CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION identifying proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments to be considered for possible adoption in 2021 and requesting that the Office of Planning and Community Development and the Seattle Planning Commission review and make recommendations about proposed amendments.
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WHEREAS, under the Washington State Growth Management Act, chapter 36.70A RCW, The City of Seattle (“City”) is required to have a comprehensive land use plan (“Comprehensive Plan”) and to review that plan on a regular schedule; and
WHEREAS, except in limited circumstances, the Growth Management Act allows the City to amend the Comprehensive Plan only once a year; and
WHEREAS, the City adopted a Comprehensive Plan through Ordinance 117221 in 1994, and most recently adopted amendments to its Comprehensive Plan through the Ordinance introduced as Council Bill 119838; and
WHEREAS, Resolution 31807 prescribes the procedures and criteria by which proposals for amendments to the Comprehensive Plan are solicited from the public and selected for analysis and possible adoption, a process known as setting the Comprehensive Plan docket; and
WHEREAS, due to delays in adopting this resolution due to the COVID-19 Civil Emergency, the Council recognizes that some of the timelines in Resolution 31807 should be amended; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE THAT:
Section 1. Comprehensive Plan docket of amendments to be analyzed by the Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) in 2021. The Council requests that OPCD analyze the following amendments to the Comprehensive Plan and make recommendations to the Mayor and City Council (“Council”) for consideration in 2021:
A. 5600 block of 15th Avenue NE. Application to extend the boundary of the University District Urban Center to include eight properties fronting the west side of 15th Avenue NE between NE 56th Street and NE Ravenna Boulevard as shown in Clerk File 321701.
B. West Seattle Bridge. In consultation with the Seattle Department of Transportation and the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI), review of the Transportation and Land Use Elements to assess whether any changes should be made due to the closure of the West Seattle Bridge.
C. Trees. In consultation with the Urban Forestry Commission, Office of Sustainability and the Environment and SDCI review of policies in the Comprehensive Plan related to trees and urban forests, to identify opportunities to better support the urban tree canopy. In developing recommendations, the Executive should consider whether there are any changes proposed in the amendment petitions listed in subsections 5(C) and 5(I) of this resolution, that would be appropriate to be included in the Comprehensive Plan.
D. New name for Single-Family areas. Consistent with Resolutions 31870 and 31896, recommend an alternative name for single-family areas and zones, such as Neighborhood Residential, and propose Comprehensive Plan amendments and any associated land use code amendments to implement this change.
E. N 130th St. and I-5. Preliminary changes to the Future Land Use Map and Comprehensive Plan goals and policies related to the station area around the future 130th and I-5 light rail station as described in Resolutions 31870 and 31896.
F. Industrial and Maritime Strategy. Preliminary changes to industrial and maritime goals and policies to support those economic sectors and job opportunities within those sectors as recommended by the Seattle Industrial & Maritime Strategy.
Section 2. Other amendments to the Comprehensive Plan. The Council requests that OPCD analyze the following amendments as part of the Comprehensive Plan docket and either provide a recommendation to the Mayor and City Council for consideration in 2021 alongside the amendments in Section 1, or provide an update on the status of each of these items and a work program and timeline for completing analysis:
A. South Park. Assess whether the South Park neighborhood meets the criteria for urban village designation and provide a report to Council as described in Resolutions 31870 and 31896.
B. N 130th Street and I-5. Specific to the area surrounding the future light rail station at North 130th Street and Interstate 5, along with other City departments, support community-based planning work to develop a proposal to establish an urban village with transit-supportive development capacity and urban village-level amenities, such as transit-oriented development, childcare, and housing.
C. Fossil fuels and public health. In consultation with the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, the Office of Sustainability, and the Environmental Justice Committee, draft, evaluate, undertake environmental review and provide recommendations for potential amendments to the Environment, Land Use, or Utilities Elements of the Comprehensive Plan that would clarify the City’s intent to protect the public health and meet its climate goals by limiting fossil fuel production and storage as described in Resolution 31896.
D. Maritime and Industrial Policies. Changes to Comprehensive Plan goals and policies recommended by the Seattle Industrial and Maritime Strategy to: strengthen policy protections for core industrial areas near major infrastructure and in areas necessary for supporting water dependent uses; improve equitable access to well-paying jobs; encourage maritime, manufacturing, and logistics-connected employment in transit-oriented development near existing or high capacity transit nodes within manufacturing/industrial centers; and encourage a healthy, walkable, and visitor-oriented land use vision for industrial areas near urban villages or residential populations.
Section 3. Other Comprehensive Plan amendments that may be considered by the City Council in 2021. The City Council may also consider the following amendments in 2021:
A. Impact fee amendments. Consistent with Resolution 31762, the Council intends to consider potential amendments to the Comprehensive Plan necessary to support implementation of an impact fee program for: public streets, roads, and other transportation improvements. This impact fee work may include amendments to update or replace level-of-service standards or to add impact fee project lists in the Capital Facilities Element and amendments to other elements or maps in the Comprehensive Plan, as appropriate. The Council may also consider impact fee amendments related to publicly owned parks, open space, and recreation facilities and school facilities.
Section 4. Request for review and recommendations. The Council requests that OPCD review the amendments contained in Section 1 of this resolution; conduct public and environmental reviews of the amendments listed in that Section; and present its analyses and the Mayor’s recommendations to the Planning Commission and to the City Council by March 31, 2021, for Council review and consideration. The Council requests that OPCD review the amendments contained in Section 2 of this resolution and either conduct public and environmental review of those amendments or provide a report back to the Council regarding status and timeline for completion of review by March 31, 2021. The Council will conduct public and environmental reviews of the amendment listed in Section 3 and will seek to transmit a draft proposal to the Seattle Planning Commission for their review and comment by March 31, 2021. Following OPCD’s and the Council’s recommendations on the Comprehensive Plan amendments, the Council requests that by May 31, 2021, the Seattle Planning Commission provide comments and recommendations on amendments to the Comprehensive Plan forwarded by OPCD and the Council.
Section 5. Comprehensive Plan amendments that will not be considered in 2021. The Council rejects the following proposed amendments for docketing for the 2021 timeframe, the full texts of which proposals are contained in Clerk File 321701:
A. Application to cease use of potential landslide area covenants.
B. Application to amend the Transportation Element to discourage pedestrian grade separations such as skybridges, aerial trams, or tunnels.
C. Application to amend the Land Use Element to clarify policies related to yards and trees.
D. Application to add an Open and Participatory Budget element or appendix.
E. Application to amend the Land Use Element to discourage demolition of residences and displacement of residents.
F. Application to amend the Transportation Element to minimize damage to streets from heavy vehicles.
G. Application to amend the Comprehensive Plan to require monitoring of development and a special review procedure related to development.
H. Application to amend the Land Use Element to require zone and rezone criteria and public notice, outreach, and inclusiveness.
I. Application to amend various sections of the Comprehensive Plan to support the protection of trees.
Adopted by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2020, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of _________________________, 2020.
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President ____________ of the City Council
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2020.
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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)