Rezoning Seattle: 'Uprising' against density may be underway Protest to U District rezone could be sign of tough battle over upzoning

As Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced the plans for rezoning and redesigning the U-District on Monday, protesters (wearing green scarves) gathered around to hold signs and heckle everything they disagreed with about the proposed plans. Though a small protest in itself, it may be a sign of the uprising against rezones planned across the city. less As Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced the plans for rezoning and redesigning the U-District on Monday, protesters (wearing green scarves) gathered around to hold signs and heckle everything they disagreed with ... more Photo: DANIEL DEMAY, SEATTLEPI.COM Photo: DANIEL DEMAY, SEATTLEPI.COM Image 1 of / 33 Caption Close Rezoning Seattle: 'Uprising' against density may be underway 1 / 33 Back to Gallery

Rezoning every neighborhood in Seattle -- based on Monday’s University District announcement -- is going to be a battle every step of the way.

Seattle Mayor Ed Murray took the podium Monday in front of the University Heights community center to announce plans to "upzone" parts of the University District.

He was met with a volley of protesters who argued that proposed "upzoning" -- creating greater density -- will destroy the old Seattle neighborhood and decrease, instead of the advertised increase, affordable housing.

“We think this is really just called affordable housing by name,” said Susanna Lin, a member of the Seattle Displacement Coalition who attended Murray’s announcement bearing a sign that showed Murray driving a bulldozer branded with the name of Paul Allen's Vulcan Inc. through everything dear to her cause. “The end result will probably do the opposite.”

More than two dozen people showed up to protest the plans, sometimes yelling “bollocks” (British slang) and “shame on you” as Murray and others detailed the proposal -- and that’s after nearly five years of public process.

But the U-District is only one of many neighborhoods facing zoning changes that will happen as city leaders implement the recently passed mandatory housing affordability ordinances. The two ordinances -- one for commercial and one for residential structures -- require that developers either include an as-yet-unspecified percentage of affordable housing in each development, or pay a fee that would go toward building affordable housing.

Those ordinances don’t mean anything, however, until neighborhoods across the city are rezoned to allow the added density (this largely means increased building height) that is meant to make the affordable housing requirements tantalizing for developers.

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While downtown and South Lake Union are slated to be the first neighborhoods rezone (as existing environmental impact statements exist to cover plans there, according to Councilman Mike O’Brien), and the U-District is on track through its own process, other neighborhoods have yet to begin the process.

What the fight is all about In the U District rezone plans, several areas within the urban village boundary would have height limits lifted to as high as 320 feet, depending on use, with other areas upzoned more modestly. The proposal also includes plans for open public spaces, historic preservation and design standards. Murray’s plan touts that 40 to 275 homes, many considered affordable, will be demolished in the next 20 years, with or without zoning changes. Meanwhile, with the new zoning plan, up to 910 affordable homes will be created. "Affordable” in this case means housing that would be set aside for people earning up to 60 percent of area median income -- $37,980 for a single person, up to $71,520 for a family of eight. Rents are set at roughly 30 percent of their income. Opponents instead see the upzoning destroying roughly 1,500 affordable units, either directly through demolition or indirectly through rent increases spurred by tax hikes (spurred by increased values). “It will set off a wave of speculative activity,” said John Fox, coordinator for the Seattle Displacement Coalition. Fox and other opponents believe current zoning would allow for plenty of added density without adding tall towers to the mix.

If the pushback in the U-District is any sign, citywide rezones are going to be the challenge of a lifetime for elected officials.

“If we don’t find a better way to talk about it, the conversation will get more and more difficult,” said Peter Orser, the interim director for University of Washington’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies.

Orser pointed to the 65 recommendations that came last summer from the mayor’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda Committee.

“Sixty-five recommendations indicate just how complex this problem is,” he said.

Councilmen O’Brien and Rob Johnson, who supported the mandatory housing affordability ordinances, admitted in recent interviews that the zoning changes may be the biggest hurdle. Some neighborhoods, Johnson said, have shared their opposition with him already.

But still, the plan is to have the changes done in the next year to 18 months, despite a growing element opposed to any kind of rezones.

“There is already an uprising in the neighborhoods,” said John Fox, coordinator for the Seattle Displacement Coalition.

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Daniel DeMay covers Seattle culture, business and transportation for seattlepi.com. He can be reached at 206-448-8362 or danieldemay@seattlepi.com. Follow him on Twitter: @Daniel_DeMay.

