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…. [ Keep reading ]
Lauren Flemister, Community Planning Manager at the Office of Planning and Community Development, has been named Interim Deputy Director of the office. Flemister joined the office in 2018, where she has focused on coordinating station area planning with Sound Transit, as well as expanded focus on prioritizing equitable development in OPCD community planning projects. “I know Lauren will continue to bring a… [ Keep reading ]
Community Partners, In May, we commemorate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, and this year’s commemoration comes at a critical moment — as we emerge from this pandemic and as we seek to elevate and renew the national dialogue on racial equity. Since the opening weeks of this… [ Keep reading ]
Community Partners, Over the past four years I have been honored to work with you as we advance community priorities in the City of Seattle. By building coalitions, together we have advanced equitable community investment and created new partnerships to build a more equitable, vibrant, and just city. I am… [ Keep reading ]
Noted Seattle architect and community leader Rico Quirindongo, AIA, is joining the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development as its deputy director on January 11. Rico is with the international architecture firm DLR Group where he is the Civic Design Leader for the Northwest Region. For the past 25… [ Keep reading ]
On November 15, Governor Jay Inslee issued new statewide restrictions on social gatherings and businesses in response to the surge of COVID-19 across Washington state. Seattle was the initial epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in America. Unlike the other Washington, every step of the way our local officials, residents, and… [ Keep reading ]
Updates to the Comprehensive Plan will promote transit access, job creation, walkable neighborhoods, and address impacts of systemic racism. Seattle’s Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) recently outlined priorities for potential future changes to the City’s foundational city plan, the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan, that will be studied in… [ Keep reading ]
Active street life — both day and night — is a defining feature of great cities. In City Life at Street Level, the City of Seattle describes and illustrates successful strategies that architects and designers have used to create sidewalk environments that support vibrant, safe and attractive street life. As… [ Keep reading ]
Dear Neighbors, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan has introduced her 2019-2020 Proposed Budget (http://www.seattle.gov/financedepartment) in her address on September 24, including her proposed two-year budget for the Office of Planning and Community Development. In the coming year, OPCD will continue to pursue our mission to lead collaborative planning, advance equitable development,… [ Keep reading ]
By Garry Papers, OPCD As the residential population within greater downtown grows, and more workers arrive, the design and usability of the public realm around these buildings becomes ever more important. Parks, sidewalks and a variety of plazas are key for providing places for pedestrians, workers, visitors and residents to… [ Keep reading ]
