Seattle has a problem. It is a relatively young city of mostly large, compact neighborhoods zoned for single family bungalows. Over the last decade, its population jumped from 563,000 to 608,000 people. Obviously, the city needs more housing. One way it can meet that need is to cut down forests and build new homes there. But it found a different solution, one that isn’t as novel as it seems.
Seattle changed its zoning rules to allow homeowners to build relatively small backyard cottages, a practice that was very common during the early 1900s when multiple generations lived together. But things changed during the 1950s when “Americans were decamping for the suburbs, pursing the dream of a single-family home on a large tract of land.” Suburban zoning codes reflected this trend, banning backyard cottages in the new large-lot, single-family zones.
How much do Seattle’s backyard cottages cost? Construction costs range from $50,000 to $80,000, considering cottages can be no more than 800 square feet and 22 feet tall. Who lives in these relatively small structures? Many homeowners are renting the cottages to tenants. Although some people are moving into the cottages and renting the homes instead.
Has anyone complained about the higher density? After the city authorized backyard cottages on a trial basis in selected areas, the planning department surveyed the residents and found that most couldn’t discern any impact the cottages had on parking and traffic. Many didn’t realize that there were cottages in their neighborhoods. These results encouraged the city to allow cottages in all neighborhoods.
Seattle isn’t the only city allowing backyard cottages. As a May 2011 Governing article explains, Portland and Santa Cruz have strong backyard cottage programs while Chicago and Madison are considering them.
