May 13, 2024

Mayor Bruce Harrell

600 4th Ave, Floor 7, Seattle, WA 98104

Subject: Complete Communities Coalition Letter on Draft One Seattle Plan

We, the undersigned organizations, are excited about the possibilities the One Seattle Plan presents for our city’s future. This vital document will shape our city’s growth over the next decade and beyond. It offers a critical opportunity to build on the success of the renewed Housing Levy, address widespread concerns about housing affordability, and meet Seattleites' expressed desires for more housing options. At this moment, Seattle needs and deserves a bolder Comprehensive Plan that allows for more abundant housing across the entire city–a visionary, uniting blueprint for the equitable, livable, sustainable, and welcoming city we all want to achieve.

We appreciate the work done so far and your administration’s demonstrated support for affordable housing. While we strongly align with the values expressed by the Draft One Seattle Plan, we are concerned that the Draft Plan will not achieve its desired goals. To truly make housing more affordable, advance racial equity, mitigate displacement, and meet our climate goals, we believe the Mayor’s Recommended Plan should incorporate the following revisions:

1. Allow for More Family-Sized Homes in Middle Housing: Increase the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) for fourplexes and sixplexes, to make it possible to build more family-sized homes. The proposed FAR would limit development of three- and four- bedroom homes, which are essential to meet the diverse needs of our growing city, accommodate families, and create new homeownership options.

2. Allow More Homes Near Transit: Allow midrise and mixed-use housing within a 5- minute walk of frequent buses. Building homes near transit gives people more choices in how they get around their neighborhoods and makes transit a convenient option for more people. And building those homes off arterials but still near transit gives people the opportunity to live in quiet, low-pollution, and car-light neighborhoods.

3. Expand Neighborhood Centers: Enhance the proposed Neighborhood Centers, to create lively, walkable community hubs throughout Seattle. We suggest increasing the radius of Neighborhood Centers from 800 feet to ¼ mile and adding in all the Neighborhood Centers studied in the DEIS (but not implemented in the Draft Plan). This would equitably balance growth across the city, increase access to communities like Alki, Seward Park, North Broadway, North Magnolia, and Northlake, and allow more people to meet their daily needs by walking or biking.

4. Promote Equitable Development and Address Displacement: Ensure density bonuses, development regulations, and other tools, allow a broad range of developers, including the social housing developer, to build affordable housing for sale and for rent without relying on scarce public funding.

5. Allow for Tall and Green Homes in Centers: Increase height limits to 12-18 stories in Regional Centers such as Capitol Hill, the U District, Northgate, and Ballard, to allow more people to live in some of Seattle’s most vibrant neighborhoods. Additionally, allow midrises up to 85 feet in transit corridors and Neighborhood Centers, to maximize the potential of wood-frame construction.

We request that you study these revisions in the Final Environmental Impact Statement and implement them through the Mayor’s Recommended Plan. We believe these recommendations are in line with voters' desires, are essential for a Comprehensive Plan that empowers all Seattleites to thrive, and will align the One Seattle Plan’s substance with our shared values. By embracing a visionary comprehensive plan, you can lead Seattle into a future with shared prosperity for all residents, businesses, and future generations.

We all care about this city. We want to see Seattle grow into a place where people can feel welcomed, live near their work, raise families, find stable homes within their communities, and age in place. We look forward to continued collaboration with the City, voters, and other stakeholders to bolster the plan and work together towards our shared goals.

Sincerely,

The Complete Communities Coalition