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One Seattle Comprehensive Plan

An aerial photo of a boulevard with port cranes and Elliott Bay in the distance.

Planners Proposed Bigger Upzones Before Harrell’s Team Intervened, Records Show

A paper trail from fall 2023 shows that Mayor Harrell's office overruled his planning department and cut transit corridor upzones and halved the number of proposed "neighborhood centers" before release of the growth strategy.
Photo of Rian Watt wearing a t-shirt from the National Civil Rights museum and an unbuttoned button down shirt. He is smiling slightly.

Urbanist Leader Rian Watt Talks Housing Crisis on Hacks & Wonks Podcast

The Urbanist's Executive Director Rian Watt appeared on Crystal Fincher's Hacks and Wonks podcast on April 9 to talk about the housing crisis. He offered three fixes for the Seattle Comprehensive Plan.

Op-Ed: Growth Plan Fails to Put Enough Housing for Workers in Seattle

Cloud City Coffee is an anchor in the Maple Leaf business district. Seattle's growth plan isn't what the city needs to allow its employees to live close by.

Op-Ed: Six Ways to Improve Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan

Suggestions to improve the One Seattle plan include allow bigger buildings, embrace transit-oriented development, and jettison parking requirements. We can create a Seattle that pulls the working class in rather than pushing them out.

Growth Plan Falls Short of Seattle’s Needs, Planning Commission Says

The Seattle Planning Commission has given the proposed One Seattle Comprehensive Plan a once-over. The reviews are not good.
Space Needle shrouded in wildfire smoke from Oregon and California in late summer 2020.

Op-Ed: Harrell’s Anemic Growth Plan Is Not ‘Space Needle Thinking’

The mayor's comprehensive plan proposal failed to deliver real solutions on housing abundance, affordability, and climate. It promises only modest zoning changes at the margins and 100,000 additional homes over 20 years.

Land Use Chair Tammy Morales Takes Aim at Proposed Seattle Growth Plan

In the first chance to discuss the Harrell administration's planned growth strategy, Morales was leagues ahead of her colleagues in articulating changes she wanted to see made, such as higher growth targets and more multifamily zoning, before earning her vote of approval.

Housing Leaders Call Out Seattle’s Bare Minimum Growth Proposal

Builders, lawmakers, and housing advocates warn the 'One Seattle' growth strategy is "nothingburger" that will come up short on affordability, livability, and complying with state law. Fourplexes would be too constrained to deliver sufficient housing.