Mayor Wilson‘s announcement about the city’s response to federal immigration enforcement was not the only major announcement from her office this afternoon. The other has to do with rezoning related to the updated Comprehensive Plan (aka One Seattle Plan). The toplines are in this summary, with this overview:
This legislation described in this document, called Centers and Corridors, will help to implement the vision in the One Seattle Plan by increasing our capacity to build apartments and condos more widely in areas with access to transit, shops, and services . Specifically, this legislation would rezone land in newly designated Neighborhood Centers, in new and expanded Urban Centers, and along frequent transit corridors . It would also update development standards in Lowrise (LR) and Midrise (MR) zones including modifying height and floor area ratio (FAR) allowances in Lowrise zones, creating a new 6-story MR zone, updating setback standards in MR zones, removing maximum width and depth requirements in MR zones, and implementing minor changes to FAR measurement techniques and standards for screening parking.
Under the updated Comprehensive Plan, West Seattle has seven Neighborhood Centers and one expanded Urban Center (Morgan Junction. This would rezone those areas and “properties adjacent to frequent transit routes located in the Urban Neighborhood place type.” When the Neighborhood Centers – an entirely new area designation – were announced, the city said rezoning details would be worked out later, and that’s what this is about. The summary says:
These changes aim to increase capacity for apartments and condominiums throughout the city . Consequently, most proposed rezones would allow development of up to 5-6 stories, where construction of apartments and condominiums is considered more economically feasible . Building apartments and condominiums at a smaller scale is challenging given the higher requirements for energy efficiency, sprinklers, construction methods, elevators, accessibility, condo liability insurance, and solid waste.
The interactive map you can use to find out details about specific areas is here. The legislation with details needs City Council approval; its full text is here. No date announced yet for the first meeting at which this will be reviewed.