No to developer-driven HALA upzones

Grand bargain helps developers, but does nothing to keep our city a LIVABLE place. Think GREEN, living building challenge! Re-organize priorities and make it a win-win for ALL.

No to HALA upzones

This has got to be more mindful than just letting our history being torn down and so many ugly boxes with no real architecture replacing it.

Yes I totally agree that we need to be very selective in how our beautiful area grows

I agree with all of this including the last paragraph about voting.

The MHA upzone destroys more affordable housing than it creates. It focuses on some of the most vulnerable low income diverse neighborhoods in Seattle. Displacement would be massive, and Entire communities would be fragmented and dispersed. To add insult to injury, there has NOT been outreach in my neighborhood of South Park. Residents are just now finding out about HALA and the rezone, two years into the process. Unfair, and Unethical. MHA is no help for low income workers in Seattle.

Please do not support this upzoning. It is too extreme. Buffers must be considered and historic homes and commercial buildings, and existing businesses (affordable rents and other protections for small businesses!!) preserved. Growth is important - but it must be done with the ENTIRE current community in mind. There are some areas far more suitable for this sort of growth than others. THANK YOU for your consideration.

Do the politicians notice UP-zones have never made the city more affordable, or livable, or prevented runaway development in 'rural' king county? Look at the SF homes in Ballard, our neighbors under assault from developers who live in Bellevue. A 30 year retired teacher friend of mine is getting 2 town homes in the adjacent back yard, and the developer is f'king with her about where the fence 'should be' of course farther into her yard. Where is Mike O'Brien on his bike riding to the rescue. He isn't he is on the side of developers not a 30 year teacher in Seattle Schools.

We want affordable housing but done the right way. That means linkages with all the supporting infrastructure that creates vibrant, connected, diverse, engaging, desirable neighborhoods that increase well-being not only functionally but visually. The current upzoning is a fragment and therefore serves a few, such as developers and people who can afford the rents for the high end product that will be built. The mere fact that developers have a choice between including affordable units or contributing money instead means that the targets the city has set will NOT be met and in the end the city will pay more to get the affordable housing it desires. How will this happen? Because the city having the money but no product will have to then build the affordable units after they have bought the land to do such, or they can buy existing units and remodel. Where will the properties be located? Probably not in the neighborhoods that are currently selected for upzoning. Additionally, the current zoning is working as there is an integration of single family with multi-family. Why would the neighborhoods want to be turned into a collection of tall apartment buildings and condos that could be located anywhere in the world? What has made Seattle desirable as a home for many and a tourist destination is its thriving neighborhoods that are each unique, diverse and vibrant. I feel the council is rushing. The proposed upzoning is not well considered and does not take into account and include all the factors that are wanted and needed to create much more than "storage units" for large groupings of humans. We want MUCH MORE which the city is capable of putting together and delivering if they were not in such a rush. Even Mayor Murray noted on KUOW a few Fridays ago that the city was ahead of his goal for affordable housing to date.

If the goal is affordable housing then GMA Impact fees that help build much needed schools and parks while reducing general fund costs; allows the city to directly fund affordable housing. And bonus, it's legal! Otherwise, if you're going to give away the city then at least require one for one replacement of affordable housing that's demolished and inclusionary (linkage) fees commensurate with other major cities.

upzones will destroy the U district and will not create affordable housing.

We need growth plans that preserve a neighborhood feel in our city. This doesn't.

Data on home price trends and inventory in my neighborhood, Ballard, supports that practically unrestrained developer-driven growth in the Urban Village center has done absolutely nothing to increase the supply of affordable housing. In fact affordable housing advocates have decried the destruction of Ballard's modest supply of affordable older housing caused by the development rush. It is important to add that the city has not delivered on promised infrastructure improvements to accompany the massively increased density in Ballard -- no road improvements, no bridge improvements, no sidewalk improvements, barely any bike improvements (and those are pretty bad), and no public transit improvements (and we won't get light rail until 2035).

Stop building and fix what you have

We the Home owners, Renters & Citizen's of These Areas have NO Confidence in the Mayor, his Developer Crony's or the DLU to either protect or foster livability NOR Affordability. NO HALA in Udistrict, NO HALA! NO "Up-Zone!

9 years ago Featured

We have not seen housing become affordable with increased density. I cannot afford to live in Ballard anymore, the neighborhood I grew up in and my grandmother grew up in. Nothing is sacred anymore shame on the city council and the profiteers.

The current zoning has enough capacity for the intended growth. There is no reason to destroy the neighborhoods with the developer-driven HALA up-zoning. The neighborhoods is what brings folks to Seattle.

Stop the destruction of our adorable neighborhoods and beautiful tress and green spaces.

Imminent domaine for private gain. NO HALA in Wallingford.

Upzoning will not make Seattle less livable.