The Comprehensive Plan Amendments You Should Support
September 6, 2025
The Seattle City Council has a once-in-a-decade opportunity to address our housing shortage through a major planning update. More than 100 legislative amendments have been proposed. We have compiled a list of the ones that would make our city more affordable.
The Comprehensive Plan—Seattle’s regular zoning update that determines how many homes can be built and where over the next decade—is now before the Council. More than 100 amendments have been proposed. This is the final opportunity in this process to push for more homes and a fairer distribution of them. Seattle YIMBY has carefully reviewed all proposed amendments and identified the ones most crucial to creating a more inclusive, affordable, and sustainable city.
Stacked Flats
- Amendment 90 (Kettle): Stacked flat bonus apply everywhere in NR, no minimum lot size for stacked flat bonus, increase FAR for stacked flats from 1.4 to 1.6, increase allowed density from 1 unit per 650 sf to 600 sf, increase allowed lot coverage from 50% to 60%
- Amendment 89 (Nelson): Same as 90 except increase allowed lot coverage from 50% to 55%
Affordability Bonuses
- Amendment 60 (Nelson): affordable housing bonus applies even if they’re located away from a frequent transit route, increases FAR, removes parking mandates
- Amendment 61 (Kettle): affordable housing bonus applies even if away from a frequent transit route, removes parking mandates, applies to social housing
- Amendment 63 (Nelson) and 64 (Strauss): adds a new density bonus program for the City’s low-rise (LR) zones, providing additional development capacity if certain metrics are met
Reducing Construction Costs
- Amendment 82 (Hollingsworth): increasing the exception to street improvement requirements from two to four units to reduce construction costs
Neighborhood Centers
- Amendment 34 (Rinck): restoring the previously studied Neighborhood Centers in Alki, Roanoke Park, Gasworks, Loyal Heights, South Wedgwood, Broadview, Dawson, and Nickerson-South Canal
- Amendment 33 (Strauss): allowing seven to eight-story buildings in Neighborhood Centers near major transit stops or near existing concentrations of goods and services (up from max of six stories)
- Amendments 43, 46, 47, 48 & 49 Version Cs (Strauss): Adjusting the boundaries and increasing the size of the Magnolia, Phinney Ridge, Tangletown, Upper Fremont, and West Green Lake Neighborhood Centers
Accessory Dwelling Units
- allowing Unit Lot subdivisions for ADUs
