Neiman Taber Architects

This Comprehensive Plan cycle is going to be a big fight. Mayor Harrell has published a first draft, the reviews are in, and it seems the consensus among housing nerds is that they are deeply underwhelmed. If you’re not a ride-or-die YIMBY activist and you’re not sure what to think about all of this, Patrick Taylor from our office has an excellent piece in The Urbanist that explains where the draft plan has failed to meet the moment, and what a more considered comprehensive growth plan would look like.

Op-Ed: Six Ways to Improve Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan - The Urbanist Suggestions to improve the One Seattle plan include allow bigger buildings, embrace transit-oriented development, and jettison parking requirements. We can create a Seattle that pulls the working class in rather than pushing them out.

The newly enacted House Bill 1293 mandates that design review processes be limited to a single public meeting, be based only on clear and objective standards, and that the review timeline must be concurrent or logically integrated with the overall building permit review. At first glance, this might appear to be a tweak of the program, trimming its scope and timeline. In practice, it is likely to require a total transformation, if not outright elimination of Seattle’s Design Review program. See here for a long-form discussion of the potential implications of this new law:

Time to Dump Design Review for Seattle Housing Projects? Frustration with the program’s effectiveness, cost, and dampening effect on housing development has led a broad coalition of housing advocates to call for the curtailment or outright elimination of…