Seattle Council to allow backyard cottages

Seattle

The Seattle City Council on Monday voted to allow construction of backyard cottages on eligible lots in single-family zones throughout the city.

Such cottages have been permitted in Southeast Seattle since 2006, and about 20 have been built.

After more than a year's work, the council voted to carry over development standards from Southeast Seattle to the rest of the city.

The cottages will be limited to 800 square feet, including garage and storage, and prohibited on lots smaller than 4,000 square feet or in a shoreline district.

The property owner must live in either the principal structure or the cottage for at least six months out of the year.

Olympia

State rethinks plate change

The state Department of Licensing (DOL) has changed its plan for configuring new seven-character license plates to be issued starting this month.

Initially, the DOL said the new plates would have seven characters, consisting of a number, a letter, two more numbers and then three letters (1A11AAA).

But after fielding complaints from the public that the plate characters would be too hard to remember, the DOL has reconsidered; the new plates will have three letters followed by four numbers (AAA1111).

Neighborhood vehicle-licensing offices around the state will begin issuing the new plates after exhausting their stocks of the current, six-character plates.

Kingston

Arborwood project gets OK

It took 20 years, but the Olympic Property Group (OPG) is finally moving forward with a large Kingston housing development. But it could be another 20 years before the project is complete.

Kitsap County Hearing Examiner Kim Allen approved plans for the project, which would involve up to 751 residences being built on 360 acres off the 24000 block of South Kingston Road.

Known as Arborwood, the development first came under public scrutiny in 1991 as a much larger project. OPG is in no hurry. It asked that the permit expiration be extended for up to 20 years.

The project now moves to the county commissioners.

Times staff and news services