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The Daily Plan It Blog

A OPCD Blog

Seattle’s Industrial Maritime Strategy environmental review available for public comment

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Updated industrial land use concepts evaluated in Draft Environmental Impact Statement  

The Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) has completed its environmental study of land use changes recommended by Mayor Jenny A. Durkan’s Industrial and Maritime Strategy Council. 

The City’s new industrial land use concepts seek to provide stronger protections for core industrial and maritime areas, while encouraging modern, innovative high-density industrial development in walkable areas near light rail stations. The proposal seeks to create affordable opportunities for small-scale light-industrial businesses, makers, and creative arts, and improve environmental health of communities in and near industrial areas.   

The proposals also seek to create improved transitions between industrial areas and residential or mixed-use areas and provide new flexibility for industry-supportive housing to allow workers and entrepreneurs to live near their place of work.   

Ultimately, the City aims to grow thousands of new living-wage jobs, while providing equitable access to those opportunities for Black, Indigenous, people of color, and women.  

The City’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) features four alternatives: a “no action” alternative and three action alternatives with increasing levels of change from existing land use rules and greater magnitudes of projected employment growth and housing allowances.   

In the DEIS, the City studied policies and zoning regulations that would update the land use approach for industrial areas, creating three new zones:

  • Maritime, Manufacturing and Logistics (MML) – This zone would focus on strengthening land use protections for core and legacy industrial and maritime areas to better prevent the encroachment of development that is incompatible with industrial and maritime uses. This zone is particularly applicable near the shoreline or deep-water port, rail and freight infrastructure, and around existing clusters of industrial or maritime suppliers and services.
  • Industry and Innovation (II) – This zone would encourage new development in multi-story buildings that accommodate industrial businesses mixed with other dense employment uses such as research, design, offices, and technology through a system of density bonuses. Modern industrial development would support high-density employment near transit stations and commercial areas.
  • Urban Industrial (UI) This zone would aim to increase employment and entrepreneurship opportunities with a vibrant mix of affordable, small-scale places for light industry, makers, and creative arts, as well as industry-supporting ancillary retail or housing spaces to create better, integrated, and healthier transitions along the edges between industrial areas and neighboring urban villages, residential, and mixed-use areas.

For more information, see this Executive Summary.

“The City of Seattle is committed to advancing the recommendations of dozens of stakeholders formulated through years of collaborative conversation,” said Rico Quirindongo, interim director of OPCD. “We continue to invest in our industrial maritime strategy because it is an opportunity to engage proactively in the future of our city and industrial lands, and how they relate to economic recovery and investment for all of our communities – including folks who work at the Port, in organized labor, and our communities of color. We will lean into a vision for the future of our City, and this is a great opportunity to continue that work in 2022.” 

Washington’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requires environmental review when a city makes changes to land use policies or zoning. The DEIS analyzes how the proposed changes could affect the built and natural environment in industrial areas and adjacent communities.  

This process allows thoughtful implementation of strategies to mitigate any adverse impacts and provides information to the public and policy makers before any decisions are made. 

The DEIS considers how the alternatives advance the City’s Equity and Environment Agenda and the City’s Duwamish Valley Program by screening whether alternatives would increase, exacerbate, or impede mitigation of environmental justice in four screening criteria:

  • Residents’ and workers’ exposures to environmental hazards  
  • Achieving a safe, connected, and accessible neighborhood  
  • Displacement risk for Equity and Environmental Initiative (EEI) populations
  • Access to education or pathways out of poverty through jobs and careers  

The City is accepting comments on the draft for an extended 45 day comment period. Written comments may be submitted until January 31, 2022 in multiple formats on the OPCD website. The City will also hold two virtual public hearings through the OPCD website to take spoken comments:  

In November 2019, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan gathered more than 60 stakeholders, comprised of representatives from traditional and emerging industrial and maritime businesses, labor, developers, workforce development professionals, and community representatives from neighborhoods near industrial areas, to consider the future of Seattle’s Manufacturing Industrial Centers. The Industrial and Maritime Strategy Council released 11 strategies to support the next generation of industrial and maritime jobs on June 30.

Maritime and manufacturing activities have long benefitted Seattle by contributing to the city’s identity, supporting living-wage jobs, and promoting economic diversity. Seattle contains approximately 7,000 acres of industrial lands (11% of the city’s area) that generate nearly 100,000 critical living-wage jobs, of which two-thirds are accessible without a traditional four-year degree. Seattle’s maritime industrial economy is supported by the Port of Seattle’s cargo terminals and connecting infrastructure; manufacturing facilities in the Duwamish Valley, Elliott Bay, Lake Union, and Ballard; and the nation’s largest fishing fleet, which is sewn into the fabric of Seattle culture.

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Calling all Seattle community-based organizations and small businesses: We hope to work with you to develop the Seattle transportation plan and Seattle Comprehensive Plan.

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Read about and apply for the paid opportunity to help us address our most pressing challenges.

Little Brook Stay Healthy Street. Photo Credit: SDOT Flickr. 

Updates

Good news! Through the 2022 budget, more funding has been allocated to support community engagement for the Comprehensive Plan. As a result, OPCD will be able to resource additional partnerships with community organizations and small businesses in this effort. Click here to apply to partner with OPCD on the Comprehensive Plan Update!

Summary 

The City of Seattle’s Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) want to partner with community-based organizations and small businesses to develop the Seattle transportation plan and the Seattle Comprehensive Plan Major Update. 

[Read more…]
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Community Engagement is the Foundation of Equitable, Built Space

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Courtesy of DIRTT.com as part of their “6 Iconoclasts on Why Adaptability Matters” series.

OPCD Interim Director Rico Quirindongo (pictured third from the right) discusses the importance of adaptable design.

When self-described recovering architect Rico Quirindongo talks about creating enriched built spaces, he frames the conversation — and his design solutions — around the people who will inhabit them. 

Throughout his 27 years practicing architecture, and now in his role as interim director at the City of Seattle’s Office of Planning and Community Development, Quirindongo bases his approach to design on the incorporation of community-based perspectives.

Generally, during a design process, there’s not enough engagement with communities to identify their needs. This missing insight is often subconsciously embedded in people’s cultural experiences and backgrounds, and can reveal what a community requires of a space.

Quirindongo’s goal in this scenario is to help draw that knowledge to the surface, so people become aware of, and understand, the impact that built environments have on them. Once others better understand the requirements of a built environment, they can then influence the design process by asking for specific needs to be met. Quirindongo believes this collaborative process is integral to framing equitable design choices and directions.

An empowered community engagement process does lead to the creation of environments where “your product, your office space, or your project will be more well embraced and more well utilized because of that input,” he says.

But productivity should not be the key metric by which we gauge the value of a built environment, says Quirindongo. Rather, through advocacy, he foresees a future where buildings are the consequence of “a decision-making process that’s about personal wellness, family well-being, and community health.”

Create an empowered community engagement process

Quirindongo’s community-centric approach to design is not focused on revenue or profit-related outcomes, “but more on the social determinants of health and individual and community wellness,” he says.

So, how does he discern and incorporate these considerations? 

As a contextualist architect, he designs a building’s shape and form in response to the built and natural components of an environment. Two key considerations are history and culture.

When understood — thanks to a stakeholder engagement process — Quirindongo says history and culture provide a detailed, contextual map of the racial and social demographics that impact a project. With this insight, he can craft a more equitable design approach that reflects the specific cultural needs and well-being of those set to use the space. 

Quirindongo says architects and designers should ask themselves several questions throughout the community engagement process: Where am I? Whom am I serving? Whom should I be talking with? What do they need? What is their context? Where did they come from? What are they projecting their needs to be for the future?

Methods of engagement range from surveys and face-to-face interactions or interviews, to public open houses and even gamified consultations. 

From there, Quirindongo combines the discovered foundational cultural knowledge with his own research on the history of a place. And, throughout the process, he checks in to ask stakeholders the following: “Did I get that right?”

The process is not meant to be a one-sided, fact-finding mission for the sole benefit of designers, though. Quirindongo says it’s a chance for all parties to learn the value of, and advocate for, a space that enhances well-being, as well as to inspire respect for an environment’s culture, history, and place.

Advocate for human health and well-being

Alongside jobs, living wages, and housing access, Quirindongo lists the “quality of a built environment” as an equally important barometer of human health and wellness. 

It’s just not greatly understood as a need, he says, which is why community engagement must connect the dots between quality of life and the way space is accessed. Armed with this awareness, inhabitants will have the “tools to explore manipulation of their environment and how their environment can change, and then empower them to take actions to make those changes for their own betterment,” he says.

But he doesn’t think the general public should be responsible for making those initial connections on their own. Through the act of public engagement, architects “have the opportunity to provide a bridge and to give people a reason to want to know more,” says Quirindongo.

Of course, they aren’t the only part of this puzzle. He notes that an investment in design centered on health and well-being requires buy-in from corporate entities like real estate developers, property owners, and employers. 

While the design community can’t directly incentivize these industries to adopt a contextualist approach, “we can advocate for — or provide case study examples of — how we’re able to create more enriched environments,” Quirindongo says.

It can be challenging for companies to adapt and change the way they engage with spaces, but, increasingly, employees and neighborhoods are asking Quirindongo to do just that. 

People are starting to realize they have choices and don’t have to put up with living circumstances or workspaces they aren’t happy with, says Quirindongo.

“Over time, we’ll see more of a demand and a need for place-based decision-making,  community-based decision-making, crowdsourcing of information, a need to understand the history of community and people, and then how that informs what our investments are,” he says. 

For Quirindongo, this is the beginning of a revolution.

Read the rest of the adaptability perspectives here: https://make.space/iconoclasts2021.

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Equitable Development Initiative Projects Share Their Stories of Service to the Community: Byrd Barr Place

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We are proud to share our video story about Byrd Barr Place, located in the Central District of Seattle. This is the first in the series of four videos that will focus on our Equitable Development Initiative (EDI) partners and Black-owned businesses in the Central District.

Byrd Barr Place video. Interviewer: TraeAnna Holiday. Interviewee: Andrea Caupain Sanderson.

Formerly known as Centerstone of Seattle, Byrd Barr Place nurtures an equitable Seattle by providing programs that enable people to live healthier, prosperous lives. They offer support for home heating assistance, housing assistance, healthy food access, and personal finance education to break the cycles of poverty. Byrd Barr Place also supports community engagement and partnerships to better understand the root causes of poverty and displacement in Seattle. The organization is named after Roberta Byrd Barr, a staunch advocate in Seattle Civil Rights movement who fought against school segregation.

In 2020, Seattle City Council voted to formally transfer ownership of a former fire station to serve as a permanent home for Byrd Barr Place. Through EDI, Byrd Barr Place will renovate a 100+ year old historic Firehouse with inclusive, accessible design to add 1000+ square feet of community gathering space. The project will retain the building as a cultural asset for Seattle’s Black community and expand its services, which include energy assistance and home heating, housing assistance and eviction prevention, and food bank and home delivery.

These videos are a continuation of the series we began in May 2021 to recognize the work of our EDI partners in the Cham and Vietnamese communities. These videos seek to uplift, empower, and educate about the value of these community-led projects in a time when information on local resources can be scarce, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, displacement/gentrification, and ongoing racial oppression.

About our Filmmakers

TraeAnna Holiday, a true Seattleite, has watched her city change in many ways. From the age of nine, her deepest passion was in the creative field, which flourished at Garfield High. She took that passion to Howard University, where she studied theater management in her first year of college. Through studying abroad multiple times at the University of Washington Tacoma, gaining her degree in Communications and Urban Studies, and being displaced by gentrification, she’s now fueled to tell her neighborhood’s stories through film and education.

Producer/Interviewer: TraeAnna Holiday
Videographer: Jake Gravbrot
Audio: Curtis Delgardo
Editor: Gary Washington

About the Equitable Development Initiative

The EDI addresses displacement and the unequal distribution of opportunities to sustain a diverse Seattle. The EDI fosters community leadership and supports organizations to promote equitable access to housing, jobs, education, parks, cultural expression, healthy food and other community needs and amenities. For more information, visit the EDI website. 

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Thirteen BIPOC Organizations to Receive $30 Million Through Strategic Investment Fund

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Thirteen BIPOC organizations will receive City funds to secure critical properties to prevent displacement in their communities. As existing displacement pressures mount through the COVID-19 pandemic, these funds will preserve critical sites as well as create new opportunities for self-determined solutions to meet community needs.

OPCD and the Office of Arts and Culture (ARTS) will administer $30 million from the City’s Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) in site acquisitions led by 13 BIPOC-led organizations to secure critical community owned properties to prevent displacement and increase access to opportunity in their communities/neighborhoods. City Council approved legislation for the funds, which will be used to help these organizations acquire permanent sites – up to $5 million each – in areas with significant planned public investments such as light rail station areas and parks, where increased access to opportunities will likely increase displacement pressures.

The SIF was created to prevent and mitigate displacement pressures by invest explicitly in community wealth building, respond to urgent opportunities, and leverage community assets. The projects selected for funding will create affordable housing for families and seniors, childcare, arts and cultural space, community space, small business incubation and preservation, open space, and historic preservation. The SIF’s $30 million is part of Mayor Jenny A. Durkan’s commitment of $100 million to support BIPOC organizations that face disparities due to systemic racism and oppression.

The SIF received 100 proposals from BIPOC-led organizations, with funding requests of more than $330 million. A Community Advisory Group comprised of representatives with diverse experience and expertise in affordable housing, community development and equitable development evaluated the applications. The group has recommended that the City fund 13 site acquisitions with the available funding.

Now OPCD and ARTS will begin to work with the 13 organizations to identify and acquire properties in the months and years ahead. The City will announce individual site acquisitions after the completion of real estate negotiations. Until purchase and sale agreements are signed, the names of the organizations will not be publicly available.

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Mayor Durkan Announces More Than Eight Million in Investments To Support The Duwamish Valley In 2022 Budget Proposal

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Community members joined Mayor Durkan and City staff at the Duwamish Waterway Park to announce and celebrate these investments.

Today, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced more than $8.5 million in proposed 2022 budget investments to support the Duwamish Valley neighborhoods of South Park and Georgetown.   

Investments will center around expanding youth leadership and capacity building in the Duwamish Valley, funding essential improvements to community gathering spaces, improving mobility and access to greenspace and the Duwamish River, Seattle’s only river, improving air and environmental quality, and supporting local businesses and workforce development.     

“This announcement is another important step forward to realizing the community’s vision of a more inclusive, equitable, and vibrant Duwamish Valley,” said Mayor Jenny Durkan. “With these investments, we strive to honor the needs of these communities and reverse years of inequities and environmental injustice to build a more just and prosperous Duwamish Valley for all.”

Since 2016, the City has worked closely with community-based organizations in South Park and Georgetown to understand the community’s vision for the rapidly changing neighborhood where many residents and businesses are acutely feeling the pressures of displacement and the impacts of environmental degradation and climate change. In 2018, Mayor Durkan released the Duwamish Valley Action Plan, setting forth a series of actions and strategies to expand economic opportunity, make environmental progress, and increase investments in the South Park and Georgetown communities.  

The proposed budget prioritizes investments in these key areas for the Duwamish Valley Program and will build on grant-funded work establishing a Duwamish Valley Resilience District. These efforts are also intended to advance the goals and principles of the Green New Deal by focusing on job creation and a just transition away from fossil fuels, and the City’s Transportation Electrification Blueprint and Maritime and Industrial Strategy. Significant budget components include:  

  • $4.3M for building, energy, and community resilience improvements to essential gathering spaces in South Park and Georgetown. 
  • $1.75M to improve 8th Ave. S and the street end park to safely link the Georgetown community to its only waterfront access.  
  • $1M to fund a one-time program of incentives to convert polluting, diesel-powered heavy-duty vehicles to operate on clean electric power for operations in the Duwamish Valley. These include vehicles like drayage trucks, school buses, and other fleets. 
  • $850K to support neighborhood businesses, advance clean energy workforce development, green industrial lands, and advance priorities of the Industrial & Maritime Strategy.  
  • $693K for youth leadership development, community capacity building, and recreational programming. 

“From our youth to our immigrant and refugee neighbors, to our small business owners and workers, the Duwamish Valley communities have long experienced disinvestment  , over-planning, and under-delivery of City services and projects,” said Paulina López, a South Park resident and Executive Director of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition. “I commend the City and Mayor Durkan for taking such an intentional and comprehensive approach to ensure our youth, our community receives the investments needed to yield health, environmental, and economic benefits for years to come.” 

“I am incredibly excited about the opportunities these investments present for everyone in the Duwamish Valley, both residents and industries,” said Sam Farrazaino with Georgetown Steam Plant Community Development Authority and Equinox Development Unlimited LLC. “These investments will help us implement recommendations in the Maritime & Industrial Strategy related to greening industries, support for local businesses, and workforce development. And how about those funds to improve 8th Ave. S.? Georgetown residents will finally have the waterfront park they deserve and be able to safely access the Duwamish River! We are ready to roll up our sleeves and continue working with the City to advance climate and community resilience in our communities.” 

Seattle’s Duwamish Valley Program is a multi-departmental effort jointly led by Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment and Office of Planning and Community Development to advance the environmental justice and equitable development goals outlined in the Equity & Environment Agenda and Equitable Development Implementation Plan. Focused on the Duwamish Valley neighborhoods of South Park and Georgetown, the program is driven by environmental justice guiding principles, racial equity outcomes, community input, and a commitment to community-led planning. 

“The Duwamish Valley has supported resilient communities since time immemorial – from the fishing and winter campgrounds of the Duwamish Tribe to the people living in it today, but we know these communities also face unprecedented burdens” said Alberto J. Rodríguez, the City’s Duwamish Valley Advisor and co-lead of the Duwamish Valley Program. “The Duwamish Valley communities are working to adapt and thrive in the face of climate change impacts related to sea level rise, pollution, and environmental injustice, and these investments are a result of years of community advocacy, inclusive engagement, and work to achieve environmental justice and equity. I am proud to be part of this work and to continue to learn from and support these communities.”  

In addition to these budget investments, Mayor Durkan recently signed a bill directing the Office of Housing to acquire two adjacent parcels that provide 18,000 sq. ft. of developable land for new affordable housing in South Park, and the Seattle Parks & Recreation department recently acquired a one-acre property on South Elmgrove St. to expand the Duwamish Waterway Park and provide flexible and accessible community space.  

The City of Seattle also received a $600,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to work with community partners in the Duwamish Valley on a strategy that will improve health, increase community resilience, and adapt to the impacts of a changing climate, including creating a Duwamish Valley Resilience District. 

Mayor Durkan will deliver her annual budget address and transmit her 2022 Proposed Budget to the City Council on Monday, September 27.  

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Mayor Durkan Announces $9.8 Million to BIPOC-Led Community Organizations Through the Equitable Development Initiative

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Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced $9.8 million in awards through the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), the largest annual total since EDI’s first awards in 2017, to support the purchase of additional properties to house BIPOC organizations at risk of displacement. EDI is a central component of the City’s effort to support Seattle’s existing residents, businesses and organizations in high displacement risk neighborhoods. This year, the City is awarding $9.1 million to community organizations for site acquisition and major capital projects and another $750,000 for capacity-building support for organizations seeking to advance anti-displacement projects.

“The Equitable Development Initiative has helped community-based organizations in our city tackle the challenges of displacement and helped strengthen underserved communities and create economic vitality. The Equitable Development Initiative has a strong record of creating generational change by investing in affordable homes and community spaces for our City’s residents and non-profits,“ said Mayor Durkan. “We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has been especially devastating for our Black, Indigenous, and communities of color – that why we are growing our investments in this critical program as we build back better and more equitably.”

The EDI fund, administered by the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD), was created to respond to the needs of marginalized populations, reduce disparities, and support access to opportunity in healthy, vibrant communities. The initiative is championed by community organizations concerned about displacement pressures and the historical lack of investment that has occurred in communities of color in Seattle. All 46 EDI partner organizations who have received $49 million in EDI funding to date are led by and serve people of color. OPCD and partner departments, including Office of Economic Development (OED), Office of Housing (OH), Department of Neighborhoods (DON), Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), and Office for Civil Rights (OCR), have coordinated the administration of the EDI Fund. The program was established in November 2016, using one-time funding. Mayor Durkan proposed a sustained funding source for the program in 2019 and has continued to grow the program.

“These projects are grounded in community-led vision for responding to displacement pressures,” said Rico Quirindongo, interim director of OPCD. “Census data show that Seattle continues to grow rapidly, but our shared prosperity isn’t reaching all neighborhoods and communities. Our vision for the future of Seattle must include a permanent home for these and other BIPOC organizations.”

EDI fosters community leadership and supports organizations to promote equitable access to jobs, education and childcare, outdoor space and recreation, cultural expression, healthy food, and other community needs and amenities. These partnerships are designed to support leadership and build capacity among the most historically marginalized groups in Seattle, sharing in decision-making and power, and working towards racial equity outcomes that allows all communities to thrive.

“We were thrilled to take ownership of the Central Area Senior Center when the City transferred the property to our organization last year.  CASC reflects a 51-year journey of the African American community, culture, and legacy in the Central District,” said Director Dian Ferguson.  “We celebrate this award and thank the Equitable Development Initiative Fund.  This EDI award will help us make needed improvements and tackle the deferred maintenance.  Furthermore, it will allow us to sustain this valuable community institution as a form of Black self-determination and to continue as a gathering place for seniors and the community.”

“We stand on the shoulders of many generations that came before us. Nurturing Roots and our community are extremely honored to receive this gift and opportunity of landownership,” said Nyema Clark of Nurturing Roots. This moment will solidify a place of healing, cultural education, and humanity. To grow, seeds need nutrients, grounding, and a place of belonging. This will ensure we never blow away. ASHE.”

An EDI Advisory Board grounded in community provides ongoing guidance for the program and developed recommendations to the City on the funding decisions announced today. Projects are evaluated on their ability to positively impact several equity drivers that lead to racial equity outcomes including:

  • Promoting economic opportunity through education, job training, and enhancing community cultural anchors.
  • Helping marginalized populations, businesses, and community organizations stay in their neighborhoods.
  • Enhancing health outcomes, access to healthy, culturally relevant food, and supporting safe environments.

Based on the advice of the EDI Advisory Board, the 2021 awards were designed to expand the EDI pool to include more organizations and offer capital funding for property acquisitions by new EDI partners. The cohort of five original EDI projects in 2017 was expanded to 15 projects in 2018 and 25 projects in 2019. The 2020 funding round was focused on Covid-19 relief efforts.

EDI Awards for Capital Projects

The following community-based organizations will receive awards totaling $9.1 million for site acquisition and major capital projects that advance anti-displacement strategies and economic development opportunities:

Central Area Senior Center ($1,038,000) – This funding will support the completion of deferred maintenance items in the facility, with the intention of stabilizing the building and extending its useful life. The center provides a core gathering place for seniors in the Central Area to remain connected to neighbors in the face of increasing gentrification.

Chief Seattle Club Northgate ($700,000) – This funding will support the construction of a Longhouse and cultural space as part of the joint development with Bellwether Housing on the North Seattle Community College Campus.

Delridge Neighborhood Development Association ($1,065,000) – This funding will support repairs and upgrades to the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in Delridge so the facility can continue to provide affordable space to Arts nonprofits and low-income housing.

Duwamish Valley Sustainability Association ($348,000) – This funding will support a pilot sustainability project generating energy from food waste and investing in a circular economy, while providing youth with experience and education in new sustainability and green jobs technology.

FAME Housing Association ($1,075,000) – This funding will support the development of the ground-floor space at Bryant Manor, an existing affordable housing project located in the Central Area, to support the expansion of Ashe Preparatory Academy onto the site to serve families in the expanded housing project.

Khmer Community of Seattle/King County ($1,075,000) – This funding will support the purchase of property allowing KCSKC to re-establish their community center after having been displaced from their previous location in White Center. The target site is located within the Seattle City limits in the Westwood/Highland Park area.

Nurturing Roots ($935,000) – This funding will support the purchase of the location on Beacon Hill, ensuring that Nurturing Roots and the Black Power Epicenter have a permanent home while allowing the farm to continue to provide a needed resource for food distribution efforts and youth education in Southeast Seattle.

Somali Health Board ($1,000,000) – This funding will support the equitable transit-oriented goals of the Graham Street Community-Action Team to acquire a site for a mixed-use development providing affordable housing and a range of other community serving uses in advance of the new light rail station.

Youth Achievement Center ($700,000) – This funding will support a partnership with Africatown CLT, Community Passageways, and Creative Justice to provide housing with wrap-around services for homeless and at-risk youth. The Columbia City property is currently owned by Sound Transit, which is working with King County to support transfer of the site to community ownership.

Two additional organizations are acquiring property using funds from a 2021 EDI award and are in the midst of real estate negotiations. Information about these projects will be announced when a purchase and sale agreement is completed.

The following organizations were selected for capacity-building awards of $75,000 to help support the development of additional anti-displacement efforts: AiPACE, Black and Tan Hall, Cham Refugees Community, Community-Owned Resource Development, Eritrean Community in Seattle & Vicinity, Estelita’s Library, Hip Hop is Green, Seattle Indian Services Commission, Stem Path Innovation Network, and Wa Na Wari.

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Mayor Durkan Announces $7.5 Million in Direct Investment in Community to Support Neighborhood Economic Recovery

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Investments include at least $1.2 million for community driven projects and up to $225,000 to 28 business districts throughout Seattle

Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and the Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) announced $7.5 million in direct investments to support downtown and neighborhood economic recovery. Over 28 neighborhood business district organizations will receive up to $225,000 in funding to help stabilize small businesses and address community needs. These investments, which are in addition to direct assistance provided to small businesses through the Small Business Stabilization Fund, will support neighborhoods reopen, build e-commerce capacity, activate public spaces, address graffiti and vandalism, and promote community safety and community building events throughout their neighborhoods.

“Too many of our small businesses and neighborhoods have struggled during the pandemic. Since the initial days of COVID-19, we have worked to help small business owners and community organizations help keep their doors open. With funds from the American Rescue Plan Act, we can give our neighborhoods and small businesses the tools to build back better,” said Mayor Durkan. “As Seattle recovers from this pandemic, we must reactivate public spaces, restore neighborhoods, and bring our community back together.”

The Seattle Rescue Plan, launched in May, authorized $22 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to aid Seattle’s local community recovery from the pandemic and the COVID-related economic impacts. The City prioritized funds from today’s announcement for business district organizations, community partners, and equity districts to help address the economic needs of the neighborhoods they serve. The following neighborhood business district organizations will receive a direct allocation:

  • Alliance for Pioneer Square
  • Ballard Alliance
  • Beacon Business Alliance
  • Belltown United
  • Build Lake City Together
  • Capitol Hill-Broadway BIA
  • Capitol Hill Business Alliance/GSBA
  • Central Area Collaborative
  • Crown Hill Village Association
  • First Hill Improvement Association
  • For North Seattle
  • Fremont Chamber
  • Georgetown Merchants Association
  • Green Lake Chamber
  • Magnolia Chamber
  • Mount Baker Hub Alliance
  • Othello/MLK Business Association
  • Phinney Neighborhood Association
  • Rainier Beach Action Coalition/Economic Development Roundtable
  • Rainier Avenue Business Coalition (Hillman City and Columbia City)
  • Chinatown-ID: SCIDPDA/CIDBIA/Friends of Little Saigon
  • SODO BIA
  • South Lake Union Chamber of Commerce
  • South Park Business District
  • University District Partnership
  • Uptown Alliance
  • West Seattle Junction Association
  • West Seattle Chamber

Investments include $6 million for neighborhood organizations across the City – including at least $1.2 million available to community, arts, culture, and business organizations as part of a new Neighborhood Economic Recovery Fund Request for Proposal (RFP). This also includes previously announced resources of$1.5 million to support downtown revitalization and workforce recovery.

“The inequities and disparities we saw exacerbated by COVID were seen in the experiences of individuals and families and collectively at the neighborhood level,” said Pamela Banks, Interim Director of OED. “In order for Seattle to have a truly inclusive economy, we must provide substantial recovery investments for our neighborhoods—particularly those who experienced the greatest economic, health and social devastation—to help our communities, businesses, and residents recover and thrive. This investment seeks to do just that by partnering with our organizations already doing this work, and welcoming the new ideas of others that are willing and ready to contribute to our collective recovery efforts!”

A $1.2 million Request For Proposals will be issued to support community, cultural or arts organizations, cultural districts, and small businesses such as community event producers, artists, consultants or a collection of individuals supporting neighborhood strategies with broadly shared benefits. Eligible applicants can submit project proposals to the Neighborhood Economic Recovery RFP for awards up to $100,000. Grants will fund recovery strategies and activities such as:

  • Public and commercial space activations, including outdoor seating, retail/vendor markets, public art displays, music events, community events and commercial space pop-ups. 
  • Digital equity projects, such as neighborhood digital marketplaces for local small businesses.
  • Communications infrastructure development to create websites, social media platforms, and contact databases to circulate community news and resources. These must share information local businesses and events to spur economic and social activity within a neighborhood.
  • Physical improvements in neighborhoods, such as lighting, sidewalk cleaning, murals, or façade to improve the quality of a neighborhoods physical space for the benefit of businesses, residents and visitors.
  • Community safety projects, including business block watches and community organizing.
  • Outreach to support businesses and connect them additional resources such as technical assistance and building partnerships between community organizations, service providers and residents.
  • Other economic recovery projects that are specific to a particular neighborhood’s needs.

“The Neighborhood Economic Recovery Fund is a lifeline to our communities who were some of the first in the nation to feel the severe impacts of the pandemic,” said Don Blakeney, Executive Director of the U District Partnership. “Vibrant and diverse neighborhoods like the U District have been particularly vulnerable, but with this critical bridge investment, we stand ready to roar back as employees and students return to campus in the fall.”

In recent weeks, Mayor Durkan signed $30 million Equitable Community Initiative task force recommendations into law, along with new legislation to allow more flexibility in permitted use for empty downtown storefronts. You can find more information on the City’s COVID-19 recovery efforts at www.seattle.gov/covidrecovery.

Individuals who need assistance completing the application, interpretation for the information sessions or have questions, please contact the Seattle Office of Economic Development at oed@seattle.gov or (206) 684-8090.

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Mayor Durkan to Sign Downtown Empty Storefront Legislation Into Law Following Unanimous City Council Vote

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Temporary Change Will Increase Permitting Flexibility for Uses of Empty Storefronts to Help Bring Businesses and Artists Back Downtown

Following unanimous passage by the City Council, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced today that she will sign into law legislation to allow more flexibility in permitted uses for empty downtown storefronts. The new temporary proposal will provide flexibility for businesses, artists, and other organizations to activate empty storefronts by allowing art installations, museums, and a greater variety of businesses, among other new options. Previously, downtown businesses on select streets had to abide by a much narrower set of permitted pedestrian-friendly uses for storefronts.

“Downtown is Seattle’s economic engine and heartbeat, and it’s up to us to help it build back better than ever for all those who live, work, or visit. As part of our effort to revitalize downtown, we’re making it easier than ever to pursue new, innovative uses for storefronts, like art installations or museums,” said Mayor Durkan. “This temporary change to allow more uses for our storefronts will help restore the vitality of our downtown. I appreciate the City Council for quickly passing this legislation and supporting the City’s work to help downtown small businesses, workers, and arts and cultural organizations recover.” 

“As downtown Seattle’s recovery continues, I was glad to work with my Council colleagues and City departments to provide more flexibility to fill vacant downtown storefronts. When COVID-19 first hit our community, I worked with Mayor Durkan and City departments to move our permitting process to a virtual platform, ensuring that permitting did not come to a complete stand-still. Later, I sponsored the Bringing Business Home legislation to provide flexibility to small neighborhood businesses operating out of homes, and championed street cafes to help restaurants stay open. This legislation builds on that work by giving downtown storefronts the tools they need to recover and restore the vibrancy of downtown,” said Councilmember Dan Strauss (District 6, Northwest Seattle).

For the next 12 months, the City will allow permit applications for new businesses to provide a wider range of activities and services, including medical offices, gyms, art installations, and bike parking. Businesses that received a permit and invested in a new storefront under this temporary law could remain indefinitely, but they would not be able to expand their footprint in future years.

This new flexibility will be available on the main shopping streets in the commercial core, Belltown, Pioneer Square, and parts of South Lake Union, where new options for permitted businesses would also include food processing, horticultural operations, and crafts manufacturing. Chinatown-International District businesses already have this kind of permitting flexibility through the International Special Review District.

Once these new rules go into effect in September, businesses and building owners will be able to apply for a permit from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) to change the use of their storefronts in these areas. To get started with the permitting process, please visit this page on how to submit.

“Active storefronts support retail sales, dining and nightlife, and cultural events that will draw people Downtown, make the public realm more vital, and put more eyes on the street,” said Rico Quirindongo, interim director of the Office of Planning and Community Development. “This additional flexibility will open the door to new businesses who want to be a part of our Downtown community of residents, workers, shop owners, artists, and visitors.”

“Temporary flexibility for street-level businesses will allow for a wider range of storefront activities and encourage more to invest in our downtown,” said Nathan Torgelson, director of the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections. “Our staff will be primed to support downtown recovery with streamlined permitting to improve our vacant storefronts.”

As part of the City’s $9 million investment in downtown recovery, the City will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to support storefront activations by providing resources for small businesses and arts and cultural organizations that want to come downtown and bring new life to the streetscape. In the coming weeks, the City will announce additional efforts to activate empty storefronts, including potential matchmaking services for small businesses or artists to find empty storefront space, as well as additional financial supports.

You can find more information on the City’s downtown recovery efforts at www.seattle.gov/covidrecovery.

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New Commissioner sought for the Seattle Design Commission

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Mayor Jenny Durkan is recruiting to fill a vacancy for the urban designer position on the Seattle Design Commission. The appointment will complete the existing term of a vacant position that ends February 28, 2022, as well as a two year term beginning in March 2022.

Established in 1968, the Seattle Design Commission advises the Mayor, Council, and City officials on design excellence in City funded capital improvement projects, projects in the City right-of-way, or projects constructed with City funds. You can see the scope of our work at www.seattle.gov/designcommission.

Commissioners are appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council. The 10‐member commission is comprised of architects, artists, urban designers, urban planners, landscape architects, civil engineers, a member‐at‐large, and one member from Get Engaged, the YMCA Young Civic Leaders Program. Following completion of the first term, commissioners are eligible for a second two-year term.

Commission meetings are the first and third Thursdays of each month and occur in the day. During COVID-19, our meetings have been online – they will be moving to in-person in Fall 2021. In addition, members may serve on commission subcommittees and represent the commission on other City boards or commissions. Commissioners work around 15 hours a month. During the term as a commissioner, and six months following the end of the term, commissioners may not contract with the city on any capital improvement project reviewed by the commission. Commission members receive an hourly rate as compensation for their service.

The City of Seattle is committed to promoting diversity in the city’s boards and commissions. Persons that have been historically under-represented in City boards and commissions are encouraged to apply, including people with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, young persons, senior citizens, persons of color, and immigrants. To be considered, please send a letter of interest and resume by September 1, 2021, to:

Mayor Jenny Durkan
c/o Michael Jenkins, Executive Director, Seattle Design Commission
City of Seattle – Office of Planning and Community Development
600 – 4th Avenue, 5th Floor
PO Box 94788
Seattle, WA 98124‐7088

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