By Erica C. Barnett
Editor’s note: This post was originally an item in Afternoon Fizz published on November 3.
The city of Seattle’s draft of the 10-year Comprehensive Plan update—a major revision to the plan that determines how much, and in what ways, the city will grow—has been delayed again. According to a spokesperson for the city’s Office of Planning and Community Development, the draft comp plan update, and the Draft Environmental Impact statement that lays out the impacts each option will have on the city over the coming decade, will come out sometime “in late 2023 or, more likely, early 2024.”
The delay means that the public will have less time to review, absorb, and weigh in on the five options outlined in the plan before the end of next year—the state deadline for every jurisdiction in King, Snohomish, Kitsap, and Pierce Counties to adopt an updated ten-year plan.
Originally, the city said it would release the drafts in April, but pushed that back to September over the summer.
The delay means that the public will have less time to review, absorb, and weigh in on the five options outlined in the plan before the end of next year—the state deadline for every jurisdiction in King, Snohomish, Kitsap, and Pierce Counties to adopt an updated ten-year plan.
Each option represents a different vision for the future of Seattle—from the suburban-style status quo (Alternative 2) to a city where as many as four housing units per lot are allowed everywhere (Alternative 5). “Alternative 6,” an option proposed by housing advocates that would allow more apartments all over the city, could influence the final document despite being off-the-books.
Pushing the release of draft documents into 2024 means that the new city council, which will have four, and likely five, new members, could find itself deliberating over complex planning documents while also figuring out how to close a budget shortfall of more than $200 million during the annual late-fall budget season.