Affects permitted home sizes in residential districts
Twisp’s updated zoning code, including new minimum house size regulations, is expected to be considered by the Town Council at its Jan. 8 meeting.
The Twisp Planning Commission approved a draft zoning code on Dec. 12, accepting the latest amendments that would prohibit homes smaller than 950 square feet in the town’s low-density, single-family (R-1) districts, which have minimum lot sizes of 10,000 square feet.
The zoning code sets a minimum house size of 500 square feet in high-density, single-family districts (R-2), and 360 square feet in the town’s high-density, multi-family residential districts (R-3). The ordinance also sets a minimum size of 360 square feet in all three residential zones for accessory dwelling units, which are separate living quarters on the same parcel as a primary residence.
Although the official public comment period was over, the Planning Commission accepted comments from a handful of residents who attended the monthly meeting. A couple of speakers advocated for larger minimum home sizes in R-1 districts than would be permitted under the proposed zoning amendments.
Scot Domergue, who said he lives in a 250-square-foot home, questioned why the town is establishing any minimum size requirements in the higher density R-2 districts, which allow duplexes, and R-3 districts, which allow apartments.
“I’ve yet to hear any reason for limiting dwelling sizes in R-2, R-3 and for accessory dwelling units,” Domergue said. “I don’t understand why we need or want size limits.” Restricting how small a house can be may discourage people from building homes in Twisp, he said.
Planning Commission board member Sam Israel said the revised zoning code attempts to address conflicting public opinion about regulating house sizes.
The topic prompted sometimes-heated debate during public hearings last summer, with proponents of minimum home sizes arguing regulations were needed to provide neighborhood conformity and protect property values, and opponents arguing that Twisp needs more affordable housing and property owners should have freedom to choose the size of their homes.
“We’re trying our best to strike a balance. That is where these numbers (minimum house sizes) are coming from,” Israel said.
The minimum house sizes are included in a table in the zoning code that describes requirements in residential zones including lot size, coverage, density, setback and height. The zoning code allows people to request a variance if they seek an exception to any of the requirements, including dwelling sizes.
The issue of small houses arose last spring when a 288-square-foot factory-built home was moved onto May Street, in the neighborhood often referred to as “school house hill.” It is one of two R-1 residential zones in Twisp and some neighbors objected to the size and appearance of the small home, calling for the town to regulate home sizes.
The zoning code update also adds new dwelling standards that require houses to have a permanent foundation and skirting around post and pillar foundations, and exterior siding that is similar to materials used in the surrounding community.
The zoning code includes amendments that address a wide range of other concerns including storage containers, microbreweries, data mining operations, modular and factory build homes, nightly rentals, and traffic volume for commercial properties.
The town’s Planning Commission began work on updating the zoning code more than three years ago, town planner Kurt Danison noted in a report to the commission, which approved the updated zoning code unanimously. “It’s been a lot of work,” Danison said after commissioners voted. “We’ve been working on this since my hair was brown.”
