Mini cottage developments patterned after similar projects built in the Seattle area and surrounding Pacific Northwest communities may soon begin to pop up in select areas of Hailey.
The Hailey City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve several text amendments allowing such developments to be built in the city. The amendments to Hailey's zoning and subdivision ordinances were originally put forth by developers of the Old Cutters subdivision, a large 116-lot development on Hailey's northeast border that will include 149 single- and multi-family homes when complete.
The text amendments aren't specific just to the Old Cutters subdivision, however. Rather, they apply to all properties in the city's General Residential zoning district, Hailey City Clerk Heather Dawson said Tuesday.
"It could be applied citywide," she said.
Specifically, the amendments will allow for the construction of what are called detached townhouse units. Such units could be built in all areas of Hailey that allow townhouse construction.
As approved in the text amendments, detached townhomes are essentially freestanding housing units that range in size from about 600 to 1,200 square feet and are also called cottage houses. The freestanding units are proposed as a major component of the overall affordable housing plan for the Old Cutters subdivision.
As they pertain to the Old Cutters subdivision, up to 27 cottages would be clustered around central courtyards or community common spaces in four smaller cottage developments within the larger overall development.