Seattle PI writes about Seattle’s ironic townhome zoning

There’s a really interesting article in the PI today about the irony of Seattle’s zoning code - where good townhome developments have ended up being good developments because they’ve had to ask for variances from the zoning code that should be encouraging better developments.  

And on the flip side of things, many bad designs occur when four-pack/six pack townhome developers ‘technically’ follow the current zoning code.

Change to this existing code is necessary, and it’s worth fixing now. I like what one local developer quoted in the article suggests: 

The project’s developer, Marty Liebowitz, is unusual, too — he called for a moratorium earlier this month on new projects while city officials overhauled the rules.

And it’s important too because if we change the zoning code without making necessary fixes, here’s what Sally Clark says will happen:

The challenge is to free townhouses from the current box of mediocrity without granting irresponsible developers license to inflict new horrors on neighborhoods, said City Councilwoman Sally Clark, who is chairwoman of the council’s planning, land use and neighborhoods committee and organized the forum.

Anyway, cheers to those who aren’t willing to be satisfied with bad code, and are willing to stand up with solutions for making it better.