Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan, Toward a Sustainable Seattle, guides decisions about growth over a 20-year horizon by articulating goals and policies that accommodate growth while preserving what Seattle citizens value about our city and region. The Comprehensive Plan annual amendments cycle provides an opportunity to propose amendments to the City’s Comprehensive Plan that address changing conditions or emerging issues.
On March 29, 2010, the City Council approved Ordinance 123267, amending the Comprehensive Plan as follows, in response to amendments proposed in 2009:
Rainier Beach Urban Village Boundary
Adjust the boundary of the Rainier Beach Residential Urban Village to include an area south of S. Henderson St. between MLK Way S. and the Chief Sealth Trail, and to designate the additional area as a Multifamily Residential Area on the Future Land Use Map.
Roosevelt Future Land Use Map and Neighborhood Plan
Amend the Future Land Use Map in the Roosevelt Residential Urban Village in anticipation of a zoning proposal developed by DPD and the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association consistent with the Roosevelt Neighborhood Plan.
South Downtown
Amend the Future Land Use Map to redesignate the blocks south of Dearborn and west of Interstate 5 and the Little Saigon area east of Interstate 5 from Commercial/Mixed Use to Downtown Areas.
Northgate Neighborhood Plan
Amend policies in the Northgate Neighborhood Plan to identify locations along and to the north of NE Northgate Way (the North Core Subarea) where future increases in development density would be appropriate, and identify the types of built-environment issues more dense development would need to address, such as pedestrian connections and transit-supportive design.
Use of Building 9 at Former Sandpoint Naval Air Station
Amend Sand Point policies to allow residential uses in Building 9 and limited commercial uses in portions of Building 9 that are not suitable for residential use, as a way to efficiently adapt the building for future use.
Affordable Housing
Add policies that promote housing affordability by considering a potential site’s access to transit and estimated household transit costs when preserving, rehabilitating or developing affordable housing, and add a policy recognizing the value of accessory dwelling units when seeking methods for more efficiently using Seattle’s existing housing stock.
Cultural Overlay District
Amend goals and policies, and add new policies to encourage establishment of cultural districts, and to define regulations and incentives that would implement goals of those districts for encouraging arts and cultural uses.
North Rainier Hub Urban Village Boundary Adjustment
Change the urban village boundary and amend the Future Land Use Map to incorporate land north of McClellan and west of 25th Ave. S. near the light rail station as a Multifamily Residential Area.
Revised sections of the Comprehensive Plan will be available on DPD’s Web page www.seattle.gov/dpd/planning/compplan/.
The 2010 Comp Plan Amendments CycleAmendments for consideration in 2010 (to be approved by the City Council in 2011) must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 14, 2010, via e-mail (the preferred method) to compplan@seattle.gov, or via regular mail to Office of the City Clerk, 600 Fourth Avenue, Floor 3, PO Box 34025, Seattle, Washington 98124-4025. Criteria for determining which proposed amendments will be considered for further study and action by the Council are included in the application document (see application). The City Council will transmit the proposed amendments to the Seattle Planning Commission and DPD with a request for their recommendations as to which proposals should be considered further, based on application of the criteria.
To learn more about proposing amendments to the Comprehensive Plan, go to www.seattle.gov/council/issues/compplan.htm or call Ketil Freeman of Council Central Staff at (206) 684-8178. To receive a copy of recommendations and notification of public hearing dates, call Mr. Freeman or send an email to ketil.freeman@seattle.gov to be placed on the Comprehensive Plan mailing list.