DPD is committed to providing good customer service to its applicants. The permit turnaround data is updated monthly.
Advisory Board Discussion of the Draft 2009 Seattle Energy Code
After three months of public review, the draft 2009 Seattle Energy Code is moving to the next phase in the process. After several public review meetings, DPD and Seattle City Light staff met to decide on initial staff recommendations for the 2009 Seattle Energy Code. These recommendations were subsequently forwarded to DPD’s Construction Code Advisory Board (CCAB).
Council Proposal for New Lowrise Multifamily Zoning
The City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment’s proposal for new lowrise multifamily zoning is available for public review. The proposed legislation would amend the Land Use Code, Seattle’s policies pursuant to the Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and Tree Regulations to update lowrise zoning and other provisions.
Comprehensive Plan Amendments in 2010
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.
Your Seattle Planning Commission – 2010 and Beyond
The Seattle Planning Commission is comprised of 16 volunteers, all of whom are appointed by the Mayor or the City Council. The commission is an independent and objective body that advises the Mayor, City Council and City departments on “broad planning goals, policies and plans for…development of the city.” We are the stewards of the City’s Comprehensive Plan and are deeply involved in citywide and neighborhood planning activities.
Seattle Planning Commission Releases White Paper on the Future of Neighborhood Plans
After conducting a comprehensive status check on 24 of Seattle’s Neighborhood Plans, the Seattle Planning Commission released Findings & Recommendations: Future Neighborhood Plan Updates on April 8, 2010. During a lengthy deliberative process, commissioners recorded neighbors’ comments and concerns in citywide meetings and reviewed the feedback submitted by nearly 5,000 constituents in an online forum designed to broaden the participation pool. Adding their own expertise and viewing the findings through an objective lens, the commissioners were able to formulate a set of recommendations and findings to help guide city officials and neighbors as the neighborhood plan process moves forward.
2010 Built Green Incentive
The King County/Seattle Built Green® incentive provides funding for single-family, townhome, multi-family residential, remodel and community development projects to help offset the cost of certifying and designing innovative green projects throughout Seattle and King County. Eligible projects may receive up to $20,000.
Neighborhood Plan Update Action Teams Kick-Off
In 2009 over 1,500 people helped plan the future of their neighborhoods in North Beacon, North Rainier and Othello. Now it’s time to get things done. Come help prioritize next steps and sign up for project action teams.
Proposed Urban Agriculture Code Changes Released
The proposed urban agriculture legislation includes recommendations to add and/or clarify definitions of key agricultural terms; expand opportunities for community gardens and urban farms in all zones; allow a 15-foot exception to height limits for rooftop greenhouses dedicated to food production; add farmers’ markets to the definition of a “multipurpose retail sales” use; increase the number of domestic fowl allowed on a lot from three to eight; and, allow existing urban horse farms greater than ten acres to operate as a permitted use in single-family zones.
Multifamily Code Update
The City Council began its review of multifamily zoning in March 2009. In August, 2009, the Planning, Land Use, and Neighborhoods Committee (PLUNC) decided to split the proposal into two parts, beginning with changes to the Midrise and Highrise zones. The Council adopted amendments to those two zones in December 2009.
Phase two of the multifamily code update addresses the Lowrise zones and other issues remaining from last year. The City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment, formerly PLUNC, identified a list of issues to be examined and a schedule in February 2010.
