The La Center City Council approved an ordinance Wednesday that will allow cottage-style homes in the city.
The ordinance, approved unanimously, will add a new section to the city code that regulates development of the homes. Cottage-style housing typically features small homes on shared or individual lots that don’t face public streets and have a common open area.
Ethan Spoo, the city’s planning consultant, characterized them as hybrids of single- and multifamily designs.
“It’s really, sort of, trying to combine the best of both worlds,” Spoo said.
The council conducted the first public hearing on the ordinance Feb. 26.
But questions about whether the code required sufficient parking and emergency access delayed the process. Councilors also raised concerns that the previous draft of the code allowed excess density and development sizes.
City staff then examined similar codes in Clark County, Ridgefield, Washougal, Battle Ground and six other governments in the state. Staffers attempted to address the concerns without making changes that were far outside typical code requirements.
The version adopted Wednesday establishes maximum allowed development sizes — four-to-12 units per cluster and at least 750 feet between developments —, density — four-to-11 cottage houses for every two acres — and parking — three spaces per unit. It also requires that Clark County Fire & Rescue review developments for safety requirements before they’re presented to the city council.
No public comments were offered before the ordinance passed, save a few written comments from developers read by Spoo. The developers raised questions about specific requirements such as spacing and parking.
Councilor Elizabeth Cerveny approved the ordinance but cautioned that the city should avoid enacting code changes that might be viewed as overburdensome.
“We’re trying to attract developers to the community, but sometimes we’re putting one layer after another on the building codes,” Cerveny said.
The ordinance will take effect on the 31st day after its official publication.
