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March 21, 2023                                    

City of Kenmore Communications
communications@kenmorewa.gov
425-398-8900

Kenmore City Council Approves New and Amended Regulations for Transit Oriented Development

KENMORE, Wash. – At the March 13 City Council meeting, the Council passed Ordinance 23-0574, which includes new and amended regulations for Transit Oriented Development (TOD). The purpose of TOD is to concentrate pedestrian-oriented mixed-use development at intensities that support and are supported by multi-modal transportation options, including high-capacity transit. As Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) comes to Kenmore along SR-522, transit-oriented development is proposed along the SR-522 transit corridor. 

In the past, an “overlay zone” allowed higher densities in this area with affordable housing requirements, but the choice of whether to use the TOD standards was left to the developer. Given the city’s new importance as a High-Capacity Transit Community, with regional obligations, the TOD standards are now being incorporated into the following underlying zoning districts: the Urban Corridor (UC) zone east subarea; the Downtown Commercial zone east of 73^rd Ave NE; and the PSP zone (for the park and ride property on SR-522).  A new Urban Residential (UR) zone also is created that incorporates TOD standards into some multifamily areas.

There are several new TOD regulations including: a requirement that multifamily projects fronting SR-522 must provide nonresidential uses (office, retail, service uses) on the ground floor; a maximum height of 85 feet; 25% of the units (rental) in the development must be affordable to those at the 50% AMI (area median income) level or below and 80% AMI level for ownership housing; special heron rookery protections; and a parking reduction to .50 stall per dwelling unit. Increased densities and affordable housing requirements also have been added to the Downtown Commercial zone west of 73^rd Ave NE.

Also at the March 13^th City Council, Council passed Ordinance 23-0575 which means that certain properties near Swamp Creek will retain their existing zoning, including the TOD overlay zone, pending completion of a Swamp Creek corridor study that will inform future code amendments for this area. The interim regulations prohibit townhome development, and for properties that do not choose to develop under the TOD provisions they must meet the base density of the underlying zone and include at least 25% of the total number of units as affordable units.

See more City of Kenmore news: www.kenmorewa.gov/news

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