MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Seattle council asks public to weigh in on plan to do away with single-family zoning label

Jul 26, 2021, 2:36 PM | Updated: 2:55 pm

Seattle single-family zoning...

An apartment complex in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. (MyNorthwest photo)

(MyNorthwest photo)

A Seattle City Council committee will be holding the first public hearing for a proposal to do away with the “single-family zoning” label on Wednesday.

Seattle and Tacoma weigh changes to single-family zoning

The bill comes from Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda and Dan Strauss, the latter of whom chairs the council’s land use committee. In practice, it would effectively do away with the single-family zoning moniker altogether, and change it to “neighborhood residential zoning” instead.

That would potentially affect several elements of a 20-year roadmap for building new housing infrastructure, improving transportation, and investing in “big-picture decision” to improve neighborhoods, known more simply as the city’s “Comprehensive Plan.” In the case of this most recent proposal, it would necessitate edits to the Future Land Use Map, Land Use, Housing, and Parks and Open Space elements, 17 neighborhood plans, and the Housing appendix.

Mosqueda has also previously noted that the bill won’t actually change the makeup of Seattle’s housing density, operating only as a means to relabel existing zones, and do away with a term she says has been used to further exclusionary practices and discriminatory policies.

Next, the council will gather feedback from the public on the initial draft during Wednesday’s 9:30 a.m. meeting of the council’s land use committee, and then weigh that feedback for potential changes ahead of the final bill’s official introduction in early August.

How to ‘sympathetically’ upzone single-family neighborhoods

The council then plans to begin work on another update to the Comprehensive Plan, which would “include alternatives that consider allowing a broader range of housing types in single-family areas.” That process would play out over an estimated six months while the council engages with local communities and conducts necessary environmental reviews.

Mosqueda and Councilmember Tammy Morales also hosted a panel last week, bringing in leaders from a variety of local community groups to weigh in on the city’s plans for reimagining its approach to single-family zoning.

MyNorthwest News

Photo: On Monday, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced there will be 16 new preschool classrooms across Se...

Julia Dallas

Harrell’s office announces Seattle preschool slots for thousands of kids

Thousands more families will have the chance to start their children's Seattle preschool education earlier, thanks to a program launching.

13 minutes ago

Digital...

Micki Gamez

How parents can help prevent children from falling victim to online sex crimes

Chances are, if your teen has a cell phone or tablet, they either know someone or they have been the victim of an online sex crime because kids as young as seven are online more than ever. My interest in this story began almost the same time last year when my daughter came home and […]

4 hours ago

Pierce County Jail...

Bill Kaczaraba

Pierce County Corrections chief at odds with the employee guild

The Corrections Bureau's Guild has issued Patti Jackson a vote of 'no confidence,' as reported by The Tacoma News Tribune.

6 hours ago

Image: A Seattle Police Department vehicle seen during the day...

Sam Campbell

Security guard stabbed, suspect barricades inside Beacon Hill apartment

SWAT officers surrounded a complex in Seattle's Beacon Hill neighborhood after police said a man stabbed a guard barricaded himself inside.

7 hours ago

seattle indecent exposure...

Frank Sumrall

Seattle man arrested for 14 counts of indecent exposure, most near schools

A 34-year-old man was arrested by Seattle police (SPD) in connection to 14 counts of indecent exposure near Lake Forest Park.

7 hours ago

Federal Way shootings...

Bill Kaczaraba

Federal Way Police say two shootings are related

Police believe two shootings in Federal Way are related.

10 hours ago

Seattle council asks public to weigh in on plan to do away with single-family zoning label