Seattle Comprehensive Plan: AIA Work Group

Members, Get Engaged! AIA Seattle Position on Draft Comprehensive Plan

AIA Seattle believes the vision for City of Seattle should be a livable city with a variety of housing near many types of amenities, retail cores, and transit that appeals to and is accessible to everyone, where everything residents need can be reached within 15 minutes by walking, rolling, or public transit. 

AIA Seattle Members are encouraged to get active and share input to impact the future of the City of Seattle by (1) attending an upcoming Open House and (2) creating a profile on the engagement hub to share written comments 

AIA Seattle’s input on the Draft Comprehensive Plan includes multiple recommendations which members can use as talking points, based on place types within the proposed plan.

DOWNLOAD AIA Seattle’s Draft Comprehensive Plan recommendations HERE

Urban Centers/ Regional Centers 

Recommendation:

• Expand the number of Urban Centers around parks, open spaces and waterfront areas, even if they are on the periphery of the city.

Neighborhood Centers 

Recommendations:

• Include in the final Comprehensive Plan all 42 potential areas studied in the DEIS as Neighborhood Centers. AIA members, do you live near one of the potential neighborhood centers that was studied but not included in the Draft Comp Plan? Share details about your neighborhood and why it has potential to improve livability as a Neighborhood Center!
• In the final EIS, study the addition of Neighborhood Centers within ¾ of a mile of every parcel not already served by more dense areas such Corridors, Urban Centers, or Regional Centers.
• Consider Neighborhood Centers within ½ mile of each other a single Neighborhood Center
• Increase the maximum height limit in Neighborhood Centers to be no less than five stories (the maximum Seattle allows for solely wood construction) with a bonus of three additional stories for projects that are deemed affordable by the City

Urban Neighborhoods/Neighborhood Residential 

Recommendations:

• Allow flexibility for more housing types such as stacked flats and not just creating rules that only incentivize townhouses
• Remove Floor Area Ratio (FAR) as a limiting factor in the draft EIS and as part of the Comprehensive Plan
  • if FAR must remain, the FAR requirement should at least meet the Department of Commerce guidelines (1.2 for 4 units) and preferably higher
  • incentivize retention of existing houses by not counting them towards lot coverage/ FAR/ unit count

• Increase the maximum lot coverage beyond 50%
• Remove unit limits
  • if unit limits remain, allowing AADUs within structures (not pedunculated) without counting such AADUs towards number of units on parcel

• Allow subdivision of parcels by right so homeowners can stay in their homes and sell off parcels
• Eliminate parking mandates while providing on street EV charging

Corner Lots 

 Recommendation:

• Expand corner store concept to allow greater flexibility of uses for corner lots and through lots to encourage development. Greater flexibility should include:
  • Variety of use, not just retail or food restaurant, including clinics, live-work, office, community space, daycare
  • Increase in maximum building height to allow appropriate interior 12′-0″ to 14′-0″ height necessary for ground level retail
  • Setback flexibility to include zero lot line structures
  • Simplify/ reduce tree, stormwater and utility requirements to incentivize development
  • Allow by right subdivision of these parcels
  • Allow taller heights and greater lot coverage/ FAR by right even if only including housing
  • Corner lot use of adjacent small open spaces such as parklets 

Corridors 

Recommendations:

• Expand the definition of Corridors as communicated in the draft plan with an increased walkshed, increased allowed height, elimination of FAR or at least increase FAR requirements to the minimum embodied in the TOD bills HB 1517/SB 5466.
• Leverage the right of way for multi-modal transportation and consider future policies to incentivize land owners to participate in such systems
• Create affordable housing development bonuses in Corridor areas
• Consider and coordinate corridor development with transportation plans

Comp Plan Work Group
Meets every 1st Wednesday, 12-1 pm
Email Melissa K. Neher for the calendar invites

Comp Plan email sign up
Email Melissa K. Neher to be added to our list for email updates on our work on the Comp Plan and related programming.

Seattle’s update of its Major Comprehensive Plan (2022-24) is arguably one of the most critical points in the city’s history. Required by the state to plan for how the city will accommodate growth over the next two decades, the Comp Plan will address crucial questions around how we distribute opportunity, what our neighborhoods should look like, and what changes we need to make to create a more sustainable and resilient city.

AIA Seattle members have come together to move forward positions for a livability 15 minute city!

• How can we harness architects’ skills and experience to inform questions and ideas about how Seattle will grow?
• How can we engage the public in design thinking around housing, complete neighborhoods, access, and more?
• And how can we use our understanding of land use code to promote equitable opportunity and prevent displacement?

We’re looking to tackle these questions and more as we engage in discussion, design experimentation, and deep thinking about Seattle’s future.

You can be part of this effort by joining our Comp Plan Work Group. Contact Melissa K. Neher for more information.