The letter regarding the update of the city’s comprehensive plan was led by the city. complete community federationThis includes the Seattle Metropolitan Area Chamber of Commerce, the Seattle Area Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, the Housing Development Consortium, NAIOP, and House Our Neighbors. others. His three latter groups represent affordable housing developers, commercial real estate interests, and public housing, respectively.
The coalition’s letter, sent Monday, has signatures from about 40 organizations and businesses representing real estate, hotels, restaurants, climate, urbanism, architecture, homelessness, disability rights, grassroots community advocacy, and more. collected. Click here to read the letter and see the full list of signatories.
Seattle’s comprehensive plan dictates how much and what type of housing can be built in each neighborhood. Once hired, he will guide how Seattle grows over the next 20-plus years.
City A draft plan was released in March.This primarily built on Seattle’s existing “Urban Village” strategy, which concentrated apartment construction in the city center and suburban commercial centers, while leaving most of Seattle’s residential space in the Density, mostly what remains in single-family homes. .
The plan is met soon Local housing advocacy groups have criticized the move as not building enough new housing. State Rep. Jessica Bateman, D-Olympia; flagged Seattle’s proposal They may not even comply with new state laws that legalize buildings of four to six units in all residential neighborhoods.
The Complete Communities Coalition is calling on Harrell to do more to build on these claims.upon its websiteThe coalition points out that the draft comprehensive plan was written to accommodate an average annual construction rate of 5,000 homes, which is lower than the 6,800 to 12,500 homes Seattle has built each year since 2015, but maintains at 5,000 homes a year. claims that it is insufficient. Along with the growth of the city.
The group said: “Simply put, the current draft plan is a plan that will make Seattle more expensive. As we face rising rents and eviction pressures, this will hurt renters, low-income people, and people of color.” This is a setback in our efforts to meet the growing demand for housing.”
In a letter to the mayor, the coalition outlines five changes it wants to see to allow more large-scale housing.
First, they want a plan to allow larger 4-plexes and 6-plexes to encourage the construction of 3- and 4-bedroom homes that families can live in, but the current proposal Almost never allowed.
Second, it calls for plans that would allow mid-rise buildings and apartment/commercial complexes within a five-minute walk of bus lines, not just along transit-rich arteries as currently proposed.
Third, the coalition asked the mayor to expand the plan’s “neighborhood center” boundaries from an 800-foot radius to a quarter-mile radius. Neighborhood Center is a new designation in the plan, a small mixed-use zone with four- to six-story apartment and condominium buildings with shops, grocery stores, and restaurants on the ground floor. is. The plan proposes 24 centres.
Fourth, the letter plans more density bonuses and other incentives to encourage developers to build more income-restricted affordable housing units that do not rely on public subsidies. I’m asking you to include it.The policy philosophy of the coalition’s letter is similar. to recent bills Councilor Tammy Morales asked us to launch a community development pilot project. The full board voted 7-2 to reject the bill.
Finally, the coalition is asking the city to allow the construction of 12- to 18-story buildings in all designated “regional center” areas, including Capitol Hill, the U District, Northgate, and Ballard.
The chamber points to its own recent polling data showing Seattle residents support building affordable housing.among them April poll of Seattle registered voters69% of respondents believe that building more affordable housing would improve quality of life, and the same percentage said they supported building more diverse housing types in their neighborhoods. did.
“We need more housing, which is why the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce has worked together for years to build more median housing, expand access to homeownership for people of color, and actively We have been advocating for policy changes such as promoting comprehensive urban planning,” said the president of the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce. Rachel Smith said in a press release announcing the coalition letter.
Asked for a response, a mayoral spokesperson told Cascade PBS that city officials are still reviewing the letter but have been discussing the plan with many of the signatories over the past few weeks.
They go on to say, “By increasing median housing options in urban neighborhoods and continuing to focus on climate-smart growth near upscale transportation investments and amenities, the draft One Seattle Plan will increase housing richness and diversity.” I believe we will achieve that goal.”
The Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) is developing more detailed plans for each of the seven regional centres. A spokesperson said Harrell has asked OPCD to look for ways to increase density as part of that process. Finally, the spokesperson emphasized that the comprehensive plan has not yet been finalized, but is being finalized. Still accepting public comments Until May 20th.
