What's Happening in Kirkland, WA…

After a group of six young people were forced to leave what they call their “dream home,” they asked the city to reconsider its zoning regulations. Currently, in a regulation specific to the city, Kirkland allows as many as five unrelated people to live in a single-family home; the group that lost their housing has six members. Since no one wanted to break up the group, they all relocated.

The group includes Sarah Ulrich and Kara Brackebusch, both 25, and four others, two of whom are college students. The city only found out about their living situation because a neighbor informed officials of the violation.

When the home's owners were informed, they decided to sell the house. Ulrich believes the city's housing regulations had become so burdensome they preferred to move away, which then left the six young people on their own. At that point, Ulrich contacted the city.

She pointed out that the six weren't causing any problems; there was plenty of parking, and the 2,100 square-foot home was adequate for everyone, offering four bedrooms and three and a half baths.

When Mayor Amy Walen heard about the situation, she talked about the zoning regulations with the city council, which will consider the matter in-depth soon.

Issues like this can affect many people in a community, so officials could consider working with a newsletter printing company to create a letter to update residents.