An important meeting of the Planning, Land Use and Zoning (PLUZ) Committee of the City Council is scheduled for 9:30 AM tomorrow, Tuesday, May 3 at City Hall. We encourage you to attend and to make a public comment.
The agenda was announced late last Friday. The PLUZ committee will hear presentations from mayoral and council staff on the following two significant initiatives:
- HALA (Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda), Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA).
- Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan, Equitable Development Implementation Plan.
These proposals are of concern to the Wallingford neighborhood and the entire city.
- The Mandatory Housing Affordability program was previously known as Mandatory Inclusionary Housing. The name change recognizes that the proposal does not mandate that affordable housing be included in new residential construction. The majority of developers are expected to pay a fee instead, leaving the City to build the affordable housing in other neighborhoods. That could result in Wallingford becoming less affordable and less diverse as the city becomes more economically segregated.
- The Equitable Development Implementation Plan proposal ends with “all communities are able to determine their own futures”. However, the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan proposal gets rid of neighborhood planning and all but eliminates the ability of citizens to affect development in their neighborhood.
Rob Johnson, our council member, is chair of the PLUZ committee and has recently announced in public his total commitment to up-zoning in our district. Tuesday’s committee meeting is the first step in that process. If you cannot attend to voice your views in person, please contact Rob Johnson or the other committee members, Lisa Herbold, Lorena González, and Mike O’Brian, to let them know of your concerns.
rob.johnson@seattle.gov; lisa.herbold@seattle.gov; lorena.gonzalez@seattle.gov; mike.obrien@seattle.gov
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