Category Archives: Land Use

Landmarks Preservation Board, Wednesday December 4

The City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board will consider the nomination of the Stoneway Electric (Golden Rule Dairy) building, 3665 Stone Way N, at its meeting on Wednesday December 4 at 3:30 PM in Seattle City Hall, 600 4th Ave, Room L2-80 “Boards & Commissions”. See the Public Notice and the Landmark Nomination (62 MB) for further details.

The public is invited to attend the meeting and make comments. Written comments should be received by the Landmarks Preservation Board by December 3, 2019, 3:00 PM. See the Landmarks website or mail to:
Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board
Dept. of Neighborhoods
PO Box 94649
Seattle, WA 98124-4649

Structural engineer Melvin O. Sylliiaasen designed the Modern-style industrial building as a dairy processing facility. It was built in 1945-46. The nomination includes a history of the building, the lower Wallingford area, and dairies in Seattle, and an appendix with many historic images.

Wallingford Historic District Feasibility Study, Historic Wallingford

Historic Wallingford hosted a public meeting on October 25, 2019 to present the results of the Wallingford Historic District Feasibility Study and to discuss possible next steps. The report, produced by preservation consultants Northwest Vernacular, identifies four areas potentially eligible as National Register of Historic Places historic districts.

Historic Wallingford is interested in pursuing these designations and is currently gauging community interest. Please email them at info@historicwallingford.org with any input, questions, or to volunteer for the next phase of the project.

Historic Wallingford is a charitable organization whose purpose is to foster an awareness of and appreciation for Wallingford history and architecture. They are supported through membership or direct donations.

City Council Poised to Gut Environmental Reviews, Monday October 7

On Monday October 7 at 2 PM, the City Council is rushing to take a final vote on CB 119600. This legislation will substantially weaken requirements for the environmental review of projects and policies under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).

In the opinion of the Seattle Times Editorial Board:

“Don’t be fooled by [the] greenwashing. It does the environment no favors to weaken the State Environmental Policy Act… This will mostly benefit real estate investors trying to further cash in on the Amazon boom.”

“Seattle’s environmental community should also urge the council to reject this faux-environmental policy. They must resist the siren song of developer-friendly think tanks, telling tales of how the earth will be saved by bulldozing houses, cutting trees and replacing them with big apartments.”

“This [legislation] is about weakening policy written to protect the environment and quality of life for everyone. It reduces costs for the few who profit off land speculation.”

We urge you to contact all City Councilmembers with your concerns about CB 119600, and ask them to delay this legislation for consideration by the newly-elected Council next year. (Contact information is below.) You can further express your concerns by testifying at the City Council meeting on Monday October 7 at 2 PM in Council Chambers at Seattle City Hall.

There is no reason for the City Council to rush. Under state law, the City has until April 2021 to consider and adopt more reasonable and more environmentally friendly provisions. When our big issues are climate change, equity, and human health, the SEPA process should be strengthened, not weakened.

Continue reading →

City Council Vote on Backyard Cottage Zoning Changes, Monday July 1

City Councilmember Abel Pacheco and the Mayor need to hear from you before Monday. Contact them today!

Monday, July 1, 2019, 2:00 PM in Council Chambers at Seattle City Hall.

Councilmember Pacheco and the Mayor need to hear from you regarding proposed changes to the rules governing backyard cottages (Detached Accessory Dwelling Units or DADUs) and mother-in-law apartments (Attached Dwelling Units or ADUs) on single-family lots.

Currently, the City allows backyard cottages to be built on most single-family lots.

The proposed changes include:

Removing the owner occupancy requirement. (Currently, the owner must live on-site.)
Allowing both a mother-in-law apartment (ADU) and a backyard cottage (DADU) on the same lot, instead of one or the other, increasing the number of possible housing units on a single-family lot from two to three units.
Increasing the height and size of backyard cottages while reducing the minimum lot size.

There are more proposed changes to be concerned about in this upcoming legislation regarding open space, trees, setbacks and property lines, parking, etc… To read more about these concerns, click here.

“Don’t be fooled by advocates calling this a moral imperative. This mostly helps politicians’ benefactors: developers and labor groups wanting license to build rentals virtually everywhere.”
– The Seattle Times Editorial Board

Think about it and share your opinion of these proposals with your elected officials in city government. It’s important that they hear from you now. See below for a suggested message.

Please call and comment by email to our City Councilmembers:
Abel Pacheco: 206-684-8808, abel.pacheco@seattle.gov
Lisa Herbold: 206-684-8803, lisa.herbold@seattle.gov
Bruce Harrell: 206-684-8804, bruce.harrell@seattle.gov
Kshama Sawant: 206-684-8016, kshama.sawant@seattle.gov
Debora Juarez: 206-684-8805, debora.juarez@seattle.gov
Mike O’Brien: 206-684-8800, mike.obrien@seattle.gov
Sally Bagshaw: 206-684-8801, sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov
Teresa Mosqueda: 206-684-8806, teresa.mosqueda@seattle.gov
Lorena González: 206-684-8802, lorena.gonzalez@seattle.gov
All Councilmembers: council@seattle.gov

Please share your concerns with Mayor Durkan:
Mayor Durkan: 206-684-4000, jenny.durkan@seattle.gov

Feel free to send your own version of this suggested message:

I encourage you to keep the current accessory unit rules allowing ADUs & DADUs to remain in place, as is, with no rule changes.

The existing rules support both home ownership and the city’s goal for 4,000 additional rental units through ADU development over the next ten years. The success of the current program can be seen through the rate at which new ADUs have and are currently being built throughout Seattle.

Under the proposed changes, owner occupancy is being dismissed as a requirement. Without the owner occupancy requirement, single-family lots city-wide will be turned into targets for developers and investors looking to increase their rental portfolios. As the Seattle Times asks, “If the goals are increasing housing opportunity and reducing economic disparity, why not preserve and widen pathways to home ownership and the middle class?”

Home ownership creates stability for families, individuals, pets, schools, and neighborhoods.

Please vote No on the proposed rule changes to the current ADU/DADU legislation!

Sincerely,
[your name]

For more information:
To read the DRAFT ADU Legislation – click here.
For a Comprehensive List of Changes and Concerns – click here.
To read the Seattle Times Editorial on this subject – click here.
For a letter from Phinney Ridge Community Council – click here.
To read suggestions for how to both increase backyard cottages and retain opportunities for home ownership – click here.

City Council: Backyard Cottage Zoning Changes, Tuesday June 18

Zoning Changes for Backyard Cottages and Mother-in-Law Apartments and Home Ownership

Tuesday June 18, 2019, 2:00 PM
The Sustainability and Transportation Committee will consider and vote on the proposed legislation.

Currently, the City allows backyard cottages to be built on most single-family lots. On June 11 and before June 18, 2019, City Council members need to hear from you regarding proposed changes to the rules governing backyard cottages (Detached Accessory Dwelling Units or DADUs) and mother-in-law apartments (Attached Dwelling Units or ADUs) on single-family lots.

The proposed changes include:

Removing the owner occupancy requirement. (Currently, the owner must live on-site.)
Allowing both a mother-in-law apartment (ADU) and a backyard cottage (DADU) on the same lot, instead of one or the other, increasing the number of possible housing units on a single-family lot from two to three units.
Increasing the height and size of backyard cottages while reducing the minimum lot size.

Concern: These changes combine to turn single-family lots citywide into targets for developer and investor speculation as they open up having three rental units on one single-family lot and decreasing the opportunities for home ownership. The Seattle Times Editorial Board writes, “The new proposal is a wish list for developers, private and nonprofit, allowing nearly every single-family lot to be used for triplexes.”

There are more proposed changes to be concerned about in this upcoming legislation regarding open space, trees, setbacks and property lines, parking, etc… To read more about these concerns, click here.

“Don’t be fooled by advocates calling this a moral imperative. This mostly helps politicians’ benefactors: developers and labor groups wanting license to build rentals virtually everywhere.”
– The Seattle Times Editorial Board

Think about it and share your opinion of these proposals with your elected officials in city government. It’s important that they hear from you now. See below for a suggested message.