Upzoning Seattle May Trigger Political Freak-Outs
Over the last 15 years, Seattle has steadily transformed its land use code, with every few years bringing another cycle of change and more intensive development.
Multifamily zones were revamped to allow more flexibility and introduce new housing types. Mandatory parking space requirements were eliminated in huge portions of the city. Micro-housing emerged in a new format, was subsequently banned, and later reinstated. Inclusionary zoning was enacted, requiring new development to pay for affordable housing. With it came major up-zones in areas that would have been politically unthinkable just a few years prior.
These earlier changes pale compared to what is on the table today. Exclusive single-family zoning has been eliminated — period. Such zoning will no longer exist, so neighborhoods once reserved for single-family homes will now allow four townhomes on every lot. In addition to swallowing that change, the body politic is also being asked to digest a substantial number of rezones in new neighborhood centers and along every frequent-transit route in the city. Unlike past cycles, powerful wealthy neighborhoods have not been excluded from these changes.
Unsurprisingly, homeowners in these areas are having trouble with the changes. Most of them are driven by state-level mandates and obligations under the Growth Management Act, and some are the result of a progressive, pro-equity, pro-housing agenda championed by the Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office.
https://www.postalley.org/2025/01/14/upzoning-seattle-may-trigger-political-freak-outs/