For some who've lived in the neighborhood for a while,  the current zoning proposal is part of a longer conversation about how Seattle should grow. This section describes some key milestones and concepts that may come up in conversation.

Ancient history: Greenwood was settled as a streetcar suburb to Seattle. The Greenwood business district was located just outside the city boundary, and was a stop along the Interurban trolley line to Everett. The bog was filled in long ago for the shopping center and houses north of it. The current zoning hasn't changed much since then.

1990's introduction of growth management: In the 1990s Washington passed the Growth Management Act requiring cities to prepare comprehensive plans describing where growth should be directed and what services and infrastructure will be needed to accommodate it.

Growth targets: Seattle's long range growth targets are defined by countywide planning policies adopted by King County that are must be consistent with the regional growth plan Vision 2040 adopted by the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC). The PSRC is a federally-recognized planning group for the four-county King, Snohomish, Pierce and Kitsap county region, of which Seattle and all other cities are members.

The Urban Village strategy: Seattle prepared its first Comprehensive Plan in 1994, notable for its "urban village" strategy. At the time most growth was occurring in the suburbs and Seattle's population was stable or shrinking. The plan did not  propose zoning increases, instead it recognized that single family land was filled, so all new development would occur in areas zoned for higher-density multi-family buildings. The urban village strategy was to concentrate city investment in the areas with higher density zoning to ensure they would be walkable, high-quality urban places with access to parks, schools and public services. 

Neighborhood planning: To implement the urban village strategy Seattle carried out an aggressive program of neighborhood planning across the city. Seattle helped convene self-organized planning groups and provided facilitation support and a small subsidy for consultants to prepare neighborhood plans to define urban village boundaries and assess investment needs. Greenwood and Phinney Ridge prepared a neighborhood plan together, and - because the objective was to define infrastructure needs - defined an unusual urban village boundary stretching the length of Greenwood Avenue between the two neighborhoods, thinking it would bring investment to both neighborhoods. (The neighborhood plan documents are accessible from the GCC main website page in four sections). The current definition of the urban village is shown below; the new zoning would redraw and broaden the boundaries.

Greenwood Town Center plan: In 2002 Greenwood obtained a grant from Seattle's Office of Economic Development for a Town Center plan. GCC worked with city departments, the Greenwood Shopping Center, the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber (now defunct) and Fred Meyer to develop a more physical plan for the area including and around the Greenwood Shopping Center, which was considering expansion and redevelopment options. The plan addressed potential complementary land uses, urban design and transportation issues, and significant public outreach. resulting in new Greenwood-specific neighborhood design guidelines, and informing the shopping center's development strategy. Subsequently, members of GCC lobbied to upzone the shopping center from its former auto-oriented zoning to allow up to six-story mixed use development.

Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA): Around 2016 Seattle convened housing developers and advocates to develop a "grand bargain." In exchange for increasing height limits across the city and incremental zoning changes, developers would agree not to contest a proposed mandatory housing affordability program requiring developers to set aside 6% of new units (or cash equivalent) for affordable housing. Aside from building height increases, formerly single-family lots within urban village boundaries were re-zoned to allow lowrise apartments and townhouses. This prompted rapid redevelopment nearby in the Crown Hill and Aurora-Licton Springs neighborhoods.

Accessory dwelling units legislation: In 2019 Seattle passed new accessory dwelling unit (ADU) legislation applying to all lots then zoned as single family across the city. The ADU language allows three units to be developed on any formerly single-family lot, either as a triplex, or with one attached and one detached unit (called a DADU). Seattle changed the name of single family zoning to Neighborhood Residential in recognition that up to three units can be built in any lot across the city.

2023 House Bill 1110: The 2023 Legislature passed HB 1110 to allow "missing middle" housing wherever current local law limits development to single family houses (with some exceptions). Local jurisdictions must propose changes to zoning laws to allow four units in formerly single family zones, and six units in locations near frequent transit. The legislation found rare bipartisan agreement in the Legislature, uniting progressive and libertarian principles.

Greenwood has traditional "town center" style downtown area surrounded mostly be single family houses. Apartments are clustered northeast of the downtown area and along the arterials. The new zoning would open roughly a 10x10 block area around the town center for up to five-story apartments, as shown here.

All areas shaded brown below are current neighborhood residential (former single family) zones that would change to lowrise apartment zoning marked L1, L2 or L3 indicating subtle differences in height and massing. L3 is the tallest at five stories, transitioning down to lower densities so reduce the impact on adjacent neighborhood residential (formerly single family) lots. Areas in orange would see a 10' height increase.

Here is a larger, more detailed map  [download]   [view]

Here are examples Seattle has provided of the types of buildings that could be built in lowrise 3 zones; similar but smaller buildings would be allowed in LR2 and LR1 zones.

Two new areas are proposed as neighborhood centers - one is centered on NW Holman Road at 3rd NW, and the other is centered on Greenwood N at N 65th St. Lots nearby with single family houses would be rezoned to allow apartment buildings. All areas shaded brown would be changed to lowrise zoning marked L1, L2 or L3 indicating subtle differences in height and massing. L3 is the tallest, transitioning down to lower densities so reduce the impact on adjacent neighborhood residential (formerly single family) lots.

Here's the map for Holman Rd. For a larger map:  [download]   [view]

And here's the map for Phinney Ridge. For a larger map:  [download]   [view]

Here are examples Seattle has provided of the types of buildings that could be built in lowrise 3 zones; similar but smaller buildings would be allowed in LR2 and LR1 zones.

A proposed zoning change would allow up to four units to be built on any residential lot, and in some areas close to frequent bus service 6 units would be allowed as long as two of them are considered affordable. This change would make Seattle consistent with a state law (HB 1110) passed in 2023 affecting zoning statewide intended to remove constraints to development and improve affordability by increasing housing supply.

Seattle describes their approach to this change here; it includes examples of what compliant buildings might look like. Legislation to implement this change to neighborhood residential zones (formerly called single family) is here (warning, it's 254 pages and few have read it yet). The legislation addresses changes to parking requirements, lot coverage, tree retention, and other development rules. As we learn more about the legislation this page will be updated.

Here are some examples of the buildings Seattle envisions in neighborhood residential zones that would be consistent with the new legislation. Options include a range of styles from quadplexes, flats, to separate buildings stacked behind each other.

The proposed zoning changes are intended to accommodate expected population growth and address an imbalance between housing demand and supply that exacerbates the high cost of housing. However there are other potential impacts to the community and the people currently living here that the community council hopes to explore and get feedback on.

The changes will have positive and negative effects on the neighborhood, and on you and your household. Both are important, and in some cases they may be in conflict. Here are some questions we're thinking about to start the discussion:

Questions about how proposed changes will affect the neighborhood

• How quickly will developers respond to new zoning? Will change happen rapidly and be disruptive, or evolve over time?
• What types of houses are likely to be redeveloped first, and which will take longer to transition?
• Will new housing be more affordable than what it replaces? Will new supply bring down costs?
• Will new units be built to accommodate children?
• How will new zoning affect who will (or can) live in the neighborhood? Will there be more or fewer families with children? Will new residents be wealthier or more diverse?
• Will more density improve business success or the types of businesses that can thrive in Greenwood?
• What will happen to traffic and transportation? How will it affect schools, library and park use?

Questions about how proposed changes will affect you and your neighbors

• Will a rezone make your property value increase? How will it affect taxes?
• If you own a home, will you be able to sell it if buyers are worried about rapid change?
• How will you respond if your neighbors sell to a developer - will you be happy to leave if you're compensated, stand your ground or move reluctantly?
• Will you still know your neighbors and will your experience of the neighborhood change?
• How will you weigh potential benefits to the neighborhood of increased density and housing availability vs. the impacts it will have on you and your family? How should Seattle weigh this?

If you want to suggest other questions we should be asking, or factual changes we should correct to this page, please email us.