The Mayor is committed to a comprehensive re-evaluation of Seattle’s Land Use Code. Since Seattle’s new Comprehensive Plan and Design Review program were adopted in 1994, it has become necessary to evaluate how the City’s zoning regulations fulfill Comprehensive Plan goals and encourage well-designed buildings that are appropriate for Seattle’s neighborhoods.
Seattle’s zoning is complex and is often the sole mechanism for accomplishing many, often competing objectives. The City’s Land Use Code was implemented in the 1980’s (multifamily originally adopted in 1982) and has been frequently amended. As a result some objectives are obscured by added layers of requirements and processes, which can be redundant and unnecessary. These requirements often add to the cost of development and can work against goals for affordable housing, Comprehensive and Neighborhood Plan goals, and quality design.
With the Mayor’s Neighborhood Business District Strategy, the first phase of Land Use Code re-evaluation is well underway. Re-visiting multifamily zoning requirements will complement this effort and in the process, help clarify the Land Use Code as it applies in Seattle’s multifamily neighborhoods.
