Seattle’s Amended Comprehensive Plan: Major Wins, What’s Next, and How You Can Help - Housing Development Consortium Last week, the City Council’s Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan adopted a suite of amendments to the Mayor’s Proposed One Seattle Plan. The amended Comprehensive Plan is a major step forward ...

Seattle's amended Comp Plan is a major step forward for housing abundance, with the potential to reshape our city to be more affordable, inclusive, & sustainable. But there's still work to be done. Learn about the impacts of these wins, what comes next, & actions you can take today: bit.ly/482PG3Y

One takeaway ➡️ hosting a "hot for housing" summer series meet up on Partiful can be a great way to engage folks 🥵@603forward.bsky.social

Still time to show up for the last public hearing on the Seattle Comp Plan until 6:30pm! If you show up between 5 and 6:30pm, you’ll likely be able to speak shortly after signing up

Huge turnout for the last big public hearing on the One Seattle growth plan at City Hall. More than 150 people have signed up for in-person comment so far. It's about to start.

RSVP, more info & talking points here: www.housingconsortium.org/calendar/#!e...

Seattleites: one more public hearing for more housing through the Comp Plan on Friday. Rally at 1pm at City Hall (pizza too!), remote testimony starting at 9:30, can sign up for in-person testimony 3pm-6:30pm.

We have an easy-to-send email letter that you can send to the Seattle City Council to support housing! It only requires and few clicks and moments of your time. ✉️ actionnetwork.org/letters/9cdc...

Attendance is pretty sparse and you will be able to testify if you show up before 6:30pm

Seattle urbanists! We need you to show up this afternoon at City Hall for a public hearing on Seattle’s plan for housing and growth over the next 20 years. We’re 30 mins in and almost all testimony has been anti-housing and focused on trees. Logistics and talking points here:
tinyurl.com/bdd43eua

Current Fort Lawton location, showing a parking lot and abandoned building

This is about adding 500 affordable homes in an area that is currently derelict buildings and fenced off parking lots. It would be the first subsidized affordable housing in Magnolia, and has been in process since 2005. Opponents of new housing have turned out in force tonight.

Packed room in Daybreak center. Mixed crowd, many old NIMBYs

Another evening battling NIMBYs, this time for the proposed affordable housing development at Fort Lawton in Magnolia

Next week is Affordable Housing Week! I'm hosting a packed week of events, starting with a kickoff and legislative roundtable on May 12, 10am at Town Hall Seattle.
www.housingconsortium.org/events/affor...

Should be an interesting panel! Tickets are going quick

Cambridge just passed what is easily the most ambitious citywide rezoning for more housing. 4-story apartments will be allowed everywhere in the city, and up to 6 stories if 20% of the homes are affordable at 80% AMI. It also strips out most of the rules limiting new housing construction

One day to go. Join the pro-housing movement *tomorrow* at Seattle City Hall & use your voice to speak up for housing. We must demonstrate to the City Council that #Seattle is a city that cares about more homes, better housing, & supporting all of our neighbors. RSVP here: buff.ly/4hFtKNS

But the most important thing is to remind Council that Seattle needs more housing, and this starts with allowing more of it to be built in this Comp Plan. Show up to Seattle City Hall on Feb 5th at 4pm and send a letter today! bit.ly/SeattleCompP...

The City Council can and should strengthen the Comp Plan--not water it down. Some ideas: allow the stacked flat bonus on all lots near frequent transit; create more Neighborhood Centers in low-displacement risk areas near major parks; and create an affordable housing density bonus for lowrise areas.

The Mayor's proposed One Seattle Plan is not perfect, but makes major steps to allow more housing in existing single-family areas. It goes further than state minimums for 4plexes, by creating 30 new Neighborhood Centers and expanding existing urban centers around frequent transit.

It's time to reject these legacies and replace exclusionary zoning with policies that open all neighborhoods to all kinds of housing. A Comp Plan that puts housing first.

A century later, zoning still restricts new housing in most of Seattle and confines affordable housing and renters to urban villages and arterials. This artificial limit on supply contributes to our housing shortage, drives up costs, segregates neighborhoods, and squeezes lower-income families out.

Excerpt from 1920s document justifying establishment of zoning in Seattle: Zoning is that part of the city plan which outlines districts or zones and provides regulations for the use, height, size and area of buildings which each zone in accordance with a definitive and comprehensive plan of city development. These regulations are designed to prevent such uses or such structures in any locality as are unsuitable for that place or are injurious to adjacent property. Our own city has not yet suffered seriously from overcrowding and its consequent ill effects in the lowering of the standard of racial strength and virility, and in the increase of crime, disease, and immorality, but we may learn from the experience of older cities that these evils have been a direct result of unrestrained city growth. It is, perhaps, fortunate that there is also a strong economic urge in the direction of zoning. Losses occasioned by shifting of real estate values and by direct damage due to encroachment of apartments or stores upon home districts, or of industries upon business or commercial districts, reach a startling total in every unzoned city.

Zoning in Seattle has roots in harmful, racist ideologies. Harland Bartholomew, the consultant who helped Seattle and other cities implement their first zoning codes, justified restrictive zoning by warning about “overcrowding” leading to a “lowering of the standard of racial strength and virility.”

Poster: One Seattle for All: More Homes, More Neighbors, More Friends. Wednesday Feb 5th. Seattle City Hall. 4pm rally for housing. 5pm public comment. Details and RSVP: bit.ly/feb5-rally Logos: Complete Communities Coalition and oneseattleforall.org

Seattle housing advocates: Now is the time to act. The Comp Plan Update is a once-in-a-decade opportunity to reform zoning for more housing in all neighborhoods, but NIMBY opposition is heating up. Next Wed, Feb 5, rally at Seattle City Hall at 4pm, before the 5pm public hearing. bit.ly/feb5rally

The next meetings of the Seattle Comp Plan Select Committee are:

January 15th, 2:00pm - Committee Meeting
January 29th, 2:00pm - Committee Meeting
February 5th, 2:00pm - Committee Meeting
February 5th, 5:00pm - Public Hearing

In-person and remote public comment is at the start of each meeting.

Tickets are still available for No Place To Grow Old—an exploration of the senior homelessness crisis in Portland. Includes a panel discussion with Michael Larson of Humans for Housing, Derrick Belgarde of Chief Seattle Club, & @rianwatt.bsky.social of @eoionline.bsky.social. Join us! bit.ly/40jnTbv