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Existing Housing Goals and Policies
The 2015 Stanwood Comprehensive Plan includes the following housing goals and policies:
GOALS
HG-1 To provide fair and equal access to housing for all persons regardless of race,
color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, family status, source of income or disability.
HG-2 To provide a range of housing types to ensure an adequate choice of living
accommodations for those desiring to live in Stanwood.
HG-3 To ensure strong, stable residential neighborhoods through public investment in infrastructure and in preserving existing housing units.
HG-4 Plan an appropriate mix of residential densities in the City and UGA.
HG-5 Encourage larger lots where appropriate.
HG-6 Encourage rehabilitation of older housing and infrastructure.
HG-7 Create unique residential neighborhoods with a variety of densities.
HG-8 Maintain residential character.
HG-9 Minimize environmental impacts of new housing developments.
HG-10 To provide open space and other recreational amenities for residential developments.
POLICIES
HP-1.1 Encourage the use of affordable housing techniques and incentives to assure
Housing opportunities for people of all incomes, ages, and assistance needs.
HP-1.2 Encourage housing opportunities for those with housing assistance needs
through the use of available regional and federal funding programs.
HP-1.3 Disperse small scale special needs housing throughout the residential
neighborhoods. Special needs housing provides living arrangements for those with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities where appropriate.
HP-1.4 Provide opportunities for siting manufactured housing.
HP-1.5 Encourage and assist in rehabilitating and preserving existing affordable
housing.
HP-1.6 Accept and plan for Stanwood’s “fair share” of the County’s affordable
housing needs as determined by the Snohomish County Tomorrow planning process.
HP-1.7 Utilize appropriate zoning techniques, including density bonuses for
affordable housing, in order to meet the City’s “fair share” of affordable housing goals.
HP-1.8 Treat residential structures that provide group homes for children and that
meet the definition of “familial status” the same as other residential structures.
HP-1.9 Treat residential structures that provide group homes for the disabled and that
meet the definition of “familial status” the same as other residential structures.
HP-2.1 Encourage the development of a full range of housing types to meet the needs of all citizens of Stanwood.
HP-2.2 Balance the housing needs of the entire community when determining development regulations.
HP-2.3 Allow housing units within commercial buildings in appropriate zones.
HP-2.4 Encourage single and multi-family housing close to transportation facilities, public services, and employment centers.
HP-2.5 Encourage the development of townhouses or other housing types, utilizing Planned Residential Developments (PRDs) in various areas to promote affordable housing.
HP-2.6 Allow manufactured housing in all residential zones, subject to City development regulations.
HP-2.7 Allow qualified senior citizen housing developments, which may include housing for disabled persons, to exceed the maximum zoned density requirements in specified areas.
HP-2.8 Support opportunities to accommodate home buyers and renters with varying income levels.
HP-2.9 Encourage a balance of percentages of housing availability for low, moderate, and high income residents.
HP-3.1 Locate residential development within the existing sewer service area and phase it into the projected wastewater service areas as shown in the City Waste Water Facilities Plan.
HP-3.2 Encourage pedestrian oriented development where possible to improve safety and sense of community.
HP-4.1 Rely on community input, the vision and values for Stanwood, and the assessed future housing needs to make changes in residential densities. Base recommended changes on:
HP-4.2 Maintain quality of residential neighborhoods when providing a mix of housing types and densities.
HP-4.3 On lots where feasible, allow single-family homes to have accessory units or “mother-in-law apartments” where zoning requirements can be met. Discourage use in areas where on-street parking congestion and other safety factors would cause problems.
HP-4.4 Allow mixed residential densities in subdivisions and planned developments where traditional neighborhood goals, designs, and amenities can be achieved for a variety of housing types and densities.
HP-5.1 Allow the use of larger lots in areas where there is a demand for larger, more expensive homes and transit service is not as accessible.
HP-5.2 Promote the use of large lot development away from the center of the business district.
HP-6.1 Develop incentives to encourage property owners to retain and rehabilitate existing or older housing stock.
HP-6.2 Promote education on the use of any available programs to rehabilitate housing.
HP-6.3 Encourage rehabilitation of older residential and commercial buildings.
HP-6.4 Encourage innovative rehabilitation measures such as adaptive reuse of dilapidated residential structures, and where appropriate, adaptive reuse of commercial buildings for residential purposes.
HP-6.5 Continue to seek Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and other funds in order to continue investments in older neighborhoods.
HP-6.6 Continue to invest in the infrastructure of older neighborhoods.
HP-6.7 Encourage improvements of streets and sidewalks on both sides of rights-of-way.
HP-6.8 Develop historical guidelines and promote historic preservation.
HP-6.9 Involve the Housing Authority of Snohomish County, Snohomish County’s Office of Housing and Community Development, and other service providers in various housing programs.
HP-6.10 Encourage the preservation of the exterior of older housing that is being converted to multi-family units.
HP-7.1 Encourage the development of quality single family homes.
HP-7.2 Encourage the development of quality multi-family homes.
HP-8.1 Retain and rehabilitate older or existing housing units.
HP-8.2 Encourage development that is similar in character to existing neighborhoods.
HP-8.3 Ensure the orderly transition and compatibility of adjacent residential densities.
HP-9.1 Ensure new housing developments conform to the City's sensitive area regulations.
HP-9.2 Ensure new housing developments conform to the City's adopted drainage manual.
HP-9.3 Ensure services for new housing developments are in place concurrently with the occupancy of the structures.
HP-9.4 Allow for clustering and smaller lot sizes in return for protection and rehabilitation of sensitive areas.
HP-9.5 Protect views by maintaining height limitations
HP-10.1 Require the provision of open space and recreational amenities in new developments to serve those developments.
HP 10.2 Collect impact fees from new developments to provide public recreational facilities.
HP-10.3 Create a fee-in-lieu-of program to allow residential developments to pay a fee rather than provide small, non-utilized recreation areas.
HP-10.4 Allow for clustering and smaller lot sizes in return for larger amounts of open space.