DPD has proposed comprehensive plan policies for areas within Seattle that are designated manufacturing/industrial centers (M/ICs). In March, DPD hosted a series of meetings (located in Ballard, Interbay, and Georgetown) to discuss proposed industrial lands policies to be included in Seattle 2035 – the City’s major comprehensive plan update. The proposed M/IC land use policy amendments discussed at these meetings emerged from a 2013 study of the Greater Duwamish Manufacturing and Industrial Center.
Over one hundred people turned out for the community meetings. We had a lot of thoughtful discussions and collected many written comments. We also received over 150 responses to our companion online surveys. If you missed the meetings, check out DPD’s website, www.seattle.gov/dpd/industriallands/, where you can find links to the meeting display boards and presentations.
Proposed Industrial Lands Policies in the Draft Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan
On July 8, 2015, DPD issued the public review draft of the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan (Draft Plan). The Draft Plan contains proposed industrial lands policies that have been modified from the original recommended policies discussed at the outreach meetings in March (see the Industrial Lands webpage for the original draft policy language).
The two industrial lands policies included in the Draft Plan are:
GS2.20 Retain land in the Manufacturing/Industrial Centers for industrial uses and develop criteria for evaluating requests to remove land from an M/IC, recognizing the important economic resource the land in these centers represents.
LU11.22 Limit the future application of the IC zone inside the M/IC boundaries to prevent the expansion of offices and other non-industrial uses.
The industrial lands policies included in the Draft Plan reflect the comments and suggestions we heard during the community discussions and via the online survey. The original proposed policies more definitively restricted M/IC areas to industrial uses, prohibited the application of IC zoning in M/ICs, and listed specific criteria for removing an M/IC designation.
The current proposed policy language supports the retention of designated M/ICs for industrial uses, but limits (rather than prohibits) application of IC zoning in an M/IC. The proposed policy language also specifies that criteria for removal of land from a designated M/IC will be developed as a separate action, rather than incorporated in the comprehensive plan. To comment on the current proposed policies, please go to Seattle2035.consider.it.
If you have questions about the proposed industrial lands policies please contact:
Tom Hauger
(206) 684-8380
tom.hauger@seattle.gov
Proposed Georgetown Zoning Addresses Single-Family Homes Within Industrial-Zoned Areas
Another outcome of the community outreach meetings is a proposed modification of the Land Use Code that considers the existing family homes located in industrial-zoned areas in Georgetown.
At the community outreach meetings, Georgetown residents expressed concern about the limitations on improvements they can make to existing single-family homes located in areas zoned for industrial use.
In response to this concern, DPD is working on draft changes to the Land Use Code that would allow greater flexibility for property owners to make improvements and modest expansions to existing single-family homes in the Georgetown neighborhood. We anticipate the draft legislation will be ready for review by the community this fall.
If you have questions about proposed Land Use Code changes in the Georgetown Neighborhood, please contact:
Katie Sheehy
(206) 684-5345
katie.sheehy@seattle.gov