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Land Use Navigation

Zoning
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Interesting Land Use Articles

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Greenwood-Specific Articles

Greenwood project finds its footing (Greenwood Shopping Center) The Seattle Times (2008)
Trying to Find Itself: Greenwood Rides the Tide of Progress and Pragmatism Seattle Times: Pacific Northwest Magazine (2003)

Seattle-Specific Articles, Recent

Just ‘take the bus’ doesn’t work in some Seattle neighborhoods | Crosscut
‘My Generation Is Never Going to Have That’ - POLITICO Magazine
All of Seattle’s neighborhoods deserve a say in upzoning upheaval The Seattle Times (2018)
Is Paul Allen’s Vulcan behind a housing lobby group? Outside City Hall (2018)
Has Seattle finally figured out redevelopment? Crosscut (2017)
The real threat to Seattle's 'hottest neighborhood' -- it's not drive-bys Crosscut (2017)
Seattle Can't Stop Building Luxury Apartments Like a Crackhead Can't Stop Hitting That Pipe - Slog The Stranger (2017)
How Seattle Is Dealing With Its Rapid Growth and Economic Success CityLab (2017)
Groups say they’ll challenge Seattle’s new neighborhood growth plan The Seattle Times (2017)

Seattle-Specific Articles, Older

What Housing Shortage? The Urbanist (2016)
Vancouver's housing mess: Could it happen here? Crosscut (2016)
Teardown town: 1,500 small houses replaced by giants since 2012 The Seattle Times (2015)
On "scale" issue, a battle between neighborhoods and City Hall Crosscut (2015)
Seattle 2035: Toward A More Equitable Growth Plan The Urbanist (2015)
How Our Success is Ruining Seattle Jeff Reifman (2015)
Murray group puts Seattle on road to much more housing Crosscut (2015)
Seattle growth: How to stand up to developers, City Hall Crosscut (2015)
Seattle’s micro-housing boom offers an affordable alternative The Seattle Times (2015)
How Amazon Swallowed Seattle Gawker (2015)
City may push aside history, the poor in Pike Place, Square Crosscut (2015)
Can Seattle legally force developers to fund affordable housing? Crosscut (2015)
Death of a clown bar: The fight to save Shorty's Crosscut (2015)
Why it's so hard to build truly affordable housing in Seattle Crosscut (2015)
The rich are now renting in Seattle The Seattle Times (2015)
Developer’s Pioneer Square Project Shot Down, Then Saved Seattle Weekly (2015)
Saving Seattle's trees may mean saving their yards Crosscut (2015)
In praise of the humble bungalow Crosscut (2015)
Money alone won’t end homelessness in Seattle The Seattle Times (2015)
City Council rushed to pass Seattle’s ‘grand bargain’ The Seattle Times (2015)
Can Housing Keep Up With Seattle’s Office Boom? The Urbanist (2015)
Anatomy of a NIMBY Seattle Weekly (2015)
Living in a Micro-Apartment Is "Like Living in a Closet" The Stranger (2015)
Seattle's Fight Against Sprawl, 20 Years On CityLab (2015)
Scrunched in Seattle POLITICO Magazine (2014)
Wall Street buyers snap up thousands of local homes for rentals The Seattle Times (2014)
Dan Duffus' Crowded Houses Seattle Weekly (2012)

General Land Use Topics

The Guide to Making High-Rises Child-Friendly CityLab (2017)
A Better Way To Solve the Global Housing Crisis CityLab (2017)
My week in Lucky House: the horror of Hong Kong's coffin homes The Guardian (2017)
The Urban Revival Is Over The New York Times (2017)
Cities turn to ‘missing middle’ housing to keep older millennials from leaving The Washington Post (2017)
How to Rebuild After the Retail Apocalypse The Atlantic (2017)
How Gentrification Has Changed U.S. Downtowns CityLab (2016)
High-rises are energy hogs, not climate solutions Crosscut (2016)
A New Brookings Institution Chart Shows Which Cities Have Biggest Gap in Household Income CityLab (2015)
Developers Aren't Going to Solve the Housing Crisis in San Francisco Truthout (2014)
The Role of Public Investment in Gentrification CityLab (2015)
Pres Kabacoff, New Orleans' Leading Affordable Housing Developer, Explains Its Lack of Affordable Housing CityLab (2015)
The Complex Relationship Between Gentrification and Displacement CityLab (2015)
California Developers Take the Fight Against Inclusionary Zoning to the U.S. Supreme Court CityLab (2015)
Study: A Close Look at Gentrification and Displacement in Philadelphia CityLab (2015)
Why Great Britain Residents Live Where They Do CityLab (2015)
Rising rents pushing out Portland’s young families, creative class The Seattle Times (2015)
The Health Risks of Small Apartments The Atlantic (2013)

Send us links to articles and resources!

Land Use Resources

Greenwood Town Center Plan
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Greenwood/Phinney Neighborhood Design Guidelines
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Greenwood Building Project in Development

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Maps and Tools

Property Research

Zoning Maps
King County Parcel Viewer
Residential Permit Activity
Map Portal for Permits and Property Complaints
Side Sewer Cards & Maps

Monitor Development Projects

Shaping Seattle (Seattle Map of Projects in Development)
Seattle in Progress (Nicer Map of Projects in Design Review)

Map and Data Portals

Seattle Demographics
Map Portal for Department of Construction and Inspections
Database Portal for City Council Meetings and Legislation
Seattle Street Trees Map

Statistics

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Seattle
Greenwood Statistics

Buildings and Parks Development

Design Guidelines and Design Review Process

Greenwood / Phinney Neighborhood Design Guidelines
Citywide Design Review Guidelines
Design Review Calendar
Design Review Home page
Design Review Primer
Design Review Program Improvements page
Design Review Boards & Staff
Seattle Historic Preservation Program
Historic Seattle

Building Development Resources

Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI)
Seattle Building Code
Stormwater Code
Green Building Incentives
Director's Rules

Parks Resources

Seattle Park District
Greenwood Park - Expansion
Vision Greenwood Park (Facebook)
Greenwood Library Park
Friends of Greenwood Library Park (Facebook)
Parks Dept. Major Projects Challenge Fund Grant Program
Seattle Community Centers Strategic Plan

Policies and Zoning

City and Regional Policy Reference

Vision 2050 | Puget Sound Regional Council
Seattle Comprehensive Plan

Zoning Reference

Zoning Home Page
Zoning Map Books
Historical Zoning Maps
Land Use Code
Seattle Municipal Code Portal

HALA City-wide Zoning Change

Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda
Equitable Development Initiative
Proposed MHA Zoning and Affordability Ordinance (381 pages!)
SCALE (the group posing a legal challenge to the HALA EIS)

Backyard Cottages

Encouraging Backyard Cottages
Queen Anne Challenge to the Determination of Non-Significance
Accessory Dwelling Environmental Impact Statement
EIS Scoping Report

Parking

Parking & Car Storage Rules
Neighborhood Parking Code Review
Metro Right Size Parking Calculator
Proposed Legislation on Parking Requirements for New Development (CB 119173)

Current Local Plans and Projects

Broadview Bitter Lake Haller Lake

Blogs and Advocacy

Blogs

CityLab
Seattle City Council Insight
Planetizen
Seattle Neighborhood Coalition
Seattle Fair Growth
Seattle Subway
The Urbanist
C is for Crank (Erica Barnett)
Curbed (Seattle version)
Seattle Globalist
4 to Explore
Seattle for Growth
Outside City Hall

Advocacy

Livable Phinney
Seattle For Everyone
Sightline Institute
Futurewise
Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust
Sierra Club
Sustainable Ballard
Seattle Fair Growth

Nearby Community Councils and Groups

Crown Hill Urban Village Committee for Smart Growth
Aurora Licton Urban Village
Broadview Community News
Phinney Ridge Community Council (PRCC)
D5 Community Network (Facebook)

How to ...

Answer a Land Use Question
Make a Property or Building Complaint
Comment on a Project
Find a Customer Service Number
Find Out What's Happening In Your Neighborhood
Apply for a Permit
Address Noise Issues
Address Property Line Disputes
Be a Renter in Seattle
Answer a Building Permit Question
Sign Up for Agendas

Get Engaged

Follow Legislation

City Council Committees and Agendas
Planning, Land Use & Zoning - Council | seattle.gov
Look up City Council Legislation and Meetings

Contact City Elected Officials

Contact the Mayor's Office
Contact All City Councilmembers (email)
Debora Juarez Contact Page, District 5 (N of 85th)
Mike O'Brien Contact Page, District 6 (S of 85th)

Boards and Commissions

Seattle Design Commission
Seattle Planning Commission
Parks Oversight Committee
Board of Park Commissioners

GCC Documents and Presentations

Correspondence

2016 - Rob Johnson on Accessory Dwelling Units
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2015 - Mike O'Brien on Pedestrian Zones
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2014 - Sally Bagshaw on Library Park Funding
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2012 - Support for Pocket Bog
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2012 - Richard Conlin on Janus Apartment issues
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Documents

2013 - Greenwood-Phinney Neighborhood Design Guidelines
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2006 - Greenwood Transportation Plan
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2002 - Greenwood Town Center Plan
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1999 - Aurora-Licton Springs Neighborhood Plan
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1999 - Neighborhood Plan (Section 1)
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1999 - Neighborhood Plan (Section 2)
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1999 - Neighborhood Plan (Section 3)
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1999 - Neighborhood Plan (Section 4)
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Presentations

2017 - Library Park Meeting (Cascade Design Collaborative)
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2016 - Mandatory Housing Affordability
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Seattle Dept. Construction/Inspections Project Updates

Seattle Dept. Construction/Inspections News

Updating the City’s Stormwater Regulations
The City of Seattle is in the process of updating the Stormwater Code and the Seattle Stormwater Manual. The first draft of the updated Code and Stormwater Manual, that addresses equivalency with the State of Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) rules and permits, is nearing completion. It will be ready to be shared with you […]
Building Safety Month: Strengthening Seattle from the Ground Up
The City’s team of building inspectors learning about URM vulnerability and the scope of work associated with their retrofits May marks Building Safety Month, a time to recognize the importance of resilient infrastructure, proactive planning, and the professionals who keep our buildings — and our communities — safe. In Seattle, this observance is especially relevant […]
New Director’s Rule Published for the Green Building Standard
We’ve offered builders and developers benefits, like extra floor area and height, in exchange for meeting green building standards for 16 years. These incentives have helped create thousands of certified green buildings in Seattle, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. We recently published Draft Director’s Rule 2-2025, that supersedes Director’s Rule […]
Changes to the Preliminary Assessment Report
Starting May 1, 2025, you’ll notice some changes to the Preliminary Assessment Report (PAR). The content isn’t changing but the location of some of it will be moving. A PAR is a preliminary review of Master Use Permit projects and new construction applications by SDCI, the Seattle Department of Transportation, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), and […]
Changes to Our Covenant Forms
As part of your permit application, you may have been asked to complete a Potential Landslide Area Covenant, a Liquefaction-Prone Area Covenant, or a Peat Settlement-Prone Area Covenant. We’ve removed the suggested insurance language from the forms, and we’ve modified the signature page. We’ll still accept the older versions of the covenants. Photo Courtesy of Tim Durkan
Landlord Workshop
Come to City Hall for a landlord workshop, on May 22, that explores all of Seattle’s rental regulations and fair housing laws from move-in to move-out. This 4-hour workshop starts at 10:00 a.m., breaks for lunch at noon and resumes at 1:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m. We’ll have guests from Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities […]
OSE BEPS Rulemaking Public Webinars and Building Decarbonization Grants
The Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) is hosting a webinar to solicit feedback from stakeholders to inform its drafting of the Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS) Director’s Rule May 22, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Register here. Looking for financial support to get your building ready for BEPS? OSE is taking applications for […]
April Publication Update
Tips Updated Director’s Rules Draft
Seattle Proclaims Month of May as Building Safety Month
Seattle marks 60th anniversary of 1965 earthquake with renewed call for unreinforced masonry retrofits amid federal and state setbacks On the 60th anniversary of the devasting 1965 Seattle earthquake, the City is reaffirming its commitment to seismic safety and resilience through the retrofitting of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings, which are most at risk of damage […]
March Publication Update
Updated Tips

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