City reaches 73% of its 2024 20-Year Growth Target in less than 7 years! And our city is currently zoned for over 200% of those targets
Take Roosevelt for example. There’s already capacity there now for an additional 1,700 housing units on top of the 1,400 existing housing units in that area. Under current zoning, the neighborhood in less than seven years has reached 64% of its 20 year target of 350 units. Not enough says the City Council, "let's upzone the neighborhood". In January the Council will decide on an upzone aimed at raising the capacity of the area to 2100 units or six times its current 20 year growth target. (Under current zoning DPD and the PSRC both have said they have more than enough density to accommodate a rail stop planned for that area)
Take West Seattle Junction, including the Triangle area at Alaska and Fauntleroy where the City Council just upzoned that area. West Seattle Junction as a whole has reached 108% of its 20 year 2024 Growth Target under current zoning. It's added over 4000 units since 2004 with another 900 already on the drawing boards. Not enough says the City Council, we must have more density there as well.
Take the Othello MLK Area where rezones are planned. That community has reached 136% of its 20 year growth target. Not enough say public officials. The area must be upzoned
How about the Bitter Lake/Broadview area of Seattle where a review of that community's zoning now is being undertaken and upzones are likely planned? That neighborhood has already exceeded 124% of its 20 year growth target.
Only Rainier Beach and North Beacon Hill where rezones are planned are falling short of their growth targets reaching 4 and 14 percent respectively of their 20 year targets
But in neighborhood after neighborhood now eyed for extensive rezoning especially around planned rail stops, we have literally been breaking records for new residential construction with more planned through the year 2013.
Last year the city accepted new citywide "30-year" growth targets (adopted at by the PSRC with the City's participation) which call for faster rates of residential growth thru 2034 - calling for about 84,000 units by that time but even at these higher rates of growth we're on pace to exceed those targets and we are zoned for a capacity of at least 100,000 more residential units. After having adopted the increased city-wide 2034 target it likely will spell an upward adjustment as well of targets for our neighborhoods. That said, rates of growth in our neighborhoods are so high if they continue at current rates, the amount of new construction is likely to exceed even new targets. And its all occurring under current zoning with capacities two and three times what is needed to accommodate those targets.
Still the push for more density continues at levels that threaten the physical and social character AND LIVABILITY our our city.
Click on this link to see how you neighborhood is doing at meeting your current growth target: