The Galer rowhouses represent a new approach to a well-known urban typology and a twist on a suburban one. Nearly all rowhouse projects in Seattle’s urban neighborhoods would have maximized the density within the site’s zoning capacity by filling the site with compact units on three floors and parking for vehicles as a driver of the site access and experience. Instead, the Galer Rowhouses propose only 7 expansive homes, prioritizing spaciousness and elegant floor plans where 12 units would have been possible in order to provide an urban alternative to the suburban home on a cul-de-sac. Parking is minimized and the experience focuses on the resident instead of the vehicular access and “storage”. A single hidden shared driveway wraps around the back of the site to access most home’s two-car garage parking stalls. Where the site’s topography simply would not allow this, the two homes at the top of the hill utilize a shared driveway from the street, common in the urban rowhouse typology in many American cities. In all homes, the parking is tucked under the living spaces which are then prioritized for access to daylight and views.   . Nestled along a sloping hill from west to east and north to south in Seattle’s Queen Anne neighborhood, this project is an architectural response to the unique topography of the area and a commitment to providing high-end living spaces for urban dwellers.. This approach underscores the project's emphasis on comfort and quality of urban life, making the Galer rowhouses a coveted home in Seattle.

Maximizing Views and Enhancing Urban Living

One of the defining features of the Galer rowhouses is their thoughtful orientation and design, which maximizes the stunning views of downtown Seattle and the iconic Space Needle and Mt Rainier beyond. Each home is carefully positioned to take advantage of the natural slope of the site, stepping down the hill in a way that allows unobstructed sightlines from every home to the south, east and west. This terraced arrangement ensures that all residents enjoy panoramic vistas, creating a strong visual connection between the homes and the cityscape beyond.

To further capitalize on these breathtaking views, each rowhouse is designed with an inverted floor plan, placing the primary living areas on the top floor with projecting balconies. This layout not only maximizes exposure to natural light but also positions the most frequently used, and communal spaces where the views are the most impressive and with easy access to a spectacular roof deck. Bedrooms are located below the living floor, taking advantage of similar views through floor-to-ceiling windows. Each floor is design to capture a framed view of the skyline, with an ever-changing canvas of city lights and sunsets, while generous ceiling heights enhance the sense of openness and space.

Embracing Indoor-Outdoor Living with Rooftop Decks

Another standout feature of the Galer rowhouses is the private rooftop decks that crown each unit. These outdoor spaces provide residents with a unique vantage point over Seattle, offering sweeping views of Lake Union, downtown Seattle, and the surrounding mountain in all directions. The rooftop decks and balconies at living floors are designed to be extensions of the indoor living areas, providing a seamless flow between indoor and outdoor spaces. As an outdoor space for lounging and entertaining, the decks serve as private retreats where residents can enjoy the beauty of Seattle’s natural and urban landscapes.

Integration with the Queen Anne Neighborhood

While the Galer rowhouses offer a luxurious living experience, they are also thoughtfully integrated into the fabric of the Queen Anne neighborhood. The design respects the scale and character of the surrounding homes, blending contemporary architectural elements with the traditional charm of the area. The stepped design of the rowhouses mirrors the natural topography of Queen Anne, creating a harmonious relationship between the built environment and the landscape.

Conclusion

The Galer rowhouses set a new benchmark for urban housing in Seattle, offering a unique blend of spaciousness, high-end finishes, and spectacular views. By prioritizing quality over quantity, the project has created a residential development that appeals to those seeking a sophisticated, private, and comfortable urban lifestyle. The strategic placement of living spaces, the inclusion of private rooftop decks, and the careful integration with the Queen Anne neighborhood all distinguish the Galer rowhouses as an urban modern living destination. 

As part of its plan to increase housing options in the city and to find solutions to solve missing middle housing, the City of Seattle has recently changed regulations around accessory dwelling units. Commonly referred to as a mother-in-law apartment,  an accessory dwelling unit is a smaller residential unit tied to a single family house that comes in both an attached and detached typology, known as ADU and DADU respectively. Picture a finished basement with its own kitchen and entry from the rear or a separate cottage on the same property.

In previous years, the Seattle Municipal Code enforced by the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI), required two significant items that dramatically reduced the feasibility of ADU or DADU projects. One, each ADU required onsite parking be provided, and two, the property owner would have been required to physically reside in one of the units on the site for at least 6 months out of the year.  In addition the units were limited to 800 square feet. The former requirement ate up valuable footprint space making a lot of Seattle sites, especially those with environmentally critical areas like slopes and wetlands, too small to add an additional structure, and the latter often priced out any developer beyond a homeowner interested in taking on construction risk to invest in their property. In 2019, the City of Seattle removed these requirements and began allowing two ADU’s per lot. Since then Seattle has seen an increase in this type of project entering the permitting process.

While this change definitely encouraged the development market to explore another avenue to create housing, the ADU/DADU cluster has very little difference to a project type we at b9 architects are already familiar with; namely, the duplex and Single Family house, or even a three unit townhouse development. Where the two differ most is in zoning and size.

As a part of the change to the municipal code that allowed this type of project to flourish, the City has made this three unit typology admissible in all Neighborhood Residential zones (formerly Single family residential), a zone that until this change could only allow one house with one accessory dwelling unit. With this change, a significant portion of land in the City of Seattle has been unlocked as developable. The trade off is in size. While Seattle’s multi-family zones would allow three townhouses of any size (so long as they meet FAR guidelines) this typology limits an ADU or DADU to no more than 1,000 sq ft each, with allowances for storage and garages that exceed that amount. 

The 335 DADU is a small backyard residential unit completed in 2017. This would have been the only typology allowed in Single Family zones.

The 335 DADU is a small backyard residential unit completed in 2017. This would have been the only typology allowed in Single Family zones.

If you look at our 2018 study Urban +, you’ll see how the backyard building can range in size and scale based on the lot number, size and zone. In 2018, the only thing that could be done with a single lot in the Single Family zone is what you can see in our 335 DADU project. Since the code changes, the new type of project could resemble the configuration of several of our completed projects, including Urban +, Urban Share, or the North lot in Row 1412. In 2022 we used our expertise in Urban + to help two of our clients approach this type of project.

An axon of the 335 DADU. This project could add an additional ADU based on new requirements.

An axon of the Judkin’s Park House. This configuration would not be allowed in Neighborhood Residential zoning due to the location and size of the two homes.

An axon of the Urban Share project. While it’s three units, this configuration would not be allowed in Neighborhood Residential zoning due to the location and size of the two homes.

The Genesee ADU Cluster in West Seattle will add five residential units across two sites of current single family homes. One of these primary residences will be retained and converted to the allowable DADU for that lot. The other existing residence will be removed to make room for the new dwellings. The duplexes (or Single Family w/ ADU) that face the two streets are three stories with living on the second floor. Each new unit has at least two bedrooms, with the two larger units designated as Single Family Houses having three bedrooms. Similarly, in our project Urban Share, a Single Family home remained on site while a duplex was built behind it. If Urban Share were on a Neighborhood Residential zoned lot today, the two small units in the duplex would be comparable in size to what is allowed now as an ADU or DADU.

The Genesee ADU Cluster retained an existing Single Family House.

Due to being a corner site with access to two streets, we are position the existing Single Family house behind a new structure, and designate it as the site’s DADU.

The site plan for the Maple Leaf ADU Cluster is organized to give each of the three units a private outdoor space. While each of these spaces is accessible to all three units, they are recessed from the street and are configured like a checkerboard with each unit exiting through a rear door onto an established space. Due to the new code allowances, parking is only provided for the front Single Family home in a ground floor garage.

In the end, the driving factor for the large increase in ADU and DADU development in Seattle is cost, specifically related to the process required to obtain a permit for construction. These three unit projects, while being similar to a three unit townhouse project, are not required to participate in the city’s Design Review program, or comply with the requirements of the Mandatory Housing Affordability program. This streamlines the entitlement process, and saves money while being more predictable. While this will help bring the much needed residential units to the area, it will increase the amount of small ADU and DADU units that come to the city, which offers a more affordable option in the market.

Hello 2018! While we have been quiet in the blogosphere, our office has been in constant motion with not only traditional work, but also our determined pursuit to expand our practice and our body of work through various outlets. As a result, we are excited to introduce our inaugural blog post of a series that will profile certain aspects of our office that go beyond our typical portfolio. We begin with a pertinent topic in Seattle and with which we have a close connection: urban density and the relationship between existing structures and new construction. 

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How harmonious are the need for density, and the desire to preserve urban fabric? At b9 we find the most harmony in thoughtful design impelled by site specific solutions.

As the need for density in Seattle has grown, so has the pushback in demolishing the current urban fabric of single family homes. It sometimes feels the default strategy for residential development is to demolish everything that exists on a site and maximize the number of units in a multifamily development.  At the beginning of the year, b9 architects examined the history of our work, and we noticed a different, recurring typology: infill buildings that we are calling Urban +. If site and zoning constraints are met, it becomes possible and sometimes financially beneficial to preserve a site’s existing structures while placing new structures in infill positions in current driveways or backyards. Not only does it afford more financial safety to a development project, this typology also allows a developer to maintain existing urban fabric, while adding surrounding density.

Our research on Urban + is ongoing, and we will continue expand on the implications and motivations of this urban strategy in the coming months. 
 

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In this exercise we explore the varying scopes of Urban +, the Seattle City zoning and site constraints needed, and the solutions we have designed in this typology. In all case studies, we strived to create a connection to the street as well as a shared communal space between the old and new structures. We defined each strategy based on zoning and the number of lots in question.

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1 / SINGLE SF LOT

The smallest scope of this type of solution, the single lot in the SF zone is zoned to only allow a single principal structure and either an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) internal to the principal structure or a detached accessory dwelling unit (DADU). This typology is not yet a viable option for development due to other zoning constraints, and are typically constructed by homeowners looking to utilize the new structure personally or as a rental for additional income. The cost of design and construction makes this typology unfeasible in many cases, causing it to be more of a unique infill situation in the SF zone.

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2 / SINGLE LR LOT

On a single lot in Seattle's LR zones, if the existing single family home is in the correct location on site and in good condition, it is possible to preserve the existing home and add a new home on the same lot. This typology most benefits a small developer or a homeowner looking to maximize the lot’s potential and live in a more urban condition while maintaining a limited, or in some circumstances no yard or driveway.

This placement of this solution varies based on the placement of the existing structure. If the lot is wide enough, a new SF home can fill an adjacent space replacing the driveway. If the existing home is placed forward enough, a new structure can be placed in the backyard. In this case, adding a two or three-unit townhouse structure is feasible. This saves the existing structure contributing to the street character while adding two or three residential units.  This additional density to a neighborhood provides minimal impact on the surrounding lots and existing streetscape. Parking still needs to be considered, as does all development where it is required by zoning.

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3 / DOUBLE LR LOT

The scope expands as the space does. In a double lot in the LR zone, with access from an alleyway, it is possible to create a single family residence and fill in the dual backyard with a townhouse development.  The alley access minimizes the impact of the parking on site, creating more space for shared pedestrian activity and structures.

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4 / TRIPLE LR LOT

The LR zone has allowances for a triple lot as well. In these instances, it is important to evaluate the existing structures in terms of placement on site, and how well-maintained they are. With this understanding, many solutions can be found in the space surrounding each structure creating a significant amount of density in a more thoughtful way, preserving aspects of the existing urban fabric.

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5 / MR SINGLE LOT

In its most significant form, the strategy can be extrapolated to the MR zone. In this case, if an alleyway exists and the existing apartment structure is appropriately maintained and positioned correctly on site, a new apartment structure can be added behind an existing apartment structure.  This adds more density and preserves character structures that are strong contributors to the city’s MR fabric.

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Below is a section of a Seattle area neighborhood at an intersection of multiple zones (Single Family, Lowrise, and Neighborhood Commercial). Here, we tested the potential impact of this typology, and examined the scope of density available to the city.

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Lastly, we introduced our Urban + analysis at April's AIA Happy Hour, following the theme of "So What're You Gonna Do About It? : Explorations on the Social, Environmental, and Cultural Responsibilities of Design." We had a great turnout in our modest office space and were excited to share our work and values with Seattle's design community. Thank you AIA Seattle for the opportunity to host this fantastic event!

Update**

Thanks to everyone who joined the discussion! The event was engaging, insightful, and relevant for both the public and the design community. A special thanks to David Neiman for moderating and our stellar panel - Josh Bower, David Cutler, Gabriel Grant, Cary Moon, and Nick Welch.

**All images courtesy of William Wright

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Is Seattle's current zoning code preventing or encouraging positive growth in Seattle?

What actions can developers, architects, planners, politicians, taxpayers do to create positive change in Seattle's growth - urbanistically, demographically, culturally, and spatially?

Where are there areas of potential innovative ways of growth and change, pertaining to housing and zoning?

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In participation of this year's Seattle Design Festival and Design in Public’s year’s theme of “Design Change,” b9 architects is excited to host a panel discussion on the relation between housing and zoning in terms of Seattle’s current growth.

Through both a moderated conversation with our esteemed panel and the opportunity for an open dialogue about Seattle's rapidly changing urban fabric, we will delve into issues of zoning, density, value, and change. We invite you to join the conversation about how to create positive change and growth in Seattle! 

Where: b9 architects
When: Friday, Sept. 16, 6-8 PM

Our panel:

David Neiman (moderator)
Neiman Taber Architects

Josh Brower
Veris Law Group

David Cutler
Principal, Office for the City

Gabriel Grant
Principal, Spectrum Development Solutions 

Cary Moon
Urban Planner/Activist

Nick Welch
Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development

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