Seattle is facing a housing affordability crisis. As the city grows and development patterns shift, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is rethinking how development-related infrastructure is funded — aiming to distribute costs more fairly and equitably across the city. On April 23, 2025, Mayor Bruce Harrell introduced legislation to support housing… [ Keep reading ]
The City of Seattle is in the process of updating the Stormwater Code and the Seattle Stormwater Manual. The first draft of the updated Code and Stormwater Manual, that addresses equivalency with the State of Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) rules and permits, is nearing completion. It will be ready… [ Keep reading ]
The City’s team of building inspectors learning about URM vulnerability and the scope of work associated with their retrofits May marks Building Safety Month, a time to recognize the importance of resilient infrastructure, proactive planning, and the professionals who keep our buildings — and our communities — safe. In Seattle,… [ Keep reading ]
We’ve offered builders and developers benefits, like extra floor area and height, in exchange for meeting green building standards for 16 years. These incentives have helped create thousands of certified green buildings in Seattle, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. We recently published Draft Director’s Rule… [ Keep reading ]
Starting May 1, 2025, you’ll notice some changes to the Preliminary Assessment Report (PAR). The content isn’t changing but the location of some of it will be moving. A PAR is a preliminary review of Master Use Permit projects and new construction applications by SDCI, the Seattle Department of Transportation,… [ Keep reading ]
As part of your permit application, you may have been asked to complete a Potential Landslide Area Covenant, a Liquefaction-Prone Area Covenant, or a Peat Settlement-Prone Area Covenant. We’ve removed the suggested insurance language from the forms, and we’ve modified the signature page. We’ll still accept the older versions of the covenants…. [ Keep reading ]
Come to City Hall for a landlord workshop, on May 22, that explores all of Seattle’s rental regulations and fair housing laws from move-in to move-out. This 4-hour workshop starts at 10:00 a.m., breaks for lunch at noon and resumes at 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. We’ll have guests from Seattle City… [ Keep reading ]
The Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) is hosting a webinar to solicit feedback from stakeholders to inform its drafting of the Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS) Director’s Rule May 22, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Register here. Looking for financial support to get your building ready for BEPS?… [ Keep reading ]
