📝 President’s Message
Dear Neighbors,
April brings the wonderful colors of spring flowers along with fresh challenges to be addressed on citywide rezone proposals with the restart of Phase 2 Comp Plan legislation. There is a compressed timeline with only 2 meetings left and two public hearings between March 19–June 18. There will be amendments by Council representatives and voting in June.
It is now a reality that EVERY Neighborhood Residential (NR) lot—formerly single family—due to passage of the permanent Middle Housing legislation CB 120993 on December 16, 2025 in Phase 1, has increased capacity to allow building of 4–6 housing units on 5,000 square foot lots citywide. Phase 2 proposals under Council review include changes to Lowrise 1, 2, 3 zones, Neighborhood Commercial, and Midrise zones add more zoning layers to increase housing unit capacity per lot.
The most important contribution you can make is to use your voice at Public Hearings—either remotely or in person—and by contacting City Council representatives directly to advocate for your neighborhood.
WCC is excited to announce our Annual Board Meeting Election night will be held Tuesday, May 5. Our keynote speaker will be an Assistant Police Chief from the Seattle Police Department. To be eligible to vote for Board positions, you must pay your WCC 2026 membership dues before the April 12–13 deadline at wallingfordcc.org. Thank you to those of you who support us with new and renewed memberships and donations.
If you would like to be considered for a board position, please contact our nominating committee at pres@wallingfordcc.org.
Warm regards,
Bonnie Williams, President — Wallingford Community Council
📅 Upcoming WCC Meeting
Next General Meeting
📅 Wednesday, April 1, 2026 | 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
📍 Good Shepherd Center, Room 202 | Seattle, WA 98103
Agenda:
- Phase 2 Zoning Update: Preview ahead of April 6 Public Hearing
- WCC Board Updates & Community Announcements
- Waterway 20 Kickoff — April 8 at Gasworks Brewery
- Dan Strauss Community Meeting — March 25 (Wed). Contact Dan.Strauss@seattle.gov or 206-684-8806.
- Wally Home Resource Fair — April 25, 10 AM–3:30 PM at Wallingford Center
🚨 Phase 2 Comprehensive Plan — It’s Back
City Council has restarted Phase 2 of the Comprehensive Plan with a compressed schedule running March 19 through June 18, 2026. This process will determine rezoning for Neighborhood Residential lots facing frequent transit bus corridors and 30 new neighborhood centers citywide—including Wallingford and Tangletown.
Key Phase 2 Dates
| Date | Time | Event |
|---|---|---|
| March 19, 2026 | 2:00 PM | Select Committee Meeting (completed — video available) |
| April 6, 2026 | 9:30 AM | Public Hearing #1 (2 sessions) |
| May 29, 2026 | 9:30 AM | Public Hearing #2 (2 sessions) |
| June 4, 2026 | 1:00 PM | Select Committee Meeting |
| June 18, 2026 | 1:00 PM | Select Committee Meeting — potential vote |
March 19 Recording: Skip to 39 min for OPCD overview.
Watch on Seattle Channel
View presentation slides
Sign up for testimony
🏙️ Key Issue: One Seattle Plan Zoning
Background: State Zoning Compliance (HB 1110) — Phase 1
The City Council passed Permanent State Zoning Compliance legislation CB120993 on December 16, 2025, effective January 21, 2026. The legislation comprehensively updates Seattle’s Neighborhood Residential (NR) zones—formerly single-family zones—to comply with Washington State HB 1110.
HB 1110 requires cities to allow a wider variety of “middle” housing types, including duplexes, triplexes, and stacked flats, in single-family zones. The state mandates that the densest housing be located near major transit (light rail and Rapid Ride). Middle housing is defined as buildings compatible in scale, form, and character with single-family houses that contain two or more attached, stacked, or clustered homes—including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, sixplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, courtyard apartments, and cottage housing.
NR zones now have a density limit of 4–6 units per 5,000 square foot lot and a 32 foot / 3 story height maximum, with the exception of stacked flats at 42 feet / 4 stories.
What Phase 2 Proposes
Mayor Harrell’s One Seattle Plan has been controversial since its introduction in October 2024. Key concerns have focused on the scale of proposed housing growth—330,000 units, far beyond the Environmental Impact Study requirement of 80,000–120,000 units over 20 years—and questions about affordability and adequate public outreach.
OPCD has primarily proposed Lowrise 3 (LR3) zoning of 5–6 stories for NR lots facing bus corridors and NR lots surrounding 30 proposed neighborhood centers. Critics argue LR3/5–6 stories is out of scale with existing neighborhoods unlike NR zone 3 story heights and goes beyond what HB 1110 requires.
The March 19 meeting introduced additional proposals for changes to Lowrise 1–3 categories and Midrise zones, including a new 6-story Midrise zone. The proposed development standard changes to Lowrise 1 and 2 for greater heights, if passed, will change lowrise zones across the city—including the 2019 conversions of 750 lots from single family to Lowrise 1, 2, 3 inside the Wallingford Urban Village (now Center). In 2019, 45th and Stoneway were upzoned to 4–8 stories, which has led to significant apartment development around Stoneway in just 7 years.
Key Areas Impacted in Wallingford
- Wallingford Ave & N. 40th St. (Routes 31/32): LR3 proposed from I-5 along 40th to Wallingford Ave N., south to N. 35th St. and across to Stoneway.
- Tangletown Business Core: NC-40 → NC-55–65 (5–6 stories).
- Surrounding Tangletown: ~400 NR homes proposed for LR3 (5-story).
- Meridian Avenue N. (Route 62): NR corridor from N. 50th to N. 56th proposed for LR3 (5-story).
Online Maps:
- One Seattle Plan Zoning Map (Interactive): https://one-seattle-plan-zoning-implementation-seattlecitygis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/zoning-map
- OPCD Overview: https://www.seattle.gov/opcd/one-seattle-plan
How to Stay Informed & Take Action
- Attend Public Hearings (next: April 6 at 9:30 AM)
- Contact your representatives directly
📂 Key Contacts — City of Seattle
| Role | Name | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Katie Wilson | seattle.gov/mayor/contact · 206-684-2000 |
| D4 – Wallingford | Maritza Rivera | Maritza.Rivera@seattle.gov · 206-684-8804 |
| D6 – Tangletown/N | Dan Strauss | Dan.Strauss@seattle.gov · 206-684-8806 |
| At-Large | Dionne Foster | Dionne.Foster@seattle.gov · 206-684-8809 |
| At-Large | Alexis Mercedes Rinck | AlexisMercedes.Rinck@seattle.gov · 206-684-8808 |
| D1 | Rob Saka | Rob.Saka@seattle.gov · 206-684-8807 |
| D2 | Eddie Lin | Eddie.Lin@seattle.gov · 206-684-8802 |
| D3 | Joy Hollingsworth | Joy.Hollingsworth@seattle.gov · 206-684-8803 |
| D5 | Deborah Juarez | Deborah.Juarez@seattle.gov · 206-684-8805 |
| D7 | Robert Kettle | Robert.Kettle@seattle.gov · 206-684-8807 |
| All Council | — | council@seattle.gov |
| OPCD Lead Comp Plan | Michael Hubner | Michael.Hubner@seattle.gov |
| OPCD Lead Zone Codes Phase 2 | Brennon Staley | Brennon.Staley@seattle.gov |
| OPCD Phase 2 | — | OneSeattlePlan.zoning@seattle.gov |
💧 Waterway 20 Grant Project Update
Public Meeting #1: Wed April 8, 7–8:30 PM at Gasworks Brewery
Public Meeting #2: Tentatively Thu May 26, 7 PM, Venue TBD
The WCC’s two-year grant from the WA Dept of Ecology (2026–2028) is moving forward. Two public outreach meetings are scheduled to reopen access to Lake Union through the fenced-off area just west of Gas Works Park known as Waterway 20.
Committee chaired by Ted Hunter is hiring consultants for soil contamination analysis.
🗳️ May 5 Annual Meeting & Board Elections
Tue May 5, 7–8:30 PM
Good Shepherd Center Chapel (Top Floor)
Special Speaker: Assistant Police Chief, Seattle PD
Membership dues must be paid by April 12–13 to vote. wallingfordcc.org or mail check to 4108 Midvale Avenue North, Seattle 98103.
Community Updates — Seattle Neighborhood Alliance
WCC President Bonnie Williams attended the first meeting of a new networking organization for Seattle Community Council leaders, held at Doric Lodge in Fremont in mid-March. This coalition is a support group for strengthening operations of Community Councils citywide. There is no political alignment at this time. Members are encouraged to seek help and share expertise on website design, recruitment of members, and more effective neighborhood outreach.
🗓️ 2026 Meeting Schedule
| April 1 (Wed) | General Meeting, Good Shepherd Room 202 |
| May 5 (Tue) | Annual Meeting & Board Elections, Good Shepherd Chapel. Police speaker. |
| June 3 (Wed) | General Meeting |
| Jul–Aug | Summer break |
🙋 Volunteer
Secretary: Needed urgently to take meeting minutes through May election
Gasworks Park Monitor (2–3 volunteers): Help track event impacts this summer
Legislative Liaison: Track state bills through the legislative session
To volunteer: pres@wallingfordcc.org
🌿 Join/Renew Membership
Join or renew membership at wallingfordcc.org/membership
Forward this newsletter to your neighbors!
wallingfordcc.org | pres@wallingfordcc.org