Seattle Land Use and Sustainability Committee Meeting - June 17, 2026
Seattle Land Use and Sustainability Committee Meeting - June 17, 2026
The Seattle City Council Land Use and Sustainability Committee met on June 17, 2026 at 9:36 AM in Council Chamber, City Hall. Chair Eddie Lin presided with members Dan Strauss, Dionne Foster, Alexis Mercedes Rinck present, and Joy Hollingsworth arriving later. The meeting covered three reappointments to the Equitable Development Initiative Advisory Board, an overview of food access programs from the Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE), an overview of subarea plans from the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), and a briefing on Council Bill 121215 regarding land use decisions.
Consent Calendar
- Reappointment of Jamie Madden as member of the Equitable Development Initiative Advisory Board, term to February 28, 2027.
- Reappointment of Sophia Benalfew as member, term to February 29, 2028.
- Reappointment of Diana Paredes as member, term to February 29, 2028. All three were approved unanimously (4-0) and the recommendation will go to the June 23, 2026 City Council meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
Eight speakers addressed the committee, most on Council Bill 121215 regarding administrative SEPA appeals for legislative actions:
- Alicia Ruiz (Habitat for Humanity) supported the bill, stating it removes a duplicative procedural layer not required by state law and aligns Seattle with King County, Bellevue, Tacoma, and Everett. She emphasized that delays have real human consequences.
- Caroline Villanova (Seattle Parks Foundation) expressed concern that the bill could remove environmental protection tools at a time when other governments are dismantling them. She urged the council to better understand risks.
- Cindy Shuttler opposed the bill, arguing that for ordinary residents, appealing to the hearing examiner is the only realistic way to hold government accountable. She noted Seattle averages only 2.7 appeals per year and called removing that right "throwing the baby out with the bathwater."
- Josh Friedman (conservation activist and land use attorney) supported the bill, saying SEPA procedures are from a different era and no longer compatible with modern needs, including the housing affordability crisis.
- Steve Rubstello opposed the bill, arguing that the city is eliminating public input avenues. He claimed many reports now reflect what the city wants to hear rather than objective analysis.
- Jennifer Godfrey (speaking on her own behalf) opposed the bill, stating stripping environmental protections is extreme and that appeals are a necessary check. She suggested doing environmental review better in the first place.
- Logan Schmidt (Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties) strongly supported the bill, calling it a necessary catch-up to regional norms. He argued the bill does not roll back environmental protection but removes a post-decision administrative appeals layer that state law does not require.
- David Ames supported the bill, criticizing opponents as "sellouts" weaponizing appeals to block development. He also called for other land use reforms.
Discussion Items
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Equitable Development Initiative Advisory Board Reappointments (Items 1-3) – Tagoipah Mathno from OPCD presented three reappointees, highlighting their backgrounds in equitable development, affordable housing, and community engagement. No questions from council. The committee voted unanimously to recommend confirmation.
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OSE Food Access Programs Overview (Item 4) – Sharon Lerman and Bridget Igoe presented on Seattle’s food system, noting that over 90% of city food investments support food security. Programs include Fresh Bucks ($60/month to 17,000 households), Healthy Food in Schools (serving 5,500 students at 29 schools), and Buying with Purpose (over $1 million in local food purchases from 140+ producers). Discussion covered: impacts of recent King County floods on farms (Bridget Igoe noted coordination with King County and FEMA); the interaction between the Food Action Plan and Climate Action Plan (dietary shifts, food waste prevention, supply chain resilience); the city’s response to the October/November 2025 SNAP disruption (coordinated across departments with $1 million/week for 4-6 weeks); and the budget challenge of one-time funding for food programs. Councilmember Strauss highlighted the structural budget deficit from his Fresh Bucks expansion amendment and asked about managing community expectations for one-time funds.
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OPCD Subarea Plans Overview (Item 5) – Alison Miller and Jeff Wentland presented on the 2026 Comprehensive Plan Annual Amendment, which includes subarea plans for the Downtown, Northgate, Duwamish Manufacturing Industrial Center (MIC), and Ballard Inner Bay MIC. They explained the purpose of subarea plans to guide growth in regional centers and MICs, aligning with Puget Sound Regional Council funding requirements. Plans include land use maps, transportation projects, and actions with designated city stewards. Councilmember Strauss requested faster planning for the Ballard Regional Center to avoid losing transportation funding and to improve bus service. Councilmember Lin asked about protecting industrial lands from housing pressures. No vote was taken.
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Council Bill 121215 – Land Use Decisions (Item 6) – Lish Whitson from Council Central Staff briefed. The bill would eliminate administrative appeals of SEPA appeals for legislative actions (e.g., comprehensive plan amendments) to the hearing examiner. Public comment was divided. Councilmember Lin noted that the current appeal process is voluntary and causes delays, and that robust community engagement should occur earlier in the process. Councilmember Strauss stated his initial concerns were resolved after meeting with staff. No vote was taken; further discussion is scheduled.
Key Outcomes
- Vote: The committee voted 4-0 to recommend confirmation of three reappointments to the Equitable Development Initiative Advisory Board. The full council will consider on June 23, 2026.
- No vote on CB 121215 or the subarea plans; both will return for future deliberation.
- Announcement: The public hearing on Resolution 32203, previously scheduled for June 22, 2026 at 3 PM, was canceled with no alternate date planned.
- Next meeting: Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 9:30 AM.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, good morning, everyone. June 17th, 2026, land use and sustainability committee will come to order. It's 9 36 a.m. I'm Eddie Lynn, Chair of the Land Use Sustainability Committee. Will the committee clerk please call the role? Vice Chair's trust. Councilmember Foster. Council President Hollingsworth. Councilmember Rink. Present. Chairlin. Here. Sure, there are four members present. If there's no objection, the agenda will be adopted. Hearing no objection, the agenda is adopted. Good morning, everyone. Thank you all for coming to this Wednesday morning meeting to discuss land use. As always, thank you to our city clerks, council central staff, mayor's office, OPCD, OSE, and SDCI for helping us prepare for this meeting. We will now open the hybrid public comment period. Public comments should relate to items on the agenda or items within the purview of this committee. Clerk, how many speakers are signed up today? At present, we have five in-person and three remote speakers. Okay. Each speaker will have two minutes. We will start with in-person speakers first. Clerk, can you please read the public comment instructions? The public comment period will be moderated in the following manner. The public comment period is up to 60 minutes. Speakers will be called in the order in which they registered. In person speakers will be called first, after which we'll move to remote speakers until the public comment period is ended. Speakers will hear a time when 10 seconds are left of their time. Speakers' mics will be muted if they do not end their comments within the lotted time to allow us to call in the next speaker. The public comment period is now open, and we'll begin with the first speaker on the list. Just one second, our first speaker is Alicia Ruiz. Good morning, Chair Lynn and members of the committee. Seattle is currently under pressure to meet state mandated deadlines for updating its land use code, and one significant source of delay has been administrative SEPA appeals of legislative actions, a step that state law does not actually require. Critically, this bill does not weaken environmental protections in any way. Full environmental review remains in place. What it does remove is duplicative procedural layer that has no additional protective function. In doing so, Seattle would join King County, Bellevue, Tacoma, and Everett. These cities in our region have long since exempted legislative CEPA decisions from administrative appeal. This isn't a weakening of environmental standards. It's a common sense procedural alignment that allows the city to meet its legal obligations without a necessary obstruction. For habitat for humanity, delays in land use processes have real human consequences. Thank you. Next up, we have Caroline Villanova. Thank you, Council members, for the opportunity to comment. My name is Caroline Villanova, and I am the director of government relations and community impact at the Seattle Parks Foundation. We are fully supportive of advancing the planning to meet for to meet additional housing needs in the city. However, we are concerned that CB 121215 could remove a tool for environmental protections in the city at a time when these are being dismantled at other levels of government.
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