Tag Archives: development

Seattle’s only East Design Board review of 2025… continues

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(Image: PUBLIC47 Architects)

Changes to the design under the review process include an effort to make the Boylston Ave E facing lobby more “pedestrian friendly” (Image: PUBLIC47 Architects)

In July, CHS reported on a rarity across the city’s core neighborhoods including areas stretching across Capitol Hill, First Hill — the only meeting of the year so far for the East Design Review Board as it convened over approval of plans for an eight-story project above Eastlake.

Now in the final days of 2025 and with the housing affordability crisis in the city as sharp as ever, this 2727 Boylston Ave E project appears to have hung on to its dubious distinction.

Wednesday, the review board is set to convene to sign off on what CHS has found is the only project to come in front of the volunteer group this year.

“The reality is that very few ground-up projects currently pencil,” Mike Yukevich of developer Eastlake Real Estate Partners says. Continue reading →

Seattle City Council prepares to wrap up 2025 ‘Phase 1’ growth plan that will push debate over many changes — including the Squire Park ‘donut hole’ — to 2026

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The Seattle City Council is preparing to put a bow on their 2025 process to overhaul the city’s new foundation for its 20-year growth plan — but not without some possible final tweaks to proposed border changes in comp plan committee chair Joy Hollingsworth’s home district.

Tuesday afternoon, the council will vote on multiple bills putting the comprehensive plan changes forged by Mayor Bruce Harrell and the council into action that include new “Neighborhood Centers” and state-mandated “Middle Housing” laws expanding zoning hoped to allow a greater range of housing types in more parts of the city.

Hollingsworth and council planners say the second phase of changing the growth plan with debate over the block by block particulars of neighborhood centers and transit corridors will take place “in early 2026” as Mayor-elect Katie Wilson’s administration takes the helm.

Included in Tuesday’s raft of “Phase 1” legislation is a last-minute plan Hollingsworth says will push the debate over the future zoning for the area between 14th Ave and 18th Ave on the borders of First Hill, Capitol Hill, and the Central District into 2026. Continue reading →

Roots and thorns: Chris Persons on 18 years of building affordable housing on Capitol Hill and across Seattle

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Persons, holding the ribbon on the right, to celebrate this summer’s opening of The Devonshire in Belltown (Image: Community Roots Housing)

Some of the Community Roots Crew marking Persons’ last day falling on Halloween (Image: Community Roots Housing)

By Matt Dowell

There is still much to be done about affordability in Seattle. The buildings of Community Roots Housing can’t talk. But Chris Persons can.

Persons celebrated his final day as CEO of Community Roots Housing, the affordable housing developer that’s serviced our neighborhood since 1976, on Halloween. His successor is in place. Seattle community leader Colleen Echohawk is now at the helm as Community Roots projects move forward — including the eight-story apartment building under construction at Broadway and Pine as part of the Constellation Center affordable housing, youth education, skills training, and employment academy project in partnership with YouthCare.

Persons’ 18 years leading the affordable developer saw Community Roots through a Seattle construction boom, a growing mission (they were Capitol Hill Housing when he started), and the delivery of hundreds of affordable housing units to the city.

Persons talked with CHS about his first hand experience with Seattle’s struggle to build enough housing. He has thoughts on how we can do better.

But first, a round of roses and thorns. Retirement is a time for reflection, after all. What could have gone better in the last 18 years?

“So much,” he sighed.

Persons came to Seattle from the midwest, which may explain the self-deprecation. But it belies CRH’s track record through his tenure of driving forward sizable housing projects across Capitol Hill, the Central District, and the International District. Continue reading →

Seattle Social Housing: On track to have first property inked in 2026

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The newly formed Seattle Social Housing organization and CEO Roberto Jimenez are preparing for the first full round of funding in 2026 as the public developer begins its mission to build and acquire buildings for affordable housing.

In an update, the organization says it has issued its first “request for information” for developers to identify “existing properties” Seattle Social Housing could acquire and make part of its program: Continue reading →

Seattle considers reining in SEPA ‘until citywide planned-for growth is achieved’

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The Seattle City Council will step away from 2026 budgets Friday as its land use committee takes up legislation seeked to help the city further rein in State’s Environmental Policy Act review in hopes of speeding more development of housing.

The bill sponsored by council member Mark Solomon would exempt “infill” residential development from SEPA review except in areas near shorelines, environmentally critical areas, or “historic locations.” The proposed exemption would be in place “until citywide planned-for growth is achieved,” a presentation (PDF) on the legislation explains.

According to the presentation, the legislation would align the city with “state guidance for streamlining SEPA environmental review” while also doing more to “speed housing production and encourage transit-oriented development.” Continue reading →

Amid Capitol Hill’s growing set of shuttered spaces, Seattle considers ban on agreements that block new groceries and pharmacies

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With two major grocery store locations shuttered and two former big chain drugstores empty and boarded-up on Capitol Hill, Seattle leaders are looking at a ban on legal agreements they say are keeping some of the city’s prime spaces from being filled with new businesses.

Mayor Bruce Harrell included the plan in his 2026 budget proposal, proposing legislation “that will prohibit the use of restrictive or negative covenants preventing a property from being used as a grocery store or pharmacy.”

“My proposed budget increases the City’s food investments by 20%, however, affordable food and medicine are inaccessible for too many Seattleites. When a company closes a grocery store or pharmacy, they can add a restrictive covenant into a property’s deed or lease that blocks a new grocery or pharmacy from locating at the same place,” Harrell said in his announcement of the legislation to be considered by the Seattle City Council. “They do this to block competitors, and these actions harm neighborhoods and contribute to grocery and pharmacy deserts.”

The Harrell administration says the legislation would “make these restrictive covenants illegal in Seattle.” Continue reading →

With 8-story Constellation Center affordable development underway on Capitol Hill, Community Roots Housing names new CEO

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(Image: Community Roots Housing)

Community Roots Housing — the public development authority born decades ago as Capitol Hill Housing —  has named its next leader.

The developer and operator of affordable housing across Capitol Hill and the city has announced Colleen Echohawk as its new Chief Executive Officer. Community Roots called Echohawk “an established champion of Seattle’s Native and under-resourced populations” in its announcement.

Echohawk, then the Chief Seattle Club executive director, mounted an unsuccessful run for mayor in 2021 championing creation of a “Public Safety Department” including “community-based mental health workers and neighborhood liaisons.” Continue reading →

Seattle could suspend ‘required design review’ while it sorts out overhaul of program

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The Seattle City Council Tuesday afternoon is expected to pass legislation to suspend “required design review” meetings for six months while it works out new rules and an overhaul of the program intended to give the community information and input on major development projects in the neighborhood.

The proposed  legislation would “temporarily suspend required design review for six months, making design review voluntary for proposed development.” Continue reading →

Hollingsworth comprehensive plan amendments include new Roanoke Park Neighborhood Center, rolling back upzone around Swedish Cherry Hill

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Changes championed by District 3 representative and comprehensive plan chair Joy Hollingsworth that would scale back potential dense housing growth around her district’s Swedish Cherry Hill campus are part of the final sweep of proposals this week as the Seattle City Council finalizes a 20-year growth plan.

Publicola was the first to report on Hollingsworth’s proposed rollback of a plan that would have split the area around 18th and Cherry across new zoning areas.

CHS reported a year ago on the proposal to “fill in” the Squire Park neighborhood hole by splitting it across a more densely zoned Capitol Hill/First Hill Regional Center and the Central District Urban Center as part of the new 20-year growth plan.

Hollingsworth’s new proposal would maintain current zoning for the Squire Park areas bounded by 14th Ave on the west and 18th Ave on the east between E Pike and E
Alder and the area between 18th Ave on the west and 20th and 21st Ave on the east between E Pine Street and E Alder: Continue reading →

Seattle ready to relax ‘substantial alteration’ requirements to make it easier to revive long-empty storefronts

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(Image: CHS)

The Seattle City Council is set to approve legislation Tuesday afternoon hoped to help revive empty storefronts across the city by making it easier to open a new business without expensive building changes.

Under the legislation, the city would relax rules for “substantial alterations” to commercial spaces in small buildings and commercial spaces typically required when the official use is going to be changed. The proposal would exempt buildings and spaces with gross areas of 7,000 square feet or less from the change requirements that can make it prohibitively expensive to open a new business while also upgrading the structure and safety systems.

The legislation from Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office also would change the way the city triggers a “substantial alteration” by dropping the current two-year threshold. Currently, any space vacant for two years or more triggers an automatic “substantial alteration” to be put back into use. Continue reading →