MHA Environmental Impact Statement
Draft EIS Comments
We published the Draft EIS on June 8, 2017. The comment period was extended and closed on August 7. We expect to publish our Final EIS in October 2017.
For more information about the environmental review process watch our What is an EIS? video. The Washington State Department of Ecology also has information about SEPA and the EIS process.
Mandatory Housing Affordability Draft EIS
Our Draft EIS studies three alternatives: a No Action Alternative and two different Action Alternatives. The Draft EIS identifies and describes potential impacts on the environment that could occur as a result of zoning changes to implement MHA. In October 2016, we published a first draft of the proposed MHA zoning changes. The alternatives studied in the MHA Draft EIS are not a direct reflection of public feedback received on the draft MHA zoning maps published in October 2016. Why not? Because the Draft EIS studies a much wider range of options and uses the results of the analysis to better understand the potential impacts of a final proposal. We developed the alternatives with public input about what we should study, but none of them represents a specific preferred alternative. Our Final EIS will include a preferred alternative that reflects public input.
Use our draft EIS web map to see the zoning scenarios for Alternative 2 and Alternative 3 analyzed in the Draft EIS.
Public Hearing
On June 29, 2017, we held a public hearing on the Draft EIS at City Hall. You can view the boards we displayed at the hearing.
MHA Draft EIS (entire document)
MHA Draft EIS (all appendices)
Introduction and Table of Contents
1.0 Summary
2.0 Description of the Proposal and Alternatives
- 3.1 Housing and Socioeconomics
- 3.2 Land Use
- 3.3 Aesthetics
- 3.4 Transportation
- 3.5 Historic Resources
- 3.6 Biological Resources
- 3.7 Open Space and Recreation
- 3.8 Public Services and Utilities
- 3.9 Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions
4.0 References
Appendices
- A Growth and Equity Analysis
- B Summary of Community Input
- C MHA Implementation Principles
- D Environmental Scoping Report
- E Map of MHA Areas
- F Summary of Changes to the Land Use Code & MHA Urban Design and Neighborhood Character Study
- G Technical Memorandum: MHA EIS Growth Estimates
- H Zoning Maps: Alternative 2 and Alternative 3
- I Housing Production and Cost: A Review of the Research Literature
- J 2035 Screenline V/C Ratios
- K Environmentally Critical Areas
- L Air Quality and Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculations