Form revised February 6, 2008
FISCAL NOTE FOR NON-CAPITAL PROJECTS
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Department: |
Contact Person/Phone: |
DOF Analyst/Phone: |
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Legislative |
Michael Jenkins, 615-1674 |
Not Applicable |
Legislation Title:
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AN ORDINANCE relating to land use and zoning, amending Sections 23.43.008, 23.44.010, 23.44.012, 23.44.014, 23.44.016, 23.44.017, 23.44.022, 23.44.040, 23.54.015, 23.84A.016, 23.84A.032, and 23.86.006 and repealing Section 23.44.042 of the Seattle Municipal Code to modify the land use and zoning standards relating to Single Family neighborhoods to limit the impact of new development on existing homes and the character of single family neighborhoods, and setting effective dates. |
· Summary of the Legislation:
The proposed amendments are intended to address the potential bulk, design, and environmental impacts of structures in single family zones. The proposed amendments would address: the size of homes, garage size and location, limits on the amount of paved area, the eligibility of historic lots for development, and house design.
· Background:
In 2007, Councilmember Richard Conlin proposed amendments to the Single Family Chapter of the Land Use Code (Seattle Municipal Code Chapter 23.44) to address the size of new homes being built in single family zones. The amendments were proposed in response to increasing neighborhood concerns that the development of large homes was negatively affecting the character of existing neighborhoods. Concerns were also raised about the replacement of smaller homes with larger, more expensive homes exacerbating the lack of affordable housing in Seattle and undermining environmental goals for greenhouse gas and waste reduction. The amendments also addressed the perceived effects of excessive shading of adjacent structures, view blockage, and the loss of trees and open space when large new single family homes were permitted.
DPD staff analyzed the proposed amendments and have submitted a revised proposal that more broadly addresses the compatibility of new homes with neighborhood character, while providing flexibility in development standards such as lot coverage and height limits, to accommodate reasonable single family home construction meeting the needs of current and future residents.
· Please check one of the following:
____ This legislation does not have any financial implications. (Stop here and delete the remainder of this document prior to saving and printing.)
__X__ This legislation has financial implications. (Please complete all relevant sections that follow.)
The proposed Single Family amendments are projected to increase the staff time necessary to review permit applications for single family homes by as much as 41 minutes, depending on the characteristics of the lot and the proposed structure. Table 1 depicts the number of projects that are likely to be affected by each proposed provision. The proposed legislation would result in an estimated overall increase of less than 5% in the total review time for single family homes, which would require an additional .23 FTE. The estimated increase in staff time is based on the following average annual permit volume recorded from August 2005 to March 2008:
The increased review time estimate does not include the time necessary for staff to familiarize themselves with the new regulations, which is considered as basic department overhead cost.
TABLE 1: Estimated Annual Increase in Staff Review Time
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Relevant Applications per year |
Additional Minutes |
New Hours per year |
FTE Equiv. |
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New “tiered” lot coverage requirement |
684 |
3 |
34 |
0.02 |
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Paved Surface Limit |
800 |
20 |
267 |
0.17 |
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New Garage Standards |
500 |
5 |
42 |
0.03 |
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Allowing dormers |
125 |
10 |
21 |
0.01 |
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Rear Garage lot coverage bonus |
25 |
3 |
1 |
0.00 |
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TOTAL |
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365 |
0.23 |
Costs related to the projected increase in staff review time would be funded through related permit fees. Zoning review for single family homes is done as part of the building permit review, and is supported by a fee based on project value. While no fee increase is proposed at this time, in the future fees may need to be raised to cover the additional staff time required for review.
Another proposal that is not included in the current amendment package is the addition of a floor area ratio (FAR) standard in single family zones. DPD estimates that implementation of an FAR standard would result in an additional 0.36 FTE of annual staff review time as shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2: Estimated Annual Increase in Staff Review Time if an FAR standard is adopted
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Relevant Applications per year |
New Minutes per review |
New Hours per year |
FTE Equiv. |
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FAR calculation |
1140 |
30 |
570 |
0.36 |
Appropriations: No appropriations are expected as a result of the proposed legislation.
Anticipated Revenue/Reimbursement: Resulting From This Legislation:
No revenue or reimbursements are expected as a result of the proposed legislation. However, as noted above, fees may need to be raised in the future to cover the additional staff time required for review.
Total Regular Positions Created, Modified, Or Abrogated Through This Legislation, Including FTE Impact:
No regular positions are affected by this legislation.
· Do positions sunset in the future? Not applicable.
· What is the financial cost of not implementing the legislation?
There is no financial cost if implementation does not move forward.
· What are the possible alternatives to the legislation that could achieve the same or similar objectives? Not applicable.
· Is the legislation subject to public hearing requirements:
A public hearing before the Planning, Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee is required and has not yet been scheduled.