Good development is possible.
Fall City has a long history of slow, rural town appropriate growth. These new developments are a sharp departure from the current character of the town because they:
Use a clustering technique that creates a dramatic departure from the surrounding neighborhood, blocking views and creating walls of homes.
Use copy/paste architectural plans that create repetitive, homogenous landscapes that are not rural in character.
Use minimal setbacks, minimum lot sizes and maximal building plans - the result is houses twice as big on lots half the size of neighboring homes.
Don’t provide adequate parking for rural lifestyles.
Use large fences, rather than hedges or low rural fencing, that block views and are uncharacteristic.
Don’t provide neighborhood connectivity options.
What does Fall City want?
Successful developments in Fall City do the following (See gallery below for examples):
Lot and home sizes that are consistent with the surrounding community: The average size of a home in Fall City on a 5,000 sq foot lot is 1500 sq feet. Homes that are 3,000+ square feet are always on lots 1/2 acre or larger.
Sub-divisions use a variety of setbacks, building styles and home sizes.
Provide pedestrian “cut-throughs” and connectivity paths to maintain walkability and reduce traffic.
Provide ample parking for accessory vehicles like trailers, as no public transportation or on-street parking is available.
Do not build sidewalks or urban levels of infrastructure.
Do not use large privacy fences that block views.
This new construction has ample parking, low fencing, and is sized appropriately for the lot.
This typical Fall City street has no sidewalks and has a rural development standard. Note low fencing and open views.
Remodeled in 2022, the architecture and landscape choices of this home adds to rural character.
Sub-developments can leverage lot design strategies, setbacks and home designs that prioritize variety over homogeny.
This overhead view of a Fall City sub-development shows homes on a cul-de-sac. The homes are not abutting a main street, they use a variety of setbacks and plantings, and there is a neighborhood connector at the end of the street for use by the public.
This 5 lot sub-division uses creative lot design to create privacy and maintain rural character. The homes, despite being built at the same time, are positioned on the lots in unique ways to reduce the visual impact.
In the blue area is a Fall City sub-development from the 1970s. On the right in the orange square is a Taylor Developments plat design. The average home size of the traditional sub-division is 1400 sq feet, on lot sizes roughly 14,000 sq feet. In the Taylor development the average lot size is 5,000 sq feet and the homes average 3,000 sq feet. The remaining open space in the cluster design is not open - since it houses the share septic for the sub-division it not able to be used for agriculture or recreation, effectively creating a dead zone "open space".