Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan Public Hearing Session II 9/12/25

All right, welcome.

Is my mic on?

My mic is on.

Okay, I don't want to use the gavel, but...

I don't like using the gavel, but good afternoon, everyone.

Thank you and welcome back.

It's really good to have everyone here in person.

It is 3.04 PM.

I'm Joy Hollingsworth.

I'm the chair of the select committee.

Will the clerk please call the roll.

Council member Juarez.

Council member Kettle.

Council President Nelson.

Present.

Council Member Rink.

Present.

Council Member Rivera.

Council Member Sacca.

Here.

Council Member Strauss.

Here.

Council Member Solomon.

Here.

Council Member Hollingsworth.

I'm here.

Seven present.

Awesome, thank you so much.

Welcome to set and for, can you repeat how many present?

I'm sorry.

Seven.

Okay, awesome, thank you.

And welcome to session two of this public hearing of both the one comprehensive plan and the permanent House bill 1110 legislation.

This public hearing is specifically for us to hear from you, the community, feedback on amendments we as council members have generated since the last public hearing.

This is our last public hearing before we go into a vote next week.

That is, I know you all are very sad about that.

And that was a joke, but maybe you all, I don't know.

But we love the public hearings because we get to hear your feedback in real time.

And you all took your time down to come today.

We look forward to hearing from your reactions to our specific amendments and also continue to hear about your broader visions about how you want Seattle to feel and what your neighborhoods are looking for.

This morning we had a presentation from central staff, so thanking central staff about the voting process for next week.

I highly recommend that you watch the recording from this morning session so you can understand about the next process and what that looks like.

And I will talk about that as well.

But there was a memo that's online that just talks about the meetings that we will have next week and the timeline for that.

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

This is session two.

Registration started at 2.30.

I know everyone, people lined up before that and just really appreciate you all coming down, taking off work.

all that good stuff to come down and register.

Registration will remain open until 6.30.

So there is going to be a large window for people to be able to come down and continue to sign up.

The next thing, a couple things for tonight.

Everyone will get one minute.

I know, first of all, I know that's not a lot of time, but we have to get through everyone because there's going to be more people that come through and we want to make sure that we can listen to everyone and their comment.

I am going to just humbly ask that we remain respectful to each other tonight.

And what does that mean if people don't know?

I ask that you all don't interrupt each other.

There's going to be some people that are going to have difference of opinions.

So please don't boo or interrupt someone while they're talking just because they have a different of opinion.

I know that we can all be respectful today because we are Seattleites.

The next thing before we also get started, when you give your public comment, please state your name and which bill that you are addressing before you deliver your remarks.

It helps us follow along which amendments that you're talking about as we are going through this public hearing.

Are there any questions from my colleagues before we get started?

I was gonna ask you all if you had any questions, but hopefully I answered them.

And the clerk, will you please read the instructions for the public hearing?

The public hearing period 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, we would like to, you can sign up on the signup sheet outside chambers and downstairs in BKL specifically prior to 6.30 PM.

Registration will close at 6.30 PM.

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

Please line up in numerical order.

There are two microphone podiums, the one straight ahead of me and then right here on the far west side.

You can sign up, you can actually speak on either microphone.

Please adjust the mics when you approach the microphones.

Make sure they're really close to you so we can hear you speak when it's your turn to speak.

Begin your comments by stating your name, as well as which bills you may be referring to, and the speakers will hear a chime when 10 seconds are left of your allotted time.

If the speakers do not end their time by the time the allotted time has ended, we will mute you so we can get on to the next speaker.

Thank you.

Awesome, thank you so much.

So we'll call everyone in groups of 10. It's gonna be, were people given numbers?

They were, okay, awesome.

Everyone has numbers, okay.

Because I can read some of your handwriting.

It's a little challenging if you did in cursive, but so numbers one through 10, that's Cecilia Black, Thomas, Bob Morgan, Carlo, Jeff, Cindy, Leonard, Sylvia, Anthony, and Rachel, one through 10. And we have two mics that you can jump into.

Both mics are phenomenal and sound good.

Hi, Cecilia, welcome.

You're gonna kick us off, which I know is gonna be great.

And when you're ready, hold on, we're gonna get the clock started.

Give us one moment.

We'll get it up on the screen.

And then so numbers one through 10 are up.

Cecilia, welcome.

Kick us off.

My name's Cecilia Black and I'm a community organizer at Disability Rights Washington.

And I just wanna say that there are so many amendments here that I'm genuinely very excited about.

So I'm just gonna start with amendments that I hope you'll support.

And most importantly, please support Council Member Rinks Amendment 34 to expand neighborhood centers.

support Councilmember Kettle's Amendment 61 to extend affordable housing bonuses to social housing, support Councilmember Hollingsworth Amendment 79 for accessibility bonuses, and all of the amendments that allow for corner stores throughout our city and our neighborhoods and all the amendments that to make it stacked flats more economically viable.

And then lastly, amendments that will remove costly parking minimums.

And as you're going through this comp plan, I really hope that you ask yourself what you would do if you were suddenly disabled tomorrow and you couldn't drive and you couldn't walk up stairs to your house and think about where you would go.

Yeah, thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next, we have Thomas followed by Bob Morgan.

Hi, Thomas.

My name is Tom Bernard.

I am the board chair for the Seattle Social Housing PDA, and I'm here to speak in favor of any amendment that provides density, but in particular amendments 17 and 61. We are building out a very new alternative to the traditional affordable housing sector, and we are really feeling that we can provide an opportunity that is not available to middle income people, to teachers, to firemen, to policemen, to a number of people.

We are, you know, this is the most important legislation that you're probably gonna see outside of the budget.

And we really hope that wherever you end up, you end up with the largest density and opportunities for social housing and for affordable housing in general for this city.

And so I'd like to turn my thanks to council members Rink and council member Kettle for those two amendments.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Thomas.

Bob?

and you have your name tagged.

Bob Morgan, I'm addressing the comprehensive plan.

I live in the West Green Lake area and prefer the West Green Lake neighborhood center boundary that is proposed by Council Member Strauss over the one proposed by the mayor.

But I'd like to focus on amendments which are of the greatest concern to me, and they would remove parking requirements citywide.

They would add eight previously unannounced neighborhood centers that allow restaurants in all neighborhood residential zones.

and they'd amend the definition of major transit service to include frequent transit service areas.

These invite a SEPA challenge as they exceed the impacts considered in the EIS.

Amendment 76 is illustrative.

Here, development provisions for major transit areas would now apply to frequent transit areas that extend to almost the entire city of Seattle.

Also, if the city defines major transit stop to include frequent transit stops, This would subject nearly the entire city to five and six story development densities called for under the state law.

Exercise some moderation.

Don't be the city council known for denuding all of Seattle's neighborhoods.

Thank you.

Thank you, Bob.

Next, we have Carlo.

Hi, Carlo.

Jazz hands.

Hi, Carlo.

Hi.

You're not jazz hands.

I was just saying.

Yeah, no, you're good.

Go ahead, Carlo.

Sorry.

My name is Carlo.

I live in the north end.

I'm not gonna be able to rattle off all the amendments that I think you should support.

There's too many.

So I'm just gonna ask you support amendments that add back the neighborhood centers, the eight that were proposed, expand stacked flats, the amendments that allow neighborhood commercial marts, stores, whatever you want to call them, not just on corners, and ending parking mandates that incentivize paving asphalt over our trees.

I'm tired of my family, my friends, my community being torn apart and priced out.

I'm tired of...

parking lots being paved in my neighborhood and destroying the trees that were there and the yards and the green space and any arbitrary parking requirements for these new homes that are being built.

The city's performed so much outreach already on this and the data overwhelmingly shows we want more housing and we want to remove the restrictions to allow us to build.

So please support these amendments, enable our...

Thank you, Harlow, and let the record reflect.

We're joined online by Council Member Juarez.

Jeff, you are up.

Hello.

Hi, my name is Jeff Callahan, and I'm not here really to talk about the amendments, although there's plenty that I have opinions about, but more about, oh, hello, hello, just, but more about my own experience, my family's experience.

I'd like you to think of the biggest, grandest tree you've seen in Seattle.

That kind of tree was cut down next to my family house several months ago.

It was known as the log cabin tree, a red cedar with a 64-inch diameter, eight trunks, easily a tier two tree.

Had we known, we would have tried to make it a tier one protected tree.

There are sides here that are today for trees and for developers and housing, but I'm a different side.

I'm here a third side here for neighborhoods that truly need safeguards.

We had none.

We had virtually none.

We were never given a chance to contest the tree.

The tree was on our side and it was cut down without our permission.

We have an arborist report.

We have the assistance,

Thank you, Jeff.

You can send in your comments to us as well, or you can throw them in that box.

You're all good.

Cindy, you're up next, followed by Lenard and then Sylvia.

I'm here about amendments 33 and 34. I don't know if the council members have actually walked through neighborhoods where some of these changes have been made.

Have you spoken to residents where five or six-story apartment buildings, condos have been built?

These amendments will fundamentally change the neighborhoods, especially for people who want to stay in their homes.

There will be eliminated green space, mature trees will be gone, natural daylight will be reduced in these neighborhoods, and the character of the neighborhoods will change.

And the amendments directly contradict the city's own commitment to preservation on the Department of Neighborhoods website.

It talks about Ballard as being a historical site.

And on that website, it says that it acknowledges that rapid development threatens the character and feeling of the neighborhood.

It also destroys the family feeling of neighborhoods.

We have children and families riding bikes in the neighborhood,

Thank you.

I don't mean to cut you off, but you can send in your comments as well.

Thank you so much.

We have Leonard.

So number seven, eight, nine, and 10, Leonard, Sylvia, Anthony, and Rachel.

You can pull it up.

There we go.

Wonderful.

Hi, my name's Leonard Harrison Drome.

I'm a renter in District 3 now, and I'm also speaking on behalf of my parents, who are homeowners in District 5 and couldn't make it here today.

Both were raised in the South, but they came to Seattle to become medical lab scientists and biologists.

When they came here, there was enough housing to accommodate them, and they were able to make a better life for their children.

They also, they're getting older, and they want to maintain their independence, their mobility independence, and getting basic necessities.

Right now, they're more than 30 minutes away from the nearest grocery store.

This is not acceptable.

This is why I implore you to support Amendment 66, lifting the neighborhood business ban that is in place in 70% of Seattle.

Lifting the ban on just corners is not enough.

It's time to let Seattle cook, brew, and create.

Support Amendment 66.

Thank you.

Thank you, Leonard.

Number seven, excuse me, number eight, Sylvia, followed by number nine, Anthony, and then Rachel.

Okay.

Project Amendment 34, designating a neighborhood center in Loyal Heights.

This proposal was added last minute and virtually no public notice.

Neighborhood centers are slated for buildings up to six stories.

In Loyal Heights, that could mean over 100 tall apartment buildings and thousands of new residents, a possible 10 times population increase.

The state already up-zoned to allow four to six homes per lot.

Why add huge buildings that destroy neighborhood character and displace people and businesses when the one Seattle plan satisfies housing requirements for the next 20 years?

Our water system has already had failures.

Can our water and sewer system handle hundreds of large new buildings?

Also, we have only two east-west arterials and one north-south.

Cars back up for blocks during rush hour on 85th Street.

Now, we will never see light rail.

Loyal Heights Elementary is near capacity.

Where will all the students go?

This is a poorly planned backdoor proposal.

Loyal Heights is not the place for Uber density.

Please vote no on Amendment 34.

All right, next we have, please, hold on.

I'm going to kindly ask for you to just use jazz hands, no matter which way you're going for a comment, please.

I know jazz hands are kind of silly, but just wave your, you can do the, hey, ho, whatever.

All right, Anthony and then Rachel, thank you.

Anthony Salazar, speaking on number 34. To the members of this city council body and to those whose communities who would be affected, say no to Seattle City Council Amendment 34. Say no to the city overreach of our community's character that would destroy the very charm that attracted us to our respective neighborhoods.

Say no to this lack of transparency and improper public review.

Say no to this ill-conceived and short-sighted process that speaks nothing to the massive infrastructure that it would take to commensurate the number of new residents versus increased needs for water, sewage, and traffic.

Say no to those who ramrodded this blindsided and misguided notion that will result in our neighborhoods being significantly impacted by up-zone high-density monstrosities.

And to this body, I say not here, not now.

Thank you.

All right, at number 10, Rachel.

And then before you start, Rachel, I'm sorry, 11 through 20, if you can start getting on deck, 11 through 20, you are next.

Rachel, go right ahead.

My name is Rachel Nathanson.

The One Seattle Plan has real outcomes and absolute consequences.

This vision will show up on our streets and will forever be our day-to-day world.

Many of the people advocating for a tree canopy in Seattle have been unfairly labeled NIMBYs.

But we want a Seattle that when all the houses are built, the density is here, and we have more housing for the needs of our city, we also still have a tree canopy that provides good environmental stewardship.

What we want is the vision that preserves Seattle's name, the Emerald City.

This photo shows what could result on every block as far as the eye can see.

No trees, little vegetation.

And unless amended, the plan allows 95% lot coverage like this open space right here behind the building because this is permeable paving.

I ask you to think about the legacy you each choose to leave behind.

When walking down the streets of Seattle, which hopefully will be filled with far more housing, what do you want it to look like, feel like, and be like to live in?

Thank you.

Now we're at number 11 through 20, 11 through 20.

Hello.

Sorry.

I'm June Blue Spruce.

I live in Southeast Seattle.

As a mother and grandmother, I see housing and trees as interdependent.

Here's an analogy.

Think about what it takes to raise a child.

Pregnancy and birth are huge events, but they're only the beginning.

A child has to be nurtured to stay healthy.

In the same way, getting a family into housing they can afford is just the beginning.

They will live there for years and the neighborhood has to support.

their health.

That's where trees come in.

Tree canopy provides shade, clean air, and health and stormwater benefits that parks and street trees can't replace.

I'm sorry about my voice.

Please pass amendments 93 and 102 so housing and neighborhoods remain healthy for all.

To ensure that equity and environmental justice are truly embedded in the one Seattle plan, I also urge you to support amendments 18, 19, 20, 28, 31, 76, 81, and 110. Thank you.

Thank you.

Next we have Robert.

Peace.

Hi, all.

Thanks for being here.

Thank you all for being here.

You guys, this is what we have.

In a lot of neighborhoods in Seattle, this is what we have.

This is on every street.

Can I have that upside down?

This is every street.

This is what they're giving us.

This is what they're gonna give us.

This is what your code and Office of Planning and Community Development is writing code to do this.

Six units, 85% lot coverage.

I love a lot of your amendments.

You guys, none of them go halfway.

If you really wanted the social housing developer to succeed, require that the prime contractor.

You really want family housing, require it.

You really want trees, require them.

That's it.

Thank you, Robert.

Next we have Martha and then Val, so 13 and 14.

Hello everyone.

My name is Martha Brown and I'm here to encourage you to vote yes on amendments 90 and 102. Well, here we are back to the age old question about tree preservation and density and affordable housing.

We need to have all of them together and we are not on the right path so far.

Amendment 90, we need to incentivize developers to preserve our large mature trees, especially our big conifers.

We should not be allowing them to pave up to 95% of the lots.

For amendment 102, we need to close the loopholes in the current tree ordinance.

We're losing our giant conifers at an alarming rate.

We need to regroup and find a better path forward that will retain our biggest, most valuable trees, provide affordable housing and density.

All of it can be done.

We just need to figure out a way to do that.

Thank you.

Thank you.

14 Val followed by Eric, number 15.

Good afternoon, council members.

I'll be speaking on behalf of Eric, number 14, and Val, number 15. Hi, I'm Val Najera, and I'm here today to speak in support of amendments 93 and 102. I currently rent a townhouse in Columbia City that was recently built in 2022, but I do not always live in a beautiful townhouse like the one I live in now.

I actually grew up in Yezer Terrace, a low-income housing where trees were few and far between.

Growing up in such an environment often felt very isolating, and having a sense of belonging in Seattle was not always easy.

Fast forward to today, my career path has allowed me to have more living possibilities and that is how I came to live next to a tree that I call Albert.

Albert is a majestic 80 feet tall western red cedar tree that grows in the corner of the lot of the five townhouses where I currently rent.

During the hot summers, Albert has contributed to a 50% reduction in my electricity costs by providing consistent shade.

Most importantly, last year when I experienced a severe flare-up for my chronic condition and couldn't go for walks because of vertigo, I used what little energy I had left to feel the ground below Albert's canopy and ask him for strength so I could keep fighting to get healthy.

The street brought me peace during one of the darkest times in my life, and I would not be standing here if it weren't for him.

I believe I can still take some of his time.

I've seen the city evolve over the years, and I care deeply about its future.

It pains me to see the loss of trees, particularly in Southeast Seattle.

We'll have to reset the clock, so just give us one second, because you are now Eric.

This is Eric.

Okay.

So Val has morphed into Eric.

That's okay.

You're good.

Wait, wait, let us restart the clock.

So now this is Eric number 15. I got you.

Thank you, council members.

This is your first time coming here, so thanks.

I've seen the city evolve over the years and I care deeply about its future.

It pains me to see the loss of trees, particularly in Southeast Seattle, where communities already face inequities in health and environmental access.

I am grateful to the old tree code that preserved Albert because for the first time in my life and Eric's, We know exactly where we belong.

We belong here in Seattle.

And I would love for the next low income kid growing up in Seattle to have the same feeling and to know that everybody here today cares about them and sees them and values them.

So from the bottom of our hearts, we kindly urge you to support amendment 93 and one of two.

Thank you, Val and Eric.

Yes, you belong here.

Okay.

Thank you.

Uh, we all do a number 16, number 16, Alexandra number 16. Hey,

Hi.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Alexandra, and I'm speaking on behalf of the Duwamish River Community Coalition.

You might have seen my email in your inbox on Wednesday.

Our priorities for the comp plan are simple.

Keep our families in the Duwamish Valley by supporting deeply affordable housing, including multi-bedroom units and social housing.

Invest in our neighborhoods infrastructure and health by funding missing sidewalks, safer streets, clean air and noise protections, and access to grocery stores.

grow equitably by mixing urban greening with gentle density and protecting legacy homeowners so they can stay and thrive as our community grows we urge you to vote yes on amendments that expand affordable housing bonuses name the duwamish valley as a priority for a low pollution neighborhood require indoor air quality improvements near highways and in homes and give homeowners more flexibility to add adus and stay in place At the same time, we urge you to vote no on amendments that would weaken environmental review and add vague public safety elements that could increase over-policing in communities of color.

Seattle has an opportunity to lead with...

Thank you, Alexandra.

Next, we have Colleen, followed by number 18, Rata.

Good afternoon, council, and thank you.

I represent Laurehurst Community Council, and that's over 5,000 residents in Northeast Seattle.

We support many of the amendments, particularly 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41. Those are minor adjustments for neighborhood centers.

We also support amendments to add livability.

Number 81, the historic retention with character cladding.

Trees, we support 92, 93, 97, 102, 103. We also support mailing to residences with an up zone.

We strongly oppose some other amendments.

One of them is number 76, changing frequent transit to be bus stops within a half a mile.

That's completely opposite of HB 1110, which is a quarter mile of fixed rail and guided systems.

That should not be allowed, it's introduced late.

87 and 84, lifting all the parking regulations, again, outside the scope of HB 1110, which is just supposed to be for residential.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next we have number 18, 19 and 20.

This starts when I start talking, right?

It's a minute.

It's not a lot.

Y'all are the leaders of this, Sorry.

No, no, no, we won't start yet.

Go ahead.

All right, all right.

We'll give you your 10-second warm-up.

You good.

Oh, yeah, yeah.

I need a warm-up sometimes.

I sometimes run out of steam.

Hi, my name is Rata.

I live and I work in the International District.

Y'all are the leaders of this fair city.

Y'all understand that this goes all the way back to Arthedene and Doc Maynard, right, the divide between North and South.

Y'all understand that this conversation comp plan as it is, it follows and just is an overlay of the racist redlining districts that shape the city to what it is right now.

Look, we're not looking for an advantage, we're just looking for fairness.

You can't add density into an already dense neighborhoods, right, like ours.

You can't just put all of that, right?

You have to open up.

And the north end has to understand it needs to open up more place.

You have to go beyond what the comp plan is right now and open up more space.

They're acting like we don't have the same problems they have, right?

We have grandmas who want to sit underneath trees.

We have kids.

We have families who want to grow up.

in nice neighborhoods also, but it's unfair, it's racist, right?

And we need leadership like yours who are willing to say, like, we mandate that y'all.

Thank you, Rata.

Next we have 19, Jennifer, and then Paul, number 20, and then we'll do 21 through 30 next.

So this plan, the comp plan, did not ever assess the environmental impacts on endangered species like our 73 critically endangered southern resident orcas and their babies.

And it claims that due to past colonization damage, maintaining endangered animal populations is not feasible.

I emailed counsel the legal appeal filed September 10th in the Court of Appeals against this EIS.

Why is Seattle moving forward without addressing the EIS that is so bad it basically never happened?

This flies in the face of science and human rights.

The mayor more than doubled the housing units after the EIS was written, rendering it useless.

We need clean water and we need the basic human right for the public to stand up for their environment.

Seattle is threatening this right.

affordable housing, like stacked flats, shared walls, lower prices, while simultaneously protecting our water filtering trees.

Please choose science.

I also would support Amendment 9302 and ask how many more babies need to die.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Now we're number 20. Before we do number 20, if 21 through 30 could get ready on deck, you are next.

21 through 30. Hold on, Paul.

You're all good.

I don't want them to, while they're getting up, mess up your thing.

All right, we got all the noise out the way.

Go ahead, Paul.

Hello, my name is Paul, and I'm with the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Seattle Chapter.

Two years ago, we partnered with OPCD and SDOT to survey our members and partners who live and work in Seattle to learn about their experience in both housing and transportation in Seattle so that we can have a policy recommendation for the comprehensive plan.

We found that a number of people have been displaced from the high cost of living in the city, and one of the reasons for that is that there is not enough affordable housing, especially because of existing zoning law.

The comp plan doesn't address the percent targets for affordable housing in high displaced risk area and even low density neighborhood.

BIPOC workers, especially those living in South Seattle at the CID have been heavily affected.

If you really want to building affordable housing, then let's have more community ownership and community led development in the comp plan.

I just want to remind that I hope that partnership was not just for a show and the city really intend to apply the voices of working people I do hope that you listen to those recommendations and incorporate it in the comprehensive plan.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Let the record reflect.

We're also, we've been, I just, I apologize.

I forgot to acknowledge, but we are joined by council member Rivera online.

So thank you.

Numbers 21 through 30. Hi, John.

Hi, I'm John from Fremont.

I think it's important to remember that trees and density are not mutually exclusive.

They can both exist.

Each tree generates over $200,000 of value.

generating oxygen, providing soil fertility and erosion control, absorbing and purifying 750 gallons of stormwater, removing 60 pounds of pollution from the air.

A single tree in a single year cools like 10 AC units running continuously in this growing urban heat island.

Trees are also proven to reduce crime.

So please vote yes on Amendment 77, 93, and 102. Vote no on Amendment 72. What's more important, short-term gains for private capital or protecting a healthy, livable city for our children?

Again, trees and density are not mutually exclusive.

If we do not sustain trees, we will soon live in a world that cannot sustain people.

Thank you.

Thank you, John.

Next, we have Marta and then Kathy.

All right, I wanna thank all of you who get the environmental and public health logic behind protecting urban trees on site when building new housing.

Sadly, the comp plan, the 2023 tree code and construction rules pit them against one another, paving the way literally for clearing sites, not for affordable housing, but for mega mansions.

Again and again, trees on the periphery of a lot begging for their lives from the sidelines are cut down, their power to filter polluted air and absorb carbon gone forever.

with developers saying they can't build new housing and protect trees.

Chew gum and walk at the same time?

The following two amendments would help turn things around.

Amendment 93 creates a minimum planting area per tree, ensuring there's open soil instead of 95% hardscape, while Amendment 102 restores DCI's authority to request alternate site plans that incorporate trees and closes loopholes that allow complete tree removal.

Please revise it to also include tier three trees.

Other amendments to protect large trees are appreciated, but amendments 93 and 102 cover the bases.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Next we have Kathy, number 23, followed by 24.

My name is Kathy Kirkhoff, and I want you to vote yes on both Amendment 93 and 102. We were promised at the time of the passing of the 2023 tree ordinance that the flaws in the ordinance would be fixed.

Fulfill that promise and vote yes on Amendment 102. It will fix three glaring loopholes and return the SDCI the authority they previously had to request alternate site plans to incorporate trees into their projects.

Amendment 93 guarantees green space on newly developed lots.

Without it, lots could be hardscaped up to 95%, which would worsen heat domes and their attendant deadly health and environmental impacts.

Give future generations the ability to survive what's coming.

I also support amendment 89 as a retired physical therapist.

Thank you, Cathy.

Derek, number 24, followed by 25, Deb.

Hello, council members.

My name is Derek and I work at Interim CDA.

We are a community organization rooted in Chinatown International District promoting equity of immigrant refugee people.

We're sending comments already with several community partners in coalition of each other across high displacement communities.

We have consistently asked, how can the comp plan fight displacement?

How can promote racial equity?

And we are hard to find that many organizations agree with us about the importance of these things.

However, this comp plan does not position us to have enough housing or affordable homes, nor community-oriented solutions for our problems.

We need both to prevent displacement and this comp plan does not allow us to exemplify racial equity.

However, I'd like to raise up amendments that promote multi-generational family-sized homes.

I would raise up amendments that preference more formal homes and amendments that increase density and low displacement places.

We need more than ever to help us fight displacement across our communities.

Thank you so much.

We look forward to working with you.

Thank you, Derek.

Next we have Deb, number 25 and then number 26.

Hi, I'm Deb Lester and I live in Maple Leaf within the proposed neighborhood center.

I'm one of the 1,734 people who've signed the petition opposing the neighborhood center due to lack of infrastructure services and the severe impact that would have on tree canopy due to lack of right-of-way to support street trees.

Prior to former Council Member Moore's departure, she worked to address our concerns and proposed boundary changes.

However, since Council Member Moore's departure, Council Member Juarez has been silent on this issue and we've been unable to meet with her.

We contacted Chair Hollingsworth and were told we needed to work with Council Member Juarez.

Despite boundary amendments to the majority of the other pros and neighborhood centers, no amendments to the Maple Leaf neighborhood center were proposed.

As a result, Maple Leaf has been unrepresented in this latest process.

Please honor Council Member Moore's work with the community and amend the neighborhood center boundaries to protect trees, which are critical to Maple Leaf due to lack of stormwater infrastructure and for our quality of life.

Please listen to the people who live here.

Thank you.

Also support 93 and 102. Thank you.

Thank you, Deb.

Next we have number 26.

Hi, I'm Sandy Hunt and I'm speaking in favor of amendments to the comp plan number 93, 102, and to adding tier three trees to number 102. And I've lived in Beacon Hill about 25 years.

I also lived in North Seattle 20 years.

So I really do understand like there's this dichotomy sometimes in the city.

And I think we need to really put together comp plan that builds up the South end both with the environmental impact that we have from airports.

It's really important to have mature trees in that area, maintaining the health of people as we increase density, while also increasing the density of people who live in the neighborhoods in the north end, but keeping the trees there so that doesn't turn into what we have in the south end.

The south end really needs those mature trees to protect from the air pollutants, Public studies have shown that the ultra and ultra fine particles from aircraft landing over our heads, it, you know, decreases our lifespans.

Thank you.

Thank you, Sandy.

27, 28, 29, 30. When you're ready, you're good.

I'm ready.

Nancy Lichter from Maple Leaf.

Our Maple Leaf community supports thoughtful, appropriate density that produces affordable housing that's needed for those that really do need that, but at the same time protecting valuable tree canopy and green space.

I don't have a specific amendment for Maple Leaf, but I would ask you to support 93 and 102. However, I, along with 1,734 petition signers, are against the current comp plan for our neighborhood because it is going beyond HB 1110's intent.

And it's giving developers the green light to just mow down the trees and build structures that will essentially fill the lot and eliminate existing tree canopy.

I'm asking and we ask that you amend the boundaries for the Maple Leaf Neighborhood Center to limit the impact to the trees, safety, traffic, and the 12th Avenue Greenway.

Five-story buildings and above should be limited to Roosevelt Way and not...

Thank you, Nancy.

We have Matt, followed by Abby, Stephanie.

Hi, my name is Matt.

I live on Capitol Hill, but I do not know how much longer, because a few days ago I came home to find this rent increase tacked to the door of my home.

Now, I want to stay in my home.

I've lived here for over a decade.

I was able to start a small business here, create jobs in my community, hire people in my community, and get them paid.

But now I am searching for a new place to live, and that search does not include Seattle, because like me, a lot of people love this city, and there aren't enough places for us to live.

I think the best element of Seattle's neighborhood character is our ability to welcome new neighbors, especially at a time when a lot of people are fleeing less hospitable parts of the country.

And I think for us to live up to our values, we need more homes.

We need more homes in every neighborhood.

We need more homes on every street.

I'm glad that we're having meetings about housing.

I'm glad that we're working on plans about housing.

But at the end of the day, we can't live in a meeting, and we can't pay our rent with a .

So I hope at some point you can get out of the way and let people start building homes.

So thanks for your time, and I hope Seattle is still my home by the time this process concludes.

Thanks.

Thank you, Matt.

Next we have Abby, 29, and Stephanie, number 30.

Hi, I'm Abby.

Thank you so much for all the work that you've done.

I want to have you support 93 and 102. Please keep the tier trees in 102. and also no on 106, but I just wanna say that open up the North End, we need housing.

My daughter will never be able to afford a house in Seattle and we need affordable housing.

And what's happening right now is we have some developers taking advantage of Seattle and clear cutting lots and building up three massive expensive houses that none of us are able to afford.

So I'm asking for you to be creative and think of intelligent design, preserve the mature trees that we have.

We don't have very many left.

I'll say Ballard Commons has some trees.

They don't get watered very often.

And when you try to go there to sit under a tree, it's so pathetic.

We need to have trees that provide shade so we can have a lively, livable city with housing.

Thank you.

I'll be next.

We have Stephanie.

Stephanie, you're number 30, and then I'm gonna ask numbers 31 through 40 to rise, my friends.

And you are next.

Y'all are a tough crowd.

Usually people would have laughed at that, to rise.

Okay, you laughed at that part.

All right, rise, my friends.

But hold on, don't go yet, Stephanie, while all the noise.

Yeah, you let me know.

Okay, so we're...

Stephanie's number 30, and we're asking 31 through 40 to rise.

All right, awesome.

Stephanie, mic is yours.

Hi, I'm Stephanie.

I'm a homeowner in District 3 or District Councilperson Hollingsway.

And my neighborhood is being up zoned.

There's never been any meaningful challenge to that.

We gladly accept the up zoning from the city.

And I'm just here to ask that with all due respect to my neighbors in Maple Leaf and Ballard and everywhere else, if we're going to absorb a disproportionate amount of the density, we get a disproportionate amount of the resources and attention that are required to make sure that our city stays livable, that it's walkable, that it's bikeable, that it's not just a hub and spoke mode of model of transit passing through our neighborhoods to get to downtown, but instead that we keep investing in making the stream really real and making the support that we have for the density in our city.

Seattle is a city worthwhile so that in the next generation, it's an incredible place to live still.

Thank you, Stephanie.

Next, we have Ryan, number 31 through 40. Hi, Ryan.

Hello.

Afternoon, council members.

My name's Ryan Driscoll.

I'm the chair of the 43rd LD Dems, which includes districts three, four, six, and seven, and represents some of the densest neighborhoods in our city.

I stand here representing our members who are in strong support of a bold, comprehensive plan that increases density across our entire city.

We're strong supporters of social housing and support amendments 17 and 61 that'll make it more feasible.

We're strong supporters of more neighborhood centers across the city and expanding neighborhood centers, including amendments 34, 42, 43, 46, 47, 48, 49, and 36. We're strong supporters of walkable neighborhoods where families can move without needing a car, access fresh food and education, and afford to remain there over the lifetimes of their families, including amendments 78, 66, 60, 63, and 89. And finally, we're strong supporters of finding the balance between an urban canopy of trees and density for housing, including removing parking requirements like amendments 7, 8, 84, and 86, and amendment 91. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Ryan.

Next we have 32. Hi, Ben.

Hi, my name's Ben Warden.

I was a field organizer on Initiative 135 and for the signature gathering on Initiative 137 that turned into Prop 1A to fund our social housing developer.

I'm really passionate about seeing that work that we did grassroots to get a social housing developer here in Seattle actually included and carried through in our comprehensive plans when we're thinking about how are we building out our city for the next 10 years.

Let's make sure that we remember to include it, to center it, to set us up for success in building permanently affordable public housing through our social housing developer.

And with regards to that, please, please support amendments number 17 and 61 with particular regards to the social housing developer.

Please support increased density throughout the city through Amendment 34 and support amendments 66 and 78 towards being walkable community neighborhoods where people can get to stores and shops and schools because we make space for family-sized housing bonuses.

We make space for there to be mixed commercial.

Thank you, Ben.

I don't mean...

Thank you, Ben.

We have 33 followed by 34.

Hi, my name is Robert Crookshank.

I'm a gray-haired homeowner with six tall fir trees near my backyard, near Maple Leaf.

And please don't shrink that Maple Leaf Neighborhood Center, by the way.

I'm here to urge you to do the maximum amount possible to build more density everywhere in our city.

It's essential for affordability.

I want my kids to be able to live here as adults, rather than have them have to move 50 miles outside of Dallas to afford homes.

I also care about trees.

I've been a volunteer leader with the Sierra Club and my first job out of college was working at Save the Redwoods.

That's why I'm urging you to vote yes on Council Member Rink's Amendment 34. It's the most effective amendment to protect trees.

If you make it hard to build new density, you aren't protecting trees.

We're condemning them to die from heat and drought.

Studies make it clear the largest threat facing Seattle's urban forest isn't development.

It's actually the climate crisis.

Most of the trees that die in Seattle die on public land and in our parks.

That's a result of a sprawl.

Protecting our urban forest means building more apartment buildings in all of our neighborhoods.

We have to reduce tension and conflict between trees, make it easier to build in more places.

We protect more trees and build more homes.

Thank you.

Thank you, Robert.

You said Robert with gray hair.

That's what you said, Robert, right?

OK, awesome.

I don't want to offend you, but you said it.

Robert with gray hair.

OK, Jeff, you are up, followed by Sandy.

Hi, yes.

My name is Jeff Paul.

I'm an organizer with How's Our Neighbors.

I have a little bit of gray hair, not as much as Robert.

I am here to ask for y'all to support Seattle social housing developer.

Seattle passed the social housing developer initiatives by overwhelming margins.

Seattle desperately wants to see social housing.

And the comprehensive plan is a wonderful opportunity for all of you to take that mandate seriously and support it by giving the zoning density bonuses that it needs to be successful.

Seattle is, as you've heard from many people, as you'll hear from more people, Seattle has a crisis of affordability.

People are struggling.

People are being pushed out constantly from their neighborhoods, from the city, and onto the streets.

And part of that is because we haven't taken this affordability crisis seriously for a very long time.

And this is the time to do it.

We need density everywhere, and we need it now.

So I urge you to please support Councilmember Kettle's Amendment 61 to support density bonuses for social and affordable housing so we can actually get up, get it running, get it going.

And I also urge you to support Councilmember Hollingsworth's Amendment 78. I'm a public school teacher.

We need more housing near schools.

We need housing that families can live in.

They're being pushed out of the cities.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jeff.

Jeff with no gray hair, okay?

But it's flowing on the shoulders.

I love it.

Okay, Sandy, you are up number 35 and then number 36.

Great, thank you.

Hi, everyone.

Yeah, I'm Sandy with Tree Action Seattle.

And I did want to offer a correction to the stat that was just quoted.

The greatest number of trees actually being removed right now in Seattle are due to construction.

We're losing about 70 trees a week total, but most of those are due to construction.

That changed in November of 2024. So we can build dense walkable housing shaded by big trees, but it won't happen without clear standards.

Amendments 93 and 102 bring us closer to what cities like Portland, DC, and, sorry, I get so nervous up here, and New York already require.

Of the 12 tree amendments, only these fully set us up for success.

93 guarantees planting space, and 102 closes loopholes that allow clear cuts.

Thank you, council members, for offering eight other amendments.

I really appreciate it.

But only 93 and 102 are comprehensive and provide that protection without locking in loopholes.

And please add tier three to Amendment 102. Thanks.

Thank you.

Sandy, number 36, followed 37, 38, and 39, and then 40. Hi.

Hello there.

I'm Akash from District 6.

Hello?

Yep, just start.

Yep, you're good.

We'll start the time when you start.

Go ahead, Akash.

I'm Akash Manapat from District 6. I'm a graduate student in atmospheric climate science at the University of Washington.

I'm here to support all amendments that expand commercial use zoning, increase walkability, and reduce parking requirements.

As a climate scientist, I have a front row seat spectating how climate change has gone from an academic concern to a challenge our cities must confront head on.

However, I worry how our cities continue to expand horizontally, pushing further into forested lands and increasing emissions via longer commute times.

Please pass Amendment 61 and other related amendments to provide density bonuses across the city and to remove parking minimums, allowing for more sustainable development in the future.

That's all I got.

Awesome.

Thank you so much.

37, 38, 39, and 40. Sir 39.

Hi.

Hi.

Hi, everyone.

My name is Julia, and I'm a D6 resident.

Today I turned 27 years old.

And since I was 21, I've been coming down to City Hall to ask the council to protect trees.

I hope this is the last time I have to come up here.

Our tree removal rates on private property have tripled in the last couple years.

Seattle is number five in the nation for heat islands, and delaying tree protections just six months from now would result in the loss of another 2,000 trees.

The time to act is now.

Please pass amendments 93, 102, and 77. And if you can, please revise 102 to include the protection of tier three trees.

Please reject other tree amendments.

As we have discussed with you already, some cement in loopholes and others overlap with 93 and 102. Please reject amendment 72 because it will pollute our watersheds by allowing building close to ECAs.

Thank you.

Number 38, Caroline.

Hi, my name is Caroline Russell.

I am a District 3 resident, and I'm here to speak in favor of all amendments that increase density, including Amendment 34, 66, and especially Councilmember Kettle's Amendment 61. I've lived in Seattle for seven years, and in my time here, I've seen my friends and neighbors become increasingly rent burdened, forced to leave the neighborhoods they call their homes, and priced out of the city altogether.

Everyone is feeling this, and the incredible popularity of the social housing ballot initiatives showed how badly voters want more affordable housing.

We want to live in dense, walkable communities where we can put down roots and raise families.

Neighborhood charm means nothing to people who cannot afford to live here.

This is an invaluable opportunity to make Seattle livable for everybody, and I encourage you to not waste it.

Pass Amendment 61. Thank you.

Thank you, Caroline.

Are you Sarah?

I'm 40. Number 40. Okay, Sarah.

And there's no number 30. Is there a 39?

It's scratched out, but I just want to double check.

Okay, so 41 through 50, you are going to rise.

And 41 through 50, you all are next on deck.

Just one second, Sarah, while people kind of get up and move so you're not interrupted a little bit.

So 41 through 50, you are next.

And just for the record, and we have people signing up, we have over 100 people.

I'm sorry.

I say 100, my mom, 100. We have over 100. I always say 100, she gets mad, 100. She's an English major, okay.

Sarah, you are up.

Good afternoon.

My name is Sarah, and I'm a D4 voter.

Please pass any and all amendments that support more housing and social housing, more neighborhood centers, and my personal favorite, Amendment 84, which removes parking requirements.

Millions of people will be moving to this region over the next decade, and that amendment, along with building up and not out, is the best thing we can do to preserve the natural environment from sprawl.

I gave up my car in 2017 to do my part to combat climate change.

As elected officials, please do yours and support density so more people can make fewer car trips, our single biggest contributor to CO2 emissions.

Thank you.

Thank you, Sarah.

41, Spencer, followed by Noah, 42. Spencer, hello.

Hello, my name is Spencer Rawls.

I'm a renter and a board member of the Capitol Hill Community Council, speaking on my own behalf.

Capitol Hill is a great place to live, in large part because the city allowed it to be made up of dense mixed-use developments.

So many people choose to live there in spite of the expense that it has currently, and in spite of other problems caused by the expense, such as unhoused neighbors who are frequently in crisis.

Many more people want to live there but can't afford to.

So I want to support several amendments to help support, to help improve the affordability.

That includes rinks amendment number 34 for more neighborhood centers, Kettle's amendment 61 to help the social housing developer, Um, 84 because building parking is expensive and, um, that which is bad for the environment and Hollingsworth's amendment 78 to dispel the myth that only single family house houses can be family sized.

Uh, everyone can live in dense housing.

Thank you, Spencer.

Next we have 42 Noah followed by 43 Austin.

Hold on, we'll turn it on.

You're all good.

That was a warm up.

Thank you, council members.

My name is Noah Williams.

I live on the sea line in West Seattle.

And in light of recent, very heavy national events, I'd just like to ask you to consider the following.

The social fabric of the United States is crumbling.

we are a deeply unhealthy society that is teetering on the edge.

The only rational and moral response to this is to do a complete 180. I ask you to take every measure possible to make Seattle a healthy, sustainable city.

When everyone has a home to come back to at the end of the night, when everybody can meet their neighbors and ride alongside them rather than honk at them impatiently, when children feel safe and welcome and get to move on their own two feet or wheels of their own propulsion, everybody is healthier.

Build the housing, build the transit, and build the community centers to back it up.

Amendments 34, 61, 66, 70, 76, 78, 84, 89, 90, and 91 support that.

Our future is in your hands, council members.

And with that, I wish you good luck because we're all counting on you.

Thank you, Noah.

Who lives on the sea line?

All right, number 43 and then 44. Hi, Austin.

Hi.

My name is Austin Shea.

I'm a renter in District 7. Today is my birthday, and the only reason I could be here is because my company gives us the day off for that.

I wanted to use my day off to come here and acknowledge the numerous working class people who are struggling and don't have the luxury of taking time away from the responsibilities to stand in here and make their voices heard.

That being said, I want to express my support for any and all amendments that expand neighborhood centers, allow more housing, and expand commercial zoning.

People who will benefit most from these things are people who don't have the luxury of being here today.

We're currently facing an affordability crisis, and very few people will be able to afford a single-family home here in the future.

I want to live in a city that welcomes all of our neighbors, not just the multimillionaires and people who have inherited property.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you and happy birthday.

Let's say happy birthday to Austin on- Hey, Austin's birthday.

All right.

This is your second birthday?

Oh, the second birthday we have.

Happy birthday, Julia.

I did not know it was your birthday.

Happy birthday.

It's today.

Happy birthday, Julia.

I apologize.

I missed that.

That's my bad.

Emily.

Is your birthday?

Not today.

Okay.

All right.

Well, happy regular day.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

Hey, folks.

My name is Emily Pike.

I'm a renter living in Ballard.

I work downtown at Pike Place Market, and I'm a staff member at a theater on Capitol Hill.

My life in Seattle is simple, beautiful, and just barely affordable because I live, work, and play in some of the city's densest, most walkable, and transit-accessible neighborhoods.

I enthusiastically support amendments to the comprehensive plan which add or expand neighborhood centers, those which eliminate parking requirements, those which encourage the development of small businesses and allow corner stores on all lots, and those which incentivize affordable and social housing, multi-bedroom and accessible units, apartment balconies and stacked flats.

I live in a stacked flat with a balcony.

It rules.

I've lived in Seattle for 15 years and in 10 years, I wanna be at city hall commenting on the next update to the comprehensive plan.

But if we don't make bold choices now to make the city more affordable, I don't like my odds.

So thank you for your proposals.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you in advance for helping us build a vibrant and equitable city.

Thank you, Emily.

Next we have 45, 46. Alexander, welcome.

Hello, council members.

My name is Alexander Booth, and I live in Green Lake.

I will be counting on several amendments.

I'm an affordable housing architect with eight years of experience designing affordable homes.

I have seen the housing crisis firsthand, delayed transit, drug use, tent fires, and bodies in the street.

Community and city inaction leads to death.

There is no single solution, but the following proposed amendments together make strong victories towards helping solve this housing crisis.

Support Amendment 66 to allow more commercial uses in neighborhoods.

Support Amendment 34 to allow more neighborhood centers.

Amendment 78 to give density bonuses for family-sized apartments or schools.

Support incentives for stacked flats, which are critical to universal accessibility.

Critically, pass Amendment 61, provide social and affordable housing to citywide, and pass Amendment 84 to eliminate parking requirements, matching cities across the political spectrum that have already passed any of these expensive mandates.

Lastly, as an affordable housing architect, from personal experience, I say do not support Amendment 102. I love to, but people matter more.

These amendments will move Seattle towards an equitable, affordable, and vibrant future, and help prepare Seattle to be an inevitable climate safe haven.

Thank you, council members.

Thank you, Alexander.

Next we have 46, Riley, followed by 47, Lynn.

Hi, council.

I'm Riley Avron with West Seattle Urbanism.

I'm speaking on the comprehensive plan.

Our restrictive zoning has turned what could be a city with a home for everyone into a place where it's a zero sum game where only the wealthy can win.

And that zoning is rooted in a century old plan explicitly for discrimination and exclusion.

The good news is that the arbitrary lines we drew a century ago, you can erase today.

I urge you to support Amendment 7 and 84, ending parking mandates, which prioritize car storage over trees.

Amendment 34, creating new neighborhood centers, especially at Alki, near where I live.

Amendment 60 and 63, allowing social housing citywide.

Amendment 89, supporting eight stacked flats.

And in general, focus on making it easier for us to build homes for us.

You have an opportunity to make Seattle a more welcoming, affordable community for all.

Please seize it.

Thank you.

Thank you, Riley.

Next we have Lynn, 47, followed by 48, Ruth.

Hi.

Hi.

I'm Lynn Best from Broadview.

I urge you to support a revised Amendment 93 and Amendment 102. These amendments would help our neighborhoods stay green while we grow.

Seattle can do better than the current plan, which would eliminate over 200 acres of existing tree canopy by the city's own analysis.

I urge you to support Amendment 102. This amendment gives the city authority to request alternative site plans from developers, allowing us to achieve comparable density while maximizing tree retention.

It also will create a clearer, more consistent code by simplifying the definition of tree protection areas.

I ask you to support a revised version of Amendment 93, which would strengthen tree preservation and planting requirements for lots undergoing development.

The proposed minimum planting area requirements are essential to ensure trees can actually survive and thrive.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

Next we have Ruth, followed by Michael Gillenwater and Michael Rowe.

Hopefully I said that correctly.

You'll tell me up here.

Hello.

Hi.

My name is Ruth Tamandal.

My birthday was Wednesday.

I've been a homeowner in the Seattle area since 2003. I currently live in Green Lake, and I really love it.

And I'm here to ask you to support all the amendments that will let Seattle build more housing, especially 7, 34, and 42. I'm privileged to live in a wonderful, vibrant, walkable neighborhood across the street from a six-story apartment building, and it's really awesome.

I can walk to the light rail.

I can walk to the library.

I can walk to PCC.

I can walk to the gym.

I can get around on my bike.

It's great.

I can walk to locally-owned restaurants and other small businesses.

My neighborhood is really dense.

It's full of trees.

I really love living there.

And everyone should have a home in a neighborhood like that.

They should be able to live in such a great place.

The only thing I really don't like about my neighborhood is how many of my neighbors are living and dying on the streets because they can't afford housing.

So please don't pass up this opportunity to pass robust, permanent legislation that will improve housing availability in Seattle.

Thank you.

Thank you, Ruth.

Happy belated birthday.

49 and 50. Hello.

Hello, council.

Michael Gillenwater from the Laurel Heights neighborhood.

Please unbound Seattle to build more housing and dense housing.

We want walkable neighborhoods.

We want more neighborhood centers.

And by that, I mean support amendments 33, 34, and 42. We want more neighborhood stores.

That's amendments 65 and 66. We want stacked flats to be viable to build, amendment 89. And we want to end the mandating of parking minimums.

That's amendment seven and 86. And I'll go specifically on that.

The share of the number of households in Seattle that are car-free is more than 20% now, according to the latest data and growing.

Only one in 10 people moving in Seattle is keeping a car or has a car.

So that number is gonna keep growing.

Other leading cities around Washington and around the country have already done this to argue that a SEPA appeal to having less parking is gonna win the day on environmental grounds is not really.

Thank you, Michael.

Before you start, Michael Rowe, we're gonna ask for numbers 51 through 60. You are next 51 through 60. If you all will stand up and start lining up.

We'll just give a second, Michael, before you start so we can get all those people.

That's odd.

And then here's Egan.

Thank you.

Ooh, 140. Keep going.

140. And we're at speaker number 50, and we have 140 people signed up so far.

We'll keep...

Well, I think it's more.

180. I lied.

180. All right.

Go ahead, Michael.

Hi, Michael Rao.

I live in Pioneer Square.

It's where density and historic buildings coexist.

They can be that way.

So you can have both, indeed.

I crossed the Weller Street pedestrian bridge.

If we pause the time real quick, hold on, Michael, if you speak in the microphone a little bit, you can hold it up there.

Yeah, there you go.

Perfect.

And just speak into the mic so we can hear you.

So I crossed the Weller Street pedestrian bridge to go into CID where I do my shopping.

And it's great to have a neighborhood where you do have food centers to go to and buy groceries.

And that is what I support with Rink's Amendment 34, where everyone can have that kind of ability to live, work, eat, shop, play in the same area.

This is what makes neighborhoods great.

New people coming in.

I'm a two year resident of Seattle and neighbors make a city feel welcoming and neighbors who welcome you.

And this is also supporting amendments 70, 89, 90 and 91. So where we can expand that development bonus and we can also reduce parking minimums in the city because getting around a city makes a city feel good.

And that's all.

Thank you.

Thank you, Michael.

Next, we have 51 through 60. That's Brooke, Mark, Ashley, Justin.

Hi, Brooke.

Hello.

My name is Brooke, and I am a renter out of District 3 Capitol Hill who studied sustainable city planning and now works as an engineer here in Seattle.

I am lucky to be able to afford to live in an area where I can access grocery stores, parks, and friends' apartments on foot.

But this is unfortunately currently a privilege in Seattle.

I want to live in a city where this kind of lifestyle, which benefits my physical and mental health, is accessible to everyone.

My neighbors and I would like to see more density and transit-oriented development and more ways to make traveling without a car accessible and irresistible to Seattle residents.

less parking and more green spaces and trees, more housing that is dense and affordable, more focus on communities and addressing root causes of our issues.

Yes to amendments 34, 61, 66, 78 and 84. Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you, Brooke.

Next we have Mark followed by Ashley and Justin.

Hi, my name is Mark, and I have been privileged to live in Broadview neighborhood since 1991. So I've seen a lot of changes, and I still love this city.

I'm retired now.

I came primarily here to learn more about social housing.

I can't speak passionately as others about this concept because I'm just learning about it myself.

I think we need to keep new ideas about housing coming in all the time.

Housing shortages and houselessness is the main root of many social and, I think, environmental issues.

What I am sure about is that the current system only works for those who can afford it.

So I think we need to keep an open mind and not give up and keep working towards that.

And I agree with almost everything I've heard today, almost.

So thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you, Mark.

Next, we have Ashley, Justin, Logan, and Max.

Hi, Ashley.

Hello.

Hi, City Council.

This is Ashley, co-chair of the LGBTQ Commission, renter in District 5, speaking here in support of more neighborhood centers, higher density zoning, transit-oriented development, removing parking requirements, and also in favor of stack flat bonuses on all bots.

We have a unique opportunity right now to submit Seattle as a city that will welcome the continuous influx of people looking for a place to call home as they're targeted by our government.

People are looking for cities that won't create policies that target them or their families for being trans, queer, immigrants, or even just looking anything other than white.

As someone who moved here to the Lake City neighborhood from North Carolina in 2019 in search of a place where I could call home and thrive as an openly queer person, I know that Seattle has been that safe haven for me.

But I also know that we clearly don't have enough housing and resources for the continuous influx that we will continue to see.

Please vote in favor of a plan that prepares us for a future where people from targeted disenfranchised communities can both remain comfortably in the city, but also join us here and enjoy the inclusive welcoming policy.

Thank you, Ashley.

Justin, Logan, then Max.

Good afternoon, council members.

I'm a homeowner of a single-family detached home in Wedgwood, and here to support growing the neighborhood centers in and around Wedgwood, as well as the Complete Communities Coalition's proposal for stacked flats.

First, I love Northeast Seattle.

and I'm so excited about the increased commercial growth along our main strip, 35th Avenue Northeast, has been underutilized for years.

More businesses and restaurants are coming, but slowly.

The limitations on the current space and walkability are hampering more business growth.

Allowing new development would be an opportunity to refresh some of the long vacant parcels and create more vibrant community.

In fact, Wedgwood Neighborhood Center does not continue far enough north.

There are underutilized commercial and multi and residential multifamily housing properties along 35th Avenue Northeast up through north 87th street creating a neighborhood i would also like to discuss stacked flats having lived in apartments in houghton houses i can confidently say it's easier to live on one floor instead of three or four the current development which thank you thank you jesson uh 55 through 60. logan

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Logan Schmidt, a District 5 resident, and I'm here on behalf of the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties, representing more than 2,500 home builders, architects, and tradespeople across our region.

Seattle's comprehensive plan is more than a policy document.

It's a blueprint for the city's future.

This is a once in a generation opportunity to decide whether Seattle will rise to the challenge of our housing shortage or risk falling further behind.

The choices you make will determine whether teachers, nurses, tradespeople, and families can continue to call Seattle home.

Home builders stand ready to partner in the work of providing the diverse housing Seattle needs to meet demand.

That means expanding housing opportunities in every neighborhood, strengthening affordability, and ensuring Seattle grows into a more inclusive, livable, and sustainable city.

I submitted written comments yesterday outlining our positions on specific amendments, but I want to close by underscoring this.

Seattle cannot afford half measures.

The plan must open doors to housing, not close them.

Thank you, Logan.

Max, 56. Apu, 57.

Good afternoon.

My name is Max.

I'm a renter in Roosevelt.

I also work at the University District Food Bank as a pantry coordinator.

I'm here on my own time speaking to you all because through my work, I have not only met hundreds of families who are struggling to put food on the table, but also grocery and restaurant workers, food producers, delivery drivers, the folks that feed our city who are struggling to live in our community.

So I'm asking that you build density everywhere.

that you take bold action to strengthen, not weaken the comprehensive plan, to roll back the exclusionary zoning that has held our city back for so long.

Specifically, Amendment 34 to add more neighborhood centers.

Amendment 61 to fund social housing and add for that.

And really, any bold action you can take to address this crisis and to incentivize more housing density in our city.

Thank you.

Thank you, Max.

57, 58, 59, and 60.

Good afternoon.

My name is Appu Mishra.

I live in D2 and I've been fortunate enough to live and work and now raise a family in this city that we love.

But over this couple of decades, my friends with young children have increasingly gotten priced out of this city and had to move.

These are, These are people who are nurses, federal workers, teachers, and they can't afford to live in the city as many families, young children can't because it's just gotten so unaffordable.

We desperately need social housing.

We desperately need affordable housing in the city.

And without it, one of many effects we are seeing is the drop in public school which is threatening the funding of our schools.

I urge you to please vote yes on council members Kettle's amendment 61 to kickstart.

Thank you Apu.

Thank you.

I was cutting you off until you said my name and then I was like, oh, you can talk.

I'm just playing.

Thank you.

Just playing.

Orla number 58, 59 and 60. Is your mic on?

It is?

Okay, go ahead.

Okay, thank you.

That should be good.

If you get closer to the mic.

Last Friday, I was walking along.

I live in northeast Seattle, and I looked out to what is typically one of my favorite vistas, where I can see Lake Washington, the east side, and all the way out to the Cascades.

Last Friday, I couldn't even see Lake Washington because of the fires.

And Normandy of the Lake was right before me.

I couldn't even see it.

So we know that science tells us three things.

One, that trees clean air.

Two, urban forests also mitigate hot spots.

and hot temperatures.

Three, cities like Baltimore and Austin have done research that show that mature trees, not young trees, but mature trees help to reduce crime.

So check out those studies by Baltimore and Austin.

I sent that study to some of the council members this past week.

So as a former tree ambassador to the city, I'm asking you to please protect our tree canopy.

Cutting down 350 trees a month is unacceptable.

So we can grow.

Thank you, Orla.

Thank you, Orla.

Next, we have 59 and 60. Vianna, did I say that right?

Awesome.

Welcome.

Hi, I'm Fiona Shea.

I'm a renter in district three and I'm a volunteer with How's Our Neighbors.

As a trans minimum wage earner in the city and an aspiring urban designer, I know how unaffordable the city is and also what it could be.

At this very moment, I have multiple friends who have been couch surfing for weeks, if not months in search of a miracle that is stable housing in the city that is affordable.

And there are many more besides them in even worse situations.

This is both ridiculous and unacceptable.

At the same time, I know that Seattle has the potential to be a place with green, walkable, bikeable streets, and transit and housing for everyone, especially our most vulnerable communities.

To do this, I ask that you pass amendments 34, 66, 70, 78, 84, 89, 90, and 91 championed by House Our Neighbors volunteers today, and especially amendment 61 to provide social and affordable housing density bonuses all across our city.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we have Anne.

Yes, my name's Anne Marie, and I'm from Northeast Seattle.

Welcome.

I would like you to vote yes on 93, 102, and 72. And then I'd like you to pause for a minute and remember your favorite tree that you ever had, because everybody has a friend that's a tree.

This is a painting I did.

And it shows the tree spirit being very sad because it's been killed.

We all know that trees are our lifeline.

We need to just recognize it.

And that's all.

I don't have a lot more.

Just take a breath and remember the trees and bring your energy up and go.

Thank you.

We will bring our energy up and go.

Thank you.

Number 61 through 70, you are up.

I forgot to get you all in the queue.

61 through 70, you all are up.

61 through 70. So that's starting with Sarah, you are first, followed by John.

61 through 70. Welcome.

Give us one second so we can get our timer going.

And y'all, this is the best clerk ever, okay?

I just want y'all to know.

It's like a walking encyclopedia of...

Thank you.

Everybody loves Amelia.

All right, are we ready?

Yeah.

Okay, awesome.

61. Hi, Sarah.

Hello, my name is Sarah Lynn Ogden.

I have been a resident of Seattle for 12 years.

When I was deciding where to move after college, I was looking for somewhere I could feel safe.

When I was growing up, I was surrounded by rhetoric that demonized anyone who didn't fit a certain mold.

From listening to my peers talk about how they would, given the opportunity, commit violence against the LGBT community, to watching discussion for an event for encouraging women to simply wear pants to church to protest gender inequality get shut down after death threats, I knew it was critical to find somewhere with a broader acceptance of diversity.

I found that place in Seattle.

I have met so many others who have come here to escape similar and much worse situations.

I am here today because I want that to be, I want there to be space in our city for more people to have the opportunity that I had.

And in order for this to be possible, we must expand the housing stock dramatically.

I ask that you expand the number of neighborhood centers in this plan by voting yes on amendment 34. Thank you.

Thank you, Sarah.

Number 62. Welcome.

Followed by 63, 64. Thank you.

And we have two mics, everyone, two mics.

Go ahead.

Thank you.

My name is John Matheson.

I'm in District 6, Ballard.

I'm a, let's see, on the mighty 40 bus route, 28 bus route, fifth generation Ballard Norwegian, five kids.

Three of them are currently trying to find apartments in the city, and that is presenting huge challenges for them.

And obviously, so I really want you to work as hard as you can to get my my kids' and everybody's kids' housing.

I'm gonna encourage you towards housing abundance in the city of Seattle.

None of my children have cars, and my family has car light itself, so we bike in transit to most locations, so we'd actually, we would like to encourage you to cater to people who, decided to live car light or, or without cars.

Um, we ask that you reduce or eliminate parking minimums support seven and 86 and maximize neighborhood centers, uh, support 34. Thanks so much.

Awesome.

Thank you, John from Ballard with five kids.

I got you, uh, 63 and Terry number 64. 63, Seamus?

Yeah.

Awesome.

My name is Seamus.

I'm a resident of Capitol Hill.

I haven't had a car since 2004, and living on Capitol Hill has afforded me the luxury to bike and walk and bus all over the city.

I've seen firsthand how density can shape a neighborhood over a 20 year period.

It's without a doubt that the hill is significantly different than it was 20 years ago.

And I'm thrilled by the energy and diversity of the neighborhood.

However, artificially high rents negatively impact renters and small businesses while ugly buildings are constructed that add no character to the neighborhood.

out of materials that will eventually end up in the landfill.

I urge the council to adopt a vision for well-designed and environmentally safe buildings that add character to existing neighborhoods.

Fiber cement boards do not add character.

We need mandates for circular use, construction and new bills, incentivize adapted reuse projects, pedestrian only streets and robust social housing for all of our working class neighbors.

Thank you.

Thank you, Seamus.

64, 65, and 66.

Hi, Terry Williams.

I moved here in 1974. I was a video artist.

I live in the Puget Ridge neighborhood of West Seattle, east of Delridge.

I'm a homeowner only because we bought a house in 1995. At no time since 2000 or so would I have been able to afford a house that was new on the market.

For 40 years, nearly every mayor has promised urban villages, real city neighborhoods, near transit hubs with mixed income housing, density, and shops, restaurants, and places to work, all walkable, all affordable.

We keep inching in that direction.

Sometimes we take one step forward, two steps back.

Here's a cautionary tale.

High Point was redeveloped in the early 2000s.

I went to the open house of that place.

It was a half mile by a half mile area with 3,000 people living in it.

And I said to the people there, where are the shops, the coffee shops, the restaurants?

Where will people go and walk to?

They said, oh, we can't do that because it's zoned residential.

I applaud this council for what you're doing.

Thank you.

Thank you, Terry.

Jasmine number 65 and then Jean 66.

Thank you, Chair Hollingsworth and council members for tireless work and years worth of intentional and careful engagement as we build together a beautiful future for all of us.

My name is Jasmine Smith, Director of Local Advocacy for FutureWise.

And when we look at the future we want, it's one where everyone has a home, where every community has a corner store and a coffee shop and every park has neighbors to enjoy it.

We have the opportunity to be intentional about undoing century of housing discrimination and exclusionary zoning by welcoming people to live in and be able to afford to stay in every neighborhood with restoring all 38 neighborhood centers.

We have the opportunity to ensure all types of housing for all people are able to be built with affordable housing and stacked flat bonuses.

We have the opportunity to plant paradise over pavement by changing out parking spaces for people and trees.

We have the opportunity to keep our schools open by keeping neighborhood centers.

We have the opportunity to keep communities complete and connected for kids that yearn to live on Sesame Street.

Let's get wise for a future that includes opportunities for us all.

Thank you, Jasmine.

Number 66, followed by 67, 68.

Hi, I'm Jean.

I support more housing through the comp plan.

I moved to Seattle back in 1979. I was a starving artist, a dancer, and I was able to rent a studio apartment in Capitol Hill.

Mid 90s, I was able to buy a house for 150,000 in West Seattle.

I know those times are long gone.

And I love trees.

I also love people.

Well, most of them.

I worry the next generation of artists, nurses, as well as teachers and a whole host of other people will not be able to afford Seattle.

I'm also very alarmed by the Trump administration and everything that's being done.

I want Seattle to be a welcoming city for everyone that fears persecution, and we need more affordable housing to achieve that.

I support every amendment that allows for stacked flats, affordable housing, and neighborhood centers, which frankly makes it more fun to live.

And particularly around Alki, I will enjoy those magnificent trees of Schmitz Park.

Thank you.

Jesse Simpson, 67.

Hi, Jesse Simpson here, co-chair of the Complete Communities Coalition.

I'm a lifelong Seattleite living in Capitol Hill, and I love my dense, walkable, and transit-rich neighborhood.

I don't love that I see my neighbors unsheltered, unhoused, and suffering on our streets every single day.

They're plight of testaments to Seattle's deep housing shortage and affordability crisis.

I'm here to support a bold, comprehensive plan that goes as far as possible to allow for the abundant and affordable housing that we need in every neighborhood.

I'm heartened by the many pro-housing amendments that have been proposed that take us towards Alternative 5. I urge you to say yes to affordable housing in every neighborhood with 60, 61, and 63. Say yes to stacked flats, accessible homes for the next generation of Seattleites to raise families and age in place with 89 and 91. And say yes to new neighborhood centers to allow more people to live near transit, small businesses, elementary schools, and major parks with 34. You have an opportunity before you shape the trajectory of Seattle's housing future to change a broken status quo and make Seattle a welcoming, inclusive city.

I ask you to make the most of it and put housing first.

Thanks.

Thank you, Jesse.

Next, we have Erin Court-Intara.

I apologize if I say your name wrong.

Hi, Erin.

Hi.

Hey.

I'm Erin Etterher, and I'm here.

I'm going to specifically talk about Amendment 61 in support of.

I am a houseless resident and registered voter in District 6. I'm one of the thousands of chronically houseless residents of Seattle who has struggled immensely to both obtain and retain stable, supportive housing in this city.

As someone who has struggled with housing instability at every point in my life, I cannot stress enough just how vital of a role social and affordable housing plays in not just resolving housing crises, but preventing them as well.

Passing Amendment 61 could kickstart social and affordable housing in areas of the city that were effectively off limits before, not only creating more new housing opportunities for already houseless people, but encouraging diversity and accessibility in already existing spaces across the city for everyone who calls Seattle home.

Thank you.

Thank you, Aaron.

Number 69 and then 70. This came in solidarity.

Oh, good, okay, for support, good job.

Awesome, thank you.

You were, wait, so that means you were number 69?

Yeah.

Okay, awesome, thank you so much.

Okay, so then we have number 70. Before number 70 goes, it's Tara.

Man, if I had a nickel.

It's Tara, but it's fine.

You don't know me, so it's cool.

No, that's my bad.

Before you go, Tara, 71 through 80, if you could start lining up in the queue.

71 through 80, you all are next.

71 through 80. Yes.

You said Tara.

Tara, yeah.

Or you there, but Tara specifically.

You said if you had a quarter, you'd be rich.

Yeah, for every time.

All right, hold on.

71 through 80, you all are next.

Awesome.

And Tara, go ahead and get started.

All right.

Thank you, council members.

My name is Tara Camp.

I am a D3 renter, a conservationist, a housing justice advocate, and an organizer for FutureWise speaking on the comp plan, specifically amendments 34, 60, 63, 86, 89, and 91. These amendments provide us with opportunities to actively address the affordable housing and climate crises we are currently facing in this city.

We now have a chance to rectify our past actions and lend a hand to those who deserve housing and an affordable, vibrant, and green community to live in.

Two things can absolutely be true at the same time.

We can keep our greenery while building homes to meet capacity needs.

We need to remember that these housing and climate issues are not mutually exclusive, but intrinsically intertwined.

As a transplant from Los Angeles, I am so incredibly blessed and lucky to live in Cap Hill, surrounded by trees and parks, to be able to actually afford my rent, to be able to walk easily to transit, grocery stores, and other amenities.

And I desperately want that for every other Seattle resident, regardless of race, class, disability, or otherwise.

Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you, Tara.

Cassie, number 71 and 72. Hi there.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

71. Just make sure you speak right close into the mouth.

Right close into it.

Awesome.

Good afternoon.

I'm Cassie Clayton.

I've just moved here from Dallas, Texas, and Dallas is a concrete city.

It is not walkable.

There is no serious public transportation, and it is aggressive to say the least.

I've had the privilege of traveling the country, and Seattle is my absolute favorite city, and I am here in downtown District 7. It's beautiful, and I'm...

here today, just moving here because of the beautifully different plans that Seattle is wanting to push forward to keep it progressive and to keep welcoming new humans.

And that includes Amendment 34 to expand neighborhood centers.

That includes 78 to create family-sized apartments near schools, 84 which does save trees and removes parking requirements.

In addition, 70, 89, 90, and 91 to increase the density for our stacked flats.

Passing Amendment 61 to keep pushing Seattle forward is the biggest thing that I would urge you to do.

So take it from an outsider.

Seattle can show the rest of the nation how to tackle housing with equity, climate change, and urgency.

Thank you.

Awesome.

And will the Cowboys make the playoffs?

No.

No, I'm just playing.

Barbara, 72. 72, is Barbara here?

Barbara, once, twice.

It's Barbara Glenn.

Is she Barbara left?

Okay, thank you so much.

73, Alexander.

Awesome.

Hello.

Hi, council members.

Yeah, right into the mic.

Yep, and speaking.

And you can lift the mic up, too, so you don't have to bend over.

Awesome.

Perfect.

Thank you.

Hi, council members.

My name is Alex, and I first want to express my support for all amendments that would promote density.

However, I specifically want to support amendments 7, 84, and 86, since I believe that reducing required parking is something that both the tree advocates and density advocates can get behind.

In the last five years, Seattle has added only one new car for every 10 new residents, and car-free households now make up one in five Seattle households.

Reducing and removing parking mandates will help reduce traffic and congestion by not requiring developers to add parking spots for people who don't want to use them and where they're not needed.

It will help save tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars on new developments, which can allow units to be more affordable for people who don't want to to use cars or to park their car there and it can also allow more housing units on less land which will make more space for trees voting to remove housing parking minutes will lead to more trees more density and more affordable housing thank you so much thank you alexander we have orla followed by ethan and then jessica

Hi Council, my name is Orla and I wanted to start by thanking you for your hard work on these amendments.

I'm a resident of Capitol Hill and like a lot of my neighbors have expressed here today, I'm super grateful every day to live in a neighborhood with amazing access to public transit, vibrant and convenient businesses and wonderful third places like Volunteer Park.

The fact is that every Seattleite deserves to live in a neighborhood like mine, and you have the power to make that happen.

The only way to make that happen, though, is to support increased density.

So I urge you to support Amendment 34 to restore the eight neighborhood centers, and please support all amendments that pave the way for social housing, walkability, and increased transit.

Thank you.

Thank you, Orla.

Next we have 75, 76, Ethan, Jessica.

Hello, council members.

My name is Ethan Magnuson.

I'm a resident of council member Rivera's district.

I live a five minute walk away from Ravenna Park and I deeply love my home.

I am here today to speak against council member Rivera's amendment 40, which would gut the Ravenna neighborhood center.

I've heard a lot about neighborhood character today.

Well, I believe that our neighborhood character includes our moral character.

We are in a housing crisis.

It should be our honor to welcome new neighbors into our lovely corner of the city.

Now, Ravenna Cohen is a historic district, and some people say that history and density don't mix.

You only have to walk across the park to see the four-story Park Vista Cooperative to see how wrong that is.

If Amendment 40 passes, that gorgeous building would continue to be illegal to build today.

I urge you to build more housing as our moral and historic duty.

Vote no on Amendment 40, and of course, vote yes on 34.

Thank you, Ethan.

And then we have Jessica, Erin, Elena, Ryan, and Eddie Lin.

Hey.

Hi.

Hi.

Hi, council.

Good to see you all.

I'm Jess Yang.

I'm a new ballot homeowner and the HTC community organizer speaking with the Complete Communities Coalition.

I support a strong comprehensive plan that incentivizes affordable housing development and density throughout the city.

I'm heartened that many of the amendments submitted by council members move us in that direction.

So thank you all for your hard work.

I'm a trained social worker and a public health researcher, and I work directly with unhoused folks for the majority of my career.

I don't want to speak on behalf of my clients, and I wish more of their voices and needs were present in a genuine way in this space.

But instead, I'll speak to my work and my research experience.

Housing works.

Housing is a public health solution.

We need housing across all income levels, and especially neighborhoods that have historically fought against development, to alleviate the strain of our current housing crisis and the growth that's sure to come.

I've worked with young families, seniors, everyone in between, and we're all struggling with affordability and displacement, and we cannot respond to the current moment with moderation.

We need your bold leadership to pass those amendments that most increase housing opportunities and density in our wonderful city.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Next we have Erin, 77, 78, 79, and 80.

Hi.

Commenting on the Comprehensive Plan and HB 1110, my name is Aaron Roque.

I am here as a voter, homeowner, resident, and as a friend of Freelard, inviting you to expand Fremont and Ballard urban centers until they kiss.

Endless data supports further upzoning is rational policy, and the majority support it.

I think the only holdup is fear and dreams of a few, so then consider mine.

I dream of knocking down my expensive small house on Third Avenue Northwest to build something bigger.

Four is better than three, but I want to fit more of my friends and family.

I want to also grow old running a shop below that sells beautiful objects.

And what I fear is that my progeny won't share the opportunities I have, that they won't be able to live close to their friends, or worse, they won't be able to stay in the city.

So please consider my dreams and fears.

Please allow shops anywhere.

Please expand Fremont and Ballard.

Please know that modern tech makes it possible to safely develop on liquefaction or brownfield sites.

and harmoniously residential and industrial.

Thank you for the consideration.

For more data, visit freelard.org.

Awesome.

Thank you, Aaron.

Next we have Elena, Ryan, and Eddie.

Good afternoon, council members.

My name is Elena, and I'm here representing Friends of Little Saigon, a community-based nonprofit working to uplift the neighborhood and prevent displacement.

I'm here to ask for your support for more family-sized housing in the comp plan, specifically supporting amendments 19, 20, and 78. The CID prides itself as being a place of belonging for multiple generations, from seniors playing ping pong at Hing Hei Park to children trick-or-treating at an upcoming Halloween event that we're hosting.

But families are being pushed out of our city at an alarming rate.

Please pass amendment 19, which aims to create two bedroom units or larger for at least 25% of the city's new housing.

We also ask that you pass amendment 20, which supports seniors to live in cultural housing and stay in their communities near their kids and grandkids.

Finally, please pass amendment 78 to allow density bonuses for family size apartments near schools.

Join us in stewarding multi-generational neighborhoods like the CAD for the next 20 years and beyond.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Next we have Ryan and then Eddie.

Hi, Ryan.

Hi, Chair Hollingsworth.

Ryan McKinster with Habitat for Humanity.

I'm here on behalf of Habitat to support a bold and comprehensive plan.

For nearly 40 years, we've built affordable home ownership for over 2,600 families, and we currently have 200 units in our pipeline for the next four years.

That's 70% in Seattle for all of our properties across King County.

Seattle faces a housing crisis that we all know about that demands action.

We have 46,000 workers who live outside of the city and must commute over 25 miles a day, and 34,000 workers who cannot even afford to live in the city.

Consider our homeowners Aurora, an educator and single mom, and Lachelle, a King County Metro bus driver, both who live in the city, do the projects that we have done in the past, and that these plans would allow us to do more of.

We strongly support the Community's Coalition amendments.

expanding the affordable housing bonuses, as well as unlocking stacked flats citywide.

These policies will help us create real home ownership opportunities that we're seriously lacking in the city.

When teachers, bus drivers, and others cannot afford to live where they work,

You're all good.

You can send your comments in to us, too.

Thank you, Ryan.

Before you get started, Eddie, one second.

We got 81 through 90. 81 through 90, if you all start getting ready in the queue.

81 through 90, you all are next.

Thank you.

I got the thumbs up from Nathan.

Nathan Wall.

That's a good basketball name.

Nathan Wall for two.

Yeah.

No, who's I now?

All right, Eddie, you are good to go.

Thank you.

My name's Eddie Lynn and I'm fortunate to be a homeowner on Beacon Hill.

I'm also a parent of two kids and I'm deeply worried about their ability to stay in the city and the future of our city.

We're a deeply segregated city.

We're segregated based on race and class and homeowners versus renters.

And we have some neighborhoods that are not very dense that are have plenty of trees and are million dollar homes and great views of the Puget Sound or Lake Washington.

And then we concentrate renters on busy, noisy, polluted arterials.

Segregation is bad for our city.

It's bad for our democracy.

It's bad for our public schools, which are also deeply segregated because our housing is segregated.

So please put an end to exclusionary zoning.

Please support eight additional neighborhood centers, eliminate parking requirements, support stack flat bonuses, allow corner stores everywhere, and please allow the social housing developer to access the same bonuses and exemptions as other affordable housing providers.

Thank you.

Thank you, Eddie.

Next we have Nathan.

Hello, followed by Owen, 81 through 90. This is a reminder, 81 through 90 are up on deck.

All good?

Okay, cool.

I wanna first thank Council Member Rink, Council Member Hollingsworth for offering some good amendments.

And I actually wanna thank Council Member Kettle too, despite some of our disagreements.

This plan is better because of amendments you've worked on, so thank you.

I highly encourage the council to vote for any amendment that expands density and makes Seattle more affordable.

I am a college graduate living with my family in Holly Park.

This city is unaffordable.

I highly encourage the council to reject Amendment 40. I'm a little disappointed Council Member Rivera is not here, but that's OK.

Additionally, I want to stress the importance of pedestrian safety in our city.

As somebody that does not drive, the city is dangerous.

MLK, Rainier.

Don't know why I forgot those two.

Aurora.

They're dangerous streets.

People get killed every day.

So let's bring back Kirby.

But I really want to see a city that is safer, more affordable, and denser.

So I highly encourage you to do the right thing.

Yeah.

Awesome.

Thank you, Nathan.

Owen is next, followed by Rebecca and then Joe Wall.

Number 82?

Awesome.

Yep.

You're all good.

I trust you.

Whenever you're ready.

Thank you, council members.

I'm too tall short for that one.

I'm a resident of District 2, and I'm asking for a no on amendments 39, 40, and 41. Shrinking these community neighborhood centers is going to be counterproductive to District 2, where we're already not the most walkable part of Seattle.

Oh, yes.

Sorry.

As a resident of District 4, I can testify that we are not super walkable district, and it would be great to have more amenities within walking distance to residents of District 4. Neighborhood centers will strengthen our community character.

I know there's been a lot of folks that have been concerned about that, but being able to walk instead of drive 40 miles an hour to the nearest Costco brings people together.

And it's good to have more of that because that community connection depends on human interaction and less on honking at each other.

Neighborhood centers are good.

That's it.

Please vote no on those amendments.

Thank you, Owen.

Next, we have Rebecca, 83, and then 84, Joe Wall.

Good afternoon.

My name is Rebecca Levine.

I live in district four in an area now called the Ravenna Cowan historic district.

I'm calling on you to reject amendments 40 and 81, which prop up a whitewashed version of history promoted by the historic district and would prevent our wealthy predominantly white neighborhood of million dollar homes from doing our part to address Seattle's housing shortage and affordability crisis.

I'm one of over 75 Ravenna area residents who submitted a letter last night, urging you to pass a comp plan that opens our area so that more people can live in a walkable neighborhood with great parks, schools, and transit without further displacing low-income communities and communities of color.

My neighbor, Jay Lazerwitz, past chair of the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association, signed this letter but couldn't be here.

He asked me to share that he feels strongly that both amendments undermine the intention of the city and the comp plan to provide additional housing density and without encumbering future developments with applications that will be unduly costly.

So reject 40, 81, and 102. Support 17, 34, 61, 66.

Thank you, Rebecca.

Next, we have Joe Wall, Ruth, and then Jessica.

Joe.

Hello, council members.

Can you hear me all right?

Yes, sir.

Okay.

Thank you.

A lot of great testimony here.

I just want to step back a little bit and See, who's not in the room?

And I think it's the big tech companies that bring in hundreds of thousands of employees and pay them way more than most of us in this room make.

And when a housing gets built, they go to the head of line and they buy it, and they can pay more than we can.

And so long as we, welcome all the tech jobs that we can possibly get our arms around to come to Seattle, fill our sky with 168 high-rise buildings.

when the last one built in Tacoma was in 1970. The issue of equity comes to mind and why do we want to hoard all growth in the city of Seattle when for the last 20 years we've been bulldozing our neighborhoods, building everything like mad and it doesn't come out affordable.

This whole thing is just repeating the process of trying to do too much, trying to be too much.

We'll be back here 10 years with another housing crisis.

Thank you, Joe.

Next, we have Ruth, followed by Jessica, 85 and 86. And we have two mics, by the way, everyone, two mics.

Good afternoon.

I'm Ruth Dite, urban planner, representing over 1,300 Friends of Queen Anne who oppose tripling the size of the Queen Anne Urban Center, pushing five-story apartments into 37 blocks of NR zoning, threatening 600 homes in the heart of our community, classic Victorian and craftsman homes.

Our city's history will be demolished.

not converted into affordable middle housing.

Queen Anne is closer to downtown, but steep slopes limit access.

Travel to downtown from Queen Anne and places like Finney Ridge or Laurelhurst differs by zero to three minutes.

Why then so much growth here?

We already experienced 40 minute delays getting off the hill.

Imagine the congestion with 46,000 more homes.

We propose removing 25 acres from the urban center and adding a Nickerson neighborhood center.

This puts people closer to bike trails, high capacity and will reduce traffic impacts.

Please adopt our amendment to comp plan amendment 15 months to revise the Queen Anne urban center boundary.

Thank you.

Number 86, 87 and 88. Are you number 86?

I am 86. Yeah.

Sorry.

This totally takes me back to grade school where, you know, you watch everyone before you and you're like, shit, I want to be like that person.

Okay, so trees and green spaces have always been there for the community.

They provide a safe haven for quiet spaces that help citizens like myself process things from traumas to what job I want to do and where I want to go with my life.

As Seattle has been growing more dense, trees and these quiet spaces have been seemingly left out of the picture.

Please vote yes on amendments 93 and 102 so we can have spaces that are accessible so people like myself can live conscious and not just reactive lives.

Thank you guys for my time.

Awesome, thank you.

We have Garrett, number 87, followed by 88. Garrett, you have really nice handwriting, and I'm not being sarcastic.

I appreciate that.

That's the first time in my life I've ever heard that.

Oh, okay.

Well, it was on TV, so go ahead.

Chair Hollingsworth, council members, thank you so much for holding public comment, including after work hours so more folks can participate.

My name is Garrett Plesko-Moore, and I'm a renter in Seattle.

I'm gonna be commenting on the comprehensive plan.

My partner and I both live with chronic disease, and we depend on our access to clean air and walkable neighborhoods to be able to live a healthy, fulfilling lives.

We understand firsthand the need both for ample trees and affordable housing here in Seattle.

But the cost of housing is a heavy burden.

Our rent has doubled in just over five years.

We want to start a family here, but we're unsure if we can even afford that.

I worry we'll need to leave our friends, our chosen family, and our community just to be able to raise kids.

We may have to join the many thousands of Seattleites that are no longer able to afford to live in this city, our home.

Leaving this place and contributing to sprawl, sprawl that, by the way, will be the greatest threat to Washington's beautiful dense forests.

Please pass amendments 34, 66, 90 and bonuses for social housing projects.

Create a safe welcoming Seattle for all.

Thank you.

Thank you, Garrett.

And we'll work hard so you can start your family.

That'd be phenomenal.

All right, 88, Jean, and then-

Thank you for your work.

I'm Jean Hueving.

I've learned a lot of things sitting here today.

Not all community neighborhood centers have the same needs and possibilities.

I live in the Gas Works Park Neighborhood Center.

This was simply dropped in, not even in the mayor's proposal, into Amendment 34. I'm against Amendment 34, not against all neighborhood centers.

I am against 33 as a pervasive thing.

Here's my question to you.

do you think that adequate uh notification community and adequate planning has gone into creating the rezoning for gas works park neighborhood center this completely new designation was made on august 11. thank you thank you jean

you can send your comments in too as well.

We have 89 for Rebecca and then number 90. And then before you go, I'm gonna ask numbers 91 through 100, 91 through 100 to start to stand up and be in the queue on deck.

Give me one second while they get up so you're not interrupted.

So I'm calling on number 91 through 100 We have 180 people signed up and people are still coming in.

This is a time check, just so people know.

It's almost close to five o'clock and the registration for the signups close at 6.30.

So there's still 90 minutes.

We have staff out there ready for when you come down, you'll be able to sign up.

Awesome.

Okay.

So 91 through 100, you are on deck and this is number 89, Rebecca.

Hi, I'm Rebecca Benfield.

Please vote no on the last minute amendments 33 and 34 and five to eight stories in South Wallingford.

This is a multi-generational community with individuals, couples, students, young families, older families and seniors living in a diversity of multi and single unit rental and owned housing.

This multi-generational and traditionally low-income community, many of whom are still here, is at risk of replacement and displacement with the city's plan.

We need more housing types, but they should be incorporated into the community, not replace it.

If you zone five to eight stories of expensive studios and one-bedroom units, these residents will be forced out.

The types of homes that support them will be overrun by enormous corporate rental buildings and the multi-generational community broken up and lost.

In this place, a monoculture of corporate warehousing for individuals and couples.

So add four to six units per lot.

Yes, add to three to four story apartment buildings and stacked flats, but don't be exclusionary and wipe out the people here who have built community and the housing that supports all stages of life.

Please vote no to 33.

Thank you so much.

Now we have number 90. Awesome.

Hello.

Hi, my name's Michelle.

I live in Wallingford.

Hi, my name's Michelle.

I live in Wallingford.

Amendment 33 and 34. It feels like they came in at the 11th hour.

They propose sweeping up zones across eight neighborhoods without doing the due diligence.

There is no community engagement, no environmental review has been done, and the evaluation to the compliance with the city's own standards.

Council members, I'd like to see the numbers.

I'd like to see what has happened with the areas that have been developed.

Has it helped with the affordability or have we just created an up-zoning that is a scheme to enrich developers and corporate landlords?

Thank you.

And thank you for being up here and doing this very difficult.

Thank you so much.

Now we have number 91 through 100. 91 through 100. Hi, Jennifer.

Hi, I'm Jennifer Danek, and I also live in Gasworks Wallingford neighborhood.

I'm here to urge you to vote no on Amendment 34 for many of the same reasons.

We are now two years into an elaborate process to craft a comprehensive plan.

And all of you have engaged your communities in some way or another to get community input and to balance that with housing goals and broader city needs.

Now you're tweaking and refining tiny boundaries.

And at the same time, one of 100 amendments buried deep in the dead of summer is being introduced without neighborhoods even knowing about it.

That's not a way to govern and is going to have bad results.

I will give you one detail, which is twice in that little neighborhood, my basement has flooded with sewage, toilet paper, as a result of the infrastructure in the sewers not being appropriate.

The city tells me it is better to compensate me than to replace that local pipe.

That's one example.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jennifer.

Next we have number 92, 93 and 94. And we have two mics, 92, 93, 94.

Our neighborhood, Wallingford has a plumbing system from the twenties, not these twenties.

Um, and it just takes a flushed baby wipe, a tampon to cause a flood.

Um, and We have two streets that are sort of arterials.

On those streets, two cars can pass each other without any friction, whereas everywhere else, it's a courteous game of waiting for the other person's turn, and then you kind of wave.

We don't have infrastructure.

for massive apartment projects.

And I guess that's all I wanted to say about the roads and the sewer system.

Thank you so much.

All right, we have Megan, 93, and then 94, Iskra.

Hi there.

I'm Megan Donnell, and I ask you to vote no on Amendment 34. I grew up poor and I want affordability to be, but I also want thoughtful urban planning.

And that takes community engagement that you promised us.

Millions of people are not moving here.

We only need 120K affordable homes by 2044 per the EIS, and we're not growing like we were.

Affordability, yes, we already allow for homes per lot and multifamily housing.

AIDS stories is excessively overbearing in a neighborhood where there's these tiny craftsman homes.

Our current zoning is working.

The most affordable units in my neighborhood are ADUs, DADUs, and old buildings converted to apartments.

They are not new apartment complexes, which all have vacancies, I might add.

I called them.

We haven't gotten what this promises.

New apartments have pushed out amenities and small businesses for expensive restaurants and .

We have a corner store.

If things are up zone, that's gone.

Please, please think about thoughtful planning, infrastructure, transportation, and the things we need for happy.

Thank you, Megan.

Next we have Iskra followed by 95 Patricia.

In the last 15 years, Seattle added 30% of all its housing.

In that time, rents rose 75%.

We are told always, density is the cure for affordable housing.

But every up zone has resulted in higher land costs and higher housing costs.

All over Seattle, affordable rentals are being torn down for expensive townhouses and million-dollar skinny homes.

The cheapest low-income housing is housing you don't have to build.

It's there.

It's that rental house next door.

Where is the equity in zoning that removes low-income renters and replaces them with the wealthy?

To date, density in Seattle has been nothing but gentrification on steroids.

The comp plan has no serious displacement plan.

and existing low-income housing, oh, anyway, vote no on amendments 33 and 34, and the changes to transit that upzone the entire city, transit definitions.

Take the time to create a plan that preserves existing affordable housing.

Do it right.

Improve city regulations and oversight of nonprofits so affordable housing is sustainable and lasts for generations.

Thank you.

Next we have 95, 96, 97, 98, and 99 and 100. And we have both mics.

Hello, my name is Patricia and I am a Wallingford resident and I'm here to speak against amendment 34, 33, and also the proposed LR3 rezoning of South Wallingford Avenue.

First of all, Amendment 34, which really is an initial proposal to add the 27 block area of South Wallingford urban neighborhood as a neighborhood center, is unfair and exclusionary.

The proposal, the AKA Amendment 34, was made known to the public only four weeks ago.

Washington state law requires early and ongoing engagement with communities in shaping their comprehensive plans for growth.

Amendment 34 proposes expansive changes to not only Wallingford Urban Neighborhood, but a total of eight additional neighborhoods, all in a few weeks of a multi-year process, buried in one of 100 amendments.

This denies us the opportunity to contribute as others have.

This alone compromises the integrity of the entire One Seattle Comprehensive Plan.

Thank you so much.

Awesome.

Thank you.

96, so Ryan, Rachel, Regan, Dimitri, and Jacob.

Hello.

I'm a renter in D6.

I'm here to speak in support of increased density in housing.

Specifically, I'm in support of amendment 76. We need to build housing near transit, removing parking requirements with number 84. I also am in support of 61 to incentivize social housing.

I'm also in support of 34 to increase the amount of neighborhood centers.

So we have more housing in more diverse places and in support of 66 as well.

So we can have commercial anywhere in the city.

And then I'm also very in support of 47C, the Tangletown adjustments.

And I also am very opposed to 102. We do not need to add any extra jump through for housing.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Ryan.

97, 98, 99, and 100. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Rachel Levy.

Please vote no on amendments 81 and 40. Five years ago, my family built a backyard cottage in the Ravenna Cohen Historical District to help our city solve its housing shortage.

Free to make decisions that affected our budgets and were our own aesthetics, we reclad both the original and the cottage with a combination of historical and modern materials.

Amendment 81 restricts property rights by limiting the type of siting in a historical district, inserting into city code covenants, conditions, and restrictions that are exclusionary and expensive.

Vote down Amendment 81 for government overreach.

this summer a neighborhood favorite the ravenna varsity diner closed because it couldn't afford its lease the mixing homes and shops is one way we can better support small businesses and build livable communities amendment 40 is a misguided attempt to maintain

Thank you, Rachel.

99, Regan, hopefully I said your name right, Dimitri, and then Jacob.

Was I close?

That was right.

Oh, awesome.

99?

No, 98. 98, Regan?

Yes.

Okay, awesome.

Then Dimitri, you're next, Dimitri, and then Jacob.

Good afternoon.

My name is Regan Miedema.

Oh, can you hear me?

Yes.

Go ahead.

Good afternoon.

My name is Regan Miedema, campaign manager for Erica Evans for city attorney.

The city attorney role is not a legislative position.

Its role in this space is to advise the council on legal issues and where appropriate provide feedback on what community members are saying about the direction of our city.

I am here to urge the City Council to think about how safe, affordable housing increases public safety for everyone.

The concept is simple.

The more people we get off the streets and the more people we prevent from becoming unhoused in the first place, the less people we will have who might become involved in the justice system in a way that is related to their housing situation.

Housing provides economic stability.

A stable address makes it easier to find a job, which reduces quality of life crimes in our city.

The list of examples goes on, but I'll end it by saying that our city is growing and housing must grow with it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next, we have Dimitri followed by Jacob.

Hey, Dimitri.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Thank you, City Council.

My name is Dimitri, and I'm a resident of White Center, so unincorporated King County, just a block south of the city.

I was born and raised in Capitol Hill in the Central District, and I'm a social worker that works on behalf of families and young people experiencing homelessness.

A lot of these families and young people are experiencing homelessness, invisibilized, and then pushed out of their communities and displaced from their networks of support, their schools, their jobs and opportunities, and they're looking for a place of belonging.

This is a regional issue.

As the urban center of Washington State, what happens in Seattle affects our surrounding areas, and we know that rents even in the rural and suburban areas around our city are shooting up.

and the difference is many of these communities don't have the resources or the jobs or the services to ensure that these folks who have been anchored in Seattle but displaced can actually be successful and access opportunity.

This is why we have a really important opportunity and responsibility to increase housing in our city of Seattle.

The equation is simple, we're growing and we need to accommodate that growth particularly for Seattle neighborhoods who haven't had the equitable share of that development.

So thank you, I appreciate your commitment to this work.

Thank you Dimitri.

Next we have Jacob.

All right, can you hear me?

Yes.

Awesome.

Hi, my name is Jacob Tuckle, and I'm a resident of the future Finney Ridge Neighborhood Center.

I'd like to ask you to support Council Member Strauss's Amendment 46C to expand my center.

Many of us in Finney Ridge are looking forward to welcoming new neighbors and businesses to our community.

I'd also like you to support Amendments 42C and 49C, expanding nearby neighborhoods of East Ballard and West Green Lake.

parks are all of our big backyards and we should be maximizing housing alongside them.

I'm happy to see amendments that support that.

More broadly, I'd like you to support Council Member Rink's Amendment 34 to create additional neighborhood centers and Council Member Nelson's Amendment 49 to encourage stacked flats so more people can age in place.

I don't know if any of you have had this problem, but my grandparents will not visit me because of all the stairs in my townhouse.

So I know you all understand the community of this housing crisis and Seattleites are showing that they are ready to help.

Thank you guys so much.

Awesome, thank you.

So now we're on deck for four numbers 101 to 110, 101 to 110. And the first person is Curtis.

You are number 101 to 110. You are on deck 101 to 110. and we have 200 people signed up.

It is 5.10.

We still have till 6.30.

Come on down to City Hall and sign up so you can give public comment about the Comprehensive Plan.

Mr. Johnson, you are up, my friend.

Thank you.

Yeah, I'm here to speak on the Seattle Comprehensive Plan overall.

People need both affordable housing and the environmental benefits that are provided by large mature trees, and especially true at a time of climate change and increasing heat.

The view pushed by developer interests is that we have to choose between housing and trees.

This is false.

It's aimed at setting housing advocates against people concerned about the environment.

Developers aren't building to meet housing needs.

They're building to generate the most profit possible.

2024 saw record housing built in this city, but the majority is luxury apartments.

And a recent Seattle Times piece pointed out that in the 2010s, Seattle lost 14,000 affordable units, 14,000 units as this housing increase happened.

At the same time, we're losing our tree canopy, 4,000 trees a year.

Seattle must protect its largest mature trees and prioritize new housing.

Thank you, Curtis.

Thank you, Curtis.

102, Joseph, followed by 103, Z.

We have Joseph, 102. No, we can just do jazz.

There's no clapping.

It's just the jazz hands.

That's why you're the only one clapping, because he didn't know.

And then you ask, can we clap?

No.

Okay, 102. 102. Joseph.

Going once, twice.

Are you Joseph?

102?

Yeah, you hit the jackpot.

Come on.

Okay.

Good morning, or good afternoon, council members.

My name is Joseph, and I am speaking on behalf of the Duwamish River Community Coalition for both bills.

For context, DRCC, where I work, began to fight against injustices that Duwamish Valley communities face.

This includes more asthma hospitalizations, more displacement, more highways, less life expectancy, and one of the most polluted rivers in the nation.

I started with DRCC in South Park to manage an asthma program.

I knew I was going to deal with families that had asthma, but I did not know how much displacement would also be affecting these same children.

Unfortunately, they're not choosing that displacement, but that's something that we're beginning to choose for them here in this room.

Honestly, without more neighborhood centers, I'm not sure how more of these families can continue to live in Seattle.

Um, and without more of these neighborhood centers, I'm also not sure how we can prevent suburban sprawl, reduce vehicle emissions, miles traveled, increase ecological diversity and reduce trees cut.

Um, through amendments, 91, 94 and 104. Um, and I ask that we put these most impacted first as we're making these decisions.

Thank you, Joseph.

Uh, next we have Z one Oh three.

One Oh four is not here.

And then one Oh five David's on deck.

I'm here.

My name is Zee, and I am for growth with responsibility.

Responsibility for our next generation, our grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.

What are we going to leave our next generation with?

A concrete jungle?

I'm for affordable housing.

Does affordable housing mean just teeny ticky tacky without trees?

Affordable housing also needs tree canopies.

We have lost so many tree canopies.

So many people have been traumatized by the sound of, by the sound of, what's the name?

Chancellor, please, enough is enough.

We need our next generation to have affordable housing.

Thank you, Zee.

All right.

Number 105, David, you are next, followed by 106, Tom.

Hello, David and Bridget Mering.

We're architects in District 7. We're commenting both for the comp plan and the permanent housing changes.

We would like you to support 93 and 102. 93 will provide the space needed for new trees.

And 102 will provide a requirement back to have architects like us look at alternatives before they take down trees.

The Com Plan sets goals for housing and strives for 1,000 canopy acres to be provided in 13 years.

That's additional 1,000 canopy acres.

Only 93 and 102 are essential for keeping both the comp plan goals of housing and reaching that canopy cover goal.

Without 93, other tree incentives would probably not have enough space for those trees to survive.

Portland's middle housing has succeeded 20% goals.

102 brings back smart design, and these 14 examples here show smart design that they had three to six houses plus trees.

Thank you, David.

106, Tom, followed by Rachel, 107.

Yes, ma'am.

Good afternoon.

I'm Tom.

I live in West Seattle.

and resident of District 1, of course, and appreciate the council's continued attention to today's comments.

I support amendments 93 and 102 to prioritize tree protection in the city.

They seem very reasonable and doable.

And I've had extensive firsthand experience working with public works and planning and have seen so many projects that protected trees when they are prioritized, but only when they're prioritized.

In one project, we look at the initial design and ask the question, can we do the meet the goals and save six mature trees?

We revisit it.

The answer was yes, we could.

And we did.

So I urge the council to support amendments 93 and 102 for responsible tree protection.

And thank you for the opportunity to present.

Thank you.

Next we have 107 followed by 108, 109 and 1010.

Hi, thank you.

I'm Rachel.

I am a homeowner and a working parent in the Wedgwood neighborhood in district four.

And I'm asking you to please allow more density in my neighborhood.

Selfishly, I want to be able to walk to a grocery store.

I want businesses to replace the pharmacy and the local florists that just closed.

I want a bus line to take me to the light rail in under 30 minutes.

I want my children to grow up around some of the diversity that makes our beautiful city.

And the key to all of those is fitting more people in my neighborhood.

And the key to doing that without clear cutting our trees is building housing that is tall and that is dense.

So please add back the South Wedgwood Neighborhood Center and the other neighborhood centers, but that's mine.

I wish they went farther north.

Maintain the size of the other neighborhood centers in Northeast Seattle.

Don't make them smaller.

Please encourage density and encourage and offer flexibility in exchange for tree preservation and remove parking mandates.

We owe it to the planet to prevent sprawl and we owe it to our children to provide walkable dense neighborhoods.

And that requires flexible housing.

Thank you, Rachel.

Next we have Joe followed by Kobe and then Vincent.

It's Joe here.

Joe would be number one zero eight.

One zero eight.

Okay.

One zero eight is not here.

One zero nine.

Kobe followed by one 10. Vincent is Kobe here.

Kobe Allard 109. Awesome.

You are up my friend.

Yes.

Yes.

Kobe, Kobe, Kobe.

Hello, my name is Kobe Allard.

I'm here to speak in favor of dense infill housing, everywhere if possible.

I moved to Seattle in 2003. My best friend and I shared an apartment for $400 a month.

I checked Craigslist recently, and that place now rents for $1,300 a month.

And it's not a nicer place, but we have such a severe housing shortage that they can charge that much more.

Please make my crummy old apartment affordable again.

Legalize the construction of so much housing in so much of the city that only a true chiefscape, like I was 20 years ago, would bother to rent that place.

Also, I ask you to support the amendments that unlock the development of stacked flats, because that is the type of place that I want to live.

Thank you.

Thank you, Kobe.

And before we get to Vincent, let's get numbers one.

You're Vincent?

Awesome.

110. Awesome.

All right.

Come up to the mic.

We're gonna ask that numbers 111 and 120 that you all stand up and start getting ready.

Just sit tight, Vincent, while they kind of move around 111 through 120. And please know we have two mics.

You can go to either or.

We have two mics.

We have our middle lane.

Then we have our outside lane.

I prefer the outside lane because it's closer to the door.

Middle lane, you got to be around people.

I'm just playing.

All right, middle lane, Vincent.

Go right ahead.

Hello everyone.

My name is Vincent Rivera.

I am a University of Washington student and I live car free in district four.

I support building more housing throughout the whole city, including the eight proposed neighborhood centers, along with allowing more small businesses in neighborhoods while protecting the environment by removing parking minimum citywide and continuing to invest in more transit, biking infrastructure, and pedestrian-oriented streets with plenty of trees and places that people can walk to.

Thank you.

Thank you, Vincent.

And number 111. 111, Laura?

Awesome.

Thank you, council.

My name is Laura Thorne.

And we must address our housing and environmental crises together by protecting our life-giving tree canopies.

It's not either or.

Please vote for amendments 93 and 102 and include protections for tier three trees in 102. As we build housing, let's preserve and plant trees, giving oxygen, sheltering shade, drainage capture for less water pollution, and more birdsong for everyone everywhere in the city.

And I support expanding housing that is truly affordable.

However, the last minute amendments that include in 33 and 34, creating a Gasworks Park neighborhood center with commercial rezoning and development up to eight stories was added only a month ago.

And this neighborhood mocks meaningful neighborhood engagement with no binding affordability and bypassing environmental reviews in an area that has very poor transit.

I so...

Thank you so much.

Numbers 112, 113, and 114. 112, Kathy, followed by 113. Allen, you are on deck.

You're on deck right after Kathy.

Hi, thank you for showing up and doing all the hard work.

Really appreciate it.

I'm Kathy, district seven.

I would like you to please pass amendment 77, 89, 93, and please pass amendment 102, fully supporting SDCI's authority to ask for alternate site designs and add protection of tier three trees.

Please reject amendment 72. Please follow the urban forestry commission's recommendations, including require 75% of amenity area be at ground level, restrict non-permeable services, add a requirement that trees be viable before, during, after construction to count for points, use higher incentives for tree retention versus new plantings.

And to reiterate what the lady before me said, chainsaws are traumatizing.

enough.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Uh, next we have Alan followed by Kathleen.

Awesome.

My name is Alan Greenbaum from the gas work neighborhood neighborhood.

I am opposed to amendments 33 and 34 for the following reasons.

One, these amendments were proposed during the dog days of summer when people are on vacation and not paying attention to local politics.

Proposing these amendments one and one and a half months before voting on them does not give us as a community adequate time to organize and respond to these major changes.

Two, I totally support building more affordable housing, but this upzoning has no guarantees for this.

These amendments need binding affordability along with anti-displacement language.

Otherwise, only the developers are going to benefit from this upzoning.

Three, there's no environmental impact statement involving these amendments.

This needs to include shoreline, stormwater impacts.

Support amendments 93 and 102. Finally, there is a need to improve traffic safety and increase transit in this area.

Thank you.

Thank you, Alan.

Kathleen, 114 and Francesca, 115.

Thank you.

My name is Kathleen Barry Johnson.

I've lived in Bryant in D4 since 1994. I own my own home and I wouldn't be able to do that today.

Today I'm here on behalf of Historic South Downtown, a state created organization in Pioneer Square and Chinatown International District.

We are partners with you in planning for a vibrant future.

Historic South Downtown asks that you remember that the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan is just that, one plan for an entire city.

When one neighborhood gets to exclude proposed density, this unavoidably builds pressure on already dense neighborhoods like Pioneer Square and CID and others to take on the housing and related infrastructure that we need.

The SFH Homes The SFH neighborhoods are rejecting density and they talk about charm when we see that as another potential failure of Seattle to address its extremely old housing crisis.

Seattle is one city and we ask our leaders to remember that every corner of the city so that every corner of this city can contribute to the vibrancy and health of this community.

As an elder human, I'd like to remind you that these decisions are not for gray hairs like me.

They are for all.

Thank you.

Thank you, Kathleen.

115, and then followed by that is Michael.

Francesca, good to see you.

Go ahead.

Hi, my name is Francesca Iluhu, and I live in District 2 and work in District 3 as a local artist and community organizer.

I implore you all to respect the neighborhood boundaries of historically redlined neighborhoods.

The proposed neighborhood centers that shift the historical boundaries of the Central District minimize the legacy of the residents who have lived there.

Black residents of the CD have already endured decades of housing discrimination, redlining, gentrification, and displacement.

To carve out pieces of the CD and relabel it as Cap Hill or Judkins Park would be effective erasure of all the community the Black community has built and endured.

The CD and CID have already observed absorbed their fair share of Seattle's housing density.

We need the rest of the city to take on more density and give our communities time to stabilize.

Vote no to amendment 32. Crime is but a byproduct of a scarcity of public resources.

Amendment 32 will lead to more over policing of black and brown bodies.

Thank you.

Thank you, Francesca.

All right, now we're at 116. 117, 118, 119, and 120, and we have two mics.

Awesome.

You're Michael, and then I'm assuming you are Jesse.

Awesome.

All right, you can come to the mic.

Michael, floor is yours.

Hello.

For those of you who know my partner, Kaden, they are working here and would not want to miss a comprehensive plan meeting, so I'm here to give my voice.

For the first time, I moved to Seattle six years ago, excited to enjoy the environmental and social climates of this wonderful city.

I have been a renter and lived in three different rental apartments in District 5. I look for areas that have access to transit, grocery stores, restaurants, biking, and walking infrastructure, and I hope to see more neighborhoods develop to offer these.

I also hope to continue to be able to afford the privilege of looking at studios to rent for me and my kiddies in the Seattle housing market as we face a housing shortage.

I encourage you to adopt Amendment 34 and others that support more housing and neighborhood centers to build more communities where people want to live.

Thank you.

Thank you, Michael.

Next we have Jesse followed by 118, 119, and 120.

Jesse, born and raised in Seattle area.

Support 93 and 102. Seattle and Washington is one of the most progressive cities and states.

We should follow Boston, Portland, New York tree ordinance.

Left wingers care about stopping global warming animals, going extinct, protecting beautiful, spiritual, and culturally important trees.

We are the evergreen state.

Irreversible carbon tipping point in 2030. 75% of all plant and animal species may be extinct as soon as 2,200 one study shows.

Get your priorities straight.

Look up the web of life and how all animal species are connected and them going extinct will be catastrophic to the planet, like bees, plankton, and trees.

Just locally, the trees are necessary for our beloved orcas, salmon, and eagles.

Let me remind everyone that humans are animals, and without plants, fungus, and other animals, we would not survive.

A lot of right-wingers won't stop until the whole planet is an ugly, toxic parking lot, until all of our public lands are sold off to corporations.

95% blacktop is outrageous.

Trees provide soil erosion, drought, flooding, pollution, capture carbon, provide shade.

The solutions are progressive ones like rent control, not...

Thank you, Jesse.

I'm sorry.

You can send your comments to us as well, to our email, all right?

Thank you.

118, 119, and 120. 118?

119, is there 118?

118 is, I can't read this, Sabonian?

No?

Okay, 118, and then you must be Laura.

Awesome, and then Samuel's number 120. Awesome, thank you.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

OK.

Hi, my name is Laura Gardner.

My husband and I own a home in West Seattle near the Admiral and Alaska Junction neighborhood centers.

I support expanding West Seattle neighborhood centers, and I support an Alki neighborhood center.

I can walk less than a mile to seven grocery stores, and I run into people I know, sidewalk cats, feral children, fruiting and flowering street trees.

We can meet most of our needs by foot, and my life is more vibrant and healthier because of it.

Establishing an Alki neighborhood center would be the first step towards being able to support a grocery store.

It would be the first step towards more transit to ease the congestion from visitors currently only able to get there by car, and better connectivity for neighbors to get places further away.

These options help young, elderly, and disabled neighbors have autonomy and agency.

Neighborhood centers are an opportunity, not a threat.

They support small businesses and help build relationships.

It is a moral necessity to accommodate more neighbors across the entire city and our communities will be stronger because of it.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you.

And Samuel, before you go, I need number, before you do your, to your public comment.

Numbers 121 to 130. 121 to 130. If you could start getting ready in the queue.

And we have two microphones.

If you can line up at two places, that would be super helpful.

So we continue to move along.

121 and 130. You are next.

And the 121 is Adam.

Adam is first up for 120. My guy, Adam.

All right.

Awesome.

Samuel, floor's yours.

Hello.

Yeah, my name is Sam.

I grew up in Roosevelt.

I attended UW, and I've also lived in the U District in Ballard, and I live in Capitol Hill.

And I'm on the nonprofit Sustainable Capitol Hill Board as well.

And I love the vibrancy, the density, and the accessibility in Capitol Hill.

Not only does this help weave the social fabric of our city, it also helps the environment by reducing sprawl and pollution from tailpipe emissions, tire, dust, and noise.

But our current housing restrictions severely limit the number of people that can benefit from this.

I support creating and expanding neighborhood centers, permitting more types of dense housing everywhere, and I employ you to adopt all the proposed amendments that make this plan bolder.

Expanding mixed-use dense zoning along transit corridors and inside of neighborhood corridors to give more convenient options for shopping, support small businesses, and make it easier to make friends, allow for stacked flats, broaden the definition of frequent transit, further expand neighborhood centers, especially in the north, remove off-street parking minimums, Our lack of affordable housing prices out our neighbors and friends, especially those who are in the most vulnerable positions, like seniors and those without savings.

Thank you, Samuel.

Next, we have Adam, followed by Julia, 121 to 122.

Hello.

Hi, counsel.

Well, thank you so much for making this session possible.

My name is Adam Brown.

I live in Wallingford.

I moved here from Texas about four years ago, and I've loved living in Seattle, but I would love to share a little bit of my opinion about this.

So first of all, I believe that the storage of private vehicles in most places in our city is making the city worse.

So there are seven amendments about parking in this, seven, 84 and 86 that I do support.

I also support amendments 34 and 33 about affordable housing.

I love Member Strauss's addition for Tangled Town's enlargement of that center.

It's amazing.

And I also support 65, 66 and 67 regarding corner stores and commercial uses.

and finally i also appreciate the addition of 89 and 90 about stacked flats these will make our city even more welcoming and welcoming even more people to seattle to make our city even better here from texas to escape some of the the problems of that state which i think are obvious here and i've just loved it and i want to make this city even better thank you guys thank you adam next we have julia followed by william

Hi, Julia here in support of 93 and 102 amendments.

I'm born and raised here.

My grandparents, both my grandfathers came here and were architects for the city and developers.

Mr. Morris, my grandfather founded Hilltop Community and they had an integrated plan to incorporate the buildings and the trees together so that development was a community process I brought a picture of the tree that blessed my Seattle home.

It's still there.

The house is gone.

It was just lucky that that's the case.

But for mental health, for physical health, and for trees as proponents of civic life in a city, trees help us be human and we need to protect them.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Next we have 123, 124, William, 123. Is William here?

123. Once, twice.

William, 123. All right, 124. Awesome.

Hello, council members.

My name is Lynn Prunhuber.

I live in Wallingford.

I'm hearing support both for affordable housing and for neighborhood centers.

The problem with neighborhood centers is look at the maps.

They're not centers.

If it were limited to centers, let's take Wallingford as an example.

All of Lower Wallingford is not a center.

That's the Gas Works issue that some other speakers talked about.

What's the Wallingford Center is 45th Street, say, from I-5 to maybe Stoneway.

So what needs to happen?

is the center needs to be defined more precisely and then also what you want needs to be defined more precisely because as is it's a development giveaway thank you i don't mean to cut you off that's the time i'm sorry

Understood.

Sorry.

You can send your comments in to us, though, please.

And then...

Absolutely.

You can type that up and send it to our emails.

Thank you.

Appreciate you.

Next, we have Jake.

And then followed by Jim, number 26. 126.

Hello, my name is Jake Santelli.

I co-own Harry's Fine Foods on Capitol Hill and Harry's Beach House on Alki.

They're both small neighborhood restaurants with a very strong community focus.

We are in support of Amendment 65, but we urge a small change to exempt kitchen and back of house space from the 2,500 square foot limit.

Without this exemption, it will be nearly impossible for a restaurant to stay financially viable.

Our kitchen and prep areas require substantial space, and we still need enough seats to make the business work.

We have shared suggested language with your offices, and we hope that the clarification will be included in the final package.

Thank you for supporting neighborhood businesses like ours.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jake.

Jim Gold, 126. Gold and then 127. Sarah.

Hi, Jim.

Thank you council members for your selfless public service.

I'm Jim Gold, district two.

and I'm here speaking in support of amendments 93 and 102. My neighbor has several big trees in her yard, including a dogwood that hangs about 10 feet over my roof and drops a lot of litter and clogs the gutters.

A couple of years ago, she had someone prune them, but he didn't remove the branches overhanging my roof.

When I asked if he could remove some of them, he said he already removed what he could without harming the tree.

I understood and accepted that explanation, realizing that Seattleites generally are environmentally conscious and love trees.

What I don't understand is why we have ordinance that prohibit this, but allow developers to remove entire trees that are not doing any harm i'm all for affordable housing but let's do it right in a way that honors the health of the environment people and our thank you jim next we have 127 followed by 128 129 and 130 that's sarah jenny megan bonnie

okay is that good yes all right hi everybody thanks getting tired um hi i live in the proposed gasworks neighborhood center in a in stacked housing actually in an old triplex i'm a public school teacher of civics and history i know we have a lot of work to do to unravel a century of racist zoning and housing policy i would like to see seattle protect already existent older affordable housing and develop new affordable multiplexes for density But I am concerned that the recent sudden addition of eight neighborhood zones was created with very limited time for community engagement and will result in chaotic unintended problems.

I urge you actually to vote no on amendments 34 and 33. I think each community deserves the time and space to help come up with specific solutions that help problem solve for each unique neighborhood.

A few that come to mind specifically for Gasworks, an ancient sewage system regularly on overload and backup, extreme heat on a south facing slope, protecting the tree canopy we have been hard to restore in the last three decades, and really tiny streets.

Solutions are out there, but we deserve to be a part of the problem-solving process too.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Next, we have Jenny, Megan, and Bonnie, 128, 129, 130. Jenny, Megan, Bonnie.

Okay, I love this poster because I believe in this for all of Seattle and all of Washington State, and I could extend that to probably all of our states.

My name is Jenny Ring-Perez.

I'm from Washington.

I love this city.

I've lived in a lot of the neighborhoods.

I've been a renter.

I had an apartment studio, $300 on First Hill.

That building's still standing.

I don't know how much longer.

That helped me get through college.

So I'm really, really conscious of so many of the testimonies here today.

I am asking you to vote no on 34 and on 33 because of the lateness of adding those neighborhoods.

But I'm also in a neighborhood that's full of kids and families, and I'm asking you to ensure that any new developers and any new buildings include affordable housing units in those buildings.

If we want diversity in the neighborhoods, that is the only way it's gonna happen.

Wallingford, Tangletown, Green Lake, everything north is going to be developed with luxury housing and people really need to understand.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Jenny.

Next we have Megan 129 and then 130 Bonnie.

I am here.

Hi, everybody.

Good to see you.

I'm here to ask you to pass amendments 93 and 102 and to please add tier 3 trees to 102. we have really lost enough to date.

We need protection.

We've had none for at least some of our remaining signature trees in Seattle that support our health and well-being.

Truth be told, many trees have been removed in situations where they had zero impact on the developer's preferred design, and we've been told that.

One developer said, this is Seattle.

We can do anything we want.

And that's the case.

We need to change that.

So you have a great opportunity.

Oh, man.

Okay.

Check these out fast.

These are four trees standing.

This is five feet in diameter in the Greenwood area.

There are three more.

Thank you.

Thank you, Megan.

All right.

Next week.

That goes on in public comment.

Pass 102. Damn.

Okay, Bonnie, you're up next.

So it's 1.30.

1.31 between 1.40, you are next.

1.31 to 1.40.

1.31 to 1.40, you are next.

Rise, my friends.

You all are next.

1.31 to 1.40.

Bonnie, the floor is yours.

OK, good afternoon.

I'm here to talk about Amendment 34. I'm a Wallingford resident.

I'm also president of Wallingford Community Council.

And we have written a letter to Council August 15, I think the letter says.

I'm going to drop it off for you.

It's about the background in that we've had no public outreach on Amendment 34. It came up.

I was reading the amendments.

That was the first time I saw a map for Gasworks Park, and it's the first time seven other neighborhoods had a chance to look at their maps.

30 neighborhoods that were considered when the mayor's plan was released was in October, 2024. We have really tried to follow the comprehensive plan closely.

We've had meetings on it.

We've had OPCD, our D4 person there.

So I can't support this.

This is not the way to do business.

You have to have outreach.

Our neighborhood has been denied.

Thank you, Bonnie.

Next we have Richard 131, followed by Chris 132. Is Richard here?

131, Richard?

Richard Furr, no?

All right.

Chris 132, is Chris here?

Yes, 132. And then 133, Adam Bartel, if you could start lining up, that would be amazing.

132.

Hi, I'm Chris and I live in District 6, Tangletown.

Tangletown does not really fit the definition of a neighborhood center.

It's too small.

It has just a few businesses, no grocery stores, and all of the central things that a neighborhood center should have.

We also have one bus, which meanders through the neighborhood down very narrow streets.

And the way that the up zone has been defined is to go on either side of the bus route.

which meanders through Tangletown, and so it's consumed an excessive amount of housing.

So an alternative, still honoring the density, which a lot of people have been talking about lately, is to move it over to Latona, which is a major arterial that runs in a straight line from 50th to 65th, and then it ties in with light rail, and it's very close to grocery stores in PCC, Whole Foods.

So that would be a very natural way to get.

Thank you, Chris.

All right, next we have 133, Adam.

Awesome.

Following Adam is David, 134. Is David here, 134?

Awesome, okay.

Go ahead, Adam.

Hi, my name is Adam Bartell.

I live in West Seattle, and I am...

commenting on the comprehensive plan.

Seattle has a housing crisis and a homelessness crisis.

The only way to seriously address either is to build more housing, full stop.

That is not going to happen if we don't allow for higher density across the city.

Putting all the apartments along busy arterials forces poor people to breathe in exhaust and break dust.

The rich people who are able to own homes away from the arterials and busy streets don't have this problem.

It is inequitable to allow density only on the busy streets.

We must allow denser housing on any street in Seattle.

Thank you.

Thank you, Adam.

Next we have David.

And just a quick time check.

It is 545. The signup is gonna stay open until 630. So we have 45 minutes, 45 minutes for signup.

All yours, David.

Good evening.

My name is Dave Gloger and I'm a resident of district five.

I asked you to please protect Seattle large trees by passing amendments 93 and 102 and including tier through trees.

If you have any doubt about voting for these amendments, then read this story.

It was published by Investigate West two days ago.

It highlights that 73 trees were cut down every week in August on properties under construction.

That's SDCI data.

SDCI tried to minimize this by stating that 90% of those trees were less than 24 inches in diameter.

My analysis shows that these 10% other trees, the tier two trees, account for 51% of the lost canopy.

Including tier three trees, it accounts for 93% of the lost canopies.

These trees are important, and they meet all the benefits of them now.

Climate change is upon us.

Vote for 93 and 102. Thank you, and I'm leaving the newspaper article.

Awesome.

Thank you so much.

Next, that was...

Wait, what number?

Oh, sorry.

Okay.

135 and 136. My bad.

I'm 135. My name is Terry Bernard.

I'm asking for more bonuses for affordable and social and sustainable housing.

While bold things are happening in our nation, and so much of it is putting the wants of the wealthy before the needs of the poor.

Be boldly different.

Seattle's facing a genuine affordable housing crisis.

It's so expensive, the HUD low income limit for Seattle is almost $85,000.

I'd understand if you don't know what that means because you guys make north of 140K.

So let me remind you what it means to not be able to afford your home.

It's two jobs or late nights or sacrifice passions.

It is stress and struggle, necessary hardships and reckless hope.

We need leadership that can be bold on behalf of the burden, that considers those that don't have time to lobby because they're busy surviving and providing.

You might see this current comp plan as a fair appeasement of multiple different agendas on a topic that's very hard to comprehend, but affording your home versus preserving the value of a neighborhood or protecting a traffic commute are not the same thing.

Thank you so much.

Next we have Whitney 136 followed by Nathan 137. Is Whitney here?

136. Whitney Nakamura?

No?

Okay.

Nathan 137.

Hi, I'm Nathan.

I'm a volunteer with Soapbox Seattle and a chapter co-leader for Citizens Climate Lobby, and I'm here about the comp plan.

I spent the past four years in a shared house living with friends in Wallingford in District 4. There have been a lot of people here from Wallingford talking about how narrow the streets are, and that's true, but I never had a car, and it's really easy to get around on a bike and in buses through there, so I don't think that's such a big problem.

But this year, our landlord raised the rent 9%.

I'm a tech worker.

I can afford the higher rent.

but my friends can't.

And so this raised rent sort of broke our little community and displaced us all.

Neighborhood center and gas works might be able to stop that story from repeating itself.

So I'm in favor of amendment 34, as well as other amendments that encourage building up instead of out, such as stacked flats, amendments, 89 and 91 and transit oriented development amendment 76, 84 and 86. Council members, please help keep Seattle affordable to people other than just tech workers.

Thank you, Nathan.

Next we have 138 Megan followed by William 139 and then 140. You can pull the mic down too, whichever is comfortable.

Easy.

Hello, my name is Megan Long, and I'm a renter in West Seattle, and I'm in favor of the addition of affordable housing and neighborhood centers.

The area in particular where I live, I have access to grocery stores, restaurants, basically anything that any person needs, transit, and I feel like more neighborhoods could use that, literally anywhere.

It's good for accessibility reasons.

It's not perfect.

Apartment prices in the area where I live are only increasing.

And we need to keep up with the demand for housing.

Luxury apartments are not a solution.

And I fear a day where I will not be able to afford where I live and I work above minimum wage at a 9 to 5 job.

like a lot of other people and I don't want that to happen.

Thank you.

Awesome.

Thank you, Megan.

139 and then 140. William.

Hi, I'm Bill Alves from Leschi and I want to thank the council for hosting this grueling event.

I support amendments 93 and 102 along with incentives for stacked flats and shared walls as essential to maintaining our robust tree cover while we increase density.

But to ensure your legislation makes a difference, please consider being more vigilant regarding the executive's implementation and enforcement.

And here's a short horror story.

Our neighborhood watched as a logging crew arrived early on a Sunday morning with license plate obscured and cut down and hauled away a magnificent red cedar tree protected by a city erected fence on a lot with a clearly posted stop work order.

As a repeat tree violence offender, the developer could have gone to jail.

Instead, he paid the city a paltry fine built a $4 million house where the tree once stood and went to the bank with the profits.

I think the city is sending the wrong message to those who would profit at the expense of our trees.

Thank you, Bill.

Number 140, is number 140 here?

Awesome.

And then if numbers 141 to 150, if you start standing up, numbers 141 to 150. Is 140, did 141 and 150 all leave?

No?

141 to 150, I will call out those names.

One second.

Go ahead, 140. Okay, 140, go ahead and start.

Hi, I'm Beth Scott.

I'm in D2.

And first, I want to say I'm here in support of amendments 93 and 102 to protect trees and tree canopy.

While I am also a huge affordable housing supporter, I feel like First, I was going to say I'm not confident that developers really care about the trees so much, maybe even affordable housing as much as profit.

So I'm quite concerned that if there aren't very clear standards about trees, they won't care about them.

I can say within probably three blocks of my house.

There have been very recent, I'm gonna say incidents, it's not really an incident, but there were five trees on a big lot, and I'm not talking little skinny trees, I'm talking about big, probably 100 year or more old trees, two different lots, five big trees, back of the lot could have been worked around, I believe, and they just got cut down.

And I do know, well, anyway, 93 and 102, please vote yes for that, as well as affordable housing.

Thank you.

Thank you so much.

And numbers 141 to 150, we only have even.

That's why no one's set up.

So we have 142, 144, 146, 148, 150, 152, and 154. So it's all even.

And you are Kirsten?

I'm Kirsten.

Kirsten Lovejoy.

Correct.

That was my best friend's high school's last name.

Awesome.

So you're good people to me.

We try to be, yeah.

We try to be, thank you.

My name is Kirsten Lovejoy, and I'm a resident of the Alki neighborhood.

I've owned and lived in my home for 22 years, seen and supported a lot of change, not opposed to progressive change and growth, but strongly opposed to the lack of due process that has occurred in our community.

The One Seattle Plans Public Engagement Summary clearly spells out a detailed four-phase process that was supposed to take place for each community, as mandated in the Washington Growth Management Act.

First phase, listen and learn to educate and engage the community, did not happen for Alki.

Second phase, shape the plan for environmental analysis and community conversation, also did not happen.

Third phase, refine the plan, presentation and community analysis of draft plan, did not happen for Alki.

Fourth phase, zoning update engagement with formal comment period for public input, did not happen for Alki.

The Alki community was given zero opportunity to participate in this four-phase process.

Tossing Alki and eight other communities into the plan via Amendment 34 is irresponsible, dismissive to our communities.

Thank you.

Thank you, Kirsten.

Thank you, Kirsten.

Next we have Robert, number 144. Is Robert here, 144?

Okay, 146, Jessica.

146, Jessica.

148, Lily.

Is that Jessica standing up?

I know that's you, Lily.

Is that Jessica who's standing up?

No, okay, Lily, 148.

Sounds good.

Good afternoon, council members.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment today.

My name is Lily Hayward, speaking on behalf of the 2,500 members of the Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce.

First, we really want to thank you, Chair Hollingsworth, for leading a very smooth and transparent process and keeping things light up here too.

I always laugh at your jokes.

um and to all of you for considering or proposing um the pro-housing amendments that we see before us and to the mayor and his team at opcd for introducing a strong and bold comprehensive plan affordability affordability and housing are top priorities for the business community because when people cannot afford to live close to where they work employers from coffee shops to our largest businesses struggle to attract and retain workers So that's why we want to encourage you today to be bold in this comprehensive plan and adopt amendments that will build the types of housing we need to be more feasible and affordable.

Thank you for those of you who have put forth those amendments and especially Council President Nelson for working with the housing community and introducing amendments that make staff and affordable unit production more feasible.

Thank you very much for your time.

Thank you, Lily.

It's 150 followed by 152 and 154. 150 followed by 152 and 154.

Good evening.

I am Mike.

I urge you to adopt amendments 89, 93, and 102, all regarding space for trees.

I have lived in Wallingford on 46th Street for 29 years.

I have witnessed what happens when the Master Builders Association gets involved in city planning.

Mayor Murray and the MBA were going to bring affordable housing to my neighborhood through the HALA.

It resulted in new affordable housing if you could buy a townhouse for three quarters of a million dollars.

The master builders think short-term and expediency.

I'm urging you, council members, to think long-term in the community's welfare.

Trees are with us through all seasons.

They never stop giving to the well-being of our city.

Trees have no profit motive.

They seek no loopholes.

People can live on the second, third, fourth, or fifth floor of a building.

Canopy trees can only live on the ground floor.

Do not deprive Seattle of this asset.

Leave space for- Thank you, Mike.

Next, we have 152 and 154. 152, Dale, then 154.