Cottage housing style homes are continuing to be built in Ballard, with six more units planned for 1548 N.W. 61st St., to be developed by Serana Homes, LLC.

The Land Use Application, which has been approved by the Seattle Department of Planning and Development, calls to subdivide one parcel of land into six-unit lots, each roughly between 1,300 and 2,000 square feet. The two-story units will have surface parking accessed from the alley.

The construction of the cottage units have also been approved and the subdivision of property is only for the purpose of allowing sale or lease of the unit lots.

The issued construction permit authorizes demolition of the existing house and construction of six cottage housing units.

The site, comprised of two adjacent parcels, totals 9,500 square feet, and sits above the street several feet, with a small concrete retaining wall near the front property line and steps cut through to the sidewalk. The area, zoned Lowrise Duplex Triplex, is a mixture of single family residences, newer town home developments and a 16-unit apartment complex adjacent to the site on the west.

The planned units are similar to the 60th Street Cottages at 2203 and 2213 N.W. 60th St. and another six-unit project at 1548 N.W. 61st St. Four more cottages are in the permitting stage for 908 N.W. 51st St.

Prince ranges for cottages typically fall between $450,000 to $500,000 per home, roughly the cost of an average new town home.
Cottage housing is a type of housing designed around sharing space with your neighbors while allowing more separation than a condominium or town home.

The two defining characteristics of cottage housing are shared community space and fully detached units. Homes do not share or connect walls. It's a niche market that's attractive to those who are willing to trade quantity of space for quality of space.