The Clawson Allan Townhomes is a new archetype for how to deal with parking and provide quality open space on a multi-family infill site.

For townhomes without alley access, the typical development model uses the center of the site for driveways, and the ground floor of the units for garage parking.

In our case, we used Seattle's Design Review program to obtain numerous departures from the requirements of the land use code. Most significantly, we reduced the front & rear setbacks, pushed the buildings apart, and used the center of the site for surface parking. We then covered that parking with a green roof terrace, creating a common courtyard. Project features:

 Generous open spaces that have direct access from the primary living spaces.
 The visual impact of the automobile is greatly reduced.
 Cars are not stored under the buildings, providing the same program area in one less story & preserving the view corridor of the uphill neighbors.
 The courtyard provides an accessible route to all the units despite challenging topography.

While the project remains un-built, it has caught the attention of the City Council and DPD. It has become one of the projects they have used as a study model for the ongoing re-write of the multi-family zoning code.