Fort Lawton Redevelopment
In 2019, Seattle City Council agreed to redevelop Fort Lawton, a former military site. The City’s goal is to redevelop existing structures and spaces into a diverse community with affordable homes and parks.
We aim to build as many as 500 new units of housing and add 22 acres of parkland. This development will have affordable rental housing, permanent supportive housing, and homeownership opportunities that will serve:
- Homes with supportive services for seniors and veterans who have experienced homelessness.
- Families and working individuals who need affordable rent.
- Low-income families looking for opportunities to own homes and build generational wealth.
Fort Lawton is a unique opportunity to turn 34 acres into a new community for future generations, putting into practice our One Seattle vision for a city with affordable homes and communities with access to good jobs, great schools, safe parks, and robust amenities.
To support housing, the Fort Lawton property requires major infrastructure (roads, power, water, and sewers) construction and upgrades. Understanding how to move forward given these challenges and their related investments required time and research to make sure the project was financially achievable.
While the improved redevelopment plan adds more housing units, it also fully maintains green spaces outlined in the 2019 plan. It will protect and improve 22 acres of open space, working alongside the amazing Discovery Park nearby. This will make sure to preserve the parkland as our population grows.
This area has an important history, especially to Indigenous communities, and we are committed to engaging with tribal communities and leaders on this project. Previously, Catholic Housing Services, in partnership with United Indians of All Tribes, was engaged to develop and operate the PSH. They will be focusing solely on their role as the affordable rental housing provider and will be shifting away from the permanent supportive housing. We remain committed to engaging with United Indians of All Tribes on their input for the Fort Lawton Redevelopment.
We are issuing a Notice of Interest for qualified permanent supportive housing developers to submit applications for the development and operations of the permanent supportive housing at Fort Lawton.
For the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)
View the virtual public comment presentation from October 15 by clicking this link.
Scoping (3rd & 4th Quarter 2024)
The SEIS process begins with the scoping phase. This crucial step informs the public about the proposed redevelopment and identifies key environmental elements to be studied. We invite public comments on mitigation measures and potential adverse impacts to better understand community concerns and discover ways to address them.
Draft SEIS (4th Quarter 2024/1st Quarter 2025)
Incorporating feedback from the scoping phase, the City will conduct a detailed environmental study resulting in the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS). This document outlines the proposal’s objectives, environmental effects, and possible mitigation strategies. Following its release, there will be a 30 to 45-day period for public comments.
Final SEIS (1st Quarter 2025)
After reviewing the public feedback on the DSEIS, the City will publish the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (FSEIS). This final version will include comprehensive responses to all comments received during the draft phase.
For the Redevelopment
Proposed Redevelopment Plan (1st & 2nd Quarter 2025)
Leveraging insights from the FSEIS, a Proposed Redevelopment Plan for Fort Lawton will be created. Public input is vital before the plan is forwarded to the City Council. Once submitted, the Council may initiate additional public reviews before adoption.
Submission to HUD and the U.S. Army (2nd Quarter 2025)
After the proposed Redevelopment Plan is finalized and passed by the City Council, the next step is to submit the plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Army. This submission ensures compliance with federal requirements and initiates the formal approval process.
For the Permanent Supportive Housing, Notice of Intent
- NOI Release Date: November 19, 2024
- Virtual Information Session: December 4, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. via Microsoft Teams
- Site Visit: December 6, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at 4510 Texas Way, Fort Lawton
- NOI Responses Due: February 18, 2025, by 5:00 p.m.
- Award Announcement: March 5, 2025 (anticipated)
Using a thorough, data-driven process the City explored three key options for moving forward with the redevelopment of Fort Lawton, combining expert analysis, community input, and alignment with broader equity and affordability goals. Reports from consultants like Davido Consulting Group and Heartland informed our decision by assessing infrastructure needs, optimizing the number of homes, and balancing costs.
Moving forward with Option B
Caption: Map graphic from Heartland (HLT) report.
After weighing alternatives, the City chose Option B as the best path forward because it provides the best balance of housing production, cost efficiency, and alignment with the City’s priorities for housing equity in high opportunity areas.
- Maximizing Housing: Option B allows for a significant increase in the number of affordable housing units. By optimizing site design and layout, the City can address Seattle’s urgent need for more affordable housing without reducing the space dedicated to parks and open areas, ensuring a balance between housing and recreational opportunities.
- Efficiency of Cost Per Unit (CPU): One of the most compelling reasons for selecting Option B is the reduced per-unit costs. At an estimated $496,000 per unit, Option B aligns with the average cost of City-funded affordable housing. While the total project costs is higher than Option A, the increased number of homes helps distribute costs more effectively, making this option a financially responsible choice.
- Equity and Opportunity: Fort Lawton is located in a high-opportunity area with excellent schools, parks, and access to jobs and services. Affordable housing in neighborhoods like Magnolia is rare but essential to promoting equity and opportunity for people of all backgrounds. Option B ensures that the City can deliver on its commitment to creating inclusive and well-resourced communities without making the project financially or logistically prohibitive.
Late 1890s: Fort Lawton is built for military use, covering 700 acres on Magnolia Bluff in Seattle.
Late 1960s: Parts of Fort Lawton become surplus and are given to Seattle at no cost under the "Legacy of Parks" program, leading to the creation of Discovery Park in 1972.
1970s: Native American activists, who formed the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, occupy Fort Lawton, showing how important the land is to tribal communities. The occupation results in the creation of the Daybreak Star Cultural Center, which is built next to the Fort Lawton Redevelopment site.
2005: The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission chooses to shut down the 70th Regional Support Command headquarters at Fort Lawton. The Army names the City of Seattle the Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) who will develop a plan for the site. The City plans to make homes for people of different incomes, help people who have been homeless, create a new neighborhood park, and keep the existing wildlife safe. The plans are paused for a review of environmental protection.
2017–2018: The City works on an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to see how the plan might affect the environment and engages the public.
June 2017: The City engages with the community, holding meetings to gather comments about the plan and what to look at in the environment. A report in August 2017 summarizes the public comments and final scope.
December 2017: The City puts out a detailed study of how the plan might affect the environment (called the Draft Environmental Impact Statement or DEIS). Residents are given 45 days to share thoughts, and in January 2018, there is a large meeting where over 1,000 comments were given.
March 2018: The final version of the environmental study (Final Environmental Impact Statement or FEIS) is released. The City makes changes based on public comments on the earlier draft.
April 2019: Mayor Jenny Durkan sends a new plan for Fort Lawton's redevelopment to Seattle City Council.
June 2019: City Council approves this plan, permitting the Office of Housing to start working on the redevelopment. Plans for the redevelopment are paused due to challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic.
January 2022: Mayor Harrell takes office and begins working with HUD on the Fort Lawton redevelopment.
August 2022: Mayor Harrell and the Office of Housing decide to think through the infrastructure costs of the Fort Lawton redevelopment.
December 2022: Davido Consulting Group sends their report to the Office of Housing. It shows that the infrastructure costs might make the 2019 Redevelopment Plan too expensive.
October 2023: Heartland (HLT) sends their report to the Office of Housing. It shows alternatives to the original redevelopment plan that bring the costs of the project down by adding more homes.
December 2023: Mayor Harrell and the Office of Housing inform HUD of the City’s intention to change the Fort Lawton redevelopment plan to add more homes.
Fall 2024: The City begins engagement with community stakeholders on upcoming Supplemental EIS work and opportunities for community input.
- August 19: Meeting with Friends of Discovery Park
- September 13: Meeting with Friends of Athletic Fields
- September 20: Board meeting with Friends of Discovery Park
- October 5: Meeting with Discovery Park Visitor Center Advisory Board
- October 15: Meeting with Magnolia Community Council
- October 23: Meeting with Discovery Park Neighbors
- October 24: Meeting with Magnolia Community Center Advisory Council
October 2024: The Supplemental EIS begins the scoping phase. Informed and engaged the public about the proposed redevelopment, identifying key environmental elements to be studied.
- In-person: October 10, Daybreak Star Cultural Center
- Virtual: October 15
Letters
- 12/27/23 – City to HUD
- 11/14/23 – HUD to City
- 7/31/23 – City to HUD
- 2/1/23 Letter – City to HUD
- 9/21/22 Letter – HUD to City
- 8/5/22 Letter – City to HUD
Consultant Reports
Other Documents
Historical Documents and EIS Process
- Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan, 2019 Update
- Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan, Appendices
- March 4, 2019 Presentation
- Homeless Housing Submission
- Homeless Assistance Submission, Appendix H to Attachment 1
- Homeless Assistance Submission, Appendices A to N
- City Council Ordinance 122502, authorizing acquisition of Fort Lawton
- Fort Lawton Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)
- FEIS Technical Appendices
- Fort Lawton Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)
- DEIS Technical Appendices
- January 9, 2018 Presentation
- Fort Lawton Scoping Report
- June 19, 2017 Presentation
- Project Overview
- Proposed EIS Alternatives
- Proposed EIS Elements
- SEPA/EIS Process
- Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan (2008)
- Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan Appendices (2008)
- Public involvement process (2008)
- Archived Fort Lawton Website
Notice of Interest: Fort Lawton Redevelopment
Notice of Interest: Fort Lawton Redevelopment
The Fort Lawton Redevelopment aims to transform 34 acres next to Discovery Park into a thriving community, offering up to 500 affordable homes. As part of this plan, we are seeking a qualified developer to create 100 units of PSH, providing essential services on the ground floor to support residents' stability and well-being.
We are requesting qualifications from developers with proven experience in creating supportive housing for vulnerable populations. Your team can include partners with expertise in housing development, community engagement, and service delivery. Our focus is on ensuring long-term housing stability for seniors and veterans, with a commitment to race and social justice principles.
Applicants must submit a comprehensive development plan, including financial statements, team qualifications, and a clear description of your proposed PSH model. We encourage collaboration with community-based organizations to enhance service delivery and outreach.
Please send your NOI response electronically to Jessica Gomez at Jessica.gomez@seattle.gov by the deadline.
View the Notice of Interest
Appendices and Documents
- Project Sponsor Experience Excel Spreadsheet (Download available online)
- Site Survey
- Topographical map
- 2019 Redevelopment Proposed Map
- Fort Lawton Redevelopment Plan 2019 Update
- 2019 Site Plan Dimensions
- HUD Homeless Assistance Programs Handbook
- DCG Report
- DCG Technical Memo
- Heartland Report
- 2019 Final Environmental Impact Statement
Frequently Asked Questions
Under the federal government’s Base Realignment and Closure process, the Fort Lawton property is available at a significantly discounted land cost for dedicated use as affordable housing or parks. These two uses have been the City’s vision for the property dating back to 2006. Today, Seattle faces an even greater need for affordable housing and open spaces. More people are facing homelessness because they can’t find affordable homes. Also, as more people live here, there is an increased need for spaces to relax and play but new land for parks is typically very expensive. Fort Lawton is a special chance to help meet both these needs together.
The City’s vision for Fort Lawton is an affordable, livable community that creates opportunities for those with low incomes to live in Magnolia and takes advantage of the opportunity to increase recreational and open space for Seattle. The housing plan for Fort Lawton includes affordable rental and ownership homes managed by nonprofit housing groups. This is different from public housing, like the homes owned and managed by the Seattle Housing Authority.
The Office of Housing is working on the plan to increase the types of housing at Fort Lawton. It will be presented to Council sometime in 2024 or 2025. The new plan will account for up to 500 homes, which is an increase from the original 2019 plan.
The original 2019 plan was made up of 237 homes:
- 100 rental homes for low-income people and families
- 85 homes of permanent supportive housing
- 52 homes for ownership
The rentals will help seniors who are or have been homeless, especially veterans, and also help low-income families and individuals. The ownership homes will be sold to middle-income households and a nonprofit organization will stay involved to support homeowner success and to ensure the homes stay affordable for future homebuyers.
OH is thinking about many options for scaling up the redevelopment. That includes increasing the options equally. We also want to think about how many family-sized homes we can create. We are just starting engagement with our housing partners to understand their capacity with the increase in the number of homes.
Permanent supportive housing (PSH) tackles homelessness by offering affordable homes paired with services. Services like counseling are tailored to residents’ needs. Research shows this kind of housing helps people experiencing homelessness find stability in housing, jobs, and health. Seattle is a national leader in this and has skilled providers working in different parts of the city. Across the nation, PSH has over a 90% success rate; in Seattle, that success rate is even higher, with nearly 95% remaining housed a year later.