Look ahead 20 years in one night: ‘Draft One Seattle Plan’ WS open house Wednesday

| Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

As reported here last month, the city is revising the Comprehensive Plan – meant to look ahead 20 years, but updated every 10 years or so – and hosting open houses for info, Q&A, and comments. The West Seattle open house for what’s now called the Draft One Seattle Plan is tomorrow night (Wednesday, April 3), 6-7:30 pm at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle). Our March report looked at some of the changes envisioned for District 1; here’s a map featured in D-1 City Councilmember Rob Saka‘s latest newsletter:

Share your thoughts and get your questions answered by dropping in at any time during tomorrow’s event. You can browse the full draft plan here; see the full list of upcoming events (including an online meeting) here; provide comments online here (May 6 is the deadline).

David April 2, 2024 (4:52 pm)

It would be interesting to see the plan from 20 or 10 years ago to know if these plans are accurate or just another City of Seattle wastes of time and taxpayers dollars

WSB April 2, 2024 (6:35 pm)

It’s all online!
Dan April 3, 2024 (9:01 am)

The Comprehensive Plan is required to be updated every decade, so they have to spend the money anyways, but importantly the Comprehensive Plan is more a reflection of what the City code allows to be built than what the City is proposing be built. In addition to this draft update establishing zoning that won’t allow for enough housing to accommodate the City’s projected growth over 20 years, not all of the housing they allow would be guaranteed to be built anyways, especially because the City isn’t doing much to make permitting easier. Would strongly encourage folks to share their ideas on how we can make Seattle more affordable and more capable of accommodating much needed housing.

Jeff April 3, 2024 (8:21 am)

I cannot believe how little density there is. Need a map of all blue to get out of this housing crisis. Homes are way too expensive.

Alki Seltzer April 3, 2024 (2:23 pm)

Increased density doesn’t equal affordability. In 1990 Seattle’s population density was 6,146 and homes were affordable. Today’s density is 8,928 and prices are out of reach for most.
- K April 3, 2024 (4:37 pm)
  
  Pricing is based on supply and demand. The more units are available, the less competition there is for units, so the prices stabilize. When you have something people need, and there’s a shortage of that thing, you can charge whatever you want for it, which is what’s happening right now. We need to build housing faster than people are moving here, which we are not.
Jim April 3, 2024 (2:37 pm)

Then maybe they could stop jacking up property taxes and allowing perfectly good homes to be torn down for overpriced condos

Jay April 3, 2024 (9:27 am)

I’d love to see all zoning lifted. I live pretty far from any blue zone
because those areas are expensive, but I’d love it if a cafe could open
in my neighborhood. Or what about neighborhood groceries? In many places around the world you have big box shops for your main shopping trips but every neighborhood has a small grocery where you can pick up the staples and snacks. Even just one X/1 in each neighborhood with
businesses on the bottom floor would be great.

Matthew April 3, 2024 (7:38 pm)

I attended the event and a little surprised to see Rob Saka wasn’t there.

WSB April 3, 2024 (9:44 pm)

According to reporter Sean Golonka, who covered the open house for WSB (story up shortly), Saka’s chief of staff was there and said he wasn’t able to attend because it’s his wife’s birthday.

Scarlett April 3, 2024 (8:52 pm)

We are going the route of Switzerland where over 60% of the populations are renters because of unaffordability. Why? Failed “easy money” monetary policies that have ballooned assets making single family homes unaffordable. There is no easy way out for the fed now and no solution short of massive government intervention as we had in the early 20th century. Unless, of course, we have something of a “black swan” event that causes a precipitous decline in home prices.