Representatives from the Office of Planning and Community Development will be at 14th Ave’s Washington Hall Thursday as part of a series of information sessions across the city on the proposed zoning changes and updates in the city’s next 20-year growth plan.
CHS reported here on the Harrell administration comprehensive plan proposal that continues the city’s focus on growth in its densest cores of Capitol Hill and the Central District while making small steps forward in allowing multifamily-style housing across the city.
The “One Seattle Plan” proposal includes proposals for five “place types” — Regional Centers, Urban Centers, Neighborhood Centers, Industrial Centers, and Neighborhood Centers.
The majority of the city’s land will remain under its lightest zoning designation. Neighborhood Residential Areas like this including North Capitol Hill will shift to accommodate the state’s new middle housing mandate legislation that requires replacing single-family zoning with fourplex zoning while setting a base at sixplexes near frequent transit.
The final proposal increases the number of planned Neighborhood Centers to 30 including Madison Park, Madison Valley, Madrona, and Montlake. The Capitol Hill/First Hill Regional Centers will be expanded and have targeted upzones. The Central District Urban Center areas would be expanded.
Nearly 70% of new construction expected under the plan would be constrained to “Regional Centers,” the plan’s new designation for the city’s most densely populated, high transit areas — Downtown, Lower Queen Anne, South Lake Union, University District, Northgate, Ballard, and, of course, First Hill and Capitol Hill — or less dense but still highly developed areas now called “Urban Centers” instead of “Urban Villages.” 23rd Ave from Union to Jackson is one nearby example. The “Madison–Miller” area north of E Madison is another.
In the meantime, the city is also in the midst of the long-term planning process to shape the ground-up vision for the comprehensive plan’s Capitol Hill/First Hill Regional Center. CHS reported here on that process that will create a 20-year plan hoped to dovetail with the new comprehensive plan to provide more specific detail on land use in these key areas of the city.
The complete comprehensive plan update proposal has been posted to Zoning.OneSeattlePlan.com.
The city has been hosting in-person information sessions and two online sessions through December 20th to gather feedback from residents.
Following the public comment period, the Seattle City Council will consider Phase 1 of the legislation including Neighborhood Residential updates to implement HB 1110 in spring 2025.
The council will consider the Phase 2 legislation including rezones for new Neighborhood Centers, new and expanded Regional and Urban Centers, and select arterial rezones along frequent transit routes in summer 2025.
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