New development in our community MUST integrate into the surrounding neighborhood and not overshadow it, like the photo above. We, the undersigned, support a vibrant mixed used neighborhood in the Central District and promote policies that will ensure the availability of more affordable housing in the City of Seattle.  We value diversity, we value community, and we want a livable city. To that end, we insist on transitional height limits to keep development projects in scale with existing housing and other structures. 

The pending proposal by the City Department of Planning and Development (DPD) that modifies “Area 2” around E. Union between 22nd Ave and 21st Ave in the 23rd Ave Action Plan from a 30’ height limit to 65’ does not allow for smooth transition between the urban village on Union and the surrounding neighborhoods. (A map of the Union rezone showing Area 2 can be found on page 25 of the 23rd Ave Action Plan.)

In a meeting with Senior Planner Quanlin Hu on July 10th, 2015, it became clear that DPD translated community input on a vision of a mixed use, diverse, vibrant neighborhood into supporting the change from 30’ height limits along Union between 22nd and 21st to 65’ tall buildings. Introducing such dominating scale on this block is not consistent with the vision and desires of the neighborhood.

We accept and support the NC2P-65 building zone around the 23rd and Union intersection. This is one of the busy commercial cores of the Central District, and the increase in density and scale of larger buildings can be supported by the energy of the intersection. However, we believe that such huge buildings would destroy the quirky, mellow feel of the hill from 22nd to 21st Avenues by the intensity of their mass and scale. The Floor Area Ratio (FAR) limitation and setback requirements will not compensate for the fact that buildings could be built that are drastically out of scale with the surrounding neighborhood.

Instead, we propose upzoning the current NC2P-30 designation to NC2P-40 to allow for increased density and development while still maintaining a transition to the single-family homes on the north and south sides of Area 2.

In adition, DPD has been unable to support its assertion that 65’ height limits are necessary to coax developers looking to invest. On the contrary, a 40’ building is under construction right now at the corner of 24th and Union.

Therefore, we request that the City REJECT this recommendation and support our community’s goal for new development that integrates and does not overwhelm.  Show us that the City cares about community more than it cares about development profit by rejecting the proposed DPD change to 65’ in Area 2. We the, undersigned, propose that the recommended rezone of Area 2 in the 23rd Ave Action Plan Urban Design Framework be changed from NC2P-65 to NC2P-40 for the following reasons:

• Building 65' tall structures right next to single-family homes is out of scale with the neighborhood’s residential units that will continue to exist directly adjacent to such a structures, which will block light and tower over homes to an unreasonable extent.
• The land slopes up between 22nd and 21st on Union, make a 65' height limit even more imposing.

• While it feels appropriate to have very tall buildings around the intersection of 23rd & Union, the neighborhood does not want 5 and 6 story buildings along Union. Three to four story buildings under a 40' height limit would meet DPD's goals for vibrant, diverse, and distinct neighborhood commercial zones and also be consistent with the preferences of the residents.

DPD stated in its design priorities that it wants to provide transition space between existing single-family homes and the taller, denser mixed-use neighborhood commercial strip along Union.  Retaining 40 foot buildings in the zoning plan along this strip of Union would still preserve key design priorities at 23rd and Union in the Action Plan:

• Moderately sized, pedestrian oriented, mixed use neighborhood commercial node
• Transition between existing single family zones and future higher density development
• Community gathering places at ground level
• Opportunity for small business spaces
• Greater public safety from more business and residences within vibrant commercial district
• Affordable and mix of housing choices