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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Nickels Proposes Code Changes to Promote Biotech Jobs in South Lake Union
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
8/18/2003 2:30:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alan Justad (206) 233-3891
Office of the Mayor (206) 684-4000
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Mayor Nickels Proposes Code Changes to Promote Biotech Jobs in South Lake Union
Code Amendments Are a Major Step to Build Major Biotechnology Hub, Create thousands of jobs
SEATTLE - Moving forward on his jobs creation agenda, Mayor Greg Nickels today sent the City Council his recommended Land Use Code amendments to help the development of a biotechnology hub in the South Lake Union area. This is another key element of his South Lake Union Action Agenda, which encourages the creation of thousands of new jobs and fuels growth in the city's economy.
The Mayor noted that "South Lake Union is strategically located between Downtown and the University of Washington, making it an ideal place for a strong medical research and development hub. I believe these proposed code amendments are one way that the City can do its part to help ensure that the promise of biotech development is realized." Local enterprises such as the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and ZymoGenetics have already invested in this neighborhood, providing a foundation for continued growth in the life science industry.
As recently illustrated in a Seattle Times article, a distinguishing feature of biotech development is the need for exceptional ceiling heights designed to accommodate special ventilation and mechanical equipment. Under standard zoning provisions, these ceiling height requirements could result in a building that may not achieve the same number of floors as a similar sized building intended for traditional office or commercial uses. This often results in a competitive disadvantage for buildings containing a biotech use when compared with office buildings.
Nickels' proposed regulatory reforms are aimed at attracting biotechnology jobs by making the following important updates to the Land Use Code:
- Amending development standards governing height measurement, density and mechanical equipment;
- Lowering parking requirements for biotech uses; and
- Redefining research and development use.
In addition, neighborhood-specific design guidelines are proposed for South Lake Union. These guidelines, proposed in the South Lake Union Neighborhood Plan and developed in conjunction with neighborhood representatives, will encourage new development proposals to relate well to noteworthy buildings and positive attributes of the neighborhood.
To learn more about the proposed biotech code amendments, please visit http://www.cityofseattle.net/dclu/news/20030807c.asp and for the South Lake Union neighborhood specific design guidelines visit http://www.cityofseattle.net/dclu/news/20030718a.asp
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Office of the Mayor
Dept. of Construction and Land Use
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