Today is the last day to comment on the One Seattle Plan that will guide the next 20 years of zoning/development for Seattle.
I thought I'd share the feedback I provided:
*Dear Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), Mayor Harrell, and City Council Members,
Congrats on the huge effort that is drafting the One Seattle Plan. As a long-time Seattle resident, I look forward to welcoming more folks to our city and also allowing them to celebrate the culture, character and environment that has made Seattle so great.
The challenge (and some proposed solutions below) I have for the Council is how can we be an “AND” city? How can we support both more Seattleites and also invest in climate resilience and greener, more livable neighborhoods?
Upzoning is going to help us support more people however One Seattle Plan is currently an “OR” proposal where we’re supporting new community members at the expense of their environment. We’re incentivizing developers to build concrete islands for folks to live in. The quality of life for new Seattleites will be lower than it has been for existing Seattleites - and that is neither fair nor necessary.
Here are a few simple suggestions on changes you can make to the One Seattle Plan that will enable us to have both growth and the high quality of life that caused most of us to move to Seattle (and that we steward for future generations):
1) Eliminate setback reductions that limit essential space for both street and private-property trees.
2) Eliminate increased hardscape allowances that prioritize pavement over greenspace.
3) Increase tree requirements on new developments; these are crucial for maintaining canopy as neighborhoods densify.
4) Where consistent with neighborhood character and infrastructure, encourage greater building height, shared exterior walls, and clustered developments to help balance density with tree preservation.
Zoning changes are one of the biggest impacts you can have on citizens’ lives as you’re setting up the rules of the game for how the city will grow. Please consider the above changes so we can continue to grow AND provide a high quality of life for all Seattleites.
Thanks,
LW*
We'll see what the final result is!