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2. Development on Urban Corridors Everett Housing Action Plan 21 <br /> <br />Background and Findings <br />Overview <br />To pursue the objectives noted above, the team explored opportunities to build 5 to 6 story <br />multifamily buildings along the Evergreen Way and North Broadway corridors. The two case study <br />models illustrated below were developed to explore the implications of current and proposed <br />standards. The physical models were then “tested” for development feasibility as described in the <br />Feasibility Section below. <br />Housing Needs Assessment and Prior City Work <br />As noted above, the City views residential development along the corridor as an effective part of the <br />housing strategy because of the opportunities for larger scale development that benefit from the <br />access provided by Swift bus rapid transit. Also, there are properties where such development is <br />feasible and should be pursued. The City’s recent code updates provide a reasonable development <br />context that allows residential development. <br />There are, however, a few areas where updates to development standards could be modified to <br />encourage housing, including: <br /> Parking requirements. With frequent transit available, car ownership may not be so prevalent on <br />these corridors. Parking requirements should be evaluated with the intent of reducing <br />requirements where it would not significantly impact near-by residential streets. <br /> Upper story step backs. The current code requires building step backs for upper stories. These <br />may be unnecessary, especially for facades facing the arterial. Setbacks and step backs to facades <br />across the street from R-1 and R-2 zones should also be examined. Loss of privacy and shading of <br />homes is a significant issue, but the geometric conditions should be analyzed to make sure that <br />current provisions are both necessary and sufficient. <br /> Relationship to adjacent R-1 and R-2 zoned areas. Because of the differences in scale and the <br />need for access and services and the edge between (R-1 and R-2) and (B and MU) zones is not <br />always favorable to single- family residential conditions. There are several approaches to dealing <br />with this. One way is to establish a transitional zone (or overlay) between the B/MU zones and the <br />R-1/R-2 zones that would allow slightly more development on those blocks as a transition between <br />5 to 6 story buildings and 1 to 2 story residences. An alternative to an overly is to analyze <br />properties adjacent to B and MU zones and within ¼ mile walking distance from a transit stop for <br />rezoning to UR3. UR3 could provide additional capacity for missing middle housing types as well as <br />provide a transitional zone between the urban corridor and single -family neighborhoods. Specific <br />design standards could be developed to regulate conditions next to single-family zones to provide <br />for more cohesive logical transition. For example, mature street trees and sidewalks with planting <br />strips can create an attractive streetscape without onerous setbacks that make multifamily <br />development infeasible. Attention to conditions on the sides facing away from the arterial merit <br />scrutiny. <br />Additionally, public realm improvements should be considered on or near the transit corridors to <br />encourage development, including: