Kent public hearing set on cottage housing development

Published 1:11 pm Friday, August 31, 2012

A proposal to build 30 cottage housing units in Kent will be the subject of a public hearing at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 12.

The public hearing will be in front of the city hearing examiner at Council Chambers at City Hall, 220 Fourth Ave. S.

Developer W.E. Ruth Real Estate Inc., of Renton, wants to construct the city’s first cottage housing development on 4 acres on the East Hill. The property is on the northwest corner of Southeast 240th Street and 116th Avenue Southeast.

Cottage-style housing developments feature small, detached single-family homes clustered around a common open space with garages and parking located away from the homes.

The two-and-three bedroom units will range from 800 to 1,500 square feet. Cottages will sit in clusters of five or six homes with garages a short walk away in a detached building.

The development is known as Blueberry Cottages after the blueberry bushes on the property. Access to the property will be from 116th Avenue Southeast and parking will be clustered on site.

The City Council approved cottage housing in 2008 under a demonstration ordinance in an effort to give buyers more options and get away from the cookie-cutter style of homes that dominate many developments.

For more information about the proposed application, call city planner Katie Graves at 253-856-5454.