by Susanna Lin
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​There has been a lot of discussion about HALA, but a far broader change to Seattle land use policy is coming up in the form of a new version of the Comprehensive Plan.  The City is required to draft a Comprehensive Plan which acts as a roadmap for urban planning over a 20 year period.  We have reached the end of that 20 year period for our first Comprehensive Plan, so Mayor Ed Murray has undertaken to write another one, which will be the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan.  The Mayor’s office has released the final draft, and a public hearing was held on the Comprehensive Plan on June 27th at 6:00 PM at City Hall.
Which tree is better for the environment?
 
The Comprehensive Plan is a massive document.  It is 575 pages and its details could never be covered in one blog post.  You may read through it here, or if you prefer there is a hard copy at the Wallingford Public Library.
 
The Comprehensive Plan includes a set of Neighborhood Plans.  According to people involved in the initial drafting 20 years ago, it was a four year operation in which residents were really given a chance to shape the policy and it included an extensive vetting process with neighborhoods. It served as a lovely example of true neighborhood engagement.
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The Neighborhood Plan lays out a fairly specific vision of how and where development should occur within the neighborhood, and the Comprehensive Plan made a binding commitment to that vision.  In particular, areas zoned Single Family Residential could be upzoned (for example to Multifamily Residential) only where the Neighborhood Plan provides for it.

A sizable turnout of Seattlelites were present last night at City Hall for 2 hours of public comments on the Mayor's 2035 Comprehensive Plan.  Present were Councilmembers Rob Johnson, Bruce Harrell, and Lorena Gonzalez.  

• Of approximately 50 speakers, 11 insisted the Plan should pass "as is" and again included members of Seattle for Everyone as well as Futurewise; several were Capitol Hill renters.

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