Following two years of community outreach, the draft plan advances significant policy improvements and a thoughtful approach to growth to build a more affordable, equitable, and sustainable Seattle
Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell announced the release of the Draft One Seattle Plan, a major update to Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan that will shape how our city will grow over the next 20 years. Part of Mayor Harrell’s bold One Seattle Housing Agenda, the Draft Plan proposes allowing new types of housing across the city, bringing missing middle housing to every neighborhood, and expanding density with a focus on areas near light rail and rapid transit. With a focus on preventing displacement, the proposal encourages needed affordable housing and will enhance neighborhoods with accessible retail and amenities.
“Having grown up in the historically redlined Central District, I’ve seen firsthand how our city and the neighborhoods that make it special have changed as we’ve experienced rapid growth and increased housing costs, with longstanding neighbors, families, and small businesses too often finding affordability out of reach,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell. “This experience has informed my belief that we need more housing, and we need to be intentional about how and where we grow, addressing the historic harms of exclusionary zoning and embedding concrete anti-displacement strategies every step of the way.”
Mayor Harrell continued, “The One Seattle Plan takes that type of deliberate and tailored approach – bringing a greater diversity of housing types to every neighborhood, uplifting the voices of neighbors and vulnerable communities, and building a city where teachers, baristas, and working families can afford to live. Combined with other ambitious elements of our One Seattle Housing Agenda like an expanded housing levy and efforts to speed up production of affordable housing, this bold plan is an important step forward as we seek to drive progress on the housing affordability and homelessness crises and create a city with complete neighborhoods where communities can live, work, and thrive.”
As one of the fastest growing major cities in the country, Seattle is on pace to reach one million residents in the coming decades. The Draft Plan is designed to meet our most pressing housing needs now and into the future as the city grows. The Draft One Seattle Plan is estimated to create at least 100,000 new units of housing over the next 20 years, significantly exceeding the City’s growth target and adding hundreds of thousands of units of housing capacity. It also embraces new state requirements for “middle housing,” allowing for a broader range of housing types across all Seattle neighborhoods.
The plan is rooted in an ongoing commitment to ensure all voices are heard. The City of Seattle received input from thousands of people from across Seattle to inform the Draft Plan over two years of meetings with community stakeholders, open houses, citywide surveys, and through public comment and discussion on the online One Seattle Plan Engagement Hub.
“The One Seattle Plan sets a bold long-term vision for where and how our city grows while balancing the needs of BIPOC communities and working families at risk of displacement,” said Rico Quirindongo, Director of Seattle’s Office of Planning and Community Development. “We are committed to redressing past harms through more equitable zoning, and encouraging vibrant, complete communities that build upon the diverse character of neighborhoods across the city. The vision of our Draft Plan was informed by broad and deep public engagement, and we look forward to using the community input we receive in the coming months to inform the final One Seattle Plan.”
The draft Plan includes a wide range of elements, including land use, transportation, housing, economic development, climate and environment, parks and open space, arts and culture, and more. Four Key Moves comprise the heart of the Plan:
Housing and Affordability: Introducing a new growth strategy that expands housing opportunities and diversifies housing types across the city, including new and expanded centers around our existing and planned light rail and bus rapid transit stops.
Equity and Opportunity: Policies in every Plan element support strategies that help existing communities thrive in place, including tools to combat displacement, such as affordable housing investments and partnerships with community to build capacity and advance community ownership and wealth building.
Community and Neighborhoods: Plan for growth in complete, walkable communities where residents can enjoy easy access to amenities and supporting economically vibrant neighborhoods across the city with focused growth near transit.
Climate and Sustainability: Redoubling our efforts to reduce carbon emissions and building resiliency in frontline communities most vulnerable to climate impacts, including a wholistic approach to mitigate the effects of heat, smoke, flooding, and other impacts on our residents, infrastructure and natural environment.
The draft plan includes a growth strategy that will add new opportunities to expand the supply and diversity of housing in the city to meet our needs now and into the future. In action, components of the growth strategy and zoning changes will:
- Encourage a greater diversity of housing types such as duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes, in Neighborhood Residential zones where only detached homes and accessory dwelling units are allowed today.
- Allow development of six units on a lot if at least two units are affordable to low-income households and additional height for affordable housing projects within .25 mile of frequent transit.
- Designate 24 new Neighborhood Centers with added housing capacity close to businesses and amenities that meet residents’ everyday needs within a short walk, bike, or transit trip.
- Guide new housing to transit-served centers and expand the boundaries of seven existing centers so that more people can live in these walkable, mixed-use areas.
- Tailor zoning in areas at high risk of displacement, reducing pressures on existing residents while promoting options to add new housing units on existing properties.
- Allow more corner stores in Neighborhood Residential areas to support new businesses and complete neighborhoods where residents can meet their everyday needs.
- Further our climate goals by prioritizing transit-oriented growth, reducing reliance on automobiles and building more complete, walkable neighborhoods.
Since 1994, the City has focused new housing, jobs, and community investments within designated Urban Centers and Villages. This Comprehensive Plan update evaluated the current strategy along with four new growth strategy alternatives through the Plan’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which will be released later this week.
The release of the draft Plan and DEIS kicks off a 60-day public comment period with robust public engagement planned throughout the city. OPCD invites and encourages all community members to learn about and provide feedback on the Draft Plan on the One Seattle Plan Engagement Hub or by emailing OneSeattleCompPlan@seattle.gov. City staff look forward to seeing community members at One Seattle Plan open houses—in all seven council districts and online—as an opportunity to talk with the public about the Plan.
For more information or to provide public comment on the draft One Seattle Plan, please visit engage.oneseattleplan.com or seattle.gov/opcd/one-seattle-plan.
Along with the Comprehensive Plan update, the One Seattle Housing Agenda also includes a range of potential actions, such as zoning and permitting changes, along with subarea planning for our densest Regional Centers, to promote the development of the housing we need now and in the coming years as we implement our long-range vision for a future of housing abundance.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
Patience Malaba, Executive Director, Housing Development Consortium
“The Housing Development Consortium sees the Comprehensive Plan Update as a critical opportunity to increase the supply and diversity of housing options in every neighborhood, address the urgent need for more affordable homes at every level, and cultivate vibrant, inclusive, and connected neighborhoods with easy access to transit and amenities that help people thrive. Through land use reform and incentives for affordable housing, we can create pathways to stability for countless neighbors and families. Combined with the historic Housing Levy passed by Seattle voters, the One Seattle Plan can help create a future for our city where everyone has a safe, affordable place to call home. HDC and our members look forward to collaborating with Mayor Harrell, City Council, and community voices in moving forward the One Seattle Plan that puts the city on track to tackle our housing crisis, steward growth, and thrive as a national model.”
Rachel Smith, President and CEO, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
“Building more housing – more types, in more neighborhoods, for more people across the income spectrum – is a top priority of both the employer community and Seattle voters. The draft Comprehensive Plan Update should reflect the values of our city and articulate a vision to accomplish that goal. We have and will continue to work in coalition with stakeholders who hold a diversity of opinions and viewpoints, alongside Mayor Harrell and city leaders, to approve and implement a plan that encourages sustainable, equitable growth and development and serves as a catalyst for economy activity.”
Estela Ortega, Executive Director, El Centro De La Raza
“Too many neighbors in our city are feeling the impacts of the high cost of housing. I’m pleased that the One Seattle Plan will provide more affordable housing options for low-income and working people and families while also taking concrete steps to reduce displacement for communities that are currently at risk of being forced to leave Seattle. With strategies to help BIPOC communities remain rooted in place and build generational wealth, this plan embraces a vision of growth that is equitable and inclusive for everyone in Seattle.”
Monty Anderson, Executive Secretary, Seattle Building & Construction Trade Council
“Increasing the investment and production of housing is necessary for Seattle to ensure working class people and families can afford to live here now and in the future. The One Seattle Plan will expand the type of housing that can be built across the city, creating more living wage jobs and apprenticeships in construction, maintenance, and related industries while also adding more workforce housing to support these workers. Investment and expansion of workforce family housing will support a strong local economy and help contribute to the vitality, diversity, and character of our neighborhoods.”
Nicole Grant, Governmental Affairs and Political Director, IBEW Local 46
“Addressing the climate and affordable housing crises in tandem is essential for building resilient, sustainable communities that meet the needs of all residents and working people, especially those most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and housing insecurity. The One Seattle Plan recognizes the urgent need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions across different sectors as we continue to grow our population, creating more walkable communities with housing close to transit and other amenities and also accelerating transportation electrification by providing more public electrical vehicle charging stations. These are concrete steps towards a greener, healthier, and more equitable future for Seattle.”
Donna Moodie, Executive Director, Capitol Hill EcoDistrict
“The Capitol Hill EcoDistrict was honored to be a key partner in the Office of Planning and Community Development’s community engagement for the One Seattle Plan. The effort to hear from a broader range of residents informs listening and equity. By welcoming the voice of historically underrepresented individuals, OPCD centered equity and managed to lower the barriers typically present in past processes. There was a clear through-line between our engagement recommendations and the Plan priorities of a more walkable and connected city.”
Renee Staton, Pinehurst Resident and Community Organizer
“The community around the future 130th Street light rail station is excited for a Comprehensive Plan Update that focuses new growth near frequent transit and expands access to more housing options across the city. We welcome more affordable housing, more neighbors, and more shops and services within walking distance. We embrace a One Seattle Plan that centers transit-oriented development and continues to build more inclusive communities in the process.”
Meaghan Hass, Owner, Highland Park Corner Store
“Corner stores provide more than just convenient access to essential goods – they are social hubs where neighbors can gather, interact, and build connections with each other, fostering a stronger sense of community. Highland Park Corner Store has seen this in our corner of the city, and we are excited that Mayor Harrell’s One Seattle Plan includes more opportunities for small commercial spaces to be integrated into residential areas of our city, providing more amenities within walking distance and adding to the uniqueness of our neighborhoods.”