The city held a meeting on Monday night in Northgate to listen to North Seattle neighbors about proposed legislation — called the Mandatory Housing Affordability plan — to increase housing density in “urban villages, urban village expansion areas and all places with multifamily or commercial zoning.” That includes Central Ballard, the 15th Ave. corridor and parts of Crown Hill.
“I’m shocked to learn that you are proposing a zoning change which would allow as many as four homes up to 40 feet tall to be built on every 5000 square foot lot in my neighborhood,” said Christy Robertson of Ballard, according to KING 5.
Most of the testimony urged a slower, more measured approach to upzoning that preserved neighborhood character and protected on-street parking.
The Mandatory Housing Affordability plan “is coming in with a club; we need a scalpel,” testified Lee Pate of Crown Hill, according to KUOW.
The city council is expected to take up the plan later this year.
![](https://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024-My-Ballard-Tile-Ad-Troop-100.png")
Which zone are they referring to?
Wayyyyy too late, folks. The deed is done and you just need to suck it up and keep voting for those fine folks who pay you so much heed. LOLOLOL “Neighbors urge measured approach…” Eat soup, suckers!!!
Perhaps if “the children” would be getting an “education” they’d walk out of school in protest for what’s coming down the road for them: moving vans to places they all can afford to live in. This is what a “highly educated city” looks like. 1 run by leftists capitulating to big investors and tech. This is something “the children” could do something about, instead of another celebrity moment of walking out.
@Scott: This is an article on upzoning in a city.
What you’ve just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever read. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this comment thread is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
Floyd -probably the crown hill urban village or the whole 15th Ave NW corridor.
I’m not against growth – but having such density without mass transit is what is killing this city.
Throw in Vision 0 and the cities idiotic stance to block traffic on larger thoroughfares (15th ave NW, 50th st, mercer) by allowing parking and bus bulbs and its no wonder it takes 50 minutes to go 4 miles.
Few other cities have our delayed left lane arrow system that disallows traffic to flow along in both directions. I know someone with a Doctorate in city planning who thought our left arrows are crazy. She said they reduce accidents by something like 5%, and increase traffic by 10-30%. Because nobody drives real fast in Seattle, it doesn’t change the fatality rate. The worst part, is that because it creates more traffic and it takes longer to get places, that actually increases the chance of accident because you are on the road for longer.
At present it seems our City is just fumbling and bumbling through the urban planning process.
There appears to be no global vision or master plan. Just random and hopelessly pathetic stabs here and there at tackling the problem of a growing city. Maybe we should sit the Seattle City council down with the City planners and let them play the Sim City.
Lay out a clear growth plan on a 5 and 10 year plan which reflects the needs for higher density, height increases, mass transit, utility infra structure and urban hubs. Have a massive meeting and lets get all the NIMBY crap out all at once. Put a period to the matter and move forward.
I think the tram will help
@Floyd
“Perhaps if “the children” would be getting an “education” they’d walk out of school in protest for what’s coming down the road for them: moving vans to places they all can afford to live in. This is what a “highly educated city” looks like. 1 run by leftists capitulating to big investors and tech. This is something “the children” could do something about, instead of another celebrity moment of walking out.”
+1
Haha, spot on, and given the stamp of veracity with Truth’s obligatory knee jerk insults. Has he called your hands “tiny” yet? That’s zhis other big move. Haha, too bad for all you “Nimby” haters. This is the city you wanted, idiots: just another California strip
https://nextcity.org/features/view/seattle-nimbys-neighborhood-planning-decisions
“Last July, Mayor Ed Murray and the director of the city’s Department of Neighborhoods, Kathy Nyland, announced that Seattle was cutting formal ties with, and funding for, the 13 volunteer Neighborhood District Councils that had been the city’s chief sounding boards on neighborhood planning since the 1990s. Through this bureaucratic sleight of hand, Murray and Nyland signaled their intent to seek more input and feedback from lower-income folks, people of color and renters — who now make up 54 percent of the city — and away from the white baby boomers who have long dominated discussions about Seattle’s future. The message: We appreciate your input, but we’re going to get a second opinion.”
@Floyd – Will the trams be driven by Presbyterians?
So you’re not going to even try for nuance by mentioning the many supporters MHA? The fact that a number of people spoke up to support density because rent/housing is too expensive must not be enough to drive trolling comments…or you weren’t at the meeting.
Thanks for bringing that up, Leni.
In fact, according to the count by one of City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda’s staff there were 56 Pros (Supporters), 38 Cons (Against), 12 Not opposed and calling for amendments in the Crown Hill Urban Village. I guess the Geeky Swede either didn’t show up or stay to the end of the four hour meeting. I did! All good things come to those who wait!
So by my count (having attended both MHA public hearings so far) that’s two straight hearings where the pros have outnumbered the cons. Huh. I guess there actually might be *support* for the idea that we need to build affordable housing using this MHA tool. But you sure wouldn’t get that sense from this article – or KUOW – or KING5.
Thomas Paine said: Lead, follow or get out of the way. Let’s move on and get this done.
This should help with car prowls as there are more people to keep an eye out.
The trouble is, Bucky & Leni, the lion’s share of the pro-MHA speakers were not from Districts 5&6, for which the public testimony was held. The pro folks are known to be organized by Seattle for Everyone, which has funding by developers. I applaud KUOW and MyBallard for ignoring their spectacle.
I live in Ballard, and I am a pro, with a serious caveat. There must be parking and infrastructure, and the city should be paying more attention to specific locations where upzoning is appropriate, particularly those where formerly multifamily was downzoned to protect other owners’ views, like the 3200 block of NW Market St.