Neighborhood Residential

green zoning, missing middle housing, seattle housing, density

seattle neighborhood residential

Green Zoning means going beyond detached houses and townhouses, to a more urban, green residential type. Let’s trade the sideyard for a backyard with more homes facing the street with a useable yard. The typical setbacks on narrow, deep lots force townhomes to be perpendicular to the street and facing useless sideyards.

  • Reduce front yard setback and eliminate side setback

  • Porches and balconies can extend in front

  • Max. depth 50% of the lot, apartments with window on street and larger backyard

  • A compact form is easy to build and energy efficient

  • Space for 3-10 households per parcel

  • Works for larger units - less floor area wasted on stairwells

  • Backyard trees remain

If we want to crack the housing crisis, ADUs aren’t enough. We need a repeatable adaptable accessible single-stair, #Passivhaus 6/8/10plex that can be financed, permitted, constructed nearly everywhere on a margin that makes it more profitable than townhomes or detached homes.

green zoning, missing middle housing, seattle housing, density
green zoning, missing middle housing, seattle housing, density