Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan, Public Hearing, Session II 4/6/2026

Good afternoon, everyone.

Good afternoon.

Thank you all for being here.

It is 3.04 p.m.

I'm Eddie Lynn, chair of the select committee.

Will the clerk please call the roll?

Councilmember Foster.

Here.

Council Member Rink?

Present.

Council Member Rivera?

Present.

Council President Hollingsworth?

Here.

Vice Chair Strauss?

Here.

And Chair Lin?

Here.

Six present.

Thank you.

I'd like to note that Council Members Kettle and Saka are excused from today's meeting.

Welcome to session two of this public hearing on Council Bill 121-173, phase two of the comprehensive plan.

Today's public hearing has been broken into two sessions.

We had a session in the morning for remote.

Session two is reserved for in-person commenters.

Registration started at 2.30 p.m.

is open and will remain open until 6.30 p.m.

Given the number of speakers today, I'm hoping if you're excited about what you hear from somebody, please hold your applause and instead do the jazz hands just so that we can get through everybody and we can hear our next speaker.

Also, if you could state your name before you deliver remarks.

Given the number of speakers, we are limited to one minute per person, which I know is short.

If you have additional comments, please don't hesitate to email us at council at seattle.gov.

It is super exciting to be here today.

I know we've been working on our comprehensive plan and this is some follow-up zoning from last year's work.

I know many people were engaged last year as well.

I think we are all here because we care so deeply about our city, about our neighbors, about our environment.

And I think we have a lot in common, although there are a lot of different opinions about how to achieve or solve our most urgent problems.

So I would just encourage each of us to have an open mind and to listen to each other.

We've got a lot of smart and dedicated folks in the room, so I just want to encourage us to really listen to each other.

This is not just about folks coming to talk to us.

This is a community dialogue, and so I encourage us all to be respectful and to assume positive intent with each other.

Clerk, can you please read the instructions for the public hearing?

The public hearing will be moderated in the following manner.

The in-person public commenters will be called upon in the order registered.

If you have not registered to speak but would like to, you can sign up outside council chambers prior to 6.30 p.m.

Registration will close at 6.30 p.m.

Numbers will be called in groups of 10 at one time.

Please line up in numerical order.

There are two microphone podiums.

Please adjust the mics when you approach the microphone.

Begin your comments by stating your name and speaker number.

Speakers will hear a chime when 10 seconds are left at their allotted time.

The speakers do not end their comments at the end of the allotted time provided.

The speaker's microphone will be muted to allow us to call on the next speaker.

Thank you.

And just so folks know, I think we have approximately 60 or so speakers so far.

Again, there are still people that will be coming, you know, after work.

Registration is open until 6.30.

We'll probably be taking a recess at some point around 5.30 or 6.00.

I just want to give folks a heads up.

With that, we'd like to get started with our public speakers.

First up, we're going to have Sandy Shetler, but I believe Ken Workman will be speaking in your stead.

These are the native words of the people that lived here for a long, long time.

and what I just said was I am workman of the Duwamish tribe.

I am a council member of the Duwamish tribe and the great, great, great, great grandson of Chief Seattle and I'm here to speak for the trees, for the large trees, the trees that seem to be going away and that I would encourage the city through this phase two comp plan to address the absence of those trees or the need for more green space.

because we as native people have been burying our people high up in these trees for a long, long time and so we need trees that are 80 feet tall and that's likely not to happen so I would encourage the city to maintain their large tree canopy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And just so speakers know, when there's 10 seconds remaining, you'll hear that ding.

That means there's approximately 10 seconds remaining.

Also, I think as part of the public instructions, when there's a group of four or more, you can combine your time to have four minutes.

And so next up, we have a group, McDonald International Elementary School.

Could you please come up?

and I've heard that you've been practicing very hard and we are excited to hear from you.

Good afternoon, council members.

Could you come forward a little bit closer so that we can hear you?

Thank you.

Good afternoon, council members.

We are third grade students from McDonald International School and we ask you to make room for trees.

We love trees because they give us shade, they clean the air, and help us breathe.

They feed us with their fruit, and they protect animals from predators.

If we cut down all the trees, where will the animals live, and how will we live?

We love climbing trees and swinging on rope swings.

We know that developers cut down trees to build homes, and we know it doesn't have to be this way.

We like to perform a song called Rot Sprawl.

It's about making room for trees.

Lots flow, houses are spread out Lots flow, no room for trees Let's all use the solutions Shared walls is one of these Stacked flats is the other Build the homes above one another Out your window, a steady seam Go outside, you're under the trees Where you can breathe And everything's green Big trees, just let them grow Big trees, we need them so Let's go, has got to go Lots for all has got to go Lots for all has got to go

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Wonderful job, all that hard work, and I think the dancing really added to it.

It was very...

I think we're done here, so...

Just joking.

Thank you all so much.

Okay, I'm gonna name a few names just so folks, and if you want to, you can line up.

We do have two different mics if you wanna line up.

So the next folks will be Rich Vogut.

Hope if I mispronounce your name, I apologize.

Please do say your name at the beginning of your testimony.

Rich Vogut, Marcia Peterson, Matthew Coleman, and Ryan Donahue, and Alyssa Rose.

That'll be the next five.

Can I get four minutes?

Just one minute, unless you're a group of four.

My name is Rich Vogut.

Housing is a climate issue.

I'm sick and tired of being told that solutions to climate change are at hand, and the only thing lacking is political will.

The worst day of my life was when our daughter died.

I don't wish that pain on any parent.

yet it is children and seniors who die in heat waves.

The comp plan can be climate-improved by creating low-rise two-zoning in five- to eight-minute walk sheds around frequent bus stops.

When the city fails to add housing in these corridors, growth is pushed to the suburban fringe locking in long commutes and more climate emissions.

Emissions are reduced when residents can walk to a frequent, convenient bus, and own fewer cars.

Please find the political will to change the comp plan to include wide transit corridors.

Thank you, Rich.

Next up, Marcia Peterson.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Marsha Peterson, and I've been a homeowner for the past 30 years in the Maple Leaf area.

I'm here today to encourage the council to be bold in phase two and allow more housing, more density, and more height in more places.

One of the things you worry about as an older adult is becoming isolated, particularly when we can no longer drive.

My home is becoming costly to maintain, and I wish I could downsize to a condo or a stacked flat, but the zoning in my neighborhood doesn't allow it.

The Centers and Corridors draft plan limits this type of zoning to narrow strips along arterials so that even if a builder wanted to do a project there, the noise and pollution would be a non-starter for both families and older people like myself as well.

This is why I urge the council to expand the transit corridors so that we can build more density on side streets and neighborhoods close to transit and shops, but quieter and in lower areas.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Matthew Coleman.

Hi there.

My name is Matthew Coleman.

I'm speaker 5A.

My parents are getting older and they're thinking about how they want to move forward the next chapter in their lives.

And they've been looking and trying to find a smaller place where they don't have to drive as much.

And in their neighborhood in North Seattle, there is very little of that.

I would strongly encourage the council to go ahead with the maximum amount of increased capacity in high transit capacity areas so that my parents can find a place like that they'd like to live.

Thank you.

Thank you, Matthew.

The next few, just give a few names.

It'll be Ryan Donahue, Alyssa Rose, Alice Green.

I'm not sure if I can read this.

Allsash Menopet and then Stella Heflin.

Those will be the next.

Ryan Donahue.

Hello.

Sorry about that.

Thank you.

Good afternoon, Chair Lynn and members of the committee.

My name is Ryan Donahue, and I'm the Chief Advocacy Officer over at Habitat for Humanity, Seattle King, and Kittitas counties.

We're here today in strong support of the Centers and Corridors update to the comprehensive plan and urge you to continue to move forward on this and more without delay.

I want to start off with a quick story.

At our Olympic Ridge project in Seattle, we built 18 affordable homes, a home ownership unit specifically, for families who had been renting in the city for years.

We're talking about teachers, health care workers, and service workers who simply wanted to stay in the communities that they already work and live in and raise their kids.

That project was only possible because of the level of density allowed in those neighborhoods.

Without that zoning, those 18 families would not be homeowners in Seattle today.

That's why this update matters so much.

It creates more places where we can build projects like that, the opportunity to build more homes and more homeownership.

We support this project, or we support this proposal and encourage you to strengthen it by adopting the Complete Communities Coalition Amendments and adding an affordability bonus so that as we grow, we're not just building more housing, but creating more homeowners as well.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ryan.

Alyssa Rose.

My name is Alyssa Rose.

I'm speaker 7A.

I'm here for maximum density and climate resiliency in our housing and for Seattle to be a city of the future and a city that leads.

I've been a homeowner in Maple Leaf for 20 years.

I want a dense transit friendly city where we can all thrive.

I want my young adult children who grew up in the Seattle Public Schools to be able to afford to live in the city that they grew up in.

I want my grocery store clerk to have good affordable housing.

I want my aging neighbors to have housing choices.

A couple of policy issues that I care about would be to add courtyard blocks and to push for increased use of single stair and point access blocks to give a variety of housing for all types of people and families.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Alice Green.

Good afternoon, City Council members.

Thank you for hearing us today.

I'm here with Green Party of Seattle in coalition with House Our Neighbors.

I would like to speak up for dense green space as well as dense housing instead of small parcels or slivers of green space, large enough space that trees can grow.

The kids were amazing.

Thank you, kids, for that song.

Also, trees are a marker of Seattle.

When you come into Seattle, you see so much green.

And we want to have a livable city now and into the future.

And I think the amendments to this plan really make this a future-proof plan where we can I think about the future needs of retrofitting buildings for passive energy.

Energy is about to cost a lot more with this war and the future we don't know.

Thank you.

Wonderful.

Come on up.

Thank you.

And then next will be Stella Heflin.

After that, we're going to the B group.

Greg Smith, Jason Weil, and Riley Avron will be next.

Hello, I'm Akash Manapat.

I'm a renter living in the Fremont portion of District 4, and I'm here to show support for amendments to the city's comprehensive plan that support dense and green housing in Seattle.

In my professional life, I'm currently a PhD student in climate science, And as a climate scientist, I'm kind of acutely aware of the large-scale changes that are necessary to fight climate change.

At the same time, I'm also a firm believer in the fact that change begins locally, and I'm certain that specific changes to the city's comprehensive plan will go a long way in this fight.

In particular, I'm in favor of increasing the availability of homes near transit corridors.

This will significantly reduce commute times, creating more livable neighborhoods with a lower carbon footprint.

In addition, I'm strongly in favor of passive house bonuses.

These bonuses will help incentivize housing that is energy efficient, reducing emissions, while increasing the availability of housing.

And that's all I have.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next up, Stella Heflin.

Hi, my name is Stella Heflin.

I'm 10A.

I am also a climate science PhD student.

I'm also a renter in D4, and I'm a head steward with UAW 4121, which is the union representing graduate students, postdocs, and research staff at UW.

I'm here to support the proposed amendments from the Complete Communities Coalition.

As UAW4121, we won free U-Pass for our members, which helps make Seattle a more affordable place to live.

However, we can't fully take advantage of this when we can't afford to live near transit corridors.

So I am very excited about the proposed amendment supporting transit-oriented development.

UAW 412 members also need a livable city in every sense of the word, and as a climate scientist, I see the environmental benefits of each of the proposed amendments.

Building housing near transit corridors reduces car reliance, and the proposed height bonuses for green buildings will also help reduce carbon emissions of our city.

As someone who studies how warming affects flooding risk, I know how important every ton of avoided emissions is for a livable future for Seattle to pass these amendments.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

The next few names will be Greg Smith, Jason Weil, Riley Avron, Noah Williams, and Cameron Frazier, and then Chris Esch.

So go ahead, Greg Smith.

I'm Greg Smith, Capitol Hill.

First, I want to thank all of y'all for your improvements on phase one of the comp plan, and I hope you'll make further improvements for phase two.

Here's some suggestions.

Number one, create a new courtyard bonus.

Courtyard's courtyard building is pushing the building to the front of the lot so you have more room in the back for trees.

Number two, give height bonuses for green building techniques.

Number three, allow more housing within walking distance of transit corridors.

Lastly, number four, mandatory housing affordability.

The MHA created a lot of affordable housing when it was first enacted, but in the last few years, it's actually probably prevented more housing than it's been built.

So the MHA needs to be paused for now, and also MHA should be for housing in low-rise zones because that's where it's particularly harmful.

Thank you.

Thank you, Greg.

Jason Weil.

Hi there, Jason Weil, 2B.

I'm Jason, a nearly 20-year Seattle resident, homeowner, and affordable housing advocate.

I'm really excited about all the growth and vibrancy happening in our city.

And at the same time, I'm really concerned about the rising housing costs and the constraints that we have on where we can build housing.

I've lived in apartments built so close to I-5, I could hear highway noise 24 hours a day.

And air pollution was a constant health hazard because I could only cool my apartment by opening the windows.

Our neighborhoods have so many beautiful apartment buildings from prior generations off of arterials that can't be rebuilt because areas have been down-zoned to block apartment buildings from being built or rebuilt.

The comp plan is our chance to keep our neighborhoods affordable and livable by making it legal to build more housing, including social housing, in more of our cities.

So I urge the council, please consider legalizing construction of apartments in more of the city, not just along major arterials.

Alternatives 4 and 5 include more inclusive zoning, and I urge you to consider those as you proceed with this plan.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Riley Avron.

Yep, hi council, my name's Riley Avron, I'm speaker 3B.

I'm here to ask that you allow way more homes throughout the city and especially in my neighborhood.

My neighborhood is near the Rapid Ride C, an excellent transit line, but we need to allow more people to live near it to take maximum advantage of that investment we've already made.

Don't restrict new homes to just the properties adjacent to the existing transit lines.

Let's welcome neighbors that are able to walk to those stops within a five or 10 minute walk shed.

I'm also very supportive of the courtyard block bonus.

It would allow tall, efficient homes for plenty of new neighbors near me, maximizing available space for green space and trees as well.

My neighborhood has grocery stores, a rapid bus line, medical services, a farmer's market, and a lovely walkable layout.

We're also a high resource, low displacement area, so my neighborhood needs more homes and people.

Please, there's every reason to allow dramatically more homes in my neighborhood and throughout the city.

As the mayor said, we want taller, denser, faster.

Now it's your turn to deliver.

Thank you.

Thank you, Riley.

Next up, Noah Williams.

Good afternoon.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name's Noah Williams.

I'm a fellow sea lion rider, and I live in D1.

I want to present to you a concrete, and I mean that literally, example of how density will make our city more affordable and better by scaling accessibility.

Density along frequent transit corridors means we can justify upgrades to more bus stops so they're level boarding and don't require ramps.

SDOT can build more of these rapid-ride-style stations using kitaparts stations that gradually grow as density grows using in-house labor, keeping construction costs low.

Level boarding means you don't have to be able to board or exit quickly, which means buses run faster, and we can run more of them more efficiently with the same amount of money.

When you get in the habit of these, it's a virtuous cycle and a positive feedback loop, so please increase accessibility by increasing density.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Cameron Fraser.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Cameron.

I live in District 3. I lived in or near Seattle my whole life.

I love it to pieces here, and one day I hope to start a family here.

But when I look around for the kind of home I'd want to start that family in, a big enough unit in like a sixplex with plenty of room nearby for trees and lots of neighbors, and with shops and transit a short walk away, I find These units are scarce and expensive, and instead of building more of them, we're building lots of townhomes on busy streets.

That's why I think expanding transit corridor uptowns is essential, and why I was particularly inspired by the idea of courtyard bonuses.

These amendments wouldn't just tweak zoning maps.

They'd build the legal framework for my and many of my peers' dream homes, where, judging by our current built environment, none currently exists.

because remember, that's what you're doing here, right?

Like corridor up zones and courtyard bonuses.

It sounds dry, but it expands the kinds of lives people can build here.

People who want to live car-free, who want to welcome in more neighbors, the next generation who are wondering where all the affordable homes went.

There is enough room in Seattle for these people's dreams, and yes, for plenty of trees too.

We just have to be smart about building it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next few speakers will be Chris Esch, Trace Johnson, Michael Gillenwater, L. Harrison Jerome, and Jeff Paul.

Chris Esch, please.

Thank you, Council.

My name is Chris Esch.

I live in District 3, and I'm here in support of the efforts to increase density so that people can live near transit.

I can't think of a better option than to make a more affordable Seattle than to pass the amendments on the table.

As someone who cannot afford a car or the insurance or the parking or the gas, we were talking about a slam dunk option in front of us today to effectively deliver a more affordable Seattle so that people like myself who our family relies on public workers and as a new startup founder, essentially we rely on affordable Seattle right now to get us through.

We want to stay in Seattle.

We want to live here and grow family.

hire people locally here.

And really, the way that we can get there is by making this incredibly affordable.

So thank you for your time.

Appreciate it.

Thank you.

Next up, Trace.

Hi, Council.

My name is Trace Johnson, Speaker 7B, and I live in District 2. I'm here to access the Council to make dense housing in Seattle easier to build and to support a strong incentive for passive house development.

I've lived in three different apartments in Seattle.

Each one had a utility efficiency problem, ranging from poor insulation to utility bills nearing about 20% of my rent.

That experience illustrated the need for housing that performs better, not just more of it.

Buildings are responsible for about 40% of Seattle's climate pollution, and Seattle City Light now requires new developments with four or more units to have underground electrical infrastructure as it plans for increased electrical demand.

Passive House incentive would help not just to lower emissions, but also reduce the electrical load and allow City Light to expand to new residents.

Please make it easier to build affordable housing and incentivize projects that have sustainability in mind.

Thank you.

Next up, Michael.

Michael Gellinwater from District 6. First, thank you, council, for your work on this issue.

I'll be very brief.

My generational household of seven strongly support the mayor's direction on this issue that I think you've all heard.

To the specifics, all my friends behind me, we can all geek out on zoning codes and building codes and parking minimums that you want, but they're simple messages, more housing, more walkable neighborhoods.

and do as much as you can to get there within the limits of the EIS and then do more in the next phase.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, L.

Harrison Drome.

Hello, council.

My name is Leonard Harrison Jerome.

The most humane, pragmatic, and progressive thing those of us in the blue cities can do is make sure that we build a shit ton of housing so that everyone who wants to move here can.

This is our and your sacred obligation.

You cannot claim you're part of a progressive, welcoming city to those fleeing red states when we say to them, we're full, because we insisted on keeping an apartment ban in 70% of the city.

because building tall would hurt the scale or the character of the neighborhood.

Well, as Bothell Mayor Mason Thompson said, if preserving the neighborhood of the character means that the kids born in that neighborhood can never hope to afford to live there, the character of that neighborhood needs work.

I invite all of you, as many of you already have, to right the wrongs of the past and push forward to build taller, denser, and faster.

To build up, not out, so that we stop chopping down our wild forests and inviting them closer in.

The problems of today aren't waiting, and we'll have to build our way out of them, and we can't be NIMBY.

We stand here today to say, let's see how it build.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, we have Jeff Paul, and then I'm just gonna read off the next group of names.

We'll go back to group A, speakers 11 through 20. That'll be John Gosnell, Sage Miller, Rafael Ruiz Gomez, Shannon Newsome, Carter Nelson, to name the first few, after Jeff Paul.

Welcome.

Hello, council.

My name is Jeff Paul.

I'm the co-executive director of How's Our Neighbors and a D3 resident.

I'm here to talk about two major crises facing our city, the housing affordability crisis and the climate crisis.

After witnessing historic floods in our region that cost lives and caused nearly $200 million in damages this past winter, plus our ongoing housing affordability crisis that everyone here is familiar with, The need to act boldly to address these two crises is very clear.

Council has a unique opportunity to address both in this legislation.

Density bonuses for passive house development, mass timber, and green courtyards would mean that our new housing, especially housing built by the social housing developer, which will all be built to passive house standards, will be more sustainably built, more vibrant, and more affordable.

Pair this with expanded transit corridors that allow for more folks to get out of cars and use our wonderful transit system to reduce our emissions.

And we're talking about a real transformative set of policy.

Let's build social housing for everyone in all neighborhoods.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jeff.

Next up, John Gosnell and then Sage Miller.

Hi, I'm John Gosnell, Speaker 11A.

Current resident of Queen Anne.

Living, working, and teaching in Seattle has been a wonderful experience.

At the same time, it does come with some challenges.

As a renter, finding housing that I can afford within areas that I work and that have access to transit has been difficult at times.

I've had to just accept and downgrade to outdated housing in a very loud little corridor nearby.

Pollution is constant.

I have to wipe off little bits of pollution and particles from my windows every day.

So that sucks.

The amendments being proposed by the Complete Communities Coalition can help to bring bring about this affordable housing and help us to fight climate change and just be a better city overall.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Sage Miller.

Yes, hello.

I'm Sage Miller, District 7. And I'm here to support dense forest, dense housing.

I was here for the hearings back last year when the first debates were on the comprehensive plan regarding the 102 Amendment.

And now is the time to really move forward.

with the creation of dense forests.

There's many examples in the Seattle area and also in Shoreline of small examples of dense forests that are possible within the city.

So I urge you to take a look at that.

It's based on the Miyawaki Forest Project, but it's really in support of that dense forests can exist within.

So I just urge the council to move forward on this next phase of the comprehensive plan.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next up, Rafael.

Greetings, council members.

Some of you may or may not remember me from the previous public comment regarding the comprehensive plan.

I currently live in the western border of District 3, right next to the I-5, and I am here today to ask you all to take bold action on the comprehensive plan and adopt the CCC amendments.

Bold action on housing is action on our climate crisis.

Build taller, denser, and faster.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next few speakers will be Shannon Newsome, Carter Nelson, Tara Camp, Erin Tulloch, Bill Loeber, Jessie Simpson, and Chris Walter.

Next up, Shannon Newsome.

Hi.

Good afternoon, Council.

I'm 14A.

I live in Capitol Hill in affordable housing, and I'm here to speak about social housing.

I also have some experience as a social worker in Everett in years past and now.

Sorry, better?

Thanks.

So anyway, I want to feed in my background with my present experience.

From my experience in affordable housing, I've seen that affordability alone doesn't guarantee livability.

Utilities break down, plumbing, electricity, and repairs that can take weeks, months, or never come at all, or the manager can decide not to repair.

Many buildings are placed near freeways or environmental hazards where residents are constantly exposed to toxic air.

And too often, these buildings are designed in ways that don't actually support healthy, stable living.

The result is housing that may be affordable on paper but in reality is unsafe, unhealthy, and sometimes unlivable.

That's why the model from How's Our Neighbors Matters.

Social housing is publicly owned, permanently affordable, and designed for long-term health.

Thank you.

Next up, Carter Nelson.

Good afternoon, Chair Lin, members of the committee, Carter Nelson on behalf of NAOP Washington State, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association, representing the builders, architects, engineers, and developers who build the homes and job-creating spaces our communities rely on.

Thank you for your leadership and continued efforts to shape a better future for Seattle.

While change can be challenging at first, it's necessary to create a more equitable, livable city for both residents that live here now and those who will live here in the future.

We appreciate the Council's collaboration and the Mayor's leadership in advancing a more ambitious vision.

Enabling significantly more multifamily, near transit, jobs, and services is essential to making progress in tackling our housing crisis.

Our members are ready to deliver the housing our communities need, and we look forward to continued partnership as Seattle moves forward.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next few, just a reminder, so Tara Camp, Aaron Tolick, Bill Loeber, and Jesse Simpson.

So, Tara Camp.

This mic's not getting a lot of love, so I thought I'd come over here.

I'm Tara Camp, 16A.

Hello, good afternoon, council.

Thank you for your ongoing work with the comprehensive plan.

My name is Tara.

I'm a D3 renter.

I'm a bird nerd, a nature nut, and I'm an organizer with FutureWise.

I would love to see more courtyard-style apartments in our city.

I live near many courtyard-style apartments, and I am not only awestruck by their structural beauty, but by their lush greenery as well.

In my massive, massive amounts of time talking with community members from all different backgrounds all across Seattle, more and more people are resonating with this housing type option, and I understand why.

They allow for you to actually know your neighbors, allow space for large trees, and provide gathering areas for families.

I've had many residents say they grew up in courtyard housing and would love to have more options like that in Seattle.

So I say let's give the people what they want.

and even better, make courtyard-style social housing apartments built with passive design standards.

So let's stop just dreaming about a better future and start working and building towards a better future now.

I appreciate your dedication to this work and look forward to how we can better this city one step at a time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Aaron Tulloch.

Good afternoon, member of the Seattle City Council.

For the record, my name is Aaron Tulloch, Legislative Aid with Washington Build Back Black Alliance and FMS Global Strategies, representing more than 110 black-led and black-serving organizations and small businesses across Washington.

As someone born and raised in Seattle, I have seen how housing shaped whether families can stay connected in their own communities, jobs, and opportunities.

My own great aunt was pushed out of this city, and it is not an isolated story.

Seattle needs more housing near jobs, transit, and services, and the centers and corridors plans move us in that direction through courtyard housing, green building bonuses, and expanded multifamily access.

We support this plan and urge you to strengthen it with clear anti-displacement strategies and pathways to ownership so that families most affected are able to stay, return, and benefit.

Seattle cannot solve its housing crisis by preserving exclusion.

Growth must be shaped so that our communities are not left behind again.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Bill Loeber and then Jesse Simpson.

Thank you, Council Members.

My name is Bill Loeber.

I live in District 5. I'm a retired forester, and obviously I'm here to advocate for the retention of Tier 1, 2, 3, 4 trees designated in the 2023 Tree Protection Code.

Why?

Tree retention and new growth improves mental, physical, and social well-being.

To point to the point that there is a new field called environmental neuroscience.

Trees improve physical health by filtering carbon emissions and other pollution.

Trees provide temperature regulation by providing shade, and provide flood, erosion control, and stormwater mitigation.

In addition to strengthening the tree retention requirement in the comprehensive plan and zoning regulations, please enable the Urban Forest Commission to strengthen the 2023 Urban Forest Plan.

As we all know, Earth Day is on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2026. So in the words of Chief Seattle and his 1854 speech given at Pioneer Square, every part of the soil is sacred in the estimation of our people.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Jesse Simpson and then Chris Walter.

Good afternoon, council members.

I'm Jess Simpson from the Housing Development Consortium and co-chair of the Complete Communities Coalition.

Here today to urge you to go bold on centers and corridors to address our housing shortage by allowing for more abundant housing near transit, businesses, and amenities.

There are a few ways you can improve the legislation before you to better deliver on our shared goals of One Seattle Plan and set the stage to go denser, taller, faster in future phases.

First, create a courtyard block bonus for low-rise zones, allowing additional height and floor area for buildings that swap useless narrow side yards for a rear courtyard, giving trees room to grow and families access to usable outdoor space.

Second, create height bonuses for green building techniques like Passive House and mass timber.

And finally, expand the transit corridors to allow for multi-family homes on quiet side streets near frequent bus service.

These changes would help create a greener, more affordable Seattle that are able to welcome people who want to move here or stay in this beautiful city.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jesse.

Next, and then I'll say a few names.

We're going to have Chris Walter next, and then we're going to move on to numbers B11 through 20, including Jasmine Smith, Randy Banneker, James Wu, June Blue Spruce, Jackie McDow for the first few.

Chris Walter.

Hi, counsel.

My name is Chris Walter.

I'm a D3 resident and I'm speaker 20. And I just wanted to shout out our mayor and say, taller, denser, faster.

Because we're having a moment right now, I feel like.

I think you all can feel it, and I think we're going to fix this.

And this is crazy, because I moved here from Kansas to build ADUs.

I was like, I want to build an ADU in my backyard.

I'm going to Seattle.

So I'm here, and I built a couple of ADUs, and it's so cool.

We've crossed this line where it's like, we're actually, you all are going to fix this, I think.

But I did want to highlight something.

You probably need to go bolder than even how bold you're thinking right now.

Because SCL, SPU, SDOT, SDCI, they're going bold.

But they're going bold on fees.

Someone mentioned underground power.

That's minimum $30,000.

If you do four units or more or three EV chargers, that's $30,000 minimum.

And it can go up to $1 million if it's like half mile away, underground primary service, a million bucks.

That's what we're up against.

So go bold, go big, let's fix this, let's do it.

It's an exciting moment.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next up, Jasmine.

Come on.

Also gonna give this mic some love.

Thank you council members, clerks, the community at large.

My name is Jasmine Smith, Director of Local Advocacy at FutureWise and co-chair of the Complete Communities Coalition.

And we're so excited and invigorated for the next phases of the comp plan is how we look at how to build a climate resilient Seattle with more transit, more trains, more trees, and more homes in every community.

We need every single strategy to have a green tree-friendly city that has room for and is accessible and affordable for all of us here, our aging elders, the young and young at heart.

If we don't build dense housing in Seattle, we'll sprawl into the parts of Washington that feeds us and where we recreate.

This means courtyard block bonuses to prevent lot sprawl and to make room for trees to grow and kids to play.

that means expanding housing opportunity beyond busy, dangerous, polluted arterials to walk sheds around transit, parks, and schools where families wanna live and grow.

It includes passive house and mass timber bonuses for more sustainable development to build better homes for more neighbors.

It includes pocket forest replacing parking spaces alongside street trees and parks.

A climate resilient Seattle fight sprawl and includes us all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Randy Banneker.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, members of the Council.

I'm Randy Banneker.

I'm here on behalf of the Seattle King County Realtors, and we are here to thank you for your work and support that work as you go into the next phase.

We very much are excited about the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan direction to concentrate growth in centers and along transit corridors.

Further, we support the phase two centers and corridor zoning as the critical step to turn that com plan vision into real housing opportunities to make housing more affordable by building enough of it to meet demand.

Now, this plan is a major step forward, but zoning changes alone won't deliver housing if key policies undermine feasibility.

We're concerned that the MHA requirements with construction and financing costs the way they are are at a fee level that worked a few years ago but now can stop small apartment building or mixed-use projects entirely.

We urge you to take a look and recalibrate MHA.

Also take a hard look, pair this with permitting reform to get the vision built.

Thank you for your work.

Thank you.

Next up, James Wu.

In the 2021 heat wave in Seattle, I did not have air conditioning.

My bedroom had nearly 90 degrees.

I remember going from family house to friend's house to workplace office just trying to find air conditioning and to get some sleep at night.

Many of my friends who did not have air conditioning had the exact same experience.

What struck me the most was that my social media was full of stories of people I knew who did have portable air conditioners and even tree shade, which could absolutely not keep up in the historic heat wave.

Our housing was planned for an old climate, one that no longer exists.

Today, we're gonna need shared walls and passive house standard insulated buildings.

They will be part of what makes Seattle climate resilient.

I'm excited that the Seattle social housing developer will be making permanently affordable housing to strict passive house standards, and I hope council will consider amendments that will make climate resilient housing easier to build.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, June Blue Spruce.

Hello, I'm a 45-year resident of Southeast Seattle.

Two of the core values of the One Seattle Plan are making homes more affordable and repairing damage the past racist housing policies have done to BIPOC communities, particularly black residents of the Central District.

but phase one of the One Seattle plan, phase two of the One Seattle plan would take our city in the opposite direction.

Studies show that deregulation of zoning does not make housing more affordable.

The Central District and Southeast Seattle have borne the brunt of upzoning in Seattle since 2019. The centers and corridors proposal would upzone all remaining NR zoning in the Central District and move a historic black cultural area to the Capitol Hill Regional Center.

These actions continue the devastation of a once thriving black community.

Southeast Seattle, one of Seattle's most diverse areas, already has continuous heat islands down two major arterials.

This legislation will consolidate and expand these heat islands, which significantly increases risk of heat-related deaths because of low tree canopy.

Rather than continue.

Thank you.

Next up will be Jackie MacDaw and then Aidan Carroll, Mia Davison, Harper Nally, Matt Hutchins and Ruth Dite.

Next up, Jackie.

Hi, council members.

My name is Jackie, and I'm a renter living in Capitol Hill.

I rely primarily on public transport, walking, and biking to get around the city.

I'm here today to voice support for dense and green housing.

As someone who grew up in a suburban environment, I know firsthand the damages of car-centric design and sprawl.

It negatively impacts the environment, your physical safety, and psychological state.

Seattle has an opportunity to be a nationwide leader in zoning laws that incentivize building safe and inclusive communities.

I support the proposed passive housing bonuses that reward energy efficient buildings with the ability to build taller, expanding the transit corridors to nearby side streets, and a courtyard bonus to allow for removing narrow side gaps in buildings to create more room for shared green spaces.

Dense housing doesn't have to be at odds with increasing our tree canopy.

Let's create a healthy city where everyone can afford to live comfortably and navigate the city car-free.

Our future depends on it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Aiden.

Thank you.

I'm interpreting this as a pro-op zoning sign.

I'm glad to hear it.

I think it was designed as one, too.

We need more housing.

Ideally, it would be the social housing developer doing all of it, but failing that, we need some private as well.

We can't wait until we have universal government-run health care until we legalize abortion.

Something life-saving is better than nothing, regardless of who is doing it.

The only kind of parking that we need more of is safe lots where people in RVs can go without having to sign over their vehicle or cut holes in it.

But that's more in the shelter area.

We need definitely more courtyards and the kind of regulations on private development that make sure that we have the common areas and the trees and all of those things.

Those are the kind of things that produce safety, not surveillance.

More on that to come.

Thank you.

Mia Davidson.

Hello, I'm Mia, a renter in the U District living happily car-free within a block of the light rail.

For phase two zoning, I'm asking you to bravely add bonuses for green building techniques and enable more walkable multifamily multi-housing and mixed-use zoning by public transit stops.

When working as the project manager for a local solar panel installation company, I felt great pride and stewardship in coordinating a PV array for a Seattle Passive House complex, and I still fantasize about living in one.

At below medium incomes, my sisters and I are anxious every day about being able to afford to continue living in the place we grew up.

My newlywed sister with me today and brother-in-law recently purchased a home in Linwood.

However, this creates a five and a half hour commute each way to his job at the King County Airport, where they would love to put down roots closer if they could afford to.

With zoning for more dense, affordable, and green housing, my family and I could envision a safe future in Seattle.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Harper.

All right.

Hi, I'm Harpernelli.

I'm from District 3, and I'm a renter.

I'm also with Seattle Transit Riders Union.

I'm tired of having to do this.

I'm tired of my needs as a renter to live in the city I was born in, put on the same level as the desire of wealthy homeowners to maintain their exclusionary neighborhood character and high property values.

Why do we keep balancing the lives and livelihoods of the renter majority with the portfolios of the people who already own an unprecedented 51% of all wealth in this country, or the generation?

There are ways to preserve and expand our tree canopy by reducing street parking instead of housing, but I have spoken to these so-called tree people, and they are uninterested in this idea.

I ask you why.

All housing along corridors should be high density, mixed use, and take advantage of the billions of investment taxpayers have put into our transit systems.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Matt Hutchins.

Good afternoon.

My name is Matt Hutchins.

I'm the co-chair of the Seattle Planning Commission.

We strongly encourage the City Council to approve the Neighborhood Center's zoning strategy without any further reductions.

We don't want to prioritize late concerns over four years of equitable public engagement.

The Commission also recommends maximizing the zoning within neighborhood centers to support financially viable subsidized affordable multifamily housing.

And less dense LR1 and LR2 zones effectively generate townhouses, but not subsidized housing.

for the corridor's concept.

Unfortunately, transit, freight, and high traffic all share the same lanes.

So narrow rezoning concentrates affordable housing only where we know residents are going to experience the worst effects of poor air quality noise and traffic.

This is not an equitable strategy.

We recommend that the Council look to a wider corridor concept that expands up zones to adjacent streets so that residents can live within convenient walking distance of transit.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up will be Ruth and then we're gonna go back and name some names to the A 21 through 30. It will be John Matheson, James Shambaugh, Clinton Attaway, Jeffrey Piper, Sharon Kosla.

Those will be next.

Ruth, you're up.

The Seattle Plan is based on a supply-side theory that says if we deregulate a massively up zone, more homes will be built and prices will fall.

Increasingly, high-level research challenges the theory, including a new London School of Economics study whose lead author is named a world's most influential scientific mind.

Its title reads, inequality, not regulation, drives America's affordability crisis.

Mass up-zoning didn't lower home prices in Vancouver, BC, now third most expensive city in the world.

Raleigh, North Carolina witnessed a net loss of more than 4,000 affordable homes after up-zoning.

Well, the same happened here.

We need new solutions that address the real problem.

For example, when we up-zone, we give away public airspace for free, making private property more valuable.

We should secure some of the value for public good, and I'm not talking about MHA.

Finally, zoning is a powerful tool for directing growth.

Too much up-zoning undermines its ability to make growth happen where we want it, like transit centers.

Thank you.

Next up, John Matheson.

John, and then it'll be James Shambaugh, then Clinton Attaway, then Jeffrey Piper.

Thank you.

My name is John Matheson.

I'm five generations of Seattle, District 4. I have five kids.

All of them are in Seattle.

Two of them are at home, but three of them are on their own, and they are finding that finding housing is pretty problematic in Seattle.

So I'd like you to do everything that you can to help my children out.

I'd like you to please build on the progress made on the ambitious, bold plan, go taller, denser, faster.

A bold plan prioritizes affordability, connected communities, and the climate.

We'd like you to allow more types of housing in more places, provide incentives for affordable, transit-connected homes near amenities like parks and schools.

Minimally, we'd like to see new neighborhood centers abroad online, as well as urban centers bringing back a lot of the neighborhood centers that were axed previously.

I would like you to fix development standards and I need to say including SPU's policies on small service lines and expanded transit corridor up zones.

Thanks so much.

Thank you.

Next up, James.

All right, good afternoon.

My name is Jamie Shambaugh, and I'm a proud resident of District 5, where I've lived and worked for the last 11 years, and where I recently retired as Director of Ocean Environment Research at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Lab in Seattle.

So my comment is, I think I represent many people in the city when I say that I'm both pro-housing and pro-trees, and that we can and must do both.

My comment though is specifically about the summary and fiscal note document where on page three it states that this legislation is not expected to substantially affect Seattle's resiliency or ability to adapt to climate change in a material way.

And knowing what I know about the Pacific Northwest climate and how it's changing, I find that that's a pretty bold statement.

And so I was looking in the EIS for the supporting data and science behind those statements and I didn't find it.

And so the hard truth is that the environment people knew here no longer exists.

Today we are 13 degrees above average daily high.

And we have to be looking at canopy health.

We have to be looking at future proofing the canopy for a hotter, drier, and much more extreme Seattle climate.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Clinton.

Hi there, my name's Clint Nattaway, District 2. I'm speaking from the position of a long-time Seattle renter in unaffordable housing.

I've been in the city for over a decade back when our recently ousted mayor was being instrumental in not doing enough for affordable housing in 2013 in the Southlake Union up zone.

So being an unaffordable renter has taken me to the highs of Holler Lake and the lows of Burien, and I'm currently in District 2 living in a building that is raising the rent 10% every single year.

So this year I can get rid of my car, and next year I'll probably have to move, and the cycle will continue, and I'm lucky in this situation.

So I just hope there's something you all can do.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Jeffrey.

And then after Jeffrey, we're gonna have Sharon Kosla, Martha Baskin, Julia Shetler, Alex Lofton, Sarah Clark, and Scott Berkley.

Go ahead, Jeffrey.

Great.

My name is Jeff Piper.

Thanks for your time.

I'm here to advocate for changes to how institutions are treated in low-rise zones as part of the update to the comprehensive plan.

While residential uses are receiving significant updates, importantly so, institutions are not.

That's a missed opportunity.

A community needs more than housing to thrive.

Institutions provide essential services, education, childcare, elder care, cultural space.

This is especially true in Seattle's south end, where many neighborhoods rely on small, locally embedded institutions.

However, these institutions are constrained by land use rules that have not been meaningly updated since 1995. The dispersion requirements prevents new or expanding institutions from locating within 600 feet of another.

In process, it makes it nearly impossible to site or grow institutions in many areas.

This does not apply to housing.

Parking requirements mandate onsite parking with no offsite flexibility, which is available housing.

And finally, when housing and institutions are combined, stricter institutional rules make the entire building conform to the more restrictive zone.

Institutions are essential to health and character or communities, and updating these outdated rules

Thank you.

Next up will be Sharon.

Also just wanted to, if anybody has shown up recently and wants to testify or folks are in the crowd and want to testify, we do still have plenty of space.

So feel free to sign up.

You came all the way down here.

We would love to hear your voice.

Next up, Sharon.

Hi there, my name is Sharon Kosla.

I'm a partner at Five Dot Architects.

I'm here also to advocate for the low-rise institutions, which are usually black and brown-led institutions.

I've worked with these institutions for over a decade now, and each time these black and brown-led institutions daylight barriers in the zoning and the codes.

Land owned and operated by black-led non-profits is rarely located in zones designated for success or long-term wealth, building instead.

Instead, these organizations face layer after layer of barriers.

The result is drawn out, exhausting project timelines.

Updating the low-rise zoning for institutions is an important step, but it won't fix the next issue that will inevitably come up.

We need a better system, one that will allow for these hard-working nonprofits to succeed without compromising their capacity, their health, or their communities.

We also see at the same time that white developers move forward quickly with fewer obstacles to leave behind, empty storefronts and in-

Thank you.

If you like, please submit your comments by email to council at seattle.gov.

Next up, Martha.

Good afternoon, thank you for taking the time for us.

So what urban landscape appeals to you?

One where 85 to 100% hardscape is the codified reality for every neighborhood?

Where climate realities, heat islands, and the power of trees to reduce polluted air and contain runoff are dismissed and ignored?

Or one where nature, trees, and native plants are part of the density equation and required as a ground level portion of the amenity area?

I'm adding my voice for an amendment to the comp plan called dense forest for dense housing.

It's really cheeky, I like it a lot.

Key takeaway, it does not impact housing capacity.

At a time of record tree loss on lots undergoing development and in neighborhoods with little canopy to begin with, this amendment holds the key to a livable 21st century city.

can't see the forest for the trees, too caught up in the hardscape density data, take a leap into the 21st century after we're now in the year 26, and adopt the dense forest for dense housing amendment.

It's a workable plan for a city we long to see, a climate resilient, densely housed and forested city.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Julia, you're next.

Sorry.

No, you're good.

Take your time.

Hi, everyone.

My name is Julia, and I'm a D6 renter with Tree Action Seattle.

I'm asking you to include the dense forest for dense housing amendment.

Specifically, please require amenity areas to have trees and amend the green factor calculation to include a tree requirement.

Why?

Because on average, Seattle loses 270 trees per month.

Nearly 100% of each lot in neighborhood centers can be paved.

Even the green courtyard amendment is just more paved space with zero tree requirements.

This is not climate forward thinking.

Our proposed additions only affect non-buildable area.

That's not any space for housing.

In that regard, it's a win-win for density and tree advocates.

Please do better and please consider our amendments.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The next speakers will be Alex Lofton, Sarah Clark, and Scott Berkley.

Alex, if you could come on up.

Thank you Chairman Lin and council members.

My name is Alex Lofton and I'm born and raised here, resident of the CD, District 3, and I recently helped start a group called the For Seattle Project.

I ask that you boldly back the centers and corridors legislation.

I grew up in a Seattle region that was still relatively small in a provincial place way up in the upper left and that's not who we are anymore.

More and more people want and need to live here and too many of them aren't being welcomed because we haven't kept up with what it takes to be accessible and affordable for both newcomers and the communities that have been here building our neighborhoods for a long time.

Centers and Corridors is the follow-through on the vision that this city has already committed to.

We need more housing near transit so people can get around without a car and aren't stuck spending half their income just to get a roof over their head.

We need homes on the quieter side streets near bus stops, not only on the loudest, most polluted arterials, and we need building techniques like Passive House.

Please be bold and pass this legislation.

Thank you.

Sarah Clark, good to see you.

Hi Chair Lynn, good to see you.

Hi members of the select committee.

My name is Sarah Clark and I'm here today on behalf of the over 2,600 members of the Seattle Metro Chamber and to express our strong support for the proposed comp plan update and the centers and corridors legislation.

Thank you so much for your leadership in addressing Seattle's housing shortage, one of the most pressing challenges facing our city today.

Employers across Seattle are increasingly concerned about housing affordability and the ability of our workforce to live near jobs.

Increasing housing supply and expanding housing choices across more neighborhoods is essential not only to addressing affordability but also supporting long-term economic vitality.

Without these changes, Seattle will continue to fall short of meeting its housing needs.

We're also grateful that Mayor Wilson has announced her intentions last week to speed up this process and look forward to additional action and amendments.

Thank you.

Next up, we're gonna have Scott Berkley, and then we're gonna go back to the B Group, B21 through 30, starting with Dawn Seiler, Kalabe Tualde, Amanda Lynn, Annika Solzbach, and Conrad Parker.

Scott Berkley, if you could come on up.

Hi, thank you, Chair.

I will just say it's not quite the same without Council President Hollingsworth on the mic, but you're doing a great job.

I second that.

My name is Scott Berkley and I'm a West Seattle homeowner in one of these orange areas on this map that are within a five minute walk of frequent transit.

I used to live directly on an arterial and it was quite loud and I think that my current quiet side street is a much nicer place to live.

Blocks like mine are exactly the where we should be allowing more people to live.

It's in walking distance to a school, childcare, multiple grocery stores, and several transit options.

Let's expand our transit corridors, allow higher quality courtyard-style buildings, and make Seattle the undisputed leader in building for families, affordability, and climate.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next up, Dawn.

Thank you, I thought I got left behind.

I'm Dawn Seiler, and thank you for establishing Queen Anne's crown as a historic parkway.

Our trees give heart, soul, and life to the city.

Mayor Harrell's one Seattle EO will pledge to protect, preserve, and plant more trees, achieving the 30% canopy coverage by 2037. But phase two comp plan allows 100% hardscaping on neighborhood commercial and mixed use properties, and 85% hardscaping on LR 1, 2, and 3 properties, providing tent space for trees.

I urge City Council to work with the Urban Forest Commission and Seattle Tree Action, I hope you have their plan, to create pedestrian walkways with pocket forests in your community centers and pocket forests between apartment buildings and tables.

Please make sure that phase two includes specific regs that create a sustainable green environment that builders are required to follow.

Thank you, Dawn.

Next up, that's Caleb.

Hi, my name is Caleb Towalde, born and raised here in Seattle.

I'm a educator and a planning commissioner and a lifelong renter.

I've moved all around the city and I've seen the human costs of raising rents and the lack of affordability in this city.

As a kid it felt like we had to move every other year and as an adult it's been more of the same.

You have an opportunity in this comp plan update to make this city an affordable city for all by reintroducing the high opportunity and low displacement risk areas along corridors that have been removed from the original proposal in 2024 and maximizing the zoning in neighborhood centers.

Neighborhood centers are essential to realizing our collective vision of a Seattle where all residents live in a great neighborhood with diverse, affordable, and accessible housing options within a convenient distance to shops, jobs, and transit.

Implementation of this new model is also a critical step toward addressing the impacts of racially exclusive and discriminatory housing land use practices by creating more housing options for people in more areas of the city.

I support a corridor concept that expands up zones beyond one parcel on

Thank you.

Next up, Amanda and then Annika and then Conrad.

Hi, Council.

Thanks so much for having us.

I'm Amanda Lynn.

I'm new to Seattle, just moving into Capitol Hill, but I am not new to housing and security.

I've been intimately familiar with it my entire life, professionally and personally.

I've watched the crisis explode over the last decade, like we all have, and it seems to only accelerate.

I'm scared for my future in a way I never have been.

I'm scared to age into climate collapse.

especially, and I'm really scared to not have safe housing in the collapsing climate.

I grew up really deep in the Appalachian Mountains.

This is my first time living in a major city.

My upbringing gave me a really deep respect for nature and the natural world.

That's why I'm a supporter of the Courtyard Blocks Amendment.

I envision more trees, not less.

Instead of trees stuck in setbacks too small for them to thrive, we could create mini forests all over the city.

The proposed amendment provides more opportunities, not less, and more opportunities for people, not less.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Annika and then Conrad and then Adam.

Hello, my name is Annika.

I used to work in Seattle and lived in Tacoma.

My mornings began with a half an hour mile walk to the bus stop, a one and a half hour commute to work, 10 hour work shifts, and one and a half hour commute back home from work.

This made for a 13 to 14 hour work day, days leaving pretty much no room for error.

I had to be asleep by 8.30 p.m.

at the latest to ensure I'd get adequate sleep at best, be up by 3.30 a.m.

the next day.

This is the lived reality for many working-class Seattleites.

That's why I'm urging you to support widening transit corridors to lower transit costs and emissions.

I'm now living in an apartment in Seattle.

I'm close to work and public transit lines.

This has afforded me more time and much needed rest.

I now have time to cook to prepare nourishing meals for work, lunches, and dinner.

My quality of life has gone up 90%.

I can walk to buy groceries now.

I see familiar faces.

I'm living in community now.

I continue to utilize Seattle public transit and so much more.

Thank you for having me today.

Thank you.

Next up, Conrad, and then Adam, and then Brandon.

Hi, I'm Conrad Parker.

I live in a townhouse in Madison Valley in District 3. I'm here to advocate for more density and more places for a more affordable and sustainable city.

Specifically, I'd really like to see at least L1, R2, R3 zoning within a 10 minute walk of all transit corridors, especially rapid ride transit stops.

I'd love us to reevaluate some of the neighborhood centers that the previous mayor dropped from the comp plan and see if we can bring some of those back.

I'd love to see density bonuses for passive houses, courtyards, and family size units near schools.

The comp plan is a pivotal opportunity to allow us to build a city that we can all afford to live in and I'd really implore council to take advantage of it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Adam and then Brandon and then Marie.

and then Kimberly Colwell and then Jonathan Phillips.

Adam.

Hey, my name's Adam Dunlap.

I live in District 3. Let's see, I'm here to advocate for maximum housing density.

You know, I really want everyone to live here.

There's a lot of comments here about trees and while I love living on a street with trees, I love going to parks with trees, I can't imagine going up to a family and saying, you're not allowed to live here because there's trees on this lot.

So we need to protect our greenery, but really we need to do everything we can to just build more housing at all costs.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Brandon.

Hello, my name is Brandon Deerbletcher, and I'm a car-free renter in Belltown.

I'm here to add my support for massive upzoning across the city.

We need to rely on solutions like single stair to build five to 10-story tall buildings everywhere, not just along arterials.

Forcing density only along arterials is a form of discrimination against those who are unprivileged enough to be able to own land.

Apartment buildings should not be a buffer between smoggy cars and the people who drive them but don't want to hear or smell them when they're at home.

we should allow more businesses to exist everywhere so we don't have to walk or bike as far to reach them.

As for the trees, as I've said many times before, we need to build housing, and we need to build it in the city, or we can sprawl into the forest.

If we sprawl into the forest, I guarantee we will destroy many more times the trees than if we build more density in the city.

A single tall building in the city can house as many people as multiple acres of sprawling single-family detached homes.

If you want to save Seattle homes anyway, allow more single-star buildings and more stacked flats to be built, neighborhood character be damned, reduce setback requirements, and remove parking requirements.

Are you going to be the last city in Washington to do that?

Save Kirby.

Thank you.

Marie.

My name is Marie Bolster.

I'm a small landlord with 200-year-old buildings in Seattle that are now divided into eight apartments.

They define middle housing and are very affordable.

I'm approached constantly by developers who want to tear them down.

Where would my tenants live then?

Between 2018 and 22, more than 11,000 rental homes left the market.

According to the Seattle Times, smaller investors are selling to larger entities with a 9,600 unit loss of middle rentals in the first half of 2025. The city doesn't have any incentives to built into the plans to keep the existing housing.

Portland offered small landlords thousands of dollars to add units to their existing properties.

No trees cut down, no new- I could add two units to my buildings now for occupancy in under a year.

New construction would easily take three years.

What happens in the meantime?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Kimberly and then Jonathan Phillips.

And then after that, we're going to return to our A group with Whitney Nakamura and Joseph Santara.

Kimberly.

Is there Kimberly Colwell?

We can always come back to you.

Oh, okay, I think, oh, left, oh, you said that.

Okay, Jonathan Phillips.

Hello, thank you guys for taking the time to listen.

There's like so much information today and I'm already so lost, so thank you guys.

Yeah, so...

laughs, great.

Okay, so just really brief, please don't continue with the approach of super-fast development to bring housing prices down.

The same way that adding more lanes to a highway doesn't decrease traffic, it's only a temporary solution, it doesn't work and leaves us with a lot more concrete than we need.

I do urge you to consider effective long-term solutions over ineffective short-term ones.

Appreciate you guys.

So next up, we're gonna go back to our A group.

Again, this will be 31 through 35. Whitney Nakamura, Joseph Santara, Sarah Lapis, Jane Orvos, and Claire Weggensile.

Whitney, if you're...

Okay, so, but Whitney Nakamura.

Chair, she'll be right back.

Okay, wonderful.

Oh sure, we can come back to you.

Joseph Santara?

Joseph, come on down.

Thank you.

Good morning, my name is Joseph Santana and I'm here to comment on the plan zoning for South Park as a new neighborhood center.

South Park's median income is at about $60,000 and $60,000 is not projected to be enough to pay for housing the new LR1 and LR3 upzoned proposed in South Park.

So people currently in South Park will continue to be a part of the displacement statistics unless we're building five stores and up.

We need to create per-cost unit households that serve people that make less than 80% of the AMI and that means taller buildings while preventing urban sprawl and protecting trees at the same time.

We urge the council to adopt affordable housing overlay zones across all Seattle neighborhood centers to allow nonprofit and public developers to build taller than base zoning permits.

in exchange for guaranteed affordability.

I also urge the council to adopt community agreement requirements for private development in areas of high displacement risk to ensure that historically exploited communities have a voice in the planning process of their neighborhoods.

Thank you.

Next up, Sarah Lapis.

Hi, council members.

Thanks so much for your time today.

I'm Sarah Lapis.

I'm the project director for the Seattle Public Schools' first Milwaukee Mini Forest at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School.

Very happy to give you a tour any time of any of the Milwaukee-style mini forests in the area.

They are densely native-planted forests that grow up to 10 times faster than conventional forests.

and they are powerhouses for fighting urban heat islands.

I can show you the one in Georgetown that currently cools the surface temperature there in the summer by 20 degrees.

So I'm so happy that we have so much support for the pocket forest and the Milwaukee-style planted forest.

I'm here to help guide that process and really excited to be a part of it.

It is not a good trade-off for cutting down our old trees.

It's not comparable.

It's 1,000 to 1, a sapling to an old tree.

I'm humbled to have Ken Worker here speaking up for the old trees.

We are all grateful to be here on unceded Duwamish land, and thank you so much for being here, and thank you so much for considering dense forests for dense housing.

Thank you.

Did you want to go, or should we wait?

I can go.

I'm ready.

You sure?

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Can you all hear me okay?

Yes.

Okay.

My name is Emily Rose Barr.

I am a member of the Seattle Women's Commission.

It's good to be here this afternoon.

Thank you for holding this public hearing and allowing folks to have their voices heard.

My colleague, who's also one of my co-chairs on the Seattle Women's Commission, had to duck out.

So today, even though I'm a member of the commission, I'm not speaking on behalf of the commission.

I'm speaking on behalf of myself.

I read a statistic in the slideshow that was sent out that I believe noted that 20% of residents are spending half of their income on monthly rent, and that's alarming to me.

I am fortunate to benefit from the affordable housing program through living in an MFTE unit, and I am incredibly grateful for that program.

This has allowed me to have peace of mind in a city that has become unaffordable for too many.

I encourage the council to approve initiatives in phase two of the comprehensive plan that enables all residents of Seattle to maintain a roof over their head without fear of losing access to this basic need.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And we're going to turn to...

Karen, just a point of information?

Yes.

When Whitney returns, will she still be able to speak?

We still are accepting sign-ups until 6.30, so certainly either they could sign up again or...

Yeah, thank you.

Fantastic, thank you.

Yeah, that's a great point.

Next up, we're going to go to B31-33, which is Aidan Thornsberry, Carol Isaac, and Jess Yang.

Aidan, if you're available.

Hello, Council.

I was recently apartment hunting in the U District and I had quite the experience trying to find a unit that wasn't on a busy corridor.

Thankfully, I was able to find one, but it really is incredible to be a renter and you're on a busy corridor and you see new apartment buildings, you go one block and you know that apartment buildings would not be allowed on the less busy street.

So I know it might be in the future, but I hope you can expand the corridor so we can rent on different kinds of streets.

Additionally, if you can, allow more low-rise zoning, so it's a greater increase compared to the great neighborhood residential zoning that we all implemented last year.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Carol.

Thank you.

I'm Carol Isaac, and I am here to thank you all for well, whoever was here then for passing the tree thing.

I'm one of those planters of trees.

And it was great.

I was probably also one of the first people to test the system and the new system.

I had to take a tree down.

And I took the tree down.

It cost me $2,000 total to take a lawn tree down, cherry that I planted in 79. and tears.

And then that $2,000 at the time was very difficult.

I guess this is the testing you do after you find out what it costs per tree or per person or whatever to keep them.

I remember you're doing last week, Friday, was it?

Or Monday, $45,000 per person to take care of.

Chloe Gale and Tara Moss had figured that out for you all.

Oh, boy.

So anyhow, we really need to look at what's happened afterwards, too.

Does it really work?

And you're charging a lot of money for a person who you don't know what they're making.

But what you have done is you have cost money that maybe people don't have.

And the benefit is going to the whole city, not just that person.

Thank you.

Next up, Jess Yang, and then we're gonna return to our A group, A 41 through 50, JD Borch, Tracy Berman, Susan Fedor, Elaine Heckman, Calvin Jones.

Those will be next after Jess Yang.

Hi.

Hi, hi Council, great work last year, good to see you.

I'm Jess Yang, I'm a Ballard homeowner, and I want a Seattle that works for everyone.

I'm a trained social worker and public health professional, and we know that the relegation of density and affordability to arterials presents unique equity and health challenges.

While living directly on arterials provides easy access to transit, living on noisy, polluted streets has negative health effects, especially on growing children.

we need to expand density around our arterials to the side streets so that we can provide healthier, more affordable, and still transit connected choices for families and workers who are essential to our communities.

I also agree with our tree advocates that access to green space is deeply important for mental health.

That's why I support courtyard bonuses.

Courtyards not only provide accessible, safe green spaces for neighbors to gather, but they also protect trees from wind and storms, which are one of the biggest ways they get knocked down.

Housing is a public health solution.

We need your bold leadership to prioritize creative solutions so we can build denser, taller, faster.

Thank you for your continued work.

Thank you.

Next up, is it Jaday?

It's Jackie.

Jackie.

Oh, sorry.

Jackie, come on.

A lot of people today that brought up the CCC and by association developer talking points brought up the environment.

However, not every tree is the same.

When we lose a tree in Seattle, we lose a tree that services hundreds of people with its air cleaning properties.

and its shade.

Number two, creating courtyards without tree requirements is just wishful thinking.

You need to legislate for what you actually want to see.

And third, they ignore that tearing down homes and trees that could have hosted four to six homes, thanks to HB 1110, would be a better use of those resources.

And like the real estate agent who has some homes that she rents out, as she said, it creates the most affordable housing.

Why can't we have data on how phase one goes before jumping into phase two?

Thank you.

Thank you, Jackie.

Next up, Tracy.

Hi, my name is Tracy Berman.

Building on what Jackie said, we just completed one of the largest up zones in history, four to six at a minimum primary units on every single NR parcel that only allowed one before.

That created space for over half a million incremental primary units.

And if we focused on affordability, conversion is the best way to get there, so taking the existing building stock and enabling more to live in it.

Unfortunately, the legislation for centers and corridors eliminates a portion of those NR zones that could be affordable housing for people and maybe already are affordable housing for people to build large apartment buildings that will be inevitably luxury and unaffordable.

We are basing this plan on a disproven hypothesis that upzoning drives affordability when we have proof that it doesn't.

Proof in Vancouver that it doesn't and proof in Portland that legislating for middle housing does lower prices.

So let's do the work to figure out what drives affordability and legislate for that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Susan.

Good afternoon.

Taller, denser, faster addresses a symptom, but won't resolve the root cause of affordability, which is the growing economic inequality, mass purchasing by private equity firms, and speculative investment.

Seattle's being overrun with greed, and it's causing real harm to our ecological balance, notably a diminishing tree canopy and the direct impacts it has on Puget Sound.

Housing stock increased 28% over last year, but cost remains high.

Phase two is a good time to reassess ways to strengthen the comp plan in a way that fulfills the original mandate of providing affordable housing, such as land value capture, which promotes cost sharing through fees and taxes on developers and property owners to raise revenue and reinvest in our communities.

Add restrictions on standalone short-term rentals.

Add vacancy taxes to unoccupied housing, something that Mayor Wilson spoke passionately about when running for office.

Incentivize conversions of existing homes into duplexes and triplexes.

The lesson isn't simply build more, it's build better because densification without design standards or tax policy reform is producing a lot of construction that fails to provide livable, accessible housing.

It's time to stop serving the wealthiest among us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Elaine Hickman, then Calvin Jones, then Alexander Booth, and then Kiana Ross.

Elaine Hickman.

Hello.

Good to see you.

Yes, I'm Elaine Hickman.

I live in North Seattle.

I've been a homeowner since 1974 and an urban farmer.

I'm here in support of the dense forests and dense housing initiative.

Trees to me are not optional.

They are a vital part of our web of life.

Unless the plan provides for nature to continue to thrive in our city, it will be too late to try to correct the loss down the road when we learn the consequences.

So I'm really worried about that we get the planning right and that we incentivize what we really the outcome we want.

The loss of trees, well, in my neighborhood there's been a lot of building.

Right next door, a building in the backyard that totally changed that area, and a lot of loss of trees, and that troubles me.

Thank you.

Next up, Calvin Jones.

Hi, my name is Calvin Jones, and I'm a renter in District 6 and an organizer with Tech for Housing.

I'm here to urge council to pass as bold a Phase 2 comp plan update as is possible.

Seattle was blanketed with about 70% single-family zoning for about a century leading up to when you all changed that last year, so thank you for that work.

but this caused us to pretty massively underbuild housing and it also allowed our wealthiest and widest neighborhoods to be enclaves of privilege.

So the phase one updates last year did a lot to undo those historical wrongs and I encourage you all to continue that momentum.

with the phase two updates, legalizing wide transit corridors and lots of new housing types in our neighborhood centers.

Our regressive tax code has also caused us to under-subsidize affordable housing for a long time, so I urge you all to support as much progressive revenue as possible to subsidize housing in the future.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Alexander Booth.

Hello, council members.

My name is Alex Booth.

I'm a renter in Green Lake.

I'm an affordable housing architect, meaning just about everything in the comp plan affects me and my clients and the ability to build affordable housing in Seattle.

The most important point I wanted to make is it is absolutely unacceptable which multifamily zoning boundaries currently exist.

The plan, as it is, is much too limited for any kind of practical, welcoming, and affordable city.

Limiting multifamily zoning is going to force my clients to fight over very few parcels, guaranteeing that we have eye-watering land costs for what is supposed to be affordable housing.

Please, please, please, for the love of the city and the nonprofits I work with, greatly expand the zoning for multifamily housing in our transit corridors and beyond.

None of the amendments we are discussing today have anywhere close to a benefit to the city in expanding multifamily zones.

Additionally, please approve the badass passive housing amendment that grants density and high bonuses to projects.

This is incredibly forward-thinking, could turn Seattle into the vision and future of sustainability for all of the US.

Rigorous sustainability bonuses are the types of changes that my nonprofit can financially get behind.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next up, we got Kiana, and then after that, Aloe K. Parmesh, David Moring, and Julie Tokashiki, I believe.

Go ahead, Kiana.

Thank you so much, council members.

My name is Kiana Ross.

I don't have any talking points, just my experience as a new homeowner, U.S.

Army veteran, and a registered nurse.

I reside in Columbia City, which is about a five-minute walk from the link rail.

Right next door to me is Habitat for Humanity, which has just developed 50 units.

I feel like I'm the uphouse in the midst of the urban housing development, the PCC, I can walk to Lake Washington, but there's also a lot of empty lots around me with burnt tires, there's Mount Baker which has all the tents and homelessness.

What I wanna see as a new homeowner, as a veteran and as a registered nurse is more uniform mixed use zoning designated near the transit corridor which is consistent with the successful approaches taken for the Graham and Pinehurst urban centers, upzoning to NC would correct any inconsistency and better align the city's commitment to transit-oriented development and Washington State recommendation.

For maximizing housing capacity in such locations and maintaining the current low-rise designation creates an inefficient density gap adjacent to a multi-billion dollar transit asset.

Thank you, Kiana.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Kiana.

Next up, Alo.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Alo Permes, a resident of District 2. I live in the five-minute walk from the Columbia City Light Trade Station.

Even being so near to the light rail station, this area has been excluded from the current of that corridor.

I feel like that, as highlighted in the director's report, not taking care of such an inconsistency results in a density and a transit equity gap, and it would be good to correct such inconsistencies and work towards the policy of 15-minute neighborhoods with walkable and mixed yield development.

Thank you for consideration.

Thank you.

Next up, we have David and then Julie.

Welcome Councilmember Foster and Councilmember Lin to our city's leadership.

My name is David Maring, architect from District 7. I enjoy living in the LR1 low-rise multi-family residential townhouse zone.

but please do not make all LR1 and LR2 into a LR3 zone.

That's a huge jump and the purpose of zoning obviously is to create a gradual increase, not to go from our neighborhood residential three-story to a universal LR3 five-story.

That'd be just too much of a big change.

I support all avenues that mandate 80% AMI housing with height and density incentives and also incentives that continue to allow offsetting the bulk in order to retain a tier one or tier two tree.

It exists already, let's keep it going.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, David.

Next up, Julie.

Hi council members, thank you so much for having us all.

My name is Julie Tokashiki-Skerritt and I've lived in Seattle for more than 25 years.

And I have to tell you that you have activated me in a community of citizens that care about trees and we want to be reasonable.

My personal experience is that the city of Seattle allowed a developer to cut a 100-year-old redwood tree that a pair of eagles were actively using as evidenced by Como News.

In fact, this story actually made national news.

No one could believe that the city allowed for a 100-year-old tree to be brought down for a wall.

Yes, a wall.

This is allowing the developer to build a single family residence using the huge footprint and the city allowed this to happen with environmental critical areas with water issues and a blind corner.

Now that the city has cut down the tree, we are talking with the city about the developer and over pruning the trees.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next up, we're going to go to a group B 41 through 50, and I'm going to read off a few names.

It'll be David Haynes, Chuck Sawyer, Sandy Shetler, Richard Ellison, Kathy Kappaliner, Kim Butler, Owen Knight, Theresa Lamb, and Jamie Fackler.

First, David Haynes.

Leave no doubt there's a revolutionary bout to give true democracy a shout for a 21st century first world quality housing build out that reinstates the incentives that the small time landlords took off of the developers' allowances to go 12 stories high with three stories of affordable.

All the livable amenities, the rooftop views, are being denied because you all, the small-time landlords, put all these restrictions and sabotage the integrity of the comprehensive plan.

We need to go at least 12 stories high because taller saves trees and denser creates neighborhoods and better livable spaces as long as it's pedestrian centric and resident friendly not 20th century car centric infrastructure that prioritizes the road rage and the trash pickup right outside the commercial real estate that's got too small of a floor plan that's ripping off the business that turns against the neighborhood that needs a robust floor plan that doesn't accommodate the laziness of the modern wheel and all these sellouts are trying to re-mortgage their house at the expense of the next 20 years cheating the multitudes of younger generations

Thank you, David.

Next up, we have Chuck Sawyer and then Sandy Shetler.

Thank you.

My name's Chuck Sawyer.

I'm a longtime resident of council member Saka's district.

I am very supportive of the goals behind the comp plan.

I'm supportive of accommodating additional growth.

I'm very supportive of trying to find additional housing, making housing more affordable.

In fact, I see a hole across the street.

I'm very supportive of much of what I see in terms of the new zoning for West Seattle, but I am opposed to the upgrade proposed for Fauneroy Avenue Southwest, across from Lincoln Park, right in the ferry traffic corridor.

I will detail those objections in an email to you.

Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you for being here.

Sandy, come on down.

I was number one, now I'm 44B.

All right.

Anyway, thanks.

Yeah, sorry, I lost my voice, so I'll try to talk loud.

Okay.

Yeah, so I'm Sandy Schettler with Tree Action Seattle, and I'm speaking in favor of the Dense Forest for Dense Housing amendment that we're proposing.

There's been a false binary between trees and housing.

Our amendment does not reduce housing capacity at all.

We're actually now losing about 270 trees a month.

Over half are for development.

70% that we're losing have trunks over 12 inches in diameter or greater.

This is from SDCI's own data.

Thanks for helping us get that, Council Member Strauss.

Courtyard blocks sound nice, but without tree requirements, they will be paved.

Trees are the only scalable and affordable tool we have to meet the greatest threat climate change will bring, toxic urban heat islands.

Please think of future city leaders and who will be desperately trying to invade the heat islands that we are creating.

Please pass our amendment.

Thanks.

Thank you, Sandy.

Next up, Richard Ellison.

Hello, I'm Richard Ellison.

I live in district four.

You say that you respect the native tribes that called Seattle its ancestral home.

You say that you will two, four or six, eight plex the lots with no environmental impact.

You speak with a forked tongue like Washington's first governor, Isaac Stevens, who forced Puget Sound tribes onto the reservations in the 1850s.

You cut the roots of life out of the living earth, cutting all the big trees with a subplot of lives you can't build around these neighborhood treasures.

You say you're a leader in environmental stewardship, but build with 85 to 100% impermeable services.

You cut back on the planting requirements.

You cut up the parcels so each is even more barren of living earth than before.

Death by a thousand cuts?

You cut 4,500 trees wider than your foot just this year.

But who's counting?

Did you read Seattle's Times today about the three new dead orcas?

The children of chickadees, salmon, and orcas are counting on you.

While the skies are burning, do not forget we used to hide from the winter rains under a canopy of trees.

They paved paradise and cut up the rezoned lots.

Thank you.

Next up, Kathy.

Kathy and then Kim Butler and then Owen Knight and then Teresa Lamb and Jamie Fackler.

Hi, I'm Kathy Kaplaner.

I believe I'm a resident of D5.

I've been a resident of Seattle for over 35 years.

I'm a crossing guard, and I miss old Seattle very much.

The population of the landscape over 35 odd years has obviously changed very much, and it's not coming back to what it was.

I miss it.

I get sick every time I go to the mountains or anywhere and see whole entire mountain sides gone of trees.

So I'm here to urge the city to do whatever we can to keep the trees in our city, to keep it healthy and keep our quality of life, keep it up rather than tearing it down.

One of the ladies gave a phrase that struck me really Perfect.

Please provide for nature to thrive and please pass the dense forest for dense housing amendments as per tree action.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Kim, Kim Butler and then Owen Knight and then Theresa Lamb.

Hi, City Council.

My name is Kim Butler, and I'm a lifelong resident of Seattle.

I currently live in a rented home in District 4 in Maritza's community.

And I want to state that I currently understand the need for affordable housing.

I've lived here my whole life, and I am on a limited income as well as a nanny.

However, we are at a critical juncture not only for building affordable housing, but for retaining our current urban forest environment.

I am asking the council to strongly consider and adopt a plan for dense force along with dense housing.

This is not a request to reduce affordable housing, but rather to purposely require developers to retain and plant trees and amenity areas around new housing or incentivize the idea of putting pocket force in right-of-ways and community areas.

We have an opportunity here to do both.

This is an opportunity to seize this moment so that we can create to help affordable housing and adopt strong requirements to protect and include tree amendments and policies that will help us meet our city's canopy goals and build a livable and affordable environment for generations.

Thank you.

Next up, Owen.

Hi, council.

My name is Owen Knight.

I'm a renter in District 4. I've heard of some stuff along this line, but as a renter, I know that developers exist to make money and to profit.

I get that.

And despite that, I still am super pumped every time I see a new apartment building or a new fourplex going up in the city of Seattle.

And that's because I pay rent, right?

I pay rent, and so I'm lucky my rent's fairly affordable.

The downside of that is my apartment is suboptimal.

I would love to move into a new apartment.

My current one, the heater caught on fire, and part of the shower fell out of the wall.

So we're not working with the best stuff here, but it's cheaper.

And so new buildings, I know they change, might not be great for everyone, that some people might have a new apartment building next to them.

But it's going to make a really big world of difference to everyone else who's able to move into a new apartment building that's cheaper and more affordable.

I would love a 7% decrease in rent like we saw at Austin, Texas, so I would just encourage the council to go big.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Theresa and then Jamie.

Hi, Theresa Lamb, and I don't really have a prepared statement with this.

It's kind of baffling that saving the trees is an amendment and wasn't just put in there, because we all know we can't do it without trees.

So it's just kind of a willful pretending that this isn't a reality.

There's too much at risk.

We can't play pretend.

This means something more than just being pretty.

This means living and breathing.

and so I just hope that you'll all consider that and just, you know, that's where we're at.

This is where we're at.

So please consider at least the- Thank you.

Jamie, good to see you.

Good to see you, council members.

Thank you.

Jamie Fackler, former resident of District 2, now resident of District 3. Hello, council member.

So I'm sitting here thinking, and for me, this is a very personal thing.

I'm gonna share something that's very personal.

In January, my nephew, after being injured on the job and being denied unemployment and L&I benefits, received an eviction notice.

The following morning, he took his own life.

So housing affordability, to me, is very important.

And it's critical to talk about the trees.

But we are in a real crisis, and people are actually dying because of lack of housing.

So SDOT, plant more trees.

Seattle Parks, address the dying canopy in southeast Seattle.

But let's build more houses.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jamie.

We are going to move on to Group A 51 through 55. We have Susan Ward, Sophie McKnight, Erin Rook, Elena Manispina, and Michelle Manaski.

I'm butchering these.

Susan, come on down.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Susan Ward.

Comprehensive plans and engagement sessions since 1993 have consistently shown Seattleites feel a lack of connection to nature in their neighborhoods and a desire for more open green space and more trees.

but we have lost 255 acres of tree canopy between 2016 and 2021. Where are the requirements to conserve mature trees and plant canopy replacement to reduce heat islands?

LR 1 through 3 zone developments in the new plan can pave 100% of the lot.

The 15% open space requirement counts paved walkways and narrow spaces between buildings.

There is no requirement to allow enough unpaved space for mature trees or to preserve them.

We will continue to shrink our canopy until protection on redeveloped private property is mandated.

I urge you to adopt Tree Action's Dense Forest Amendment.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Sophie McKnight.

Hi, I'm a homeowner in District 4, and I'm here to support the dense forests for dense housing amendment.

The population of North American birds has dropped nearly 30% since 1970. That's almost 3 billion birds gone.

According to John Fitzpatrick, Cornell Lab Director, this is a, quote, a staggering loss that suggests the very fabric of North America's ecosystem is unraveling, end quote.

Green spaces and trees will improve the health and survival of birds, pollinators, humans, and preserve our climate for future generations.

We need to preserve existing trees and groves by pairing dense housing with dense urban forests.

Thank you for your work on this.

Thank you.

Next up, Erin.

Hi, my name is Aaron.

I live near 42nd and 3rd Avenue Northwest in the Freelard Corridor connecting Ballard and Fremont.

I bought my home with the intention of eventually developing it, and I've been working with architects to understand what's possible with the evolving regulations.

I really appreciate the direction this city is going, allowing more housing and small businesses in neighborhoods.

My mother and I have actually been exploring a project where she could live upstairs and run a small cafe downstairs, a neighborhood gimbab shop, a type of Korean sushi.

But when we ran the numbers, one issue stood out, the front yard setback.

Allowing small commercial uses in neighborhood residential zones is a great step, but requiring them to sit far back from the street makes them harder to build, less visible, and less viable.

So in phase two, I hope you will reconsider, or consider, rather, reducing and exempting front yard setbacks for small businesses, especially along corridors like 3rd Avenue Northwest, and allow them to just align with adjacent low-rise zoning.

If we want neighborhood businesses to succeed, they just need to meet the street.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Elena.

Hi, my name is Ilana and I'm a resident of Ravenna neighborhood.

I urge you to reconsider the proposed zoning of four to five story buildings on 35th Avenue Northeast, especially between 55th and 62nd.

This stretch is too narrow to safely support that level of density.

Increased traffic would raise safety risks, particularly with two schools located within a couple blocks.

In addition, the tree canopy along 35th is an essential part of what makes this neighborhood livable.

Large scale development of this kind would result in a substantial loss, diminishing both environmental benefits and neighborhood character.

Parking is already a challenge, and increased density would make it significantly worse.

Increased density without adequate parking solutions would make this even more challenging.

I am not opposed to thoughtful growth, but it must be appropriate for the existing infrastructure.

Our more balanced approach would be to zone this section of 35th for townhomes or buildings no taller than two to three stores, while directing higher density development to areas with wider streets in greater capacity to absorb it safely.

Thank you for taking the time to consider these concerns and for your commitment to making thoughtful decisions for our community.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Michelle.

Hi, my name is Michelle and I am a resident of Bryant neighborhood.

I'm here to express my opposition to the proposed four to five story rezoning along 35th Northeast.

First, this proposal does not address the already serious traffic congestion on 35th at 65th.

Adding more housing without a clear traffic management plan will only make an already difficult situation worse.

Second, parking in our neighborhood is already limited.

This has real impacts.

My husband recently broke his hip and depends on me being able to park close to home.

Increasing density without requiring parking will make situations like ours even more challenging and increase competition for street parking.

Third, the plan assumes new residents will rely heavily on public transit, but transit options here are limited and do not meet many people's daily needs.

Even for those who use transit commuting, car ownership remains necessary for many everyday activities and for accessing the outdoors, which is an important part of life for many in our community.

Finally, this rezoning would result in the loss of trees and reduce valuable play spaces for children, both essential to our community.

Thank you.

Clerk, I think we have reached the end of the current sign-ups, although I'm not sure there might be.

Do you know if there were any recent ones?

We can be at ease to check.

We can be at ease for a couple of minutes to see if there's any additional speakers.

Okay, that'd be great.

Just hang tight with us, folks.

We're gonna have a few, whoever recently signed up and then we'll probably take a recess for a bit to allow some more signups.

And again, signups are open until 6.30.

We're going to take a recess till 515. We have a few speakers who have signed up that will hear their testimony.

And then if anybody else comes, we'll hear that testimony as well.

Again, signups will be until 630, but we're going to be in a short recess until 515. Thank you.

for the first time.

Avoid using all caps

Okay, thank you all.

So we are back from recess and we're gonna continue with public testimony.

It looks like we have, currently we have six speakers signed up.

This is A group 61 through 66, starting with Alexandra, then Micah, then Alice, then David, Austin, and then Caroline.

Alexandra, if you can come on up.

All right.

Hi, everyone.

So I'm Alexandra.

I've been a Washington resident my whole life, originally from eastern Washington, slash even northern Idaho, moved over here, been in Seattle for almost 10 years now.

And as I see what's happening kind of on the macro scale in our country, especially due to climate change, I mean, most of the Western US is now facing drought conditions.

heading towards what's most likely going to be a pretty gnarly wildfire season.

I wanted to focus in on what I could control and come here to our local council meeting.

I've never spoken at one of these before and just basically say my piece, which is I want you to please pass the dense forest for dense housing.

initiative, and please require amenity areas to have trees, amend the green factor scoring system with tree requirements, and pilot a flexible pocket forest option to replace street parking.

So that's all I wanted to say.

I think we can all grow together in harmony.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Micah.

Thank you.

Thank you for your time.

I live in Eastlake in District 3, and I'm here to affirm and encourage a bold comprehensive plan that prioritizes density.

I want to highlight the growing need for density in our city.

We should strive for mixed-use developments within a five-minute walking radius of the transit corridors.

By incentivizing more housing through low-rise and mid-rise developments with commercial spaces on the ground level, we can foster local business growth and create vibrant, walkable neighborhoods with people that they want to move to.

Furthermore, I urge us to be able to be encouraging courtyard block apartment complexes by giving bonuses to apartment units that provide green courtyards.

This would provide density and also encourage building of more green spaces.

The Pacific Northwest is known for its natural beauty, and we should be highlighting the beauty through our urban lives.

We are hungry in Seattle for density, and there is political appetite to make bold updates to our city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Alice.

Hi, my name's Alice, lifelong Seattleite, graduate of Montlake and Meany and Garfield.

Anyone paying attention to urban development and climate action and livability, hopefully that's all of you, knows that neighborhood trees and affordable housing should go hand in hand.

A healthy and thriving tree canopy supports more dense human population because of the obvious benefits of shade, beauty, and clean air and water.

Too often retaining or planting trees is pitted against development as if it were one or the other, trees or housing.

This either or mindset is based on false math that does not factor the value of tree canopy for long range human health and sustainability.

I support the proposals put forth by Tree Action Seattle for dense forest and dense housing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, David.

Good evening, council.

It has taken many years for the city and the council to develop phase one of the One Seattle plan.

And now I've got just 60 seconds to share why I think it is flawed.

Well, look in today's newspaper.

The data is clear.

that says that real estates are affected by private residential listings.

It's not the density that's driving it.

It's the real estate giants that are affecting it.

And we've seen orcas die in Puget Sound, and now there's gray whales that are dying around us.

We need to look at the impact of all of this work we're doing and read our newspaper, because that says what the comprehensive plan doesn't really affect what we're trying to do.

It won't produce affordable housing, and it won't protect our environment.

So I get that we need affordable housing, but I'm asking Council to think carefully about how increasing density might impact our environment before making additional changes as you move forward with phase two.

Thank you.

Thank you, David.

Austin.

Hi, my name's Austin.

I'm a renter in District 7. I urge the council to pass any amendments to the plan that will broaden transit corridors, increase passive house incentives, and change setback requirements to create courtyard apartments.

Renters are the majority of the population here in Seattle and will continue to increase.

These amendments to increase density and transit access are a necessity for a city to grow with our population.

I don't own a car, and we've continued to see the percentage of car fee residents increase.

It's imperative that we broaden our transit corridors so people can afford to live near transit.

And lastly, Passive House reduces energy consumption in a time where we're seeing gas and electricity costs continue to increase.

If we're serious about fighting climate change, it would be foolish to neglect this.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Caroline.

Hello, my name is Caroline Engel.

I'm a new homeowner in Queen Anne who wants more neighbors through expanded low-rise zoning in our neighborhood.

My partner and I felt like we had done the impossible last year when we bought our home, but it shouldn't feel impossible.

Upper Queen Anne has two grocery stores, four public schools, and significant public park space.

It feels magical to be less than a five-minute walk from affordable grocery stores, my dentist, a park, an elementary school, and frequent transit service.

more Seattleites can and should be able to live here and experience that magic.

My block has already been included for low rise zoning and I believe our nearby blocks can support even more housing.

I'm asking for expanded low rise zoning on more side streets near frequent bus stops in my neighborhood and around Seattle.

We all benefit when more Seattleites can spend less time commuting to work and running errands.

Thank you.

Thank you, Caroline.

That is the end of the currently set of registered speakers.

So unless there's any more, we are gonna take another recess.

So thank you all.

We do have to keep this public hearing open until 6.30.

And so if anybody's watching, come on down.

There's still plenty of room to sign up.

It is a beautiful day, so it's hard to get folks down here.

But thank you all.

We're gonna recess until six o'clock.

So if you wanna hear, I'm sure we'll have a few more signups at six.

So come on back.

In the meantime, thank you all.

I'm going to go to the next stage.

Avoid using all capitals music plays I'm going to put it in the middle of the room I can't wait to see it.

Okay, thank you colleagues and thank you members of the public.

We'll resume public testimony.

Currently we have, I think, five members of the public ready to speak.

I'm not sure if everybody's here, but it'll be Timothy Jokel, Christopher Bell, Ethan Carlinzi, JJ Bishop Burros, and James IE.

So Timothy, if Timothy is here, if not Timothy, Christopher Bell, come on down.

Thank you.

Thank you, council.

My name is Christopher Bell.

I'm 25 years old.

I've lived in Seattle now for two years in university districts.

And while I haven't been here very long, I've already fallen in love with the city.

I think the city has one of the highest quality of life in the world.

A lot of economic opportunity, a lot of social opportunity, rich culture.

And I think more people should have the right to afford to live here.

Recently, Sound Transit and County Metro invested a lot of money in building a great public transportation system.

And I think more people should be able to take advantage of having access to that in an affordable manner.

and so therefore I ask the council that they consider increasing the height and floor rate ratios of buildings to be allowed within a 15 minute walk of public transportation station.

Thank you.

Thank you, Christopher.

Next up, Ethan.

Hello.

I'm Ethan Carlindsay.

I live in Madison Valley.

My vision for this city is to have one where, instead of renters competing for landlords, we have landlords competing for renters.

So in short, I'd like a bit more density here, a bit more housing, and not just for renters, but also for families.

So I'd like more family-sized housing to be allowed to be built in the city.

So living in Madison Valley, their neighborhood center that's proposed, it's really small.

It's right by a G-line stop, by a new PCC, and a bunch of other small businesses, and the Arboretum, but it's still a pretty small neighborhood center.

please consider expanding neighborhood centers and then also along transit corridors, expand how much upzoning happens along those.

So not just increasing density along but also blocks further out.

Thank you.

Thank you.

JJ.

Yeah, okay.

Hi, everyone.

My name is JJ, and I'm a homer in Madison Valley.

My husband and I moved here to be within walking distance of the Arboretum and to have some space to garden.

Thank you all for your bold votes in phase one that will allow more people to live in my neighborhood, including your stacked flat bonuses for accessible, family-sized, and green units.

I think these amendments will be remembered as the most consequential and positive changes to our lowest-density neighborhoods in the history of our city.

Please go even bolder in phase two.

Over 240 of my neighbors have signed Free Madison Valley's petition, calling on city council to do three things to encourage green transit-oriented development in Madison Valley.

First, pass a green building bonus to legalize 75-foot-tall passive house buildings and neighborhood centers.

Second, expand low-rise to zoning within a five-minute walk of frequent bus stops to allow more people to live on quieter side streets near transit.

Third, create a courtyard bonus and require unpaved tree-filled amenity areas to improve livability and our tree canopy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And then we'll have James and then Timothy.

Hello.

Good afternoon, members of Seattle City Council.

My name is James.

I'm a Madison Valley homeowner, speaking in strong support of increased density and upzoning across our city, and selfishly in my neighborhood, Madison Valley.

I think we need to build more homes, but we should also build complete neighborhoods.

Upzoning is a great first step, but I'd encourage all of you to go one step further.

So wherever we increased residential density.

I also think we should actively encourage or require ground floor commercial use where it makes sense.

Small-scale retail, cafes, and neighborhood services are what turn density into livability.

They create safer streets, support local businesses, and reduce car dependence.

That's what makes neighborhoods walkable and transforms them into places people actually want to live in.

So I urge you all to support policies that increase density and also prioritize mixed-use development with ground floor retail in particular.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And Timothy.

Hello, I'm Timothy.

I'm a homeowner up in Loyal Heights.

I just want to thank everyone on the council for passing the one comprehensive plan.

And again, I'd like to call you to pass and be even bolder in this portion of the comprehensive plan.

I would like to be able to increase the density that we have in our neighborhood, have the passive house bonuses, the transit corridor.

We live right next to the terminus for Route 45. My four-year-old knew those buses as a two-year-old, and it's been fantastic being able to use those to get to school.

And we should have that for all potential citizens here in Seattle.

So thank you.

I appreciate you guys taking on this daunting task.

and I urge you to have as much density as we can in this city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Looks like that's the last registered speaker, but I think we might have somebody sign up.

Come on up.

Please introduce yourself, either one.

Either Mike?

Either Mike, yeah.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for having me here.

My name is Matthew Werner.

I live in the Green Lake area and work in Lake Union.

I'm a forester, and I have worked in the carbon forest industry as well.

Seattle has a housing shortage, and the Centers and Corridors Plan has a lot of potential, but we need to make sure we don't take half measures.

We need to push it to its potential.

I have three asks of the Council today.

First, let's adopt the courtyard block bonus in low-rise zones.

Replace the useless five-foot zones with courtyards where family will actually use them, trees can grow, you get your space, you can have fun and live there.

Second, rezone the areas within a five minute walk of frequent transit stops.

Not just the main streets, people deserve quiet and walkable streets.

And then third, this is where my passion lies, add height bonuses for passive house and mass timber construction.

We need to embrace mass timber in the Pacific Northwest and set an example as leaders in that space.

We need to incentivize building with wood because while we all love trees, if you're not using your wood, you're using plastic, and those don't grow back.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Okay, thank you, colleagues.

We do need to keep the public sign-up available until 6.30, so we're gonna take one last recess.

Really appreciate everyone staying with us.

We're gonna take a recess until about basically, let's say 6.28, just a couple minutes before 6.30.

I'll see you next time.

I'm going to go to the top of the top of the top Avoid using all capitals' This is the first step of the step of the step of the step I'll see you next time

Okay, thank you.

We will resume this public hearing.

We have three more members of the public signed up.

Emmett Padway, Jennifer, and then Zara.

Emmett, if you could come on up.

Thank you so much.

Can you hear me?

Yeah.

Hi, my name is Emmett.

My wife and I are new residents to Seattle, and we're new homeowners in Ravenna.

When we moved here, our main priority was finding a place that we could live within walking distance to parks, public transit, our son's daycare, and retail.

And we were surprised by how difficult it was to find even three of those four.

We were fortunate to end up purchasing, but we know there are many others who don't have that same ability, and we would love to live in a city that makes it more accessible for them as well.

My family was visiting, and we were just struck by how nice it was for everyone to be able to walk these parks and the amenities that you have in Ravenna.

And as incredible as all these opportunities are, they're only going to get better with more public transit and more density.

and I'm here to basically express my support for increasing these upzonings and our green development plans that we can keep growing Seattle into a place all of us are proud to live that welcomes people like myself who just moved here as well as the folks who have lived here for a very long time.

So thank you so much for your work and I just want to thank you as you keep working for a greener and denser Seattle.

Thank you and welcome.

Jennifer.

Is there a Jennifer Godfrey?

Oh, no, take your time.

Either mic, that one works.

Okay, thank you.

So I filed an appeal of the EIS, as you probably know.

The Court of Appeals judges strongly question the city's choice to remove all environmental oversights.

Before a major surgery, you're examined by a doctor.

This is what environmental review is.

It's like the exam before having a major surgery.

The land and the water is like the human body.

The zoning is like a major surgery.

And the land and the ecosystem supports the lives of over 800,000 humans now.

So while the White House is rapidly destroying environmental laws at record pace, I would hope that we could protect our local environment as we densify, since we know that.

We can have both, Nature Conservancy, Max Lambert's study shows there's no loss of density with protecting green space.

And I would love it if we could focus on converting massive vacant buildings, which I think some effort has been put into that.

And I would love it if there was more because I think that's the most eco-friendly way to densify.

So thank you.

Thank you.

Next up, Zara.

Hello.

My name is Zyra.

I live in District 7. I urge you to adopt all three of Complete Community Coalition's proposed amendments today, that is, lots of upzoning with green building and courtyard bonuses.

I currently live alongside a busy polluting car sewer arterial.

My front doorstep is a constant 80-decibel roar of road noise.

My bedroom, which shares a wall with said car sewer experiences 45 decibels of noise pollution.

I was never able to get a full night of sleep in my home until I moved my bed from my bedroom into my living room.

I want to live in a Seattle where I'm not constantly subjected to pollution from cars.

I wanna live in a Seattle where I can bike to my nearest grocery store without having to battle cars going over 40 miles per hour for space on the street.

I wanna live in a Seattle that has green space next to my home.

I wanna live in a Seattle where it's finally legal to build the housing density required to achieve these things.

Thank you for your time and please adopt CCC's amendments.

Thank you very much.

Okay, we have come to the end of registered speakers.

Thank you all for coming here today.

Thank you to my colleagues.

And we will close the public hearing.

Oh, yep, go ahead.

Sorry, point of personal privilege.

I know that Council President Emeritus Juarez was not on Zoom with us, but for the general public, I can tell you she's been watching because she keeps sending me pictures of people testifying.

So she's paying attention.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Colleagues, any more items of business?

Seeing none, this concludes the April 6th public hearing for the Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan.

It is 6.35 p.m.

Next Select Committee, let's see, do not know when the next Select Committee is.

If there's no further business, this meeting will adjourn.

Hearing no further business, the meeting is adjourned.

Thank you all.