Burgess and Bagshaw vote to support higher heights in the neighborhood
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Burgess and Bagshaw vote to support higher heights in the neighborhood

(alternate title: why I love Burgess and Bagshaw)

City Council’s committee on the Built Environment met yesterday to talk about a proposal to increase heights in Pioneer Square. Katie Zemsteff (DJC – subscription only) provided a good write-up from the meeting:

Height limits in Pioneer Square are the most controversial issue…At a March committee meeting, council members passed an amendment that increased height limits in some areas to 130 or 140 feet. The 140-foot limits are on the east side of the district, where there is a transition to heights up to 240 feet proposed for east of Fourth Avenue South.

While many Pioneer Square stakeholders support the compromise between DPD’s original proposal and what developers want (180 feet), Councilmember Clark felt that their compromise was only adding 10 – 15 feet — still not enough to make it worth it for developers to want to build in Pioneer Square.

In addition to another Pioneer Square resident (and business owner), and two developers, I got up to testify about why I think our neighborhood needs greater heights. I also presented a letter, signed by over forty small businesses, community leaders, residents, retailers, and property owners in South Downtown, supporting maximum heights and densities in Pioneer Square:

Additional height and density in Pioneer Square will result in more market-rate and workforce housing, which means more residents supporting local retailers, activating parks and providing eyes on the street. Today, hundreds of new employees are making their way to Pioneer Square, but they have limited housing options if they desire to live in the neighborhood where they work. We urge you to adopt the maximum height and density limits studied in the EIS for Pioneer Square.

After much discussion, Clark and O’Brien voted to go with the original DPD proposal, while it was great to see Councilmembers Burgess and Bagshaw stand up for the neighborhood and support what they had originally agreed to.

Here is the map showing current zoning vs. what passed today: http://www.seattle.gov/council/clark/attachments/2011_03sdn_cb117140.pdf

With everything that’s been happening in the neighborhood (see Parking post), we need to see active support from City Council and the Mayor that shows that they’re listening to our neighborhood.

NEXT STEPS: this will go to Full Council on Monday, where it must receive 5 of 9 votes to pass. The next effort in regards to this legislation will be to support Councilmembers in passing the legislation as is concerning Pioneer Square, which will get us the higher heights/stairstep heights that could bring about the most incentive for economic development/market rate housing.

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