Backyard apartments? Seattle may experiment with the idea

The Seattle Times reports:

Kate Martin wants to build an apartment in the garage behind her house in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood, hoping to bring in enough rent money to better care for her mother, who has muscular dystrophy.

But she can't. City officials have prohibited such apartments, fearing complaints about parking, traffic and noise in the single-family neighborhoods that dominate the geographic and political landscape.

Neighborhood leaders in Southeast Seattle see things a little differently, though. They want garage apartments, viewing them as a way to provide affordable housing, keep families together, and help homeowners hold onto their houses in tough financial times.

The City Council will consider a proposal this week to allow such apartments in Southeast Seattle as an experiment, despite protests from other parts of Seattle, where activists consider the plan a step toward permitting "backyard houses" citywide.

The debate, while centered on the appearance and character of individual streets and neighborhoods, goes further. It offers a glimpse at the challenges of creating affordable housing in Seattle, where 70 percent of the land is zoned for single-family houses, and land for apartments is scarce and increasingly expensive in the rush to build upscale condos.

As you can see Seattle thus far,doesn't want middle class people.They've been zoned out.