Physical fitNeeds plan

Separate the physical-screen failures into actionable geometry reasons

The general detached-cottage screen reports a physical-fit failure for 40,737 included parcels, but its current warehouse flag does not identify which dimension, shape, access, or envelope condition bound the result.

Scale
40,737
22% of 186,364
Geography
Seattle
citywide
Constraint codes
physical_dadu_screen_failed

Missing capability

A geometry-only reason taxonomy that preserves the general screen while distinguishing lot dimensions, envelope area, access, and retained-building conflicts.

Current routes

  • General parcel DADU screen
  • Parcel-specific survey and site-plan review

Next required artifact

A versioned physical-screen reason specification and a reviewed sample comparing warehouse reasons with parcel-specific placement checks.

Success: Every general physical failure has a stable reason code and reviewed evidence showing that the reason is geometry-only rather than a restated permission test.

Source artifact: gap-atlas:backyard-cottage:v1

A failed general screen does not prove that no detached cottage or custom design can fit. This brief does not publish standard-plan placement rates and does not depend on the deferred plan-fit workstream. The 40,737 count is the physical-screen constraint occurrence; other independently observed conditions may also apply. This count supersedes the 78,769 reported under gap-dadu-v1.1. The 2026-07-26 screening ETL retired a DADU lot-area minimum with no basis in SMC 23.42.022 or RCW 36.70A.681(1)(e); 38,032 parcels moved out of physical-fit failure and into the program stage. The two counts are not comparable and must not be presented as a trend.

Published 7/26/2026

How to use this

The counts here are pinned to artifact gap-dadu-v1.2+assumptions-2026-Q2+financial-v1+programs-2026-06-23. They do not change as the warehouse changes; when the underlying evaluation moves, this brief is republished with new numbers rather than edited in place, so a citation of this page stays meaningful.

You are welcome to use this without asking us, and to disagree with it. The full artifact contains the method versions, source snapshots, exclusion counts, and per-constraint totals behind every figure above.

This is a description of an evidence gap. It is not a solicitation, a procurement, a grant, or an offer of work, and nobody needs our permission or involvement to act on it.