We advocate for Seattle to advance complete communities with abundant and affordable housing, mixed use zoning, and sustainable transportation.| Complete Communities Coalition
# WALeg Wednesday considers the housing package that passed, led by HB 1110. As the legislative calendar winds its way to adjourning sine die (until next year) on Saturday, it’s easy to focus on issues that were lost in the process or ideal bills that did not get out of the legislature. Rent stabilization failed in| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The state's 60-day legislative session wrapped on March 7 with only a few housing bills headed to Governor Inslee's desk. Rent stabilization, transit-oriented development, lot-splitting, and a builder's remedy all failed to pass.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) cleared another hurdle in crafting its growth plan for the next 20 years with a scoping report published today. The report summarizes comments and lays out the Comphensive Plan alternatives that OPCD is studying in greater detail. It also keeps the five alternatives that the department| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# While Bellevue is projecting 225,000 additional residents by 2045, Seattle is anticipating a more modest 200,000 for its comprehensive planning purposes. In its new draft plan, Seattle adds fourplex zoning across most, but not all of the city, plus 24 "Neighborhood Centers" and one new urban center with more intensive zoning changes.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# The draft plan still isn't out, which is worrying housing advocates. But success is still within reach. Last year, the City of Seattle had planned to release its draft “One Seattle” Comprehensive Plan in April, but that draft has still not been released to the public after the Harrell administration has repeatedly set new timelines| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Single family zoning will soon be a thing of the past for most Washington cities thanks to passage of statewide “missing middle” housing reform this state legislative session. This monumental success was thanks in large part to lawmaker heroes named below and the far-ranging coalition that coalesced behind the bill. The state legislature took up| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Last week, the Washington House passed HB 2160, which has the potential to open up significant areas around transit for new homes. Hurdles remain to win passage in the Senate, including objections to the bill's requirement that 10% of new units be affordable.| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# Seattle has grown much faster than planners and policymakers predicted, which means our planning framework needs to be nimble. Every ten years Seattle makes a major update to the Comprehensive Plan, used to make rules about how we plan for growth and what kind of housing can be built where. The last time we had| The Urbanist » Advocacy journalism for better cities.
# On Monday, the Seattle City Council met to adopt a landmark citywide parking reform ordinance, which had been in the making for nearly two years. The ordinance builds upon reforms the city council made in 2012. Councilmember Rob Johnson, the prime sponsor of the legislation, and many of his colleagues highlighted the need for affordable| The Urbanist - Examining urban policy to improve cities and quality of life.
