A section of Langley zoning code that allows for more inclusive types of housing could soon be undergoing some changes.

As part of the city’s comprehensive plan update, the city council is reviewing the multifamily infill form-based code overlay. Director of Community Planning Meredith Penny explained that after having this code in place for four years, some challenges have been identified.

Code changes will help the city implement growth in housing over the next 20 years that must be planned, especially for residents who make below 80% of the area median income.

The council continued the discussion on the multifamily infill code this week, picking up where it left off during a previous meeting. The number of units and buildings and open space requirements for multifamily housing were all considered. The staff recommendation provided varies depending on the size of a development.

Opinions were split, however, over the issue of provided parking spaces. Penny presented four possible options to the council, which include retaining current standards of one space per unit; an increase in spaces for market rate housing to one and a half but no change for affordable housing; establishing required parking based on number of bedrooms for market rate housing but no change for affordable housing; or a request for deviation that would trigger a parking study.

At the state level, the legislature recently passed a bill prohibiting cities and counties from requiring more than half of a parking space per residential dwelling unit, though Penny said based on her reading of Senate Bill 5184, it does not appear to apply to cities like Langley with populations under 30,000.

The city’s Planning Advisory Board, or PAB, recommended keeping one space per unit for all development types, while city staff recommend it just for affordable housing.

“This is because subsidized affordable rental housing really needs 12 to 14 units at an absolute minimum to reduce their cost per unit for the available funding sources that they use,” Penny said.

Councilmember Gail Fleming said the PAB’s recommendations made a lot of sense to her. On the other hand, Councilmember Rhonda Salerno said basing parking on bedrooms discourages market rate developers from building three-bedroom units, which is what the city needs. Parking studies, she added, can be ambiguous. She favored the second option for providing more parking for market rate housing.

Citing census data for the 98260 zip code, Councilmember Chris Carlson pointed out that 70% of households have two or more cars. The current lack of street parking in residential areas and no way to manage it if it spills out into the neighborhoods is his concern.

Carlson added that he biked around every multifamily development in Langley, counting parking spaces, and noticed that they have one on-site parking space per unit plus adjacent street parking.

Salerno argued against increasing parking spaces for affordable units, citing lower income levels and the trend of young people sharing cars. Councilmember Craig Cyr agreed with Salerno and said that “car culture” is receding.

Fleming worried that requiring an increase in parking spots for affordable housing would make the development financially untenable.

Carlson said he would prioritize affordable housing over parking, but wanted to ensure that the city has a plan in place beforehand. In one of the multifamily developments he biked around, he noted that four cars were double-parked in the evening.

“Car culture has not shifted significantly, even in progressive Langley,” he said.

In addition to parking, the council also discussed other aspects related to the code such as bonuses for additional stories and units, administrative waivers and variances.

The council will resume the discussion again at its May 19 meeting.