$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month -- or choose your level of support 🖤
(Image: Seattle City Council)
The Seattle City Council approved a bill Tuesday from council president — and former beer brewery owner — Sara Nelson that will change the zoning in a small area near the city’s stadiums to allow the construction of “workforce housing and affordable workspaces for Seattle’s small manufacturing businesses.”
The hotly debated legislation split the city’s growth advocates and labor leaders over its potential creation of new development and construction jobs and its potential impact on operations at the nearby Port of Seattle.
The bill agreed on Tuesday is specific to only “a two-block stretch of the Stadium District just south of T-Mobile Park,” Nelson’s office says.
The legislation will change the zoning in the area to allow up to 1,000 units of workforce affordable housing. Half would be affordable to those making 60-90% of the area median income.
The change essentially transforms the two-block area to match the rest of the SoDo neighborhood after it was rezoned in 2023 to Urban Industrial use that allows a mix of residential and commercial development.
The small manufacturing designation has also been utilized by breweries and distilleries to operate on Capitol Hill but the sector has faded here due to costs and logistical challenges around deliveries and access.
The council debated nine proposed amendments on its way to finalizing the two-block change in a marathon session Tuesday.
Expect the growth debate to continue. CHS reported here on the ongoing efforts by District 3 representative and Comprehensive Plan Committee chair Joy Hollingsworth to push a two-phase growth plan update over the finish line this year despite a wave of environmental appeals.
Wednesday, Hollingsworth’s committee will discuss the process to establish “Interim Zoning Regulations” to implement the state’s “middle housing” legislation HB 1110 in Seattle. The committee is planning a May 21st vote on the legislation to establish the interim regulations with a vote of the full council expected May 27th.
Tuesday’s vote fell 6-3 with Hollingsworth joining the majority in approving the Stadium District bill.
$5 A MONTH TO HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month -- or choose your level of support 🖤
One word: liquefaction.
Fill baby, fill!
Lol you guys are jokers
My bit, 30 years from now, I don’t want the arguments from population health, and environmental longitudinal heath studies, popping up with questions why the SCC promoted “affordable workspace” housing for some of our most vulnerable populations in a highly industrialized area. Champion and promote, hold true at all cost, and likely expensive, mitigation to complete and prevent any and all potential future structural and health concerns from building in this area. I hope that true safety diligence is completed for all new housing in this area.
…thinking of the 50 year, human outline hologram teacher, discussing how Seattle failed 30 years of health for vulnerable individuals in the at any cost build build build to gain affordable housing.
I don’t want to hear anything else about the “poor populations” that only could only afford to live next to industrial waste, built here, 50/60 years ago, when we just approved all that for affordable housing. Ya all rallied for stop the sweeps in public parks and completely lost interest for a potentially real, well documented, health hazards, now approved.
exactly – not a great place for any type of housing. Its almost like Nelson wants to make sure lower income folks aren’t living in actual neighborhoods near people who aren’t low-income. Joy Hollingsworth should be embarrassed for supporting this awfulness.
She voted to raid the Jumpstart housing for cops and pet projects like Saka’s left turn lane.
It turns out we’re only willing to upzone areas after Chris Hansen buys several entire blocks and then lobbies the city to make his investment profitable. What a system.
More housing and faster! We voted for these folks to solve our problems. Let them do the job we elected them to do.
What about the 309 million they stole from Jumpstart housing?
Seems THEIR version of housing is what they are for. Meaning privatise as much as possible with the virtue signaling fig leaf. It’s a blatant gift to Hanson from the politicians.
In your humble opinion.
Also, I have a book recommendation: Abundance by Ezra Klein.