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.