SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL - Record No: CB 120749

• Record No: CB 120749
• Version: 2
• Council Bill No: CB 120749
• Type: Council Bill (CB)
• Status: Full Council Agenda Ready
• Current Controlling Legislative Body: Land Use Committee
• On agenda: 5/14/2024
• Title: AN ORDINANCE relating to land use and zoning; amending Section 23.47A.012 of the Seattle Municipal Code to provide a 10-foot height limit exception in commercial zones in a portion of the Georgetown neighborhood.
• Sponsors: Tammy J. Morales
• Supporting documents: 1. Summary and Fiscal Note v2, 2. Summary and Fiscal Note v1, 3. Summary Att 1 - SEPA DNS, 4. Summary Att 2 - Area Map, 5. Director’s Report, 6. Central Staff Memo and Amendment 1, 7. Presentation (4/17/24)

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
5/1/2024	1	Land Use Committee	pass as amended	Pass
4/17/2024	1	Land Use Committee	discussed
3/12/2024	1	City Council	referred
2/12/2024	1	Council President's Office	sent for review
1/31/2024	1	City Clerk	sent for review
1/31/2024	1	Mayor	Mayor's leg transmitted to Council

CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to land use and zoning; amending Section 23.47A.012 of the Seattle Municipal Code to provide a 10-foot height limit exception in commercial zones in a portion of the Georgetown neighborhood.
body
WHEREAS, a 9.7 acre area of the Georgetown neighborhood along 4th Avenue South between S. Fidalgo Street and S. Dawson Street has been zoned commercial since the 1970s and the existing Commercial 1 zone that applies to the area allows a broad mix of commercial and residential uses and the height limit is 75 feet; and
WHEREAS, Watershed Community Development (WCD), formerly known as the Georgetown Community Development Authority (GCDA) was formed in 2019 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and operates affordable artist and artisan work spaces; and
WHEREAS, WCD is seeking to develop a mixed-use development that if fully built would include approximately 900 homes along with childcare, community resources, and cultural institutions on multiple blocks on land it owns in a portion of the 9.7 acre Commercial 1 zoned area; and
WHEREAS, numerous other properties in the 9.7 acre area are not owned by WCD and could be developed with a broad mix of commercial and residential uses; and
WHEREAS, the 9.7 acre area is completely surrounded by land designated Manufacturing Industrial Center (MIC) on the City's Future Land Use Map and is in an industrial zone with an 85 foot height limit; and
WHEREAS, the Georgetown neighborhood contains a high number of artist studios and arts organizations and portions of the MIC near Georgetown contain a variety of industrial, logistics, and manufacturing businesses, resulting in a higher likelihood of demand for ground level arts and industrial uses in Georgetown compared to many other commercially zoned areas of the city; and
WHEREAS, arts and industrial uses often need space with a high ceiling height of 16 feet or greater to accommodate t...