West Green Lake
Community Group

West Green Lake Community GroupWest Green Lake Community GroupWest Green Lake Community Group
  • About Us
  • What's Happening?
    • What is HB 1110?
    • What is HB 1491?
    • What is the "Comp" Plan?
  • What We Support
    • What We Support and Why
  • Take Action
    • Make Your Opinion Known
    • Contact us
  • More
    • About Us
    • What's Happening?
      • What is HB 1110?
      • What is HB 1491?
      • What is the "Comp" Plan?
    • What We Support
      • What We Support and Why
    • Take Action
      • Make Your Opinion Known
      • Contact us

West Green Lake
Community Group

West Green Lake Community GroupWest Green Lake Community GroupWest Green Lake Community Group
  • About Us
  • What's Happening?
    • What is HB 1110?
    • What is HB 1491?
    • What is the "Comp" Plan?
  • What We Support
    • What We Support and Why
  • Take Action
    • Make Your Opinion Known
    • Contact us

Welcome!

Let's have Seattle housing that's abundant, high quality and affordable.

Let's have Seattle housing that's abundant, high quality and affordable.Let's have Seattle housing that's abundant, high quality and affordable.Let's have Seattle housing that's abundant, high quality and affordable.

We advocate for more abundant and affordable Seattle housing while PRESERVING the nature of our neighborhoods.

Our Mission

The West Green Lake Community Group is dedicated to advocating for increased housing development in our neighborhood and throughout Seattle. We want to ensure our communities welcome new neighbors and thrive, while at the same time maintaining each neighborhood's positive features.

in a nutshell

Seattle upzoning by the city and state is in the final stages. Is it right for your neighborhood?

There are three pieces of Seattle housing legislation going on right now for you to be aware of.  Each one affects the future of our neighborhoods in different ways and is in a different stage of implementation. They are:


1. State House Bill HB 1110 was passed in 2023. It mandates "Middle Housing" (4 to 6 units) to be allowed on all residential lots throughout the state. 


Current stage: Passed. Cities are required to send their form of compliance to the State by June 30, 2025. Seattle's bill, called the "Interim Legislation", was passed by the City Council on May 27th. The Seattle version includes state-mandated requirements, yes, but with extra allowances built in, that pave the way for the not-yet-adopted Mayor's Comp Plan. (See below.) You can read the full legislation here.


2. State House Bill HB 1491, which the Governor has just signed, mandates high-density, multi-unit, residential buildings within 1/4 mile or 1/2 mile of transportation "stations", which includes all Light Rail and Rapid Ride stops.


Current stage: Passed. Since this was just signed on May 13, we are learning about the ramifications of it and how it will apply in each of our neighborhoods.


3. The One Seattle Plan, or "Comp Plan", is a growth strategy for Seattle that goes way beyond increases in housing already required by HB 1110 and HB 1491. This "Mayor's Plan" creates 30 newly-defined and newly upzoned "Neighborhood Centers" throughout the city, and adds significant height and density to already existing Urban and Regional Centers.


Current stage: Not passed. This proposal is in an ongoing process of discussion, presentations, public feedback, etc., and is scheduled to be taken up by the City Council over the Summer, and voted on in September. You can see the timeline for consideration of the One Seattle Plan here.


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You can learn more about each of these legislations below on this page, as well as on more detailed designated pages for each. Also see our page on why it is important to be very conscious about what we pass now and how it will affect our city for years to come. (See below and on the main dropdown menu.)


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Brief background: The majority of us in West Green Lake only learned about these proposed changes to our neighborhood through an anonymous flyer left at our doorsteps on December 15, 2024, saying "URGENT: public feedback to the OPCD (Office of Planning and Community Development) closes December 20"!


Since then, we have learned this was the same for many neighborhoods that would be designated and upzoned as "Neighborhood Centers". Many hundreds of residents have been scrambling to understand and respond to these complex and sweeping proposed changes.


The Mayor's dramatically expanded plan is in the final process of public feedback, appeals, amendments, revisions, etc., and will then go back to the City Council for adoption.


There is still time to make our voices heard.


HB 1110 and the "Interim Legislation", Seattle's fulfillment of the state mandate.

THE ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS BY THE STATE:


In short, this requires the city to allow four to six units on all residential lots throughout the city. Here are the core requirements.


  • Middle Housing Types: Cities must allow a range of middle housing types on all residential lots. This can include duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, courtyard apartments, and cottage housing.


  • Unit Allowance: Cities must allow at least four units on all residential lots, and at least six units if located within a quarter mile of a major transit stop or if at least two units are affordable. Note: In Seattle, developers can opt to pay a fee to the city instead of actually providing affordable units and still get the additional number-of-units benefit.


  • Design Review and Parking: The bill mandates the streamlining of design review processes and restricts the ability to require off-street parking. 


IMPORTANT UPDATE:  Seattle's version of how this bill will be implemented, the so-called "Interim Legislation" was just passed by the City Council on May 27. 


It not only contains the state requirements of HB 1110, but contains additional provisions that pave the way for the Mayor's Comp Plan, such as:


  • increased height allowances
  • increased allowable lot coverage
  • decreased allowable lot size
  • decreased front and back setbacks


The Mayor's Comp Plan will be taken up separately starting in June. There will be opportunities for public input. (See below)

HB 1491, or "Transit-Oriented Development"

HB 1491, was signed by the Governor on May 13th. It promotes "transit-oriented development" by requiring cities to allow increased housing density near transit "stations" like light rail, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit. 


Specifically, cities must allow increased height, lot coverage, and number of units (apartment buildings and condos) within a 0.5-mile radius of light rail, commuter rail, and streetcar stops, and within a 0.25-mile radius of bus rapid transit stops. The bill also includes provisions for affordable housing and mandates that cities planning under RCW 36.70A.040 allow multifamily residential housing in these station areas. It also allows no additional parking to be provided for the increase of residents to the area.


It allows 5-6 story (+), buildings along all of these routes.


Here's a more detailed breakdown:

  • Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) The bill's primary goal is to encourage the development of housing near public transportation hubs. 
  • Required Density Cities are mandated to allow for more residential density within specific distances of various transit stations, including light rail, commuter rail, and bus rapid transit. 
  • Affordable Housing The bill includes provisions related to affordable housing, ensuring a certain percentage of units in new developments meet affordability requirements. 
  • Minimum Floor Area Ratios The bill mandates that cities establish minimum floor area ratios for developments in station areas, further promoting higher density (higher buildings) and more efficient use of land. 
  • Reduced Parking Requirements The legislation outlines regulations that prevent cities from requiring off-street parking for residential or mixed-use developments in station areas, encouraging the use of public transit. 
  • Grant Program HB 1491 establishes a grant program to help cities develop infrastructure for TOD, facilitating the implementation of the bill's provisions. ("upon appropriation")
  • Inclusionary Zoning The bill's approach to affordability, known as inclusionary zoning, requires developers to include a certain percentage of affordable units in their projects (or pay into a fund).


-  From the Sightline Institute - (italics added).


Mayor Harrell's "One Seattle Plan", or "Comp Plan"

This City proposal has not passed. It is under consideration now.


The mayor’s proposed plan adds to both HB 1110 and HB 1491 by:

 

· Creating “Neighborhood Centers”: newly defined and upzoned “Neighborhood Centers” (30 of them), would be established throughout the city.

· Redefining and upzoning existing areas: expanding and upzoning existing Regional and Urban Centers, Commercial Centers and areas along frequent transit arterials.


 And,


  • Decreasing front and back setbacks from sidewalks (from currently 20 feet to 15 or 10 feet) and alleys (0 feet).
  • Increasing the allowed footprint of structures on residential lots, decreasing space for yards, trees, gardens, etc.
  • Increasing the height limit to encourage multi-unit apartment buildings. 
  • Allowing no off-street parking to be provided.


The One Seattle Plan, which can be viewed in its entirety here, aims to create a more equitable and affordable future for the city, taking steps to make neighborhoods more economically and racially inclusive. 


We fully support the goals of abundance and affordability of housing. We are not convinced that would be the result.

If you want even more detailed information, see these designated pages:

What is state HB 1110 and what does it do?

What is state HB 1110 and what does it do?

What is state HB 1110 and what does it do?

Washington has passed HB 1110, which affects Seattle housing.

HB1110 is the already mandated state plan that requires cities to allow "Middle Housing": 4 to 6 units on all residential lots, depending on their proximity to major transit. It allows developers to qualify for six units if two are affordable (or, in Seattle), they pay into a city fund instead). The so-called "Interim Legislation" was passed by the City Council on May 27th and will be sent to the State by June 30th.

In-Depth

What is state HB 1491 and what does it do?

What is state HB 1110 and what does it do?

What is state HB 1110 and what does it do?

As of May 13, 2024, state bill HB 1491, also known as "Transit-Oriented Development", or TOD, has passed and been signed by the Governor. HB 1491 allows 5-6 (or more) story residential buildings (apartments) to be build 1/4 mile from Rapid Ride stops - "stations" - or 1/2 mile from Light Rail "stations" throughout Washington State. We can still influence how this will affect West Green Lake and beyond .

In-Depth

What is the Mayor's One Seattle Comp plan and what would it do?

What is the Mayor's One Seattle Comp plan and what would it do?

What is the Mayor's One Seattle Comp plan and what would it do?

The Mayor's One Seattle "Comp" Plan goes beyond HB 1110 and HB 1491 to upzone significantly in newly defined areas, such as 30 designated "Neighborhood Centers"  located throughout the city, including West Green Lake. It specifically encourages increased heights for apartment buildings with no additional parking, narrower setbacks from sidewalks, larger building footprint (less green space) and more. This will be taken up by the Council this summer. The "Interim Legislation" to comply with HB 1110, just passed by the City Council, adds elements of the Comp Plan, we think, prematurely. 

In-Depth

Why we support the solution we do.

What is the Mayor's One Seattle Comp plan and what would it do?

What is the Mayor's One Seattle Comp plan and what would it do?

The goal of affordable housing in a city that has become too expensive for so many is a goal we all share. However, there are important ramifications, unanswered questions, and concerns about these proposals that should be addressed before we adopt a template for future construction that may not result in the quality affordable housing the plan promises and we all want and need. Even though the Council did not pass a perfectly  "clean" version of HB 1110 as we would have preferred, there is still time to address concerns while the Mayor's Comp Plan is being considered this summer. What do you think?

Our Reasoning

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