The May 26 USA TODAY ran a front-page article titled “In Seattle, homeowners build a cottage industry,” which told about the Seattle program of allowing people with lots of more than 4,000 square feet to build a small rental cottage or add an apartment over a garage — in essence, adding a small “accessory dwelling unit” to a single-family residence property.

This sounds like a fairy tale, but it is up and working! And, many cities such as Denver, Fairbault, Minn. and Santa Cruz, Calif. have similar programs either working or under consideration.

Such a program would seem to hold promise as another partial solution to the need for low-cost housing in San Juan County. It would certainly fit well in Friday Harbor and the county villages of Eastsound and Lopez. It might also require some amending of the GMA, which could be problematic, but the idea seems well worth some local investigation.

George D. Steed
Friday Harbor