Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson is making it clear she would rather stretch the city’s freshly updated growth plan than hit the brakes, leaning on upcoming environmental review to push for more neighborhood centers and wider transit-corridor upzones. Wilson has emphasized that new zoning has to result in actual homes, especially as the city moves through slower permit activity and a softer housing market. Early moves from her office point to a strategy that pairs long-range zoning changes with near-term shelter and transit actions.
Wilson Wants To Expand Neighborhood Centers And Upzones
In an interview, Wilson said “the supplemental EIS process is going to play out” and that it will create “opportunities to look at additional neighborhood centers, potentially upzones within a larger distance from transit corridors,” signaling she intends to build on the recent growth plan instead of rolling it back. The Urbanist reports that the prior administration’s package already set up 30 new neighborhood centers and upzones around business districts such as Madrona, Tangletown and Fauntleroy, with additional zoning measures queued up to be transmitted soon. The outlet also notes that Seattle plans to stagger bigger corridor changes into 2027 after further environmental review to lower the odds of legal challenges. According to The Urbanist.
OPCD Will Run The Supplemental EIS
The Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development will lead the next phase, under director Rico Quirindongo, who was confirmed to head OPCD in 2023 and has overseen the city’s long-range planning and subarea work. His office will manage both the supplemental environmental impact statement and the centers-and-corridors legislation that flows from it. OPCD’s own profile lays out Quirindongo’s background and role at the agency. Per OPCD.
State TOD Rules Add Pressure
State law is also shaping the playbook. Washington’s HB 1491 requires cities in the central Puget Sound region to adopt transit-oriented development zoning by the end of 2029, including minimum density standards along with mandatory affordability and other incentives. The Department of Commerce outlines the timelines and compliance tools cities can use to hit those marks, which will intersect with Seattle’s supplemental EIS work and its subarea plans. Planners say the law effectively forces the city to make clear choices about where to focus new capacity near rail lines and bus rapid transit. Per Washington Department of Commerce.
Wilson Moves Fast On Shelter And Transit
Wilson is not waiting for the paperwork to clear before moving on housing and transit. On Thursday she issued executive orders that tell city departments to speed up shelter expansion, prioritize city-owned land for housing uses and flag permit changes that could accelerate new projects, while also carving out a dedicated bus lane on Denny Way. The orders are meant to link immediate shelter and mobility upgrades to the longer-term zoning overhaul so that added capacity on paper turns into actual construction. The mayor’s office framed the package as a set of immediate steps to bring more people indoors and keep them moving around the city. Per the Mayor’s Office.
Timetable And Legal Hurdles
OPCD plans to complete a supplemental environmental impact statement later this year, with the centers-and-corridors legislation expected to reach the City Council this cycle and broader corridor upzones pushed to 2027. That sequencing is designed to reduce the chance of lawsuits while giving the Wilson administration room to beef up the package. The Urbanist reports that a Downtown Regional Center plan and a series of subarea plans are slated for public review through 2026 and 2027, and that the supplemental EIS will serve as a primary vehicle for any additional upzones. Both the environmental review and Council debate are likely to become the central battlegrounds for neighborhood groups and housing advocates who hold very different ideas about how much density and affordability the city should accept. According to The Urbanist.
Why It Matters For Neighborhoods…