Livable Seattle on Multi-Family Updates

In late 2007, Seattle's Department of Planning and Development, at the direction of Mayor Nickels, put forth a proposal for code changes to multi-family zoning rules. These "updates" actually substantially rewrite sections of the multi-family code in place for years. If adopted as proposed, they will dramatically alter how even the smallest multi-family parcels will look. The proposal is currently being reconsidered with the help of the Planning Commission.

March 6, 2008	Commentary on the proposed multi-family updates. A letter to the City Council that 1) details how the proposed draft erroneously bestowed a DNS actually compounds existing problems, 2) proposes an action plan and, 3) outlines Seattle’s struggle to moderate it’s built environment. This document includes history, photographs of good/bad multi-family homes, analysis of lot coverage suggested by these updates, and an action plan for addressing the unintended outcomes of these updates.
March 6, 2008	Four Point Seattle City Council Action Plan. The action items only from the above complete document.
March 6, 2008	Seattle, Home to Over a Million People! - 1911-Present. This is Appendix G in the complete commentary above. Several people working on policy issues like affordable housing and zoning might find this study of varability in population projections interesting.