27 Apr All you can read about the Pioneer Square heights debate

Council Should Adopt Height Increases to Strengthen Pioneer Square (PubliCola)
Op Ed by Anne Fennessy and myself: We believe preservationists and residents want the same outcome: protected, quality historic buildings, fewer vacant lots and deteriorating structures, and more people in the Square. The City Council should embrace the lessons from the Paearl District and adopt the modest height increases for Pioneer Square that are currently before them. More market rate housing in Pioneer Square will strengthen the neighborhood and preserve its historic character.

Don’t Cave to Pressure for Extra Height in Pioneer Square (PubliCola)
Cary Moon’s response to the above OpEd: The city council should stick with the new height limits for Pioneer Square, as originally proposed in the Livable South Downtown Plan, and not cave to last-minute lobbying from the business community for extra height. Here’s why: Because building scale, light and views, and urban design really do matter in Pioneer Square.

Pioneer Square Zoning Changes: Citywide TDR for historic buildings would help (Seattle Land Use Code)
I think I’ve made up my mind on this: more height is better and we need citywide Transfer of Development Rights for historic buildings.

Marrying new and old in historic districts (Crosscut)
The debate showed a lot about power in the city. The International District has more of it and is better organized, while in Pioneer Square the forces of preservation, led by Councilmember Nick Licata and the city’s historic preservation czar, Karen Gordon, beat back those trying to revive the Square by getting more residents in a troubled neighborhood.

City allows taller buildings for south-downtown areas (Seattle Times)
The Seattle City Council on Monday approved sweeping zoning changes for south downtown designed to balance preservation of several of the city’s most distinctive ethnic and historic neighborhoods while adding taller residential buildings meant to attract more in-city residents.

SoDense: Council Extends Building Heights in South Seattle (Seattlest)
Density isn’t going to solve all of the area’s problems, but it does provide a solid framework to improve upon them. Seattle residents generally tend to agree – it’s worth noting that the debate surrounding this legislation was not about whether to increase the building limits, but by how much.

Developers digest new Seattle zoning (PSBJ)
Despite the high level of interest, the new guidelines aren’t likely to have an immediate impact on development because the few projects in the pipeline have already won approval of their zoning changes, for the most part.

What Trumps Density? (Seattle Transit Blog)
Maximizing density is either a priority or it isn’t. I’m disappointed that vague aesthetic considerations won out over absolutely critical imperatives.

Is ‘Highest and Best Use’ Always Right? (Seattle Transit Blog)
Maximizing an upzone in Pioneer Square might mean more jobs and homes, but it also likely translates into more minorities packing their bags and heading out to not so transit-friendly suburbs.