The City of Tukwila is required to comply with state requirements regarding middle housing in updating regulations. The following state laws have guided this update:

• HB 1110 Increasing middle housing in areas traditionally dedicated to single-family detached housing.
• HB 2321 Modifying middle housing requirements and the definitions of transit stop.
• HB 1337 Expanding housing options by easing barriers to the construction and use of accessory dwelling units.
• HB 1293 Streamlining development regulations.

Please see the "Other Resources" links below for more information about these laws.

Zoning is used by communities to separate different land uses. Each zone allows only certain uses and provides standards for the shape and sizes of new development. For example, Tukwila’s Low-Density Residential zone primarily allows for one detached single-family home per lot of land, and requires that new buildings conform to specific height and lot coverage limits.

Single-Family homes are an important part of a City’s housing. However, on average, they are the most expensive kind of housing in our region. This is partly because demand for homes in the Puget Sound area is very high, and that has driven up competition and prices for land. These kinds of homes aren’t very efficient in their use of land, which usually means that buying a single-family home means buying a large and expensive property, as well. Additionally, because each property can only have one single-family home, that means that there isn’t much space to build more houses in Tukwila to accommodate the people who want to live here.

Most of the land where housing is allowed in Tukwila (and in the entire country) is located within Low-Density Residential zones. This means that in most of the areas that people live, current rules prohibit less expensive and more efficient housing types, such as duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, or cottage housing. These homes are collectively referred to as “Middle Housing”, which indicates that their design will provide housing in a more space-efficient manner than single-family development, but in a less intensive manner than a large apartment building.

The impact of housing restrictions is felt by everyone. In Tukwila, a typical house sold for $318,000 in 2016. By 2024, the cost of a detached house had skyrocketed 90%, to over $600,000. These prices are out of reach for most residents and are contributing to the historic housing affordability crisis that is impacting everyone in our region. Updating Tukwila’s Low-Density Residential zones to allow for more variety in housing types is an essential step in addressing our current and future housing needs.

Crafting Standards for Tukwila

The proposed update to Tukwila’s In the update of the municipal code staff sought to integrate community feedback, as well as address the goals and needs of the community, while complying with state law. The update aims to:

• Expand opportunities for housing types, which provide for more options for the community
• Create more affordable homeownership options than only new single-family units
• Ensure that new development is high quality
• Make new standards easy for developers to understand and for the City to administer
• Comply with state requirements

While the final draft code amendments are still being compiled, a summary of proposed general development standards is listed in the "Summarized Development Standards" section.

2/10/2025 City Council Memo & Presentation

2/27/2025 Planning Commission Memo & Presentation

3/27/2025 Planning Commission Memo & Presentation

Department of Commerce Middle Housing Page

MRSC Middle Housing Page

Department of Commerce Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)