Att 1 – One Seattle Plan Comprehensive Plan Update Citywide Policies v3

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Mayor Harrell's

ONE SEATTLE PLAN

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE

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Seattle Office of Planning & Community Development

Select Committee Draft - September 2025

Acknowledgements

Mayor Bruce Harrell

Office of Planning and Community Development

Mayor's Office

Christa Valles, Deputy Director of Policy Marco Lowe, Chief Operations Officer Kye Lee, Senior Advisor Cara Vallier, Senior Policy Advisor

One Seattle Plan Interdepartmental Team

Consultants

BERK Consulting Cascadia Consulting CitizenLab ECO Northwest Fehr & Peers Headwater People Consulting Historical Research Associates Konveio Kimley-Horn MAKERS Parametrix PolicyLink

Boards and Commissions

Seattle Planning Commission sɫəp̓iləbəxʷ (Rising Tides) Indigenous Planning Group Equitable Development Initiative Advisory Board Community Involvement Commission Green New Deal Oversight Board Mayor's Council on African American Elders Human Rights Commission Seattle Arts Commission Seattle Bicycle Advisory Board Seattle Disability Commission Seattle Freight Advisory Board Seattle Immigrant and Refugee Commission Seattle-King County Advisory Council for Aging & Disability Seattle LGBTQ Commission Board of Parks and Recreation Commission Seattle Pedestrian Advisory Board Seattle Planning Commission Seattle Renters’ Commission Seattle School Traffic Safety Commission Seattle Transit Advisory Board Seattle Women's Commission Seattle Youth Commission Urban Forestry Commission

Community Engagement Partners – Community Based Organizations

Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Duwamish Valley Sustainability Association Estelita’s Library Khmer Community of Seattle/King County/ KIMYUNITY/Noio Pathways Capitol Hill EcoDistrict Wa Na Wari/ CACE 21 sɫəp̓iləbəxʷ (Rising Tides) Indigenous Planning Group

Very Special Thanks

To all the individuals and organizations who gave time and thought to participate in the

One Seattle Plan process in person and online. The Plan is better and stronger because of your involvement.

Mayor Harrell's

ONE SEATTLE PLAN

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE

Citywide Policies

Table of Contents

Introduction

Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan is a roadmap for where and how our city will grow and invest in our communities over the next 20 years and beyond. Seattle last engaged in a citywide process to update its Comprehensive Plan nearly a decade ago. This major update, the One Seattle Plan, advances a vision for the future that aligns with our City’s core values to make Seattle equitable, livable, sustainable, and resilient for today’s residents and generations to come.

The One Seattle Plan (Plan) was created in dialogue with people throughout Seattle about the future they want to see for themselves, their families, their communities, and the city they call home. The Plan was developed through extensive public engagement with a focus on seeking diverse community input, and this dialogue will continue as we work to implement this Plan in the coming years.

The Comprehensive Plan addresses a wide range of topics, but a few themes comprise the heart of this Plan. These are the four key moves that respond to the issues and concerns emphasized by community members and stakeholders across the city and that will guide our planning for the next 20 years. The Plan also addresses important regional and statewide priorities and laws intended to facilitate construction of affordable and family housing, improve mobility, and allow for future population growth and climate resilience. Taken together, numerous goals and policies in the Plan further each of the following:

Housing and Affordability: Expand housing opportunities across the city. This Plan is designed to meet Seattle’s pressing housing needs now and into the future. In a rapidly growing region, a housing shortage is one factor that makes homes too expensive for people to afford and is a root cause of homelessness. The impacts are greatest for people with low incomes and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities who may have less access to intergenerational wealth than white communities. Ultimately, many people across the city feel the strain of high housing costs in different ways. This Plan encourages more housing in more places to create a future where homes are plentiful, fewer households are burdened by unaffordable housing costs, and people achieve stable housing. This Plan also creates opportunities to employ our public resources, including the Seattle Housing Levy, to build the housing we need.

The shortage of quality, affordable family-sized homes is pushing too many families out of our city or straining their resources to stay in Seattle. We must align our housing plans to meet this specific need and ensure that homes that meet the needs of families—particularly low- and middle-income households—are built and maintained in every neighborhood. Housing near schools, childcare, transit lines, and other services can help stabilize neighborhoods, improve enrollment in our schools, and keep Seattle a city that protects and supports kids and families.

Equity and Opportunity: Promote a more equitable Seattle as we grow. Over generations, Seattle’s growth has not provided equal benefits to all communities. Policy decisions, lack of investment, and discriminatory housing practices, including redlining and racially restrictive covenants, have led to the displacement of BIPOC communities and limited access to home ownership and generational wealth building for these residents. This Plan takes steps towards addressing these harms, and ushers in a new, more equitable strategy for how Seattle will grow in the future. New growth must welcome newcomers, help communities thrive in place, and provide opportunities for former residents who have been displaced to return.

Community and Neighborhoods: Focus growth and investment in complete, walkable communities. Our vision for One Seattle includes a network of complete, connected communities that welcome more neighbors of all ages, races, ethnicities, and incomes. This Plan supports economically vibrant neighborhoods across the city with focused growth near transit, including light rail and high-quality frequent bus service, so residents can meet their everyday needs nearby without needing a car. This Plan takes steps to foster more walkable neighborhoods that are welcoming and accessible, with safe public spaces for neighbors to gather and build community.

Climate and Sustainability: Meet the challenges of climate change for a resilient future. Seattle residents are feeling the impact of the climate crisis with more extreme weather events every year, disproportionately impacting lower income residents and communities of color. This Plan introduces a Climate and Environment element that redoubles our effort to reduce our carbon footprint and build resiliency in frontline communities most vulnerable to climate impacts. The new element includes strategies to reduce climate pollution from key sectors: transportation, development pattern, buildings, energy, and solid waste. It also promotes a wide range of measures to enhance the resilience of our communities and natural environment that are threatened by current and potential climate impacts.

Trends and Challenges

Each major update to a city’s comprehensive plan is an opportunity to take stock of what has changed since the last update and what issues and challenges are paramount for the city and its residents now. Significant trends and events that transpired in the last decade that shape this Plan are summarized below. The One Seattle Plan strives to address and respond to these and other recent and ongoing drivers of change.

Continued Rapid Growth

In the years preceding this Plan, Seattle was one of the fastest growing major cities in the country. From 2010 to 2020, the city experienced a huge increase in employment, adding more than 175,000 jobs – a gain of 38%. While housing was produced at a historic pace with the addition of 60,000 net

new homes over the same time period, an increase of 19%, the scale of production was not enough to keep pace with employment and population growth. Much of the new job growth was in high-wage fields, as Seattle’s per capita income notched up to nearly $75,000, the second highest among U.S. large cities.

Effects of the Global Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic caused major immediate and potential long-term changes to cities around the world. In Seattle, BIPOC communities experienced disproportionate health, economic, and social impacts. These disparities underscore the racial and social inequities that persist in our city, region, and country. The pandemic also accelerated shifts in how we work, which has changed daily activity and commuting patterns, impacted centers of office employment like Downtown, and elevated the value of neighborhoods, public space, and local access to amenities.

Lack of Affordability

The cost of housing in Seattle continues to be a problem. The average annual Zillow Home Value Index for a detached home more than doubled from $415,000 to $945,000 from 2012 to 2022, far beyond what most Seattle-area households can afford. The median monthly cost of rent and basic utilities increased by 75% from $1,024 in 2011 to $1,787 in 2021. Lack of affordability is linked directly to an increase in people without a home, which reached an estimated 33,700 people in King County according to the state Department of Commerce’s Snapshot of Homelessness for July 2022.

Displacement Pressure

In the years preceding this Plan, displacement pressure continued to be a major concern for many Seattle residents and businesses. A recent Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) survey found that 27% of Seattle households who moved within the region from 2014 to 2019 did so due to rising housing costs or other displacement-related reasons. While the population of color in Seattle as a whole has increased, many neighborhoods in South Seattle have seen substantial decreases in certain communities of color as housing in these areas becomes less affordable. Neighborhoods in and around the Central Area have continued to see very large decreases in the numbers of Black residents. Other neighborhoods with large shifts include Beacon Hill and Seward Park, where the Asian population has continued to decrease. Furthermore, the number of Hispanic and Latino residents counted in South Park decreased between 2010 and 2020 in significant contrast to this population’s growth in the neighborhood between 1990 and 2010.

Climate Change

As the climate changes, Seattle residents are experiencing environmental, health, and economic effects. In recent years Seattle has seen numerous unprecedented or historically rare extreme weather events including but not limited to extreme heat events with temperatures over 105 degrees (2021), regular smoke events in late summer (2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023), and tidal flooding of neighborhoods in the Duwamish River floodplain (2022). These changes are harmful for

everyone, but frontline communities, those who experience the first and worst consequences of climate change, bear a disproportionate burden of harm. Globally, the 10 warmest years in the historical record have all occurred since 2010.

Expansion of Regional Transit

Over the past several years, Sound Transit has taken major steps to expand light rail – the region’s primary high-capacity transit system. Since the last Comprehensive Plan update light rail service was extended with service from University of Washington to Northgate and stations north of Seattle, and new service across Lake Washington with a station at Judkins Park will open in 2025. In 2016 voters approved the nearly $54 billion Sound Transit 3¹ measure, which will further expand light rail during the 20-year timeframe of the One Seattle Plan with a new line from Ballard to West Seattle and roughly a dozen new or expanded stations within the city.

Four Key Moves

The following summarizes how this Plan helps advance the four key moves.

Housing and Affordability: Expand Housing Opportunities across the City

The One Seattle Plan is designed to improve the supply, variety, and affordability of housing across the city. Our approach addresses past exclusionary policies and practices and the need to expand housing and neighborhood access. It sets a vision for the future of Seattle where housing options are diverse, affordable, and meet the needs of current and future households of all sizes, incomes, and cultures. Increasing our ability to build more housing in more places will help to ease market pressures that are driving up costs and contributing to displacement of BIPOC and low-income households and provide more affordable housing options for the working families of today and tomorrow.

ENCOURAGE MIDDLE HOUSING IN NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTIAL ZONES The Growth Strategy allows for a broad range of housing types throughout Seattle’s Neighborhood Residential (formerly Single Family) zones. The planned density and variety of housing is designed to meet new state requirements for “middle housing” (HB 1110) and includes opportunities to add new housing types, like duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, sixplexes, stacked flats, and cottage housing in Neighborhood Residential zones across the city. These changes will provide new opportunities for diverse households to find the housing they need with access to high-quality neighborhood amenities. New homeownership options will provide housing stability and wealth building opportunities.

CREATE NEW HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES IN EXISTING AND EXPANDED CENTERS, INCLUDING NEW NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS For nearly 30 years, Seattle’s growth strategy has concentrated growth in Urban Centers and Villages. The updated strategy creates new and expanded opportunities for housing and growth

near our major transit investments and established centers and villages. In addition, new Neighborhood Centers will allow additional moderate-density housing around commercial nodes, bus rapid transit stops, and neighborhood amenities. These additions to the City's current strategy for growth add to the supply of housing with wider opportunities for people to live within a short walk, bike, or transit ride to meet their daily needs.

EXPAND INVESTMENTS IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING Even with the expansion of housing supply, market housing development is not expected to meet the needs of all segments of our community. The Housing element supports continued and increased investments in affordable housing. Under this Plan, resources from the Seattle Housing Levy, funds generated from development, current and potential new Federal and State resources, and incentives would expand the city's supply of income-restricted homes.

Equity and Opportunity: Promote a More Equitable Seattle as We Grow

Every resident should have the opportunity to thrive and to be a part of Seattle’s future and its growing economy, but the benefits and burdens of our city’s growth have not been distributed equitably. Many people, based on their race, ethnicity, gender, ability, income, or sexual orientation, have been historically excluded from the same housing and job opportunities, security, and freedoms that other Seattle residents have. This Plan begins to address the harmful effects of racially restrictive zoning by expanding the types of housing allowed in neighborhoods across Seattle. It also prioritizes programs and investments to support low-income and BIPOC communities that have experienced historical underinvestment to thrive. In these ways, this Plan works toward repairing historical injustices and building a more inclusive city.

REDUCE HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD EXCLUSION Policies in the Growth Strategy, Land Use, and Housing elements aim to lessen the patterns whereby BIPOC families and lower-income households have been excluded for generations from Seattle’s neighborhoods and from homeownership opportunities. The Plan calls for more types of housing in many areas of the city and includes strategies to produce homes that are accessible, affordable, and designed to meet the needs of Seattle’s diverse households. In doing so, we aim to redress the legacy of redlining and racially restrictive covenants that shape Seattle to this day. See the Housing Appendix for a detailed summary of racially disparate impacts and harms to BIPOC communities from racially restrictive policies and practices.

REDUCE RISK OF DISPLACEMENT The Plan embraces a vision of growth without displacement of households, businesses, and cultural communities that are currently at risk of being forced to leave Seattle. The Plan highlights anti-displacement strategies across many elements and builds on many anti-displacement programs the City has in place. The Growth Strategy is designed to reduce market pressure that has contributed to displacement of lower-income households and boost the supply and variety of housing across the city to slow increases in the cost of housing. Both the Plan and the actions the City will take to achieve this vision are informed by data and ongoing input from communities at high risk of displacement.

SUPPORT WEALTH BUILDING The Plan promotes a range of strategies to help BIPOC community members develop generational wealth. The Growth Strategy and Housing elements support new opportunities for homeownership. The Economic Development and Arts and Culture elements enhance support for local small businesses, cultural institutions, asset ownership, and job training. The Plan also includes policies supporting the ability of community members to benefit from employment and other opportunities created with City investments.

INVEST EQUITABLY TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS Policies in the Transportation Element, Parks & Open Space Element, Arts and Culture, and Capital Facilities elements call for centering racial equity when directing investments into new facilities, infrastructure, and programs. The Plan prioritizes the allocation of resources for safer streets, new parks, arts facilities, community centers, and resilience hubs, among others, into communities that have been underinvested in and underserved for decades.

Community and Neighborhoods: Focus Growth and Investment in Complete, Walkable Communities

The One Seattle Plan aims to create more complete communities where Seattleites can gather with one another, meet their daily needs, and access what they love about their neighborhoods, all within an easy walk or bike, thus reducing reliance on automobiles. This Plan features new and expanded locations for growth, and focuses growth where residents can access transit, including light rail and high-quality frequent bus service, close to home. It supports economically vibrant neighborhoods, strong business districts, and new opportunities for convenient amenities like neighborhood corner stores. Several elements include goals and policies to build more complete neighborhoods and a more connected city.

CREATE COMPLETE COMMUNITIES The Growth Strategy in this Plan will enable the development of more complete and connected neighborhoods where residents can walk, bike, and roll to meet their everyday needs. This will be achieved by building on the investments in our current Urban Villages and Centers and adding new and expanded areas for growth, creating housing opportunities around existing neighborhood business districts with shops, services, open space, and gathering places, and allowing a wider mix of non-residential uses in all our neighborhoods. New Neighborhood Centers are expected to feature more services and become focal points for their local communities.

ENSURE SAFE STREETS FOR ALL This Plan was developed in coordination with the new Seattle Transportation Plan. In both plans, there is a strong focus on improving safety and reducing the degree to which streets are used for motor vehicles only. The Transportation element leads with physical safety, calling for protection of our most vulnerable road users. See the Promoting Safe Travel for All section of this element. The One Seattle Plan also promotes flexible use of our limited right of way and expanded safe and affordable transportation choices along with more options to use our right-of-way for people-centered activities and spaces that enliven streets and support communities.

ENHANCE AND EXPAND OPEN SPACES The Parks and Open Space element focuses on addressing inequities in access to high-quality public spaces. Since Seattle is largely built out, this will include adding new opportunities and programming at existing parks and thinking creatively about new ways to provide public spaces in partnership with other agencies and community stakeholders.

CENTER ARTS AND CULTURE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS The Arts and Culture element emphasizes the importance of cultural spaces and a network of activities that support the vibrancy of the city as a whole and, in particular, among BIPOC communities and young people. Goals and policies support a wide range of cultural spaces, both in the public realm and at a wide range of venues in community, that will help define the social character and identity of neighborhoods. The Plan calls for investments in public art that highlight the cultures of our neighborhoods and diverse communities.

Climate and Sustainability: Meet the Challenges of Climate Change for a Resilient Future

The One Seattle Plan introduces a new Climate and Environment element that redoubles our commitment to reduce the impacts of climate change. The element also focuses our efforts to make Seattle resilient in the face of these threats, especially for our most vulnerable populations and frontline communities. Our principles of stewardship and community resilience are shaped and strengthened by the values and practices of the Coast Salish peoples, informed by ongoing engagement with Tribes in the region and our urban Indigenous community members.

ACHIEVE CARBON NEUTRALITY BY 2050 The City has committed to making Seattle carbon neutral by the year 2050 in order to reduce our collective impact on the global environment through climate pollution that contributes to climate change. This Plan guides broad-based actions to further a just transition away from reliance on fossil fuels. Government, businesses, and residents will need to work together to fulfill the long-term goals set forth in Seattle’s Climate Action Plan. Plan elements, such as Transportation, Capital Facilities, and Utilities, reinforce our climate mitigation with more specific policy direction to reduce our emissions.

REDUCE AUTOMOBILE DEPENDENCE Goals and policies in numerous elements including Growth Strategy and Transportation promote development and investments that will make walking, biking, and public transit viable options for more people, thus reducing reliance on automobiles—a major source of climate pollution in this region.

BUILD CLIMATE RESILIENCE The impacts of climate change affect everyone, but disproportionately affect BIPOC communities, immigrants, refugees, people with limited English language proficiency, people with disabilities, and low-income residents. Climate impacts include heat, smoke, sea level rise, flooding, and impacts from other extreme weather events. With the need to adapt to the present and future impacts of

climate change, a new climate resilience sub-element includes policies that will shape how we invest equitably in communities across the city to become more complete, healthy, and resilient over time.

CONTRIBUTE TO A SUSTAINABLE REGION By taking on a more significant share of the region’s growth, Seattle helps protect rural farms and forests from development. It is also a way for our City to contribute to reducing climate pollution on a regional scale by welcoming more affordable opportunities for people to live closer to regional centers of employment, education, and culture. The Growth Strategy element of this Plan adopts new approaches to accommodate more of the people coming to our region over the next 20 years.

State and Regional Policy Framework

Washington’s Growth Management Act (GMA)

Enacted in 1990, Washington’s Growth Management Act (GMA) requires counties and cities to create and regularly update comprehensive plans that prepare us for projected growth in population, housing, and jobs.

The GMA’s goals include protecting farms and forests from sprawl and directing growth to already urbanized areas, especially cities. Each county, in collaboration with its cities, has established an urban-growth boundary, and each city must demonstrate that it is prepared for the urban growth that is expected over the next 20 years. The GMA requires comprehensive plans to address a range of topics and in recent years the State legislature added significant new requirements related to how local governments plan for housing and climate change. The GMA also requires that each city’s plan be consistent with other plans in the region, as described below.

VISION 2050 / Seattle in the Region

With the most people and jobs of any city in Washington State, Seattle is the center of the fast-growing central Puget Sound region. Made up of King, Snohomish, Pierce, and Kitsap Counties, this growing and dynamic metropolitan region expects to reach a population of 5.8 million and include a total of 3.4 million jobs by the year 2050.

The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) is the regional growth management, transportation, and economic development planning organization. PSRC’s VISION 2050 Plan envisions the region’s growth occurring in centers and alongside our transit investments. VISION 2050 allocates especially large shares of growth to five “metropolitan cities”—Seattle, Bellevue, Everett, Tacoma, and Bremerton. The One Seattle Plan reflects Seattle’s commitment to accommodate its share of growth as the metropolitan city at the heart of the region. Multicounty Planning Policies (MPPs) in VISION 2050 also provide guidance for local plans. PSRC reviews and certifies comprehensive plans for consistency with the MPPs.

The PSRC formally designates centers of regional importance within cities. The One Seattle Plan identifies seven Regional Centers, referred to as Urban Centers in Seattle 2035, (see figures 2 and 3)

and two Manufacturing and Industrial Centers in Seattle (see figure 10). Subarea Plans for each of these centers will be included as part of the Plan as they are updated over time.

Countywide Planning Policies

In King County, the Growth Management Planning Council (GMPC) is made up of elected officials representing the county and its cities. These jurisdictions worked together to develop the Countywide Planning Policies (CPPs), which provide guidance for local comprehensive plans. The CPPs contain housing and job growth targets for each jurisdiction along with estimates of future affordable housing needs.

The CPPs include a process for designation of Countywide Centers, which, like Regional Centers, are locations where the region intends to focus growth and investment of the next 20 years. The CPPs provide a similar range of policy guidance for the content of local comprehensive plans as do the MPPs in VISION 2050, but with more detail to address the needs and goals of cities in King County.

Developing the One Seattle Plan

We developed the One Seattle Plan through a three-year process of research, analysis, and engagement with communities across the city. We analyzed data to better understand how the city had changed since the last time we updated the Comprehensive Plan and to explore the most pressing challenges facing the city, including, as described above, persistent racial inequities, climate change, and housing affordability.

We used the City’s Racial Equity Toolkit (RET) to inform our process in creating the One Seattle Plan. The RET was created by the City’s Office for Civil Rights as a framework for understanding the potential impacts of new government actions on racial equity and daylight any unintended consequences for BIPOC community members. The RET and Race and Social Justice ordinance guide the City’s community engagement toward centering the voices of BIPOC and other historically under-represented communities.

The City’s approach to equitable community engagement, which occurred online, in person, and through community organization partnerships, guided the preparation of this Plan and is reflected in the goals, policies, and narrative of the Plan. Feedback from communities across Seattle has been a critical input in its drafting.

Heightened engagement with Indigenous stakeholders, including Tribes, organizations serving and representing the urban Indigenous community, and community members, informed and shaped the major themes of this Plan which foster a sustainable and equitable future, as well as specific policies across multiple elements that address key issues. Informed by this work, Indigenous peoples’ perspectives, values, and ideas are incorporated in various parts of the Plan.

Plan Implementation and Framework for Accountability

Implementing the Plan

The City will implement the One Seattle Plan through regulations, such as zoning and development standards, and through investments detailed in the functional plans developed by City departments. The principal purpose of this Comprehensive Plan is to provide policies that guide the development of the city in the context of coordinated regional planning and the City's core values. Community members and officials from all levels of government can look to these policies when planning for growth.

The Plan is made a reality through City-led coordination and actions by the private sector, non-profit and community-based organizations (CBOs), and other government agencies that also help shape Seattle's future in significant ways. For example, the private sector builds most new housing, King County provides bus service, Sound Transit builds and provides light rail, Seattle Public Schools provides public education, the Port of Seattle operates shipping terminals, and CBOs provide services like childcare and job training. The City partners with these agencies to ensure we collaboratively work toward common goals. Implementation of this Plan therefore relies on the City maintaining relationships with many organizations throughout the region.

Although the City itself will use the Plan to direct the development of regulations that govern land use and development, it will not use the Plan to review applications for specific development projects, except when an applicable development regulation expressly requires reference to this Comprehensive Plan.

Components and Structure of the Comprehensive Plan

Each element of this Plan generally presents goals followed by policies related to those goals and may also include a discussion about the goals and policies. Some chapters also have appendices that contain important data and analysis that inform and provide context for our goals and policies.

Goals represent the results that the City hopes to realize over time, generally within the 20-year life of the Plan, except where interim time periods are stated. Whether expressed in terms of numbers or only as directions for future change, goals are aspirations, not guarantees or mandates.

Policies should be read as if preceded by the words “It is the City’s general policy to...”. A policy helps to guide the creation of or changes to specific rules or strategies (such as development regulations, budgets, or program plans). City officials will generally make decisions on specific City actions by following ordinances, resolutions, budgets, or program plans that reflect relevant Plan policies, rather than by referring directly to this Plan.

Implementation of most policies involves a range of actions over time, so one cannot simply ask whether a specific action or project would fulfill a particular Plan policy. For example, a policy that states that the City will give priority to a particular need indicates that the City will treat the need as important, not that it will take precedence in every City decision. Some policies use the words shall,

should, ensure, encourage, and so forth. In general, such words describe the emphasis that the policy places on the action but do not necessarily establish a specific legal duty to perform a particular act, to undertake a program or project, or to achieve a specific result.

Monitoring and Accountability for Plan Implementation

A monitoring and accountability framework for the One Seattle Plan will include regular data collection and reporting by the City on:

• Actions taken to implement the Plan, including by individual departments and in coordination among departments
• Indicators that tell us whether we are on track to achieve the outcomes envisioned by the Plan, especially racial equity outcomes

Reporting and monitoring will span the Plan’s elements, with a special focus on the Growth Strategy and Housing. This will include metrics and mapping to assess how well the Growth Strategy is working to accommodate new housing and jobs; guide growth to create more complete, connected, and inclusive neighborhoods; and help existing residents and community-serving institutions and businesses to thrive. Monitoring will also look at how well place types in the Growth Strategy are performing their roles.

The City’s recent reporting on indicators of equitable development and housing needs informing this Plan show deep disparities in well-being, access to opportunity, and displacement risks. Monitoring will build on these analyses and continue to include data on outcomes by race, income, neighborhood, and other factors so that people- and place-based actions and investments to implement the Plan can be focused to tackle remaining disparities.

The City’s approach to monitoring and accountability will include the following:

• Providing information that is accessible and useful for the public
• Enabling community stakeholders to engage in meaningful ways to shape monitoring, impact Plan implementation, and hold the City accountable when our actions or outcomes fall short of its goals
• Collaborating on an interdepartmental basis, leveraging the work that City departments are doing to monitor progress on functional plans and initiatives integral to implementing the One Seattle Plan
• Using monitoring to gauge progress, and to understand challenges that may require the City to intensify its efforts, consider different strategies, or amend the Comprehensive Plan

One important way the City will track progress is by working with the Affordable Housing Committee of the King County GMPC to monitor and report on our progress toward housing goals and policies consistent with new GMA requirements, including:

• Annual monitoring of housing trends and City implementation actions
• A 5-year implementation status report by 2029

The results of this and other similar accountability measures will shape future actions to implement this Plan to achieve our desired future for Seattle.

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Growth Strategy

Introduction

Seattle is expected to grow significantly over the next 20 years and beyond. Forecasts of future growth and the region’s growth plans indicate that the city will reach one million people by the middle of this century. Growth represents both an opportunity and a challenge. Accommodating new people and jobs can add vibrancy to our city and address climate change by allowing more people to live a low carbon lifestyle. However, if we don’t plan for and accommodate a growing population, housing costs will continue to rise, pushing many people out of Seattle, worsening our homelessness crisis, and making many neighborhoods accessible only to high-income households.

In 1994, Seattle adopted its first Comprehensive Plan under the state Growth Management Act (GMA) with a growth strategy that concentrated nearly all growth in designated areas called Urban Centers and Urban Villages. Minimal growth was planned for single-family-zoned areas, which account for most land across the city. For 30 years, this “Urban Village strategy” has been effective in

creating dense, walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods served by high-quality transit in selected areas of the city. It has helped to shape major public and private investments, especially new and expanded transit service. The strategy also has helped the city accommodate an important share of the region’s housing and employment as part of the region’s collaborative approach to planning for growth. Between 2010 and 2020, 83% of new homes were built in Urban Centers or Villages.

Even with successes, however, the strategy has fallen short of meeting the needs of all Seattle residents for affordable and diverse housing choices, access to neighborhoods of opportunity, and community stability in the face of rising displacement pressures.

Many neighborhoods outside Urban Centers and Villages have few housing options beyond detached homes. As documented in detail in the Housing element and Housing Appendix, zoning that allows only low-density detached housing is rooted in a history of racial and class exclusion marked by policies and real estate practices such as redlining and racial covenants. With the prices of these homes rising dramatically, especially in the last 10 years, these neighborhoods are increasingly out of reach for most people, perpetuating patterns of racial and economic exclusion and contributing to market pressures that cause displacement and gentrification.

Meanwhile, many Seattle residents seek housing options and neighborhood choices that our growth strategy has not provided. Housing types such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, small, stacked flats, cottage housing, courtyard apartments, and other low-scale residential types, all examples of what is frequently referred to as “middle housing,” have not been allowed in most areas. Middle housing can provide comparatively affordable family-sized housing, options for homeownership, and opportunities to reside in neighborhoods with key amenities, such as parks and schools.

The updated growth strategy includes expanded middle housing options in all neighborhoods. These changes are consistent with new state requirements which will expand housing choices in cities across the region and state.

This Plan also embraces a vision for “complete communities” where a rich mix of housing options are available within a short walk or bike trip to the goods, services, and amenities that residents need every day. Making this vision a reality in more neighborhoods will address the needs and desires expressed by community members across the city while also supporting the City’s climate goals.

Urban Centers and Villages will continue to play an important role in a proposed new growth strategy for the next 20 years. At the same time, the One Seattle Plan adds new opportunities and locations for housing and job growth to create more complete, connected, and inclusive communities. Key goals for this growth strategy are to:

• Accommodate new housing and jobs over the next 20 years and beyond
• Increase the supply, diversity, and affordability of housing to reduce upward pressure on prices and expand choices for diverse households
• Redress harms from neighborhood exclusion and housing discrimination, meet the housing needs of BIPOC households, and support wealth building opportunities

• Prevent the displacement of residents due to direct impacts and market forces
• Create and support communities where more people can access transit, shops, and services by walking, biking, and rolling
• Encourage a diverse mix of businesses and jobs in neighborhoods across the city and help existing businesses remain in place

Advancing this vision are goals, policies, and implementation actions outlined in multiple elements. This Growth Strategy element describes where and how the City should accommodate expected housing and job growth to achieve a more equitable, sustainable, and resilient development and investment pattern than in the past. This element includes a description of the types of uses and buildings that are appropriate in different parts of Seattle. Other elements of this Plan describe tools the City will use to achieve the growth strategy as well as other investments and strategies necessary to meet our overall goals. For example, the Land Use element describes how zoning and development regulations will control the location and size of new buildings in ways that help carry out the growth strategy. The Housing element includes policies that will guide the types and characteristics of housing the City will aim for and the tools the City will use to make it possible for people of all backgrounds and households at all income levels to find housing that meets their needs. The Transportation element includes a policy framework for investments in multiple modes of travel that serve all areas of the city where growth will occur.

Planning for Growth

DISCUSSION

This section includes the goals and policies that apply to the growth strategy as a whole and inform the more detailed approaches discussed in later sections.

The goals and policies in this section respond to the needs of the City as well as the need to plan for and accommodate population, housing, and jobs as set forth in requirements in the state Growth Management Act (GMA). Our growth strategy implements the Regional Growth Strategy in VISION 2050 adopted by the Puget Sound Regional Council as a long-range growth management plan for the four-county central Puget Sound region. The strategy also meets the City's obligation to accommodate a substantial share of the growth in King County as prescribed in the targets for housing and employment growth adopted by the Growth Management Planning Council (GMPC). Estimated GMPC growth targets for the 2024-2044 period are for the city to accommodate at least 80,000 housing units and 159,000 jobs.

GOAL

GS G1 Seattle becomes a more equitable, vibrant, connected, and livable city with housing for a diverse and growing population; space for working, learning, and finding joy; and complete communities where people of all ages and abilities can walk, bike, and roll to meet their everyday needs.

POLICIES

Growth Strategy Overview

DISCUSSION

All areas in the city have a role in accommodating future housing growth, employment growth, or both. This section outlines the roles that different areas of Seattle should play and the type of residential, commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings that are appropriate in each.

Specifically, this section describes different “place types” and maps where they might be designated on the Future Land Use Map (FLUM).

The FLUM is a requirement of the Growth Management Act and is intended to show the desired scale and use of buildings for different parts of Seattle. This map provides guidance that is used in developing and updating more detailed zoning maps and development standards which regulate the size, use, and design for new development. As such, the FLUM and policies in the Growth Strategy element complement and are integral to goals and policies in the Land Use element.

Figures 1 and 2 below show the FLUM and briefly describe the place types that comprise the Seattle growth strategy. As the City’s needs and priorities shift, the FLUM may be formally amended.

GOAL

GS G2 Seattle’s development pattern, as shaped by the Future Land Use Map, results in a range of vibrant places that all play a role in accommodating housing and jobs.

POLICIES

GS 2.1 Use the Future Land Use Map to guide land use regulation.

GS 2.2 Require FLUM amendments only when needed to achieve a significant change to the intended function of a large area.

Figure 1

Description of Place Types that appear on the FLUM

Figure 2 Future Land Use Map

Place types

Regional Center

Urban Center

Neighborhood Center

Manufacturing & Industrial Center

Urban Neighborhood

Other areas

Industrial outside Manufacturing & Industrial Centers

Major Institution

Parks and open space

Cemetery

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Regional Centers

Regional Centers (previously referred to as Urban Centers in the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan) are the densest Seattle neighborhoods. They are places of regional importance with substantial housing, office, retail, institutional, and/or cultural and entertainment uses along with access to regional transit. Regional Centers include Downtown, South Lake Union, First Hill/Capitol Hill, Uptown, the University District, Northgate, and Ballard. These places contain some of the region’s largest centers for business, commerce, and tourism and are hubs in the regional transportation network, especially high-capacity transit. To support this role and allow our region to grow, Regional Centers are planned to accommodate a substantial share of the city’s growth.

Regional Centers are planned to align with Regional Growth Centers designations by the Puget Sound Regional Council and the King County Growth Management Planning Council. As such, they meet regional criteria for size, mix of uses, transportation, and other characteristics. Subarea plans for each Regional Center are developed and updated over time and adopted as part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

Figure 3

Regional Center Map (right)

POLICIES

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Figure 4

Estimated Regional Center Growth 2024–2044

Urban Centers

Urban Centers (previously referred to as Urban Villages in the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan) are walkable mixed-use areas that play an important role serving surrounding neighborhoods or even the entire city. Urban Centers include a wide range of housing, jobs, shops and services, and access to regional or local transit. These areas are destinations for residents in different districts of Seattle due to the high concentration of shops, restaurants, and businesses. Urban Centers are generally served with high-quality transit and biking and walking infrastructure. Over time, these areas have added a significant share of the city’s new housing supply, primarily mid-rise multifamily housing, and are expected to continue in this role into the future.

Urban Centers are planned to align with the Countywide Centers designation by the King County Growth Management Planning Council. As such, they meet criteria in the Countywide Planning Policies for size, mix of uses, transportation, and other characteristics.

Figure 5 Urban Center Map (right)

POLICIES

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GS 4.3 Allow a wide range of housing types in Urban Centers. Urban Centers should generally allow buildings of 3 to 8 stories. Buildings greater than 8 stories may be appropriate in Urban Centers near significant transit investments, especially light rail stations, or near existing concentrations of amenities and services.

GS 4.4 Allow a wide range of non-residential uses including office, retail, institutional, and entertainment uses in Urban Centers. Major office developments are appropriate in Urban Centers but should be encouraged primarily near light rail stations.

GS 4.5 Allow various sizes of Urban Centers based on local conditions, but generally include those areas within a 10-minute walk (half-mile) of a current or future light rail station or 8-minute walk (2,000 feet) of the central intersection if no light rail exists.

Figure 6

List of Urban Centers

Neighborhood Centers

Neighborhood Centers are places with a diversity of housing options located around a locally focused commercial core and/or access to frequent transit. Neighborhood Centers generally represent the core of a neighborhood providing shops, services, grocery stores, restaurants, childcare centers, and other businesses that residents need to access on a regular basis. These areas provide an opportunity for people to access everyday needs within a short walk or bike ride from their homes. Allowing more housing in these areas can increase opportunities to live in complete connected neighborhoods, strengthen local business districts, and help people reduce reliance on cars.

Figure 7 Neighborhood Center Map (right)

POLICIES

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GS 5.4 Determine the boundaries of Neighborhood Centers based on local conditions, but generally include areas within a 3-minute walk (800 feet) of the central intersection or bus rapid transit stop.

Figure 8 List of Neighborhood Centers

Urban Neighborhoods

Urban Neighborhoods are places outside centers that are primarily comprised of residential development. While lacking the larger business districts located in centers, Urban Neighborhoods may provide opportunities for mixed-use and commercial development along major arterial streets with access to frequent transit. They may also include at-home businesses, corner stores, childcare centers, and other non-residential uses located throughout to support small business and institutions and provide opportunities for ready access to everyday needs.

Over the next 20 years and beyond, Urban Neighborhoods represent an opportunity to add more diverse housing options in all neighborhoods. By providing new options to add middle housing, such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and cottage housing, across the city and apartments near transit, Urban Neighborhoods will contribute to making Seattle a more affordable and racially inclusive city.

Figure 9 Urban Neighborhood Map

POLICIES

GS 6.1 Designate as Urban Neighborhood those areas outside centers that are appropriate for primarily residential development with limited non-residential uses.

GS 6.2 Allow a mix of lower-scale housing types, generally up to 3 stories, such as detached homes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, sixplexes, stacked flats, and cottage housing throughout Urban Neighborhoods.

GS 6.3 Allow moderate-scale housing of 4 to 6 stories in areas currently zoned for such housing and along arterials where zoned densities may be increased to provide more housing options near frequent transit.

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GS 6.4 Allow a range of commercial and mixed-use development on major streets and smaller-scale non-residential uses such as small institutions, corner stores, and at-home businesses throughout Urban Neighborhood areas.

Manufacturing and Industrial Centers

Manufacturing and Industrial Centers (MICs) are areas of concentrated industrial activity with limited retail, office, and residential uses that primarily serve industrial business and workers. Seattle has two MICs: Greater Duwamish MIC and Ballard–Interbay–Northend MIC. Both MICs are places of regional importance due to the presence of industrial businesses in a range of sizes and major transportation facilities such as the container port, marinas, and rail infrastructure.

MICs are regionally designated by the Puget Sound Regional Council and the Growth Management Planning Council. This means they meet regional criteria for size, mix of uses, transportation, and other characteristics. Subarea plans for each MIC are developed and updated over time and adopted as part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan.

Figure 10 Manufacturing and Industrial Center Map

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POLICIES

GS 7.1 Designate as Manufacturing and Industrial Centers areas that meet criteria for designation as MICs adopted by the Puget Sound Regional Council and the Growth Management Planning Council and have the following characteristics:

• Relatively flat terrain that allows for efficient industrial processes

• Reasonable access to the regional highway, rail, air, and/or waterway systems for transportation of goods
• Presence of significant manufacturing, warehousing, and distribution uses
• Transitions between industrial and non-industrial areas that allow for a range of industrial activities at a scale compatible with non-industrial areas
• Sufficient development capacity to accommodate a minimum of ten thousand jobs

GS 7.2 Establish boundaries for MICs that generally include continuous areas of primarily industrial use and consider natural barriers like highways and waterways and transitions to neighboring uses.

GS 7.3 Prioritize land that is proximate to irreplaceable industrial infrastructure such as deep-water ports, rail, and regional highways for continued industrial use.

GS 7.4 Allow a wide variety of manufacturing and industrial uses in MICs to support the retention and expansion of existing industrial businesses and provide opportunities for the creation of new businesses consistent with the character of industrial areas.

GS 7.5 Maintain manufacturing and industrial activity as the primary use in MICs.

GS 7.6 Allow limited commercial uses that are compatible with the primarily industrial nature of MICs.

GS 7.7 Plan to accommodate growth over twenty years in each MIC that attains at least the numbers of new jobs shown in Figure 11.

Figure 11 Estimated Manufacturing and Industrial Center Growth 2024–2044

Major Institutions

The Major Institution place type includes the campuses of regionally important hospitals, colleges, and universities that may also include limited housing and other uses. The geography of this place type is limited to areas outside centers where institutions have worked with the City to develop Major Institution Master Plans. These plans allow for the creation of area-specific regulations that balance the importance of accommodating major institutions with managing impacts on adjacent areas.

POLICIES

GS 8.1 Designate as Major Institutions the campuses of regionally important hospitals, colleges, and universities that develop Major Institution Master Plans.

GS 8.2 Allow Major Institution Master Plans to guide development in these areas, rather than the underlying zoning.

GS 8.3 Allow housing and limited commercial uses within the Major Institution place type, whether or not they are directly related to the Major Institution, to address the needs of workers and students as well as other people who want to work, learn, or live in the area.

GS 8.4 Prioritize growth within existing Major Institutions boundaries over the expansion of established boundaries.

Parks and Open Space

The Parks and Open Space place type includes City-owned developed parks and natural areas. This place type is different than other place types as it is primarily intended to describe existing conditions rather than desired future land use change outcomes.

POLICIES

GS 9.1 Designate as Parks and Open Space those City-owned areas currently being used as parks or open space.

GS 9.2 Maintain park and open space uses as the primary use in the Parks and Open Space place type.

GS 9.3 Allow housing in the Parks and Open Space place type only where it currently exists or is located within a development containing a park and open space use such as a community center or pool.

GS 9.4 Allow limited commercial and institutional uses in the Parks and Open Space place type within existing buildings or where it could activate park and open space uses.

Area Planning

DISCUSSION

The Comprehensive Plan provides broad citywide direction for the future of Seattle as the city grows over the next several decades. To fulfill the vision of this Plan and implement the growth strategy, the City also undertakes more focused planning in our Regional Centers, Urban Centers, transit station areas, and other neighborhoods. Area plans are intended to provide more detailed and actionable direction on the full range of policy areas reflected in this Plan, such as land use, housing, transportation, public spaces, climate resilience, and more. A plan for a specific area within the city reflects its unique characteristics and needs while recognizing the role that each place will play in the overall growth strategy.

The City advances area planning through focused initiatives such as subarea planning for Regional Centers, including Downtown, Uptown, South Lake Union, First Hill/Capitol Hill, University District, Ballard, and Northgate, which are home to a significant share of Seattle’s residents and workers and locations that are intended to accommodate a significant share of Seattle’s future growth. Another key focus area is station area planning for equitable transit-oriented development, particularly around new Sound Transit stations.

Area planning reflects a commitment to equitable growth and development across the city. By centering a diversity of community voices in the area planning process, we can accommodate the needs of all stakeholders in a growing, diverse population.

GOAL

POLICIES

GS 10.6 Develop area plans that reflect the unique characteristics and local vision in each community to become more equitable, vibrant, and resilient in the future.

GS 10.7 Develop and implement strategies, identified in partnership with affected communities, to achieve equitable transit-oriented development in areas at risk of displacement that have existing or planned high-capacity transit facilities.

GS 10.8 Ensure area plans are consistent with and implement the vision in the Comprehensive Plan and are coordinated with and reflect other City plans and strategies.

Annexation

DISCUSSION

Several areas of unincorporated King County lie immediately south of the Seattle city limits. King County currently provides services to these areas. The state’s Growth Management Act (GMA) anticipates that all areas within the county’s urban growth boundary will eventually be annexed or incorporated and become part of a city. Generally, cities are considered better able to raise the revenue needed to meet local community needs and better positioned to plan for and invest in local communities. The annexation process, which is a collaboration of city, county, and community stakeholders, is informed by local input and analysis of service needs, costs, and resources.

The Countywide Planning Policies have designated three Potential Annexation Areas (PAAs) that Seattle has indicated an intention to annex into the city sometime in the future. Figure 12 shows the locations Seattle has identified as PAAs, the largest of which is the North Highline PAA.

GOAL

GS G11 Seattle has established a process for annexation of all Potential Annexation Areas through a negotiated process that meets the needs of the City and affected residents.

POLICIES

GS 11.1 Identify unincorporated areas for potential annexation that have access, or can easily be connected, to City services.

GS 11.2 Cooperate with adjacent jurisdictions, as needed, in order to reach equitable and balanced resolutions about jurisdictional boundaries for the remaining unincorporated areas abutting city limits and ensure any boundary-change agreements will result in an equitable distribution of revenues and costs, including asset transfer and the development, maintenance, and operation of facilities.

GS 11.3 Use tools and strategies to meet community needs in PAAs, such as transferring permitting authority, service and infrastructure financing, and identifying appropriate funding sources.

Figure 12

Potential Annexation Areas

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Land Use

Introduction

The Land Use element provides guidance on how the City’s zoning and development regulations should shape new development. The goals and policies in this element are designed to meet a range of City objectives, including and especially the implementation of the growth strategy as described in the Growth Strategy element and depicted in the Future Land Use Map.

Zoning and development regulations shape the design and limit the size and allowed uses of new buildings in Seattle. These regulations are critical to shaping Seattle’s growth but can also have unintended consequences if they significantly increase the cost of new housing, make it difficult for new businesses to grow, or result in designs that conflict with our City goals. This element outlines our goals for these regulations and provides guidance to maximize their benefits while minimizing unintended impacts.

Overarching Goals and Policies

DISCUSSION The purpose of this section is to establish the goals and policies that inform all the following sections.

GOAL

LU G1 Zoning and development standards encourage and shape growth and development to:

• Implement the vision contained in this Plan.
• Create housing that works for households of all types and income levels.
• Create spaces for the diverse needs of businesses and institutions.
• Encourage high-quality, well-designed, and sustainable buildings.
• Protect and enhance the natural environment.
• Mitigate the impacts of new construction.

POLICIES

LU 1.1 Support a wide variety of housing options in all non-industrial neighborhoods, including lower-cost market-rate and income-restricted homes.

LU 1.2 Support a wide variety of businesses and institutions in neighborhoods throughout Seattle, especially those that meet the everyday needs of residents.

LU 1.3 Apply development standards such that new uses and buildings protect public health and safety and minimize impacts on adjacent homes and businesses.

LU 1.4 Encourage development that contributes to vibrant, equitable, complete, and walkable neighborhoods.

LU 1.5 Seek to balance the benefits of regulating land use and development with the impacts to property owners and the cost of housing and non-residential space.

LU 1.6 Seek to reduce the potential health impacts of air pollution on residential populations and other sensitive uses near corridors with high volumes of vehicle traffic, the King County Airport, major rail yards, truck routes, and point sources of pollution.

LU 1.7 Review future legislative rezones to determine if they pose a risk of increasing the displacement of residents, especially marginalized communities, and the businesses and institutions that serve them.

LU 1.8 Consider zoning pilot programs that demonstrate the social benefits of equitable development, including community-serving uses and housing available to a spectrum of household incomes by setting onsite affordability standards and incentives for development of housing and equitable development uses through partnerships between public, private, and community-based organizations.

Urban Design

DISCUSSION

As Seattle changes over time, thoughtful urban design can help to enhance the aspects of its physical environment that make Seattle so appealing to residents and visitors alike. These include well-defined and diverse mixed-use neighborhoods; compact, walkable scale; proximity to nature; and attractive parks, streets, and public spaces. In a growing city, urban design can help seamlessly integrate the new with the old, producing positive results with design approaches that put people first and reflect Seattle’s diverse neighborhoods, populations, and natural features.

The policies included in this section outline the City’s objectives for the design of buildings, sites, and public space. The policies are separated into three specific areas of focus: Natural Environment, Built Environment, and Public Spaces. More detailed direction for individual projects can be found in the Land Use Code’s regulations and in the City’s design guidelines.

The policies in this element are not intended to be used for reviewing individual projects. Rather, they can help inform the changes to zoning regulations and design review processes which more directly shape projects.

GOAL

POLICIES

Natural Environment

LU 2.6 Promote, in consultation with Tribes, the use of native, edible, and culturally significant plants for landscaping to emphasize the region’s natural identity and Indigenous culture and to foster environmental health.

LU 2.7 Encourage the preservation and expansion of the tree canopy throughout the city for the aesthetic, health, and environmental benefits trees provide and focus public tree planting programs on residential and mixed-use areas with the least tree canopy in order to distribute the benefits equitably.

LU 2.8 Recognize the role that waterways, forests, and other natural areas play in Indigenous practice, culture, and community and work with Indigenous communities and Tribes to improve access to and design of these spaces.

Built Environment

LU 2.9 Encourage the preservation of characteristics and features that contribute to communities’ multiple identities, including in areas of historic, architectural, cultural, or social significance.

LU 2.10 Design public infrastructure and private development to contribute to the visual interest, walkability, cultural heritage, and accessibility of neighborhoods.

LU 2.11 Design streets that reflect a particular street’s function, right-of-way width, adjoining uses, and role within a citywide system.

LU 2.12 Seek opportunities for new pedestrian and bike connections to knit together neighborhoods. Support efforts to use lids and other connections over highways that separate neighborhoods, especially when such lids provide opportunities to reconnect neighborhoods and provide amenities such as affordable housing, open spaces, or pedestrian and bike connections to transit stations.

LU 2.13 Design neighborhoods to be walkable and accessible by enhancing pedestrian connections, public open spaces, walking and biking infrastructure, and wayfinding, and by encouraging buildings with retail and active uses that flank the sidewalk.

LU 2.14 Consider the value of designing buildings and public spaces that maximize use of natural light and provide protection from inclement weather.

LU 2.15 Encourage the use of land, rooftops, and other spaces for urban food production.

LU 2.16 Consider promoting varied building forms to enhance attractive and walkable neighborhoods.

LU 2.17 Consider taller building heights in key locations to define activity centers, such as near light rail stations in Regional and Urban Centers.

LU 2.18 Consider the impacts of tall buildings on public views and on sunlight in public streets and parks when defining upper-level building standards such as lot coverage, tower spacing, or setbacks.

Public Spaces

LU 2.19 Encourage street designs that prioritize pedestrians, provide public space, support business districts, and create space for community events.

LU 2.20 Promote well-defined and accessible outdoor spaces that are designed for a range of potential users and that are well integrated with adjoining buildings and spaces.

LU 2.21 Design public spaces that consider the nearby physical context and the needs of the community and specific user groups, particularly those communities that have been traditionally underrepresented in public space design.

LU 2.22 Design public spaces so they feel safe and inviting to a wide variety of people.

Uses

DISCUSSION The City regulates how land is used through zoning. Each zone has a specific set of rules defining what types of uses are allowed in that area. Regulations ensure we focus jobs, housing, and services in the places that match our vision, and allow us to address potential conflicts that can occur between different types of uses. As we strive to be a city where people can walk, bike, and roll to meet their everyday needs, use regulations can help to create neighborhoods with a variety of uses while minimizing the conflicts between them.

GOAL

LU G3 Use regulations are designed to:

• Allow a variety of housing types to accommodate housing choices for households of all types and income levels.
• Support a wide range of employment-generating activities to provide jobs for a diverse population, as well as a variety of services for residents and businesses.
• Accommodate the full range of public services, institutions, and amenities needed to support a racially and economically diverse, sustainable urban community.
• Guide new development to locations consistent with the growth strategy.
• Minimize conflicts between different uses.

POLICIES

LU 3.1 Allow or prohibit uses in each zone based on the zone’s intended function and on the expected impacts of a use on other properties in the zone and the surrounding area. Generally, allow a broad mix of compatible uses in centers.

LU 3.2 Include provisions to potentially allow as conditional uses those activities that may be beneficial to an area but that also require additional measures to avoid potential impacts on sensitive environments or on other permitted uses.

LU 3.3 Allow residential use outright or as a conditional use in all zones except industrial zones and those shoreline areas where residential uses may conflict with the intended function of the shoreline environment.

LU 3.4 Allow a wide range of shops and services in neighborhoods throughout Seattle to support a growing population and enable residents in all neighborhoods to walk, roll, or bike to their everyday needs.

LU 3.5 Allow nonconforming uses to be maintained and enhanced, but generally not to be expanded, and encourage them to become more conforming over time.

LU 3.6 Identify uses that support equitable development and take steps to remove regulatory barriers to and increase the feasibility of those uses in neighborhoods throughout Seattle.

LU 3.7 Support increased access to food by providing zoning flexibility for grocery stores.

General Development Standards

DISCUSSION

Development standards are the rules that define the size and design of buildings, structures, and other improvements. Standards often include limits on building height, setbacks from property lines, maximum lot coverage, and requirements for the external and internal design of the building. Development standards help shape the look and feel of Seattle’s neighborhoods as they grow. They help ensure new buildings contribute to the overall neighborhood and advance city goals relating to public health and safety, utility service provision, open space, environmental stewardship, energy efficiency, and other topics.

GOAL

LU G4 Development standards effectively guide building design to serve each zone’s function; produce the scale and building forms desired; protect public health, safety, and welfare; protect the environment; and address the need for new housing and commercial space.

POLICIES

LU 4.1 Allow for flexibility in development standards so existing structures can be maintained and improved and new development can respond to site-specific conditions.

LU 4.2 Develop and apply development standards that provide predictability regarding the allowed intensity of development and expected development types for each zone.

LU 4.3 Control the massing of structures to make them compatible with the area’s planned scale, provide for open space on a site, and allow the building to receive adequate natural light.

LU 4.4 Use maximum height limits to maintain the desired scale of development, address varied topographic conditions, and limit public view blockage. In certain Downtown zones and in industrial zones, heights for certain types of development may be unlimited.

LU 4.5 Consider opportunities to create gradual transitions in allowed building height and scale within blocks, across alleys, and between areas of higher density and lower density when modifying maximum height limits.

LU 4.6 Provide for residents’ recreational needs on development sites by encouraging private or shared amenity areas such as rooftop decks, balconies, ground-level open spaces, or enclosed spaces.

LU 4.7 Use setbacks in residential areas as needed to allow for adequate light, air, and ground-level open space and promote compatibility with the desired development pattern.

LU 4.8 Use tree requirements to preserve and enhance the City’s physical, aesthetic, and cultural character and to enhance the value of trees in addressing stormwater management, pollution reduction, and heat island mitigation.

LU 4.9 Enhance the visual quality of an area through standards for screening and landscaping appropriate to each zone.

LU 4.10 Establish standards for drainage, flooding, and stormwater runoff to mitigate or cleanse discharges that could pollute our waters.

LU 4.11 Regulate signage to encourage reasonable identification of businesses and to communicate information of community interest while limiting visual clutter, protecting the public interest, and enhancing the city’s appearance and safety.

LU 4.12 Establish maximum permitted noise levels that account for both the function of the noise producing area and the function of areas where the noise may be heard, in order to reduce the health hazards and nuisance factors associated with some uses.

LU 4.13 Identify uses as major noise generators based on the noise associated with certain equipment operations or the nature of a particular activity and regulate these uses to reduce noise to acceptable levels.

LU 4.14 Regulate activities that generate air emissions, such as dust, smoke, solvent fumes, or odors, to maintain and encourage successful commercial and industrial activities while protecting employees, clients, nearby residents, the general public, and the natural environment.

LU 4.15 Protect public views through:

• Zoning that considers public views, with special emphasis on shoreline views
• Development standards, such as setbacks that help to reduce impacts on public views
• Environmental policies that protect specified public views, including views of mountains, major bodies of water, designated landmarks, and the Downtown skyline

LU 4.16 Require higher-density development to offset its impacts through mechanisms such as incentives for landmark preservation, open space amenities, and below-market cost housing.

LU 4.17 Implement policies and programs that result in the seismic retrofit of buildings to minimize damage, death, and displacement after an earthquake while also minimizing the impact of retrofits on the cost of housing.

LU 4.18 Seek excellence in new development through a design review process that complements development regulations and allows for flexibility in the application of development standards to achieve quality design.

Off-Street Parking

DISCUSSION Parking is found on both public and private property. Policies regarding on-street parking are covered in the Transportation element.

Off-street parking, which is shaped by land use regulations, can help to reduce the competition for on-street parking that occurs in certain areas due to the large number of trips made by car or truck. However, it can also encourage vehicle travel; negatively impact the design of buildings, on-site open spaces, and adjacent streets; and can significantly increase the cost of construction. Moreover, some people find it important to have their own off-street parking space while other people choose to live car-free and don't want to pay more for a building with parking.

Because of the potential positive and negative impacts of requiring off-street parking and the diverse needs of individual households, the City's approach to regulating parking varies in different areas and for different uses. For some areas and uses, the City requires a minimum amount of parking; while for other areas and uses, it limits the maximum amount of parking allowed.

Where parking is required, the amount of parking is generally set to avoid requiring parking that will be poorly utilized. Additionally, the City regulates the location of parking spaces and access to avoid impacts on the street and sidewalk.

GOAL

LU G5 Off-street parking regulations balance multiple goals including:

• Addressing parking demand.
• Reducing reliance on automobiles.
• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Improving public health and safety.
• Minimizing construction costs to reduce the cost of housing.
• Reducing impacts on the street and sidewalk.
• Creating attractive and walkable environments and public spaces.
• Promoting economic development throughout the city.

POLICIES

LU 5.1 Use minimum parking requirements where appropriate to balance the goals of allowing accessibility, reducing competition for on-street spaces, discouraging underused parking facilities, providing for electric vehicle charging, minimizing impacts to the cost of housing, and increasing the use of public transit, carpools, walking, and bicycles as alternatives to the use of single-occupant vehicles.

LU 5.2 Set minimum parking requirements, where they are implemented, to discourage underused parking facilities, even if occasional spillover parking could result. Require fewer parking spaces per business when several businesses share customer parking, thereby enabling customers to park once and walk to numerous businesses.

LU 5.3 Avoid setting minimum parking requirements for housing in Regional and Urban centers and areas well-served by transit.

LU 5.4 Use maximum parking requirements to discourage single-occupancy-vehicle travel in regional centers that are served by light rail where high levels of pedestrian, bicycle, and transit accessibility make many trips possible without a car.

LU 5.5 Allow shared off-site parking facilities for more efficient use of parking and to provide the flexibility to develop parking on a site separate from the development site.

LU 5.6 Limit the impacts of off-street parking on pedestrians and the surrounding areas by restricting the number and size of automobile curb cuts and by generally requiring alley access to parking when there is an accessible, surfaced alley.

LU 5.7 Prohibit most street-level parking between buildings and the street in residential zones and pedestrian-oriented commercial zones in order to maintain an attractive and safe street-level environment, facilitate the movement of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, minimize adverse impacts on nearby areas and structures, and, where appropriate, maintain or create continuous street fronts.

LU 5.8 Locate off-street parking facilities to minimize impacts on the pedestrian environment, especially in areas designated for active pedestrian use.

LU 5.9 Prohibit principal-use parking in places where that parking would be incompatible with the area’s intended function.

LU 5.10 Discourage the development of major stand-alone park-and-ride facilities within Seattle. Additions to park-and-ride capacity could be considered:

• At the terminus of a major regional transit system.
• Where opportunities exist for shared parking.
• Where alternatives to automobile use are particularly inadequate or cannot be provided in a cost-effective manner.

LU 5.11 Encourage bicycle parking in new residential construction to promote bicycle ownership and use.

Public Facilities and Small Institutions

DISCUSSION Throughout Seattle, our communities are dotted with facilities that provide needed services to residents. These include schools and childcare centers, fire and police stations, and other buildings that serve special functions that require them to be different from other buildings in the same zone. For instance, fire stations may need extra room for trucks and schools need to be much larger than the homes around them. Similar issues sometimes arise with facilities and small institutions not operated by the public sector, such as churches, childcare centers, private schools, and nursing homes.

GOAL

LU G6 Public facilities and small institutions are designed and located so that they meet the goals of their mission and are generally compatible with the function and scale of the surrounding area, even if some deviation from certain regulations is necessary.

POLICIES

LU 6.1 Regulate public facilities and small institutions to promote compatibility with other development in the area.

LU 6.2 Allow public facilities and small institutions to depart from development standards if necessary to meet their particular functional requirements, while maintaining general design compatibility with the surrounding area. Consider providing greater flexibility for schools in recognition of their important role in the community.

LU 6.3 Allow standards to be modified for required off-street parking associated with public facilities and small institutions based on the expected use and characteristics of the facility and the likely impacts on surrounding parking and development conditions, and on existing and planned transportation facilities in the area.

LU 6.4 Encourage land and buildings no longer used as schools to be put to other uses not otherwise permitted in the applicable zone.

LU 6.5 Provide a process for identifying and siting essential public facilities, including facilities that are not already identified in state law. A public facility should be considered essential if it provides or is necessary to provide a public service and is difficult to site. A public facility should be considered difficult to site if any of the following conditions exist:

• The public facility needs a specific type of site of such a size, location, or availability of public services, for which there are few choices.
• The public facility needs to be located near another public facility or is an expansion of an essential public facility at an existing location.
• The public facility has, or is generally perceived by the public to have, significant adverse impacts that make it difficult to site.
• Use of the normal development review process would effectively preclude the siting of an essential public facility.
• Development regulations require the proposed facility to use an essential public facility siting process.

LU 6.6 Provide a process to allow the siting of essential public facilities in locations where they might not otherwise be allowed that considers the following:

• Interjurisdictional analysis
• Financial analysis
• Special purpose districts
• Measures to facility siting
• Analysis of alternatives to the facility

LU 6.7 Provide a process to allow the waiver of regulations to allow the siting of an essential public facility.

LU 6.8 The City may impose conditions or mitigation to reduce or eliminate adverse environmental impacts as part of the permitting process as part of the siting of local, regional, state, or federal essential public facilities.

LU 6.9 Work cooperatively with King County, the State, and/or other cities to site essential public facilities.

Telecommunications Facilities

DISCUSSION

Telecommunications facilities have become essential infrastructure to support access to key services and opportunities. Cell phone and mobile broadband service providers and broadcast radio and television stations require equipment that can transmit their signals. This equipment usually must be placed high enough that signals can effectively distribute to the service coverage area. Telecommunications facilities are primarily regulated by federal law. AM and FM radio and VHF and UHF television transmission towers are considered major communication utilities. Minor

communication facilities are generally smaller and include such things as personal wireless service and cellular communication facilities.

GOAL

POLICIES

Downtown Zones

DISCUSSION

Downtown is the commercial and entertainment core of our region and contains some of the densest neighborhoods in Washington state. It also contains substantial diversity in the scale and character of existing development. Downtown zones recognize the unique circumstances of the various neighborhoods of this area.

GOAL

POLICIES

LU 8.1 Use a range of land use zones that recognize the distinct areas of Downtown that are defined by their histories and by their land use functions.

LU 8.2 Use a range of land use zones and height limits to support the existing and desired character of different areas within Downtown.

LU 8.3 Implement development standards that support desired street-level and upper-story conditions.

LU 8.4 In the core of Downtown, allow a broad range of uses and significant flexibility to switch uses in order to allow Downtown to adjust to changing conditions and to encourage a 24/7 environment.

Seattle Mixed Zones

DISCUSSION Seattle Mixed is a zone designed to address the unique local conditions in high-density, mixed-use areas outside of Downtown. These include parts of South Lake Union, Dravus, North Rainier, University District, Uptown, Northgate, and an area next to the Rainier Beach light rail station.

GOAL

LU G9 Seattle Mixed zones support unique local conditions in high-density, mixed-use areas outside of Downtown.

POLICIES

LU 9.1 Use a range of Seattle Mixed zones and height limits to support the existing and desired character of different high-density, mixed-use areas outside of Downtown.

LU 9.2 Implement development standards that support desired street-level and upper-story conditions.

Multifamily Zones

DISCUSSION Multifamily zones allow primarily residential development ranging from townhouses to high-rise towers.

GOAL

LU G10 Multifamily zones create areas of primarily residential development at a variety of scales that:

• Include housing suitable for a broad array of households and income levels.

• Support neighborhoods where people can walk, bike, and roll to transit, shops, services, and amenities.

POLICIES

LU 10.1 Provide a range of multifamily zones that allow development at various heights, densities, and configurations and that are well suited to the variety of specific conditions and development goals in diverse areas of the city.

LU 10.2 Establish multifamily residential use as the predominant use in multifamily areas but allow non-residential uses that help people access everyday needs within a short walk or bike from their home.

LU 10.3 Allow a variety of attached and stacked housing types to accommodate a wide diversity of households in multifamily zones, including housing that meets the needs of residents with specific needs such as families with children, multi-generational households, and older adults.

LU 10.4 Design multifamily zones to be appealing residential communities with high-quality housing and development standards that promote livability and a sense of community, including landscaping, street amenities, and, in appropriate locations, limited commercial uses that serve the neighborhood's residents.

LU 10.5 Allow high-rise multifamily zoning designations only in Regional Centers and near high-capacity transit stations, where the mix of activities offers convenient access to regional transit, a range of services and amenities, and jobs.

LU 10.6 Encourage child-friendly housing with unit sizes and layouts that work for larger households and public spaces and amenities that improve livability for families with children. Provide for facilities, such as childcare centers, that support the daily needs of families with children.

Commercial Zones

DISCUSSION

Commercial zones include both Commercial (C) and Neighborhood Commercial (NC) zones. These zones allow various commercial, institutional, and light industrial uses. Residential is allowed outright or as a conditional use depending on the zone. These zones tend to occur mostly in business districts or along busier streets.

GOAL

LU G11 Commercial zones create areas of commercial and mixed-use activity that:

• Provide a focus for the surrounding neighborhood.
• Encourage new businesses and provide stability and expansion opportunities for existing businesses.

• Accommodate residential development in livable environments.

POLICIES

LU 11.1 Provide a range of commercial zone classifications to allow different mixes and intensities of activity, varying scales of development, varying degrees of residential or commercial orientation, and varying degrees of pedestrian or auto orientation.

LU 11.2 Apply limits on the size of specific uses in commercial zones when those limits would:

• Help ensure that the scale of uses is compatible with the function of the commercial area.
• Discourage uses likely to attract significant vehicular traffic from locating in pedestrian-oriented commercial areas.
• Promote compatible land use and transportation patterns.
• Foster healthy commercial development.
• Provide opportunities for small local businesses to locate, especially in culturally relevant business districts throughout the city.

LU 11.3 Limit new drive-in businesses and accessory drive-in facilities by prohibiting them in certain areas and allowing them in other areas with development standards that address the potential for traffic impacts, pedestrian/vehicle conflicts, disruption of an area’s business frontage, and the overall appearance of the commercial area.

LU 11.4 Assign height limits to commercial zones independent of the commercial zone designations but consistent with the intended intensity of development in the zone. Allow different areas within a zone to be assigned different height limits based on the need to:

• Further the growth strategy.
• Accommodate the desired functions and intensity of development.
• Accommodate desired transitions with development in adjacent areas.
• Allow more housing near transit, parks, shops, and services.

LU 11.5 Use neighborhood commercial zones to achieve:

• A compatible blend of commercial and residential uses.
• Strong, healthy business districts that reinforce a sense of place while providing essential goods, services, and livelihoods for Seattleites, especially residents who are within walking distance of these places.
• Mixes of commercial activity that are compatible with development in adjacent areas.
• Residential development that is both appealing to residents and compatible with the desired commercial function of the area.
• An active, attractive, accessible, walkable pedestrian environment with continuous commercial street frontages.

LU 11.6 Use general commercial zones to:

• Accommodate the broadest range of commercial activities, including retail uses of all sizes, small office buildings, warehouses, and light and general manufacturing facilities.
• Support auto-oriented commercial areas that serve a citywide or regional clientele where they can maintain compatible development conditions.

LU 11.7 Locate general commercial zones predominately in areas along arterials or that border industrial zones outside of regional, urban, and neighborhood centers.

Neighborhood Residential Zones

DISCUSSION Neighborhood Residential zones generally allow lower-scale housing types, such as detached homes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, sixplexes, and cottage housing. Housing types in these zones provide options for homeownership and larger units for families and other multi-person households. Neighborhood Residential zones also allow small commercial businesses and institutions that support residential neighborhoods, including corner stores, home occupations, schools, childcare centers, and religious institutions.

GOAL

LU G12 Neighborhood residential zones create areas of relatively low-scale, primarily residential development with housing options suitable for a diversity of household types and income levels.

POLICIES

LU 12.1 Use neighborhood residential zones to encourage a range of housing types such as detached homes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, sixplexes, and cottage housing.

LU 12.2 Encourage a range of housing types, sizes, and affordability levels in neighborhood residential areas, including smaller homes for individuals and homes appropriate for families with children and other multigenerational households.

LU 12.3 Allow limited nonresidential uses, such as small institutions like childcare centers, corner stores, and at-home businesses, in neighborhood residential areas to support small business development and enhance residents’ access to everyday needs. Apply appropriate development standards for nonresidential uses in order to mitigate potential negative impacts.

LU 12.4 Use tools such as additional development capacity to promote creation of homes affordable to low-income households in neighborhood residential areas.

Industrial Zones

DISCUSSION Seattle has a long history as the main shipping, manufacturing, and freight distribution center for the region. Those activities take place mostly in industrial zones located in the city's two Manufacturing and Industrial Centers. These maritime and industrial employment lands are large and generally flat. In these areas, City zoning allows industrial activity such as manufacturing, warehousing, and shipping of goods through waterways, railways, and highways. Maritime and industrial employment lands are an important source of living wage jobs and improve the diversity and resilience of the local and regional economy, making the local economic base more stable. Having industrial activity in the city makes Seattle less vulnerable to shifts in the economy. Due to the volume of truck traffic, the need some industrial businesses have for access to rail service, the large sites that many of those businesses need, and noise, odor, and other impacts generated by these businesses, it is important to provide separate areas for these activities.

GOALS

LU G13.1 Industrial zones provide sufficient land for industrial activity to thrive in Seattle and protect the preferred industrial function of these areas from activities that could disrupt or displace them.

LU G13.2 In industrial zones, support employment-dense emerging industries that require greater flexibility in the range of on-site uses and activities.

POLICIES

LU 13.1 Designate industrial zones generally where:

• The primary functions are industrial activity and industrial-related commercial functions.
• The basic infrastructure needed to support industrial uses already exists.
• Areas are large enough to allow a full range of industrial activities to function successfully.
• Sufficient separation or special conditions exist to reduce the possibility of conflicts with development in adjacent less intensive areas.

LU 13.2 Preserve industrial land for industrial uses, especially where industrial land is near rail- or water-transportation facilities to allow marine- and rail-related industries that rely on that transportation infrastructure to continue to function in the city.

LU 13.3 Ensure predictability and permanence for industrial activities in industrial areas by limiting changes in industrial land use designation. There should be no reclassification of industrial land to a non-industrial land use category except as part of a City-initiated comprehensive study and review of industrial land use policies or as part of a major update to the Comprehensive Plan.

LU 13.4 Accommodate the expansion of current industrial businesses and promote opportunities for new industrial businesses and emerging industries within Seattle to strengthen the city's industrial economy.

LU 13.5 Restrict to appropriate locations within industrial areas those activities that—by the nature of materials involved or processes employed—are potentially dangerous or very noxious.

LU 13.6 Provide a range of industrial zones that address varying conditions and priorities in different industrial areas. Those priorities include maintaining industrial areas that have critical supporting infrastructure, leveraging investments in high-capacity transit service, providing transitions between industrial areas and less intensive areas, and promoting high-quality environments attractive to business expansion or to new industrial activities.

LU 13.7 Use the following industrial land use designations:

• Maritime, manufacturing, and logistics: This designation supports the city's maritime, manufacturing, logistics and other industrial clusters. Areas that have significant industrial activity, accessibility to major industrial infrastructure investments, or locational needs (Port facilities, shipyards, freight rail, and shoreline access) may be considered for the maritime, manufacturing, and logistics designation.
• Industry and innovation: This designation promotes emerging industries and leverage investments in high-capacity transit. These industrial transit-oriented districts may be characterized by emerging industries and high-density industrial employment that combine a greater mix of production, research and design, and office uses found in multi-story buildings. Areas in MICs that are generally within one quarter and one-half mile of high-capacity transit stations may be considered for the industry and innovation designation.
• Urban industrial: This designation encourages a vibrant mix of uses and relatively affordable, small-scale industrial, makers and arts spaces. Areas located at transitions from industrial to commercial and residential areas traditionally zoned for buffer purposes may be considered for the urban industrial designation.
• Industrial commercial: This designation is for industrial land located outside of Manufacturing and Industrial Centers and is intended to permit a range of activities such as light industrial uses, research and development uses, and offices.

LU 13.8 Prohibit new residential development in industrial zones except for certain types of dwellings, such as caretaker units and, in urban industrial zones, dwellings for workers, that are related to the industrial area and that would not restrict or disrupt industrial activity. Within the Stadium Area Transition Overlay District, only allow residential uses east of First Avenue S and do not expand that area.

LU 13.9 Use the maritime, manufacturing, and logistics zones to promote a full range of industrial activities and related support uses.

LU 13.10 Apply the maritime, manufacturing and industrial zone mostly within the designated Manufacturing and Industrial Centers, where impacts from industrial activity are less likely to affect residential or commercial uses. Outside of Manufacturing and Industrial Centers, the maritime, manufacturing, and logistics zone may be appropriate along waterways used for maritime uses.

LU 13.11 Avoid placing industrial zones within regional, urban and neighborhood centers. However, in locations where a center borders a Manufacturing and Industrial Center, use the industrial commercial zone within the center where it abuts the Manufacturing and Industrial Center to provide an appropriate transition to help separate residential uses from heavier industrial activities.

LU 13.12 Consider using the urban industrial zone in locations where a center or village borders a Manufacturing and Industrial Center and where it may provide an appropriate transition to help separate residential uses from heavier industrial activities.

LU 13.13 Limit the density of development for nonindustrial uses in the Manufacturing and Industrial Centers to reduce competition from nonindustrial activities that are better suited to other locations in the city, particularly urban centers and urban villages, where this Plan encourages most new residential and commercial development. Permit a limited amount of stand-alone commercial uses in industrial areas as workforce amenities. Strictly limit the size of office and retail uses not associated with industrial uses in order to preserve these areas for industrial development.

LU 13.14 Recognize the unique working character of industrial areas by allowing flexibility in application of landscaping and street standards for industrial activities in the maritime, manufacturing, and logistics zone.

LU 13.15 Set parking and loading requirements in industrial zones to provide adequate parking and loading facilities to support business activity, promote air quality, encourage efficient use of the land in industrial areas, discourage underused parking facilities, and maintain adequate traffic safety and circulation. Allow some on-street loading and occasional spillover parking. Limit parking in the industry and innovation zone located in the vicinity of high-capacity transit stations.

LU 13.16 Maintain standards for the size and location of vehicle curb cuts and driveways in industrial zones in order to balance the need to provide adequate maneuvering and loading areas with availability of on-street parking and safe pedestrian, bike, and transit access.

LU 13.17 Permit noise levels in industrial areas, except buffer areas, that would not be allowed in other parts of the city, in recognition of the importance and special nature of industrial activities. When residential uses are permitted in industrial areas apply

noise attenuation measures to the dwelling units to lessen impacts from noise on residents.

LU 13.18 Classify certain industrial activities as conditional uses in industrial zones in order to accommodate these uses while making sure they are compatible with the zone’s primary industrial function and to protect public safety and welfare on nearby sites. Require mitigation of impacts on industrial activity and on the immediate surroundings, especially near less intensive zones.

LU 13.19 Prohibit uses that attract large numbers of people to the industrial area for nonindustrial purposes, in order to keep the focus on industrial activity and to minimize potential conflicts from the noise, nighttime activity, and truck movement that accompanies industrial activity. Consider allowing such uses in the urban industrial zone only.

LU 13.20 In the industry and innovation zone, consider development regulations that are compatible with employment-dense transit-oriented development. Establish minimum density standards to ensure employment density at a level necessary to leverage transit investments. Use upper-level density limits to discourage higher value ancillary uses that are more appropriate in non-industrial areas.

LU 13.21 In the industry and innovation zone, use development standards that promote development that meets the needs of industrial businesses including load-bearing floors, freight elevators, and adequate freight facilities.

LU 13.22 Use the urban industrial zone to provide an appropriate transition between industrial areas and adjacent residential or pedestrian-oriented commercial zones.

LU 13.23 In the urban industrial zone, allow a range of ancillary non-industrial uses. Recognize that industrial businesses in this zone have a greater need for a limited amount of space for such uses as tasting rooms and retail facilities that directly support the industrial activity of the business.

LU 13.24 Develop transitions between industrial areas and adjacent neighborhoods that support healthy communities, reduce adverse environmental impacts, and minimize land use conflicts.

LU 13.25 In the urban industrial zone, establish buffer standards to ease the transition from industrial areas to urban villages and other non-industrial parts of Seattle.

LU 13.26 Recognize the unique development opportunities that the Washington National Guard Armory in the BINMIC and the WOSCA site in the Duwamish MIC represent. Work with the State of Washington or other future owners of these sites to develop a comprehensive industrial redevelopment plan that maximizes public benefits and reflects its location within a Manufacturing and Industrial Center. This Plan should include features such as green infrastructure, district energy and waste management programs, and workforce equity commitments.