The city's planning commission wants to use "incentive zoning" to encourage the development of taller buildings and generate revenue for the city's affordable housing fund.
"Developers should be able to build taller than current zoning allows if they pay for public amenities such as affordable housing, the Seattle Planning Commission said Tuesday.
Mayor Greg Nickels favors such a plan and is working on so-called incentive zoning proposals for the South Lake Union, Interbay and South Downtown areas. Nickels intends to roll out his proposals in the next year. They would be similar to new downtown building rules Nickels and the City Council approved last year.
The downtown rules let developers build more than 100 feet above zoning limits if they pay roughly $19 per square foot into an affordable-housing fund.
The Planning Commission is a volunteer advisory group with no real power, but city officials sometimes cite the commission's advice in setting policy. Most of its members are architects, planners and real-estate experts."
Thanks to ArchNewsNow
FULL STORY: Seattle may get taller — at a cost
Seattle Getting Shortchanged by Incentive Zoning Program
An audit has found discrepancies in the amount of funds collected as part of Seattle's Incentive Zoning program due to weaknesses in enforcement and accounting practices.
Seattle's Incentive Zoning Pays Out Funding for Affordable Housing Projects
Seattle's incentive zoning program is paying dividends and funding projects. Look for 110 affordable units to be built in the Capitol Hill neighborhood by 2019.
Seattle's Affordable Housing Plan Blasted For Poor Timing
The Seattle City Council recently approved a new affordable housing plan allowing builders to develop larger buildings if they include a certain amount of affordable units. But developers say the plan is ill-timed and they plan on ignoring it.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service