to a primary dwelling. They may be rented out, which offers more housing opportunities and an additional source of income for the owner, or can be used to allow family members to live in close proximity.
ADUs are permitted in Blaine SF-1, SF-2 and PR zoning areas and are permitted in Residential Low-Density areas with a conditional use permit.
State law bars local governments from requiring attached ADUs to be smaller than 1,000 square feet, and current Blaine open space and zoning requirements limit ADU sizing and eligibility.
Blaine ADUs must have outdoor space, such as a yard, patio or deck, and must have at least one parking space per bedroom.
Although the meeting on Thursday wasn’t a public hearing, the board opened the floor to community comments.
A member of the Salishan Neighborhood Association presented a survey the group had conducted regarding neighborhood preferences for Blaine ADU requirements.
The group distributed 400 surveys and received 55 back with 64 respondents. The results found that the majority are interested in building attached or detached ADUs.
Most respondents that are interested in building ADUs would not want to rent out their ADU, but rather keep it for their own personal use. The majority did not want to see height regulations raised to allow ADUs higher than 28 feet, or to have motor vehicles be allowed for use as ADUs.
The board was open to this feedback and took resident preferences into consideration in its discussion. Overall, it seemed the board favored following state guidelines in most areas.
By Sept. 4, the City of Blaine Community Development Services department will issue modified zoning language to be considered at the Sept. 10 commission meeting, which will be a public hearing.
After that meeting, once the commission feels comfortable with the outlined recommendations, they will be sent to the City Council, which will consider the recommendations and will make the final decision.
This process depends on how many meetings it takes for the Planning Commission to make its final recommendation and for the council to deliberate, making timelines “difficult to predict,” according to Community Development Services Director Alex Wenger.
Once updated zoning language is released ahead of the Sept. 10 meeting, it can be found at ci.blaine.wa.us in the “News Flash” section.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated results of the survey conducted by the Salishan Neighborhood Association. The majority of respondents are interested in building ADUs
