Housing in Town Center

Updates to the Town Center Plan aim to diversify housing types and improve affordability.

The proposed updates and new incentives and requirements are designed to prioritize apartments, condominiums, and affordable middle housing options over market-rate townhomes to improve the variety of housing options in Town Center. Sammamish has a surplus of large single-family residences that serve a specific phase of life. This effort is focused on increasing production of housing types that can serve a younger population, an older population, and those who might want or need something different than a large single-family home.

Why are mixed-use, mid-rise, and low-rise construction types so important to provide diverse and affordable housing?

Affordable housing is most feasible to produce in low-rise or mid-rise multifamily zones that allow for multi-unit housing production, such as apartment buildings. State housing guidance indicates the criticality of these construction types to produce affordable housing. Lower density, such as townhomes, results in significant land cost, which is reflected in higher housing costs.

Mixed-use, mid-rise, and low-rise densities result in more efficient development and lower infrastructure costs. Additionally, development in centers is widely considered an environmentally sustainable way to accommodate growth.

What are the proposed building heights in Town Center?

Updated development regulations in the highest intensity areas of Town Center will maintain the height limit of 70 feet (approximately 6 stories), but will shift to form-based standards to allow for more development flexibility and better accommodate the community’s desired increase in affordable housing production. Updated incentives for development could allow for an additional 15 feet of height, bringing the tallest buildings in the heart of Town Center to approximately 8 stories (85 feet).