Dennis Meier/Dave LaClergue OPCD U District Rezone ORD D1

Template last revised August 15, 2016 

 1

 

CITY OF SEATTLE

1

ORDINANCE __________________

 

2

COUNCIL BILL __________________ 

 

3 ..title 4 AN ORDINANCE relating to land use and zoning, amending Sections 23.30.010, 23.45.502, 5 23.45.510, 23.45.512, 23.45.514, 23.47A.002, 23.47A.009, 23.47A.012, 23.47A.013, 6 23.48.002, 23.48.005, 23.48.020, 23.48.021, 23.48.025, 23.48.040, 23.48.045, 23.48.055, 7 23.48.085, 23.48.240, 23.48.250, 23.58A.040, 23.58A.042, 23.58B.040, 23.58B.050, 8 23.58C.030, 23.58C.035, 23.58C.040, 23.58C.050, 23.61.008, 23.61.014, 23.84A.004, 9 23.84A.025, 23.84A.028, 23.84A.038, 23.84A.042, and 23.84A.048 of the Seattle 10 Municipal Code (SMC), adding new SMC Sections 23.45.517, 23.47A.017, 23.48.602, 11 23.48.605, 23.48.615, 23.48.620, 23.48.621, 23.48.622, 23.48.623, 23.48.624, 23.48.627, 12 23.48.630, 23.48.635, 23.48.640, 23.48.645, 23.48.646, 23.48.650, 23.48.680, 23.48.685, 13 and 23.48.690, and amending the Official Land Use Map at pages 60, 61, 78, and 79 to 14 rezone areas and remove the University District Station Area Overlay District. 15 ..body 16 WHEREAS, Sound Transit will open a light rail station at NE 43

rd 

 Street and Brooklyn Avenue 17

 NE in 2021, and the City’s Comprehensive Plan supports walkable, compact, mixed

-use 18 neighborhoods surrounding station areas; and 19 WHEREAS, from 2011 to 2016, City staff worked with community members in the University 20 Community Urban Center to discuss the future of the neighborhood including zoning, 21 development, open space, housing affordability, and walkability; and 22 WHEREAS, in 2013, City staff and community members completed the University District (

“

U 23 District

”

) Urban Design Framework, summarizing guiding principles and specific 24 strategies for achieving neighborhood goals; and 25 WHEREAS, the public process in the U District has identified affordable housing, open space, 26 historic preservation, and improved development standards as key community concerns; 27 and 28 WHEREAS, these proposed zoning amendments have been reviewed as part of a programmatic 29 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the University District, completed January 8, 30

 

Dennis Meier/Dave LaClergue OPCD U District Rezone ORD D1

Template last revised August 15, 2016 

 2

 

2015, and the adequacy of the Final EIS was upheld by the Seattle Hearing Examiner on 1 June 19, 2015, and the content was updated to include Mandatory Housing Affordability 2 requirements through an addendum issued May 27, 2016; and 3 WHEREAS, in September 2015, City Council approved Ordinance 124888 to amend the 4

Comprehensive Plan’s University Community Neighborhood Plan goals and policies, and

5 make changes to the Future Land Use Map; and 6 WHEREAS, the City has provided for public participation opportunities in the development and 7 review of these proposed amendments; and 8 WHEREAS, in May 2013 the City Council adopted Resolution 31444, which established a work 9

 program for reviewing and potentially modifying the City’s affordable housing incentive

10  programs; and 11 WHEREAS, according to Resolution 31444, the City Council commissioned reports examining 12 national best practices for increasing the availability of affordable housing to identify 13 new strategies for Seattle; and 14 WHEREAS, in September 2014 the City Council adopted Resolution 31546, in which the 15 Council and Mayor proposed that a Seattle Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda 16 (HALA) Advisory Committee be jointly convened by the Council and the Mayor to 17 evaluate potential housing strategies; and 18 WHEREAS, the HALA Advisory Committee provided final recommendations to the Mayor and 19 City Council on July 13, 2015; and 20 WHEREAS, the HALA Advisory Committee recommended extensive citywide upzoning of 21 residential and commercial zones and, in connection with such upzones, implementation 22

 

Dennis Meier/Dave LaClergue OPCD U District Rezone ORD D1

Template last revised August 15, 2016 

 3

 

of a mandatory inclusionary housing requirement for new residential development and 1 commercial linkage fees for new commercial development; and 2 WHEREAS, the HALA Advisory Committee recommended that the mandatory inclusionary 3 housing requirement offer developers the option of building affordable housing or 4 making a cash contribution to fund preservation and production of affordable housing, 5 and that the requirement be implemented upon approval of extensive citywide upzoning 6 of residential and commercial zones; and 7 WHEREAS, the City has the authority to require mandatory housing affordability for residential 8 development according to its police power; and 9 WHEREAS, a mandatory housing affordability requirement for residential development is one of 10 many actions the City intends to undertake to implemen

t the Comprehensive Plan’s goals

11 and policies for housing affordability; and 12 WHEREAS the Countywide Planning Policies, as ratified by the King County Council, provide 13 that jurisdictions may consider a full range of programs, from optional to mandatory, that 14

will assist in meeting the jurisdiction’s share of the countywide need for affordable

15 housing; and 16

WHEREAS, one of the City’s planning goals under the Growth Management Act, chapter

17 36.70A RCW, is to make adequate provision for the housing needs of all economic 18 segments of the City; and 19 WHEREAS, the Affordable Housing Incentives Program Act, RCW 36.70A.540, authorizes and 20 encourages cities to enact or expand affordable housing incentive programs providing for 21 the development of low-income housing units through development regulations or 22 conditions on rezoning or permit decisions, or both; and 23