♪♪
-Welcome back, everyone.
It's good to have you be here in person.
The time is 3:01 p.m.
I'm Joy Hollingsworth, Chair of the Select Committee.
It is good to see every -- oh, before I start that,
will the clerk please call the roll?
-Councilmember Kettle. -Here.
-Councilmember Moore.
Council President Nelson.
Councilmember Rinck. -Present.
-Councilmember -- Council President Nelson.
-Present.
-Thank you. Councilmember Rivera.
Councilmember Saka. -Here.
-Councilmember Strauss. -Present.
-Councilmember Solomon. -Here.
-And Chair Hollingsworth. -I'm here.
-Seven present.
-Awesome. Thank you all for being here.
It's good to see you all.
If you are my mom's generation who's a baby boomer and I say,
hey, it's good to see you, she responds back,
it's good to be seen.
So that is one thing that is good to know.
It's good to be seen.
Welcome to session two of the public hearing of
both the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan
and the permanent legislation for House Bill 1110.
This public hearing is specifically
for us to hear community feedback on each piece
of legislation before we develop amendments.
Of course, we have been engaging with our constituents,
hearing what you have to say about your communities,
and this is a repeat from this morning as well,
but we have done neighborhood walks,
we have listened to people,
we've received thousands of emails,
and we'll continue to receive emails and engage with people
and connect with people about the Comprehensive Plan,
because we want to make sure
that we are getting this right for our neighborhood,
as we've heard a lot of people talk about
how important that this process is and also
that this legislation is for the future of our city.
Today's public hearing has been broken into two sessions.
We did our first session this morning.
That was at 9:30, and that was reserved for online.
Today, our registration started at 2:30
and will remain open until 6:30.
That means that if you are in line, you come after work,
you are in line downstairs to sign up, it will remain open.
I also would like to state
that we have made this public hearing --
we started a little bit early
so we could be able to have waves of people
so it wasn't all at one time.
So if there's ever a time
where we don't have a public comment speaker,
if we move through folks,
we will go to recess for the council,
but we will continue to wait for people to sign up to make sure
that we're hearing from everyone.
So this public hearing doesn't end after the last speaker
if we are finishing before 6:30,
the cutoff period for people signing up,
that we will continue.
We'll just go to recess
if we don't have anyone else signed up so we make sure
that we are hearing folks.
So I just wanted to let my colleagues know.
Also, a couple things.
If you feel passionate about what a speaker is saying --
I know many of you have been here before.
We're just asking you all to use jazz hands,
you can dance, you can do backflips.
Back behind this, there, I'm serious,
you want to do backflips?
This, three doors are open, it's a long hallway, okay?
So we could do backflips, you could do a running,
whatever you want,
but just to show support,
we just really appreciate you all honoring that as well,
just so we can hear the next speakers
as we are listening for -- as we're doing public comment.
This is also important,
so before you come up to speak at the mic,
if you could state your name just so we can make sure
that we are marking the correct folks
and also which council bill that you are addressing.
You could be addressing the entire Comprehensive Plan,
specifically House Bill 1110 or both,
but we would love your help on that as well,
so you could let us know what you are addressing as well.
And I will stop there and pause to see
if my colleagues have any questions that they want to ask.
And let the record reflect,
we're joined by Councilmember Rivera as well in person,
thank you so much.
That was her question to mouth, I'm here.
You are here. Thank you, Councilmember Rivera.
Are there any questions, left or right?
You all are -- it's too easy money.
Okay, awesome.
Thank you, and then the next thing that we'll do
is we will have our clerk,
will you please read item one into the --
well, you already read it. Now can we have -- excuse me,
can you read the instructions for public comment?
-Yes, the public hearing will be moderated
in the following manner.
The in-person public commenters will be called
upon in the order registered.
If you have not registered to speak but would like to,
you can sign up on the sign-up sheet outside chambers
prior to 6:30 p.m.
Registration will close at 6:30 p.m.
Numbers will be called in groups of 10 at one time.
Please line up in numerical order.
There are two podiums.
Please adjust your mics when you are approaching the microphone.
Begin your comments by stating your name
and which bill you are addressing.
Speakers will hear a chime
when 10 seconds are left of their allotted time.
Speakers do not end their comments at the end
of the allotted time provided,
the speaker's microphones will be muted
to allow us to call on the next speaker.
-Awesome, and also let me say this as well.
I know one minute is not a lot of time, and so I get that.
I also know that last time in February 5th,
we had over 400 people sign up,
and we wanted to make sure that we were --
we didn't know how many people were going to sign up today.
And so that's why we put a minute
because I wanted to make sure
that we were able to hear everyone and also cognizant
and knowing, too,
as well that the speakers, a lot of speakers
who did not get to speak were more of our young folks
who were working all day and didn't get a chance to speak,
you know, at that public hearing as well.
Let the record reflect
that we have Councilmember Moore in person as well.
Thank you, Councilmember Moore.
So I know that one minute is not a lot of time,
but I really appreciate you all working with us.
A couple reminders, you can still email the council.
You can email all of us
your thoughts about the Comprehensive Plan.
Also, if you are in certain people's district,
I know that other people have met with people one-on-one.
They've done walking tours.
They've met with people. They've met with groups.
So you're more than welcome
to do that as well to get a one-on-one conversation as well.
And there's also public comment on our Tuesday meetings at 2:00.
We also still have our Land Use Committee meetings
with the chair, Councilmember Solomon,
where people can come public comment as well.
And then there's also our Select Use Committees
that will be having public comment as well.
So there's still time to engage and connect with councilmembers.
So I just wanted to make sure that people knew that as well.
And we will start with the first speakers.
We're going to -- one and two are crossed off,
so we're going to go through three through ten.
Three through ten. Are they by number?
They are. Okay. Sorry. Thank you.
I should have known that. Okay. You all are by number.
But number three through ten, we have Cecilia Black.
Number three. Number four, Christina.
Number five, June. Number six. Five, June.
Six, Rachel. Seven, Jeff. Eight, Judy.
Number nine, another, Julie Holland.
And give us one second. Cecilia, good to see you.
All right.
And then so numbers three through ten,
we're going through three through ten.
Hold on.
We'll just make sure people are kind of getting set
before we go.
And then, Cecilia, you're going to kick us off.
You are number one today.
Number three, technically, but number one in my book.
All right.
-Is this good? Can you hear me?
-Yeah. Yeah.
Can someone with the microphone maybe just help?
Thank you, Cecilia.
We want to make sure we hear your comments.
That should be easier. Yep. Awesome.
Winner. Thank you.
-My name is Cecilia Black,
and I am testifying on the Comprehensive Plan.
I'm a D4 renter and community organizer
at Disability Rights Washington, and I am asking you to,
at a minimum,
restore all previous neighborhood centers
to their original proposal.
This Comprehensive Plan was our opportunity
to confront the racism and segregation
that is underlying the foundation
of our current zoning,
and the city is failing to meet the moment.
Every person has a right to share their voice,
but we don't have the right
to block other community members' needs.
And the most recent scaling back of neighborhood centers
shows a reference to homeowners that does just that.
Neighborhood centers are the only new complete communities
we are proposing.
For people with disabilities
who face extensive barriers to housing and transportation,
this is a lifeline.
If you care at all about renters,
about people with disabilities,
you will work and expand the neighborhood centers.
Thank you. -Thank you, Cecilia.
Number four, Christina, followed by number five, June.
-I am deaf.
-Understood. -Thank you.
-We'll go ahead, and can we adjust for two minutes?
-I just need somebody to let me know
when my time's almost done.
I can't see that.
I'm sorry. -Understood. That's perfect.
That'll work.
-Hello, and thank you for having this today.
My name's Christina Savitsky, and I'm
a homeless disabled veteran on the north end of Seattle.
And I'm talking today about the Comprehensive Plan.
And when reading the Comprehensive Plan,
I did not see enough
that addresses wheelchair access among housing
within our community,
whether it's for people like me who are on the streets
or even people with higher economic needs.
We need more in our plan
and more reinforcement and enforcement
of wheelchair access within units of our plan.
I've been homeless on our streets
for almost three years
trying to get into a wheelchair accessible unit
for myself and my caregivers.
It is almost impossible to find wheelchair accessible rentals
in the city of Seattle.
We need to do more to include that in our plan
so people like myself,
and I'm not the only homeless person in a wheelchair,
but, you know, we need to do more with ADA access
within our housing, whether ADU, other property.
However, we just need to include our individuals
with wheelchairs.
Thank you.
-Thank you so much. Thank you for coming.
Next we have number five, June,
followed by number six, seven, eight, nine, and ten,
if you could come to the front. -Hello, I'm June Blue Spruce.
I live in District 2, and I'm speaking to both bills.
Our public health
and anti-displacement infrastructures
require tree equity.
Extreme heat disproportionately affects low canopy neighborhoods
like the Central District, South Park, and Rainier Valley,
communities already bearing the brunt of historic disinvestment.
These same neighborhoods now face higher ground temperatures,
worse air quality, and increased displacement pressures.
When tree canopy disappears, neighborhoods become hotter,
less livable, and more expensive to cool.
That forces seniors and working families,
many of whom rent or live on fixed incomes, out of the city.
A climate justice approach means embedding tree protections
into our anti-displacement strategy,
preserving trees on private redevelopment lots,
investing in community-led greeting,
and ensuring all housing,
including public and subsidized housing,
has real access to shade and breathable outdoor space.
Thank you, and thanks to my colleague Lois Martin
for her leadership.
-Thank you, June.
Followed by Rachel, number six, seven, Jeff Briggs.
-I'm Rachel Nathanson.
I'm here to speak on the Comprehensive Plan.
I've previously provided my testimony for more density
in the city, and I've stated that to invite this density,
we must put protections in place to ensure
that we don't grow into an endless concrete landscape
with no tree canopy.
There is a way to support more density
and create a viable pathway to the city's
stated goal of a 30% tree canopy.
I come here today, along with many other in this room
and even more at home,
to ask you, our elected councilmembers,
to provide for a viable tree canopy in our city's future.
We are 20 organized neighborhoods with one voice.
We are the residents, the constituents.
We are the voters.
We will be here when the ink is dry,
and we will live with what you create here.
The builders will take the money they make and leave.
They are not your voters. Please do the right thing.
Thank you very much. -Thank you, Rachel.
And just a reminder,
when you hear the click, the ring,
it means you still have 10 seconds, okay?
So it doesn't mean you're getting cut off.
It means you still have 10 seconds.
Number seven, Jeff Briggs, followed by eight, Judy, nine,
Julie Holland, number 10. -Hi, I'm Jeff Briggs,
and I'm speaking to the Comprehensive Plan,
specifically the parts addressing
neighborhood residential.
In my Wedgwood neighborhood, the smallest,
most affordable houses are being demolished and replaced.
All the trees are cut down,
and everything on the lot is bulldozed,
not for something we need,
but for something nobody wants.
Million-dollar tombstone houses packed
together shoulder to shoulder. This is not middle housing.
This is not gentle density.
This is greed.
Trees and neighborhood character are among the victims.
And as an architect, I'm quite upset.
The One Seattle plan is our chance to change course,
but as it stands,
it might as well be called the One Big Beautiful Plan,
another mechanism
by which wealth is transferred from the many to the few.
The road to middle housing is not paved.
It is grown. How?
The answer is not less constraints on these properties,
but more.
Protecting trees and open space
while promoting compact structures results
in more affordable units,
true middle housing with neighborhood character,
the space for families, and the amenities we all deserve.
Thank you for your time.
-Thank you, Jeff. Next, we have Judy.
And this is just a reminder, too.
The clock is not starting until after you start your comments.
When you state your name and what you're addressing,
that's just leading into it.
So just so you all know, that doesn't cut into your time.
Thank you. -Hi, I'm Judy Akalitas.
I'm speaking on both.
State Representative Jerry Paulette's June 2nd memo states,
middle housing legislation does not preempt tree preservation,
and explicitly allows
for tree preservation ordinances to be applied.
He says that Seattle should meet its climate policies
through tree ordinances that preserve from development
the best remaining mature tree canopy in the face
of dramatic loss of trees in recent years.
Please disregard the reckless pressure
from the Master Builders Association
and pass an amendment that protects
and saves space for trees,
one of our most powerful
and free tools for public health and neighborhood livability.
Appreciate it. Thanks. -Thank you so much, Judy.
Next, we have Julie Holland, number nine,
and number 10, Aria.
I apologize if I mispronounce your name, number nine and 10.
And then on deck after that is 11 through 20.
Hi, Julie. -Hello.
-I'm Julie Holland,
representing the South Lake Union Community Council
on the Comprehensive Plan.
Recently, a significant zoning loophole was identified,
the ability to insert a major zoning change
into a minor amendment ordinance
that can compromise the Comprehensive Plan.
This happened recently via the 2024 omnibus ordinance
when one of its 85 municipal codes
did not meet the criteria for inclusion.
The purpose,
to correct typographical errors to make minor amendments,
is a rezone from 240 to 140 feet,
a zoning typographical error, typographical error.
The content is a non-project action applicable citywide.
Does the municipal code written in such a way
that it is for one project on one block in one community
meet this requirement?
We urge the city to ensure
that zoning decisions are fully transparent,
a stand-alone process, inclusive of robust, multi-public --
[ Mic shuts off ]
Thank you.
-No worries. Thank you.
And you can also, if you want to leave your comments there,
you can send them in to us as well.
Yeah.
If you want to, you don't have to.
If you wrote something bad about us, we don't want it.
Okay. Awesome. No, I'm just kidding.
Thank you, Julie. Next, Aria, number 10.
Hi, Aria. Come on through. -Hello.
I'm Aria, and I'm 12 years old, and I live in northeast Seattle.
I'm here to urge you to protect our tree canopy,
even as Seattle grows.
While developers can clear-cut entire lots,
we can't replace our mature trees fast enough
with the weak replanting requirements we currently have.
We can increase our housing and preserve our mature trees.
Two simple examples are requiring developers
to provide alternate site plans before removing large trees,
encouraging shared exterior walls and clustered homes
to preserve tree coverage.
The community has given you lots of suggestions and ideas
for both keeping trees and building housing.
It's just a matter of commitment on your part.
As a young person speaking up for the trees and the planet,
it's my generation
that will inherit a city that isn't safe to live in,
summer or winter, under this plan.
-Awesome. Thank you, Aria.
You are a part of the alpha generation,
one of my favorite generations.
All right. No knock on my own. 11 through 20 is next.
So Joe, yep, 11 through 20,
followed by Joe is Julia, then Jennifer Godfrey, then Sean.
-I don't know how I follow that.
So I'm Joe Olson, and I'm addressing both, I guess.
Dan's already heard some of this,
but I just want to emphasize that we can have
both density and we can maintain and preserve our mature trees.
And one simple thing you can do is preserve the offsets
or the setbacks that we already have,
increase the height limit by two stories or three stories.
So that way you have stacked flats,
you've got the same number of units,
and you've got the trees as well.
Because as we know, the trees are --
I've got half a minute left.
That's all I had to say, really.
But they reduce the runoff,
and they cool the surface water for the salmon.
And that's really important for the orcas as well.
And we know that the Comprehensive Plan right now
is being appealed for appeals.
So it's something you guys should look at to maybe correct
before that's done.
Thank you. -Thank you, Joe.
Number 12, Julia, followed by 13.
So we have 11 through 20. You are up.
So if you will start making your way up.
Julia, you're up.
-Yes, Julia Beabelt.
I'm here to comment on the Comprehensive Plan on behalf
of the Downtown Community Council.
With Seattle's rapidly growing population,
downtown has transformed from a commercial core
to a vibrant residential neighborhood.
This shift, though, has yet to be reflected in opportunities
for residents to engage in decisions
that directly impact their neighborhood and lives.
Two points of particular concern are the Comprehensive Plan's
future land use map has yet to show any new zoning
for the downtown neighborhood.
These zoning changes will be made later this year
after the overall plan is approved.
This leaves downtown residents in the dark
and unable to provide relevant input.
Additionally, some of the planning
is being conducted directly out of the mayor's office.
So far, this has been a one-way process,
with the public having little to no input.
We ask you to work with the downtown
and other urban community councils
to create meaningful opportunities
for residents to engage.
The 108,000 downtown residents activate this --
[ Mic shuts off ]
-Thank you, Julia.
Speakers number 13 through 20 are up.
13 through 20. Hi, Jennifer.
-I'm Jennifer, I'm commenting on both.
So we can build needed density
while protecting the environment.
Portland is doing it.
The GMA requires tree protection.
We need truly affordable housing,
not Tombstone McMansions masquerading
as affordable housing.
How can the city of Seattle
implement the growth plan with a faulty
environmental impact statement
that excluded critically endangered
southern resident orcas, amongst other inadequacies?
Why would a so-called progressive city block
the public's right to use an established appeal process
for an environmental impact statement?
My EIS appeal was dismissed with a misinterpretation
of SEPA exemptions,
which could set precedent
so that no one can appeal a bad EIS.
This dismissal is pending appeal
in the Washington State Court of Appeals right now.
Many replicated studies show that close proximity to trees
within two blocks resulted in higher birth weights for babies,
lower death rates, and cardiovascular disease.
Results were greater with older trees.
From the most published U.S.
researcher on the subject, Jeff Donovan of the USDA.
Bigger trees are like bigger straws.
Thank you. -Thank you, Jennifer.
Next we have number 14 speaker, Sean,
followed by Susan McCormick, 16, Doug Lind.
-Hi.
My name is Sharon Doby, and I'm speaking to both.
As a former urban planner, I know we need affordable housing.
Density, affordable housing, and trees should be compatible.
So far, affordability seems to just be a buzzword
in this planning.
On my street,
two multi-unit lots were developed for an average of
over a million each per home. Please get real
and have planners actually plan for affordability.
And I'm speaking until I'm blue in the face about trees.
Please redo the ordinance and move it out of SDCI.
Even Tier 1 trees have not been protected at all in this plan.
Look at what has come down this year.
The former NR Heights lot coverage and setbacks
protect trees and more.
Madrona is slated as a neighborhood center,
and it could actually extend to the flatter area along Cherry,
but should not go either side of 34th because of slopes.
And lastly, the neighborhood center of Madrona
includes Madrona Drive,
which has a wetland at the top, steep slopes --
[ Mic shuts off ]
-Thank you, Sharon.
Next, we have Susan McCormick, number 15,
Doug Lind, number 16, followed by Morgan Robinson, number 17.
Hello, Susan.
-Hello. I'm Susan from Madrona.
I'm speaking to the One Seattle Plan, CB120985.
We have a petition signed
by more than 1,330 concerned citizens.
We support middle housing, and we're requesting a few changes.
I'd like to talk about two specific issues today.
First, we're concerned about the boundaries
of the proposed Madrona Neighborhood Center,
which extend both east and west of 34th Avenue
into steep slope areas.
There's even a five-block stretch of 36th Avenue
that's so steep there's not a single east-west cross street,
only footpaths and stairs.
The boundaries should be adjusted to exclude
the steep slopes.
Second, we believe
that the increased density does not make sense
on very steep slopes,
particularly in known landslide areas,
such as Madrona Drive near the end of the Route 2 bus corridor.
We request that you remove the steep slope and landslide areas
from any planned upzoning along the road.
Thank you.
-Thank you, Susan. Thank you, Susan.
And number 16, Doug Lind, followed by 17, Morgan.
Just a reminder
that buzzer means you still have 10 seconds left to still talk.
It's just a timer.
-Hi, my name is Doug Lind,
and I'm speaking to the One Seattle Plan.
In 1989,
I built a house on the last vacant lot on Madrona Drive.
It's steep,
subject to landslides and underground water,
and backs onto a ravine. I planted a dozen trees,
and they've now grown to over 60 feet tall.
There are many such lots in Seattle,
and they are not protected under the current proposals.
When you're considering changes to the One Seattle Plan,
I urge you to protect trees,
to protect the landslide areas from overdevelopment,
and to safeguard our common future.
Thank you very much. -Thank you.
Next, we have Morgan, followed by 18, 19, and 20.
-Hi, Morgan Robinson.
Thank you, City Council, for listening to us.
I've talked to you extensively in the past about steep slopes.
Today I'm going to address something a little different.
The FAR question.
If you look at the coverage for a one-house lot,
5,000 square feet, and you think about the existing FAR is 0.5,
and it goes to 0.6, that's a very interesting thing
because what it does is it makes that lot much more developable
as a single house.
And if you can imagine a middle house,
it looks like a teardown
if you can build a much bigger house on the same lot.
I urge you for single-family houses
not to change the FAR to make it attractive to tear them down
and build something bigger.
Thank you. -Thank you, Morgan.
Next, we have speaker number 18, 19, and 20.
So 18, 19, and 20.
That one might be -- yeah, you're good.
-My name is Augie. I'm 15 years old.
My south Seattle neighborhood currently only has a 6%
tree canopy coverage, and because of this,
we have much more concrete and pavement than actual trees.
Even in our public spaces
that were specifically designed for trees,
there will only be like one, maybe two.
And because of that, all of the plants have started dying.
We just end up with these fields of dry grass.
And especially in our commercial zones, this has been an issue.
We can't even walk to get groceries
without just getting baked in the sun
and the concrete from the roads coming back up
and heating you back up.
There's been almost -- there's like no tree cover
in any of our public spaces right now.
I think we should follow Portland's example
and make space for trees a very high priority
and require even dedicated tree retention and planting areas.
So you can help these people who live in urban heat islands
by maintaining space trees.
Thank you. -Thank you so much.
Next, we have speaker number 19, Hans, and then 20, Susan Ward.
-Hello, everyone.
My name is Hans Schieffer, and I'm 16 years old.
I hope that the Seattle of my future
still has majestic Doug furs
that can suck up to 100 gallons of water per day,
because we will need them.
I hope that the Seattle of my future
is a livable place with clustered housing
and enough green space on every property for a big tree,
because we will need them.
I hope that the Seattle of my future
will have laws like Portland,
which require between 20% and 40% tree canopy on each lot,
because we will need them.
I hope that the Seattle of my future
will still have an urban forest, because we will need it.
City Council,
I hope that you will make a livable plan for my generation,
one that preserves and makes room for trees,
because we will need them.
Thank you. -Awesome. Thank you, Hans.
And shout out to our young people,
young people under the age of 18,
but our young people who come and speak.
Susan Ward, and then before you go, Susan,
on deck, ages -- not ages, I'm sorry -- numbers, ages 21.
You want that age, 21?
Numbers 21 through 30, you are next.
21 through 30. Susan Ward, age 20.
-Once upon a time. -I got you.
-Good afternoon, Councilmembers.
Amendments can protect or destroy.
Amendments placed on the current tree code
made it possible to cut any tree
a developer decided was in the way.
A few amendments to the Comprehensive Plan
could preserve our urban canopy, help us reach the 30% goal,
and keep our city in line with Washington state law.
Remove the loophole in section 2511.070
that permits at-will tree removal.
End cookie cutter designs that ignore existing green space.
Require developers to provide alternative plans
which preserve a mature tree.
Reduce the proposed allowable hardscape.
Keep existing setbacks where most tall trees are.
Require 20 to 40% unpaved greenscape,
depending on the number of units,
and prioritizing the retention of mature trees
rather than dividing it into tiny plots.
We can increase density and keep a livable city.
Prevent heat to islands and protect --
[ Mic shuts off ]
-Thank you so much.
Numbers 21 through 30,
we have Jessica Dixon, followed by Sandra Hunt,
Martha, Ruth, Christy.
Yes. So number 21? Awesome. And then followed by 22 and 23.
We can all count.
-My name is Jessica Dixon, and I'm commenting on the comp plan.
We're rapidly losing our urban canopy,
especially our large trees,
once called exceptional and for a good reason.
These trees do an exceptional job of cooling
and cleaning our air,
intercepting stormwater, producing oxygen,
and storing carbon.
This is perhaps the last chance
that we have to protect what remains
and to grow our future urban canopy,
and therefore I urge you to make the following amendments
to Council Bill 120.993.
Eliminate setback reductions
that limit essential space for trees.
Follow Portland's example
and require a dedicated tree retention and planting
area on every site.
Increase tree requirements on new developments,
and discard the tree point system
and remove Section 2511.070.
Keep the flexible guidelines under 2511.060.
Encourage builders to get creative with foundation systems
to save big trees.
These trees are at risk in my neighborhood right now.
I'm in District 6.
This is not about housing versus trees.
It's about building housing for people and the environment --
-Thank you, Jessie.
Next, speaker number 22, Sandra, followed by Martha, 23.
Or Sandra. -Sandra, Sandy, yeah.
-My bad. Thank you. -Sandra Hunt.
You've heard a lot of wonky talk here from folks
that I don't disagree with any of it,
but I'm a 20-year resident of Beacon Hill,
and all I've really seen is tree loss.
Tree loss when McMansions or whatever
you want to call them in our neighborhood are put up
and all the trees are cut around them.
My neighbors stand around
and they're arguing with the developer over
where their lot line is. Is this a way to run a city?
I mean, when trees are on the edges of lots,
we need to look comprehensively at
how they're impacting all the people around them,
not just the person who owns that lot
and that developer who's trying to build one
of those million-dollar boxes there.
So please come up with strategies
that allow us to keep the trees that are at the edges
that protect our south end residents
from the airport pollution that is raining down on us.
And those trees are critical for us for our health.
Thank you. -Thank you so much.
Speaker number 23, followed by 24.
-All right. Good afternoon.
Thanks for taking the time for these important issues.
I'm speaking to both the Comp Plan and HB 1110.
My name is Martha Baskin, but my writing --
I guess you can't read it, can you?
Healthy communities, environmental justice,
climate resilience, protections for trees and housing
for every income level are interconnected.
They're a constellation of achievable goals
for an Emerald City
where economic
and health disparities will no longer be accepted.
The state's middle housing bill, legislation HB 1110,
which prompted proposed changes to zoning,
doesn't tell cities to ignore protecting trees
and green buffers. Instead, it explicitly allows
for tree preservation ordinances,
as has been mentioned,
as Representative Jerry Paulette wrote to you on June 2nd.
Preservation of trees is, in fact,
part of the state's mandate in the middle housing legislation.
HB 1110 requires allowing four units per lot, he noted,
but the legislature took special action
to ensure that tree preservation ordinances were not preempted.
Leave it at that. Thanks so much.
-Thank you, Martha. Next, Ruth at number 24.
Awesome.
And then number 25, Christy, you are up after Ruth.
-Hello, my name is Ruth Deit,
a retired planner with Friends of Queen Anne.
The 330,000 zone development capacity estimate is based
on the 2024 zoning code.
Recent code changes are not included because unit capacities
in NR and LR zones have since doubled and tripled.
Existing zone capacity is now at least two to three times higher.
Was this explained to you?
Doesn't it change the whole picture?
Isn't it worth asking again
if we need to break 100-year-old building standards
that will take the green out of our streets
and expand high density so deeply into our neighborhoods?
For 10 years,
my four-person family lived in an 800-square-foot home,
a great starter home.
You could get six units in a building under our old NR code,
bigger than my first home.
Ask staff to update its capacity estimates
so we really know what we're doing,
and let's rethink everything. -Thank you, Ruth.
We have Christy, number 25, and then number 26, Kathleen.
So just, we are 25 through 30 is where we're at, 25 through 30.
All right, awesome. Are you Christy?
-Yes.
-Awesome. -I'm Christy Lommers.
I'm a Seattle Public Schools teacher.
I'm married to a retired Seattle Public Schools teacher.
The Lommers family are members of District 5,
the Pinehurst neighborhood.
We could not afford a home in Seattle
that a growing family could live in.
So in 2007, my father-in-law, a small-town carpenter,
volunteered to rebuild our tiny home during my father-in-law's
last year of his career.
We expanded our home from 840 square feet to 2,300 square feet
with these hands.
We kept every Douglas fir in our home design.
But now, after the sale of my neighbor's lot,
the lot next door will be cleared of every tree,
including five native Douglas firs,
with an average tree trunk diameter of almost three feet.
The developer's site plans show the new single-family home
and two ADUs will have almost no green space.
We jeopardize the health of every Douglas fir in our grove
that extends over three neighboring lots,
and therefore the safety of my home that my family built.
Please amend the zoning bill to retain --
[ Mic shuts off ]
-Okay. Thank you so much, Christy.
Next, we have Kathleen, number 26, followed by 27, Dawn Silver.
Siller, I apologize. Put a V on your last name.
Kathleen. -Good afternoon.
I'm Kathleen Southwick. I'm speaking to both bills.
I am one of more than 600 neighbors on the north section
of 10th Avenue West who oppose the rezone of our street to LR3,
based on OPCD's determination that the number one
bus route offers frequent service
and that the arterial connects urban centers
or to a major park.
This is not the case for this section of 10th Avenue West.
Based on our research, this is the only up zone
where this criterion has been incorrectly applied.
We support Councilmember Kettle's Amendment 4
regarding setbacks on Queen Anne's historic boulevard,
which includes our section of 10th Avenue West,
and ask that this be included in the permanent legislation.
When zoning changes are considered,
we ask that all of the Queen Anne Boulevard
be designated neighborhood residential.
Thank you. -Thank you, Kathleen.
We have Dawn Siller, number 27,
and then followed by Thomas Kennedy, 28, 29, Nancy,
you are going to be up, and then 30.
Number 30.
-I'm Dawn Siller. I'm speaking on the comp plan.
-Thank you. -Queen Anne's comp plan.
Queen Anne Hill is an island in Seattle.
Within five blocks, the hill rises 450 feet.
Due to its sharp acceleration,
there are only five arterials on and off the island,
all single lane except Queen Anne Avenue.
Because there are no major highways through Queen Anne
like 15th Avenue West,
traffic is trapped on and off like sand in an hourglass.
In this 1,800-acre island, about 36,000 people live,
or 20 people per acre, the mayor's plan
calls for an increase of at least 20,000 or 31 per acre.
That's a 50% increase,
increasing safety risk
while reducing greenscapes and livability.
The mayor's plan is a major update
that aligns our cities' values
to make Queen Anne Avenue more livable, sustainable,
and resilient for generations to come.
But I ask,
does this plan really achieve the goals for Queen Anne Hill
for generations to come?
-Thank you, Dawn.
Next, we have 28, Thomas Kennedy,
followed by 29, and then 30.
-Hi, my name is Thomas Kennedy,
and I'm here for the Comprehensive Plan.
The first thing I want to say is we need more housing
because we're years, if not decades, behind.
The second thing I want to talk about is stacked flats.
I have a lot of mobility issues with my feet and legs.
For this reason,
much of our current dense housing stock
poses a significant challenge for me.
If medium-density options existed
that would allow me to not need to go up the stairs
to use the bathroom or the kitchen,
it would take a huge weight off my shoulders.
I'm lucky enough to be renting a 1900-era duplex
where my home is on the bottom floor,
but these places are rare across the city
and too hard to build now.
Stacked flats also allow for the most tree coverage and greenery
of any medium-density housing option.
Please consider allowing stacked flats,
reducing setbacks,
and increasing the floor area ratio
to increase the housing stock for people like me.
Thank you for your attention.
-Awesome. Thank you, Thomas. Appreciate you coming.
Next, we have 29, Nancy, followed by number 30, Megan.
-I'm Nancy Gentow, and I live in Queen Anne,
and I'm speaking to both bills.
I'm also a retired hospital administrator.
And I know if you have a heart attack or stroke,
timeliness of first responders
means the difference between full
or partial recovery or death. Permanent damage to heart muscle
begins within 30 minutes of a heart attack.
Every minute delay in restoring blood from a stroke
leads to 2 million dead brain cells.
City records for our fire station
show emergency calls have almost doubled in the past five years,
and travel time on narrow streets
has increased with more pedestrians and traffic.
Last year, first responders were unavailable 14% of the time.
That's one day a week.
There's no emergency facility on Queen Anne.
Our closest hospital is in Ballard
over a bridge off in Jan with traffic.
Travel time to downtown hospitals is even worse.
Put safety first as you consider setbacks,
transit quarters,
and urban centers
that drive density in already crowded neighborhoods.
Someone's life depends on your decision.
Thank you.
-Thank you, Nancy. We have number 30.
And then after 30, on deck, 31 through 40.
So 31 through 40, you all are next.
Number 30, Megan.
-Hi, everyone. Good to see you again.
-Good to be seen.
-My name is Megan McKiernan.
I'm from District 5. We frequently hear the comment
that we need a bold plan to increase density
and that protection of trees increases housing costs.
In 2022,
Seattle was prepared to pass a tree ordinance
that actually protected trees. This was challenged
by the Master Builders Association on the grounds
that it would increase the overall cost of housing.
The city's hearing examiner, Ryan Vancell,
wrote in his decision, and I quote,
appellant's arguments
that the draft proposal will increase the cost of development
and will have negative impacts on the city housing supply
were based on speculation,
not any actual quantitative analysis
that was introduced into evidence.
So let's put this argument to bed
and instead go bold on protecting our
irreplaceable urban canopy.
Thank you very much. -Thank you, Megan.
Next, we have speakers number 31 through 40.
If you could make your way.
31 through 40, we start with Dave Glogger, followed by Sean.
And I apologize if I mess up your name.
Naomi, number 33, number 34, Sandy.
And so 31 through 40. -Good afternoon.
My name is Dave Glogger from District 5.
And to talk about both ordinances or both bills.
But specifically, I want to talk about 2511.70,
the basic tree protection area in Seattle's tree ordinance.
This area is delineated using a radius
that is equal to one foot for every inch diameter of a tree.
So if I have a two-foot diameter tree,
this says we have a 24-foot tree protection area,
which is going to go almost to the edge of the room.
Usually, the tree is nowhere near the property,
but that gives the developer the ability to cut the trees down.
This is not tree protection.
This is tree removal for developer convenience.
I ask you to remove 2511.70 from the tree ordinance
and allow the standard tree protection area,
2511.60, to be used.
This is what arborists use, and even SDCI uses this,
when defining an area of protection during construction.
Thank you. -Awesome. Thank you, Dave.
Are you all going to leave the tape measure?
No? Okay. I'm just playing. I'm just playing.
But that was the first time I've seen that.
Thank you for that visualization.
That was really good to see.
Thank you for that, Dave. Number 32, is it Sean?
-It is. -Awesome. Sean, welcome.
-Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Sean Holland.
I'm speaking on the Comprehensive Plan.
I'm one of 850 North Seattle residents
who oppose the Bryant Center.
Bryant Center should be dropped from the Comprehensive Plan.
Unlike every other proposed center in North Seattle,
Bryant Center lacks a commercial district.
There is one grocery store and one restaurant.
The 10 other proposed centers average
23 retail establishments,
including seven restaurants
or other establishments serving food.
No other proposed center in North Seattle
has fewer than 15 retail establishments.
Increasing residential density in Bryant Center
without a local retail district
will mean more people driving somewhere.
Bryant lacks a major transit stop,
another one of the criteria, to be a neighborhood center.
There is a single frequent transit bus line,
no rapid ride center.
Their transit connections are not anything
like what OPCD claims on the neighborhood profile.
The average actual transit time tuned from Bryant
to UW is fully twice with OPCD claims.
The tuned from time to downtown
is almost twice with OPCD claims.
Travel times can be verified on Metro's --
[ Mic shuts off ]
-Thank you, Sean. Next, we have Naomi.
Good to see you.
Naomi, 33, and then followed by 34, Sandy.
So we're between 33 and 40 right now, numbers 33 and 40.
Naomi, the floor is yours. -Good afternoon, City Council.
It's nice to see you all again.
My name is Naomi Lewis,
and I'm here to speak to both pieces of legislation about
how density can create a more affordable city
for everyone to live in.
I moved to Seattle in 2022 from Las Vegas
because of the unique mix of urbanism and nature.
I stayed in Seattle
because of the amazing community of people I've met here.
Every day, people are being pushed out of the city
because it's becoming more
and more prohibitively expensive to live here.
If we want Seattle to continue to be the world-class city
that it is, we need to allow for more density
so more people are able to live here.
Personally, I love the thought of having more new neighbors.
Because of these reasons,
I am asking you to use this once-in-a-decade
opportunity to support amendments
to restore the neighborhood centers that we're taking out
and to eliminate parking minimums.
Thank you so much for your time.
-Awesome. Thank you, Naomi. Sandy?
Actually, we switched. Oh, oh, oh, you switched.
I'm sorry. Okay. -Thank you.
-What number?
Number 34?
-34. 34. -Okay. Awesome. All right.
Go right ahead. -Hi.
My name is Sarah Lapis, and I'm talking about the comp plan.
I'm from District 6. My son Ezekiel has spoken to you
a few times about trees in the city,
and I'm here to do the same.
Please amend your plan to include green space
and tree retention requirements.
This is a picture of Ezekiel and his brother Arsenio
climbing in a local western red cedar we love.
It's one of only 250 heritage trees in the city,
but this lot just got bought by a developer,
and sadly, nothing in our current tree code
is guaranteeing that even a tree as exceptional
as this one won't be cut down. We plant a lot of trees,
but that's not a solution for the climate challenges
we face as a city.
Already, my kids can't even take an afternoon walk
in many parts of our neighborhood for three months
out of the year because it's too hot.
And we live in north Seattle.
What are the kids and what are the elders in central
and south Seattle experiencing where it's 13 degrees hotter
because they don't have trees?
This is our chance to have basic common-sense protections
for our urban canopy like so many other cities.
The health of our city depends on it.
Thank you. -Awesome. Thank you, Sarah.
Thank you, Ezekiel and your brother.
Those are really nice shirts y'all have on today.
Sharp, sharp, sharp. Number 35. Awesome.
-Hi. Good afternoon. My name is Regan Miedema,
and I am Erica Evans for City Attorney's Campaign Manager
with a statement from Erica.
When we talk about housing affordability,
we talk about the statistics and environmental impact plans
and eliminate the human cost of unaffordable housing.
This Comprehensive Plan is a once-in-a-decade chance
to address our housing crisis
and open up our city to those of us
who make too much to qualify for low-income housing
but not enough to be homeowners.
It should not be a fight
to acknowledge that limited housing creates higher prices
and makes the dream of home ownership
out of reach for most Seattleites.
Growing up,
Erica moved eight times before she was 12
because of the housing cost crisis.
That crisis has not improved in the least since she was a child.
Instead, we have made it worse by sticking our heads
in the sand and refusing to take actions
like we see in this plan.
Building more homes is good for the environment,
not a detriment to it.
When we have dense housing around transit centers,
as is laid out in this plan,
we can work to eliminate our car dependency
and improve Seattle for everyone.
Please support the Comprehensive Plan
and keep Seattle affordable for the rest of us.
Thank you. Awesome. Thank you so much.
Next, we have number 36, Gregory Bell, followed by 37.
Before you start, Gregory, one second.
36, followed by Dorothy, number 37, 38, Miles,
39, Patricia, and 40, Jackie.
Gregory, floor is yours.
My name is Gregory Bell, and I'm here testifying on both bills.
I'm a homeowner and member
of the board of the High Point Homeowners Association
in West Seattle, where I live with my wife and kid.
I'm here today on my own behalf
to advocate for more homes in our city.
The national news makes my heart sick.
The way trans people are being treated in large parts
of this country is appalling. Just last week,
the Supreme Court ruled
that states can ban medical care for trans children,
the latest in a long parade of abuses.
Seattle can be a haven for trans people,
but only if there's room for them.
I have twice helped trans friends move cross-country
by letting them crash in my guest room for a few months
while they apartment hunt.
It was incredibly difficult
because there simply aren't enough apartments.
We can save people's lives by making room for them
as they move here from Texas, Florida, or Tennessee.
I urge the council to ask,
how many more neighbors can we welcome?
And build upon the mayor's plan
by upzoning all residential neighborhoods in Seattle,
above and beyond the requirements of the state,
more larger and denser neighborhood centers,
more larger and denser transit corridors.
Thank you, and happy Pride.
-Thank you, Gregory. Happy Pride as well.
37, Dorothy, followed by 38, Miles, 39,
Patricia, and 40, Jackie.
Dorothy. -Hi.
My name is Dorothy Neville,
and I live in what they call the Bryant thing,
but I actually live in Hawthorne Hills.
So I agree with the last Bryant person
that we don't have a neighborhood center,
but I totally disagree with him on the conclusion.
Actually, I've lived there for 35 years,
and right around the perimeter, we have tons of buses,
we have tons of restaurants, we have a pharmacy,
we've got a library, we've got plenty of stuff.
So that goes with my idea,
is I think all of these zones should be bigger.
I don't know why they're so small.
We don't actually have that much inventory of teardowns
that would be turned into apartments
in the very small zone.
I think if you make the zone bigger,
you're much more likely to have better results
within the next five years.
Thank you. -Awesome.
Thank you, Dorothy,
and thank you for y'all doing the jazz hands and the dances.
That was nice, Gregory Bell.
Miles. -Hi. I'm 17.
I'm in high school. I am in District 4.
I am here on the NR Zoning HB 1110,
and if I was given an assignment like this to read 600-ish pages,
I think that that in high school is very challenging.
And if we were to do this type of assignment,
we would have a lot of essay writing
and a lot of deliberation
and talking to decide whether or not this is a good thing.
I think in the past eight days,
that is a too short time frame to do this sort of thing,
and typically in high school,
and I mean, I know this isn't high school,
but we talk a lot more.
We have a lot more time.
We spend months on something this long.
We would have multiple conversations hearing everybody
out, which we're doing here today,
but we need to do more of it. Sorry.
And I also here want to vote for the trees
because in my neighborhood, we have a lot of trees.
We have big parks,
and I think that I know that there are not a lot of big parks
in neighborhoods, but we need more big parks.
It's really important. Thank you.
-You still have 10 seconds, Miles.
You're good.
-I also want more people in my neighborhood
and a bigger community,
and the flat homes are very important
because it allows more people to move in in middle income.
-Awesome. Thank you, Miles.
And, again, just thanking all the young people
that took their time out,
whether they're in high school or grade school.
Thank you for being engaged in a Comprehensive Plan.
You're probably the only person in your high school
who knows what a Comprehensive Plan is, for real.
Number 39, Patricia, followed by Jackie, number 40.
Okay, 39 and 40, and then you all know the drill.
41 through 50, you all are on deck.
-Hello, councilmembers. I'm not asking you.
I'm imploring you. Don't take away the things
that make the Pacific Northwest this desirable location
that people are moving here for,
our gorgeous emerald tree canopy, a healthy Puget Sound,
the orca whales,
the gorgeousness of our neighborhoods,
big leaf maples, trees, birdsong.
Now, I've lived here my entire life.
I live in Magnuson Park, and I grew up near Lake City,
went to Nathan Hill, et cetera.
Lake City at the time was a lower-
to middle-income neighborhood full of trees, grass.
Now, it's a troubled area,
and there's a lot of low-income housing there,
and not one blade of grass is in these complexes.
There's no trees,
and it's a very troubled area full of a lot of crime.
And we can't ignore trees in order to put up big,
soulless complexes for low-income housing.
We can have both.
We can have density, and we can have trees.
I'm begging you to keep them.
-Thank you, Patricia.
Next, we have Jackie, number 40.
Hi, Jackie.
-Hi. I'm just here with some math.
We've talked about whether we need 80,000 homes
or 120,000 homes or 330,000 homes.
And when I do the math, there's 135,000 NR lots.
You multiply that by a capacity of three more on every lot,
you get to 405,000.
If you go all the way up, just to stretch it out a little bit,
you get to a four- to six homes.
It means five times more homes.
You get to 675,000.
So I'm wondering why do we have both HB 1110
and the One Seattle Plan
when we have enough zone capacity with HB 1110 by itself?
Thank you. -Thank you so much.
Next, we have numbers 41 through 50.
So that starts with Adam Bartel, 41 through 50.
Hi, Adam. Give me one second.
Let me shout out the next person.
Michael is next.
And then Suzanne Grant, followed by Garrett.
So 41 through 50.
Hi, Adam. -Hi.
I'm Adam Bartel,
and I am speaking on the Comprehensive Plan.
When I moved to West Seattle,
I had never lived within walking distance of a grocery store.
Now, I don't know if I could ever go back to driving
to the store whenever I need milk.
I love my neighborhood, and it wouldn't be half as good
without all the apartment buildings.
As renters, we are the customers.
We are patrons.
We eat at local bars and restaurants.
We provide tax revenue.
I love seeing townhomes, duplexes,
apartments getting built because we have a housing shortage.
We need more homes.
I would like to see the council strengthen
the Comprehensive Plan, not water it down.
Specifically, I would like to see stacked flats near transit,
regardless of lot size,
expand the affordable housing density bonus citywide
without parking mandates,
more neighborhood centers,
and expand current centers to support grocery stores
so anyone can walk to the store.
Also, you can just plant more trees.
Thank you. -Thank you, Adam.
Next, we have number 42, Michael,
and then followed by Suzanne Grant, 43, and then 44, Garrett.
-Hey, City Council. Here, Mike Roshan.
I live in North Ballard, D6.
Here to speak on both measures.
Seattle urgently needs more density, not less.
We need to create more housing options
like three-bedroom stacked flats that can accommodate families,
and flats with elevators for seniors and folks
who can't use stairs,
not more luxury apartments or narrow townhouses.
I've had many friends leave Seattle
because they couldn't find
or afford suitable housing to raise a family.
I've seen many beloved local businesses close due to
high rent thanks to limited supply.
We can make this a more diverse
and vibrant city for all income levels and lifestyles
if we want to while conserving some trees when we can
and planting new trees.
Please consider removing lot minimums and setback
requirements to allow for the construction of stacked flats
throughout the city.
Thank you. Since I have some more time,
Joy, you're doing a great job running this.
I now know why nobody complains about you as a councilmember.
So yeah.
-Thank you, Michael. You can get another minute.
Go ahead. No, I'm messing. Thank you.
Thank you, Michael. I'm just playing.
Suzanne Grant followed by Garrett, number 44.
-I'm Suzanne Grant. I'm commenting on both bills.
♪ I can't breathe when you cut down the trees ♪
♪ You don't see what the whole world sees ♪
♪ That we need to retain our big trees ♪
♪ Contain all the greed ♪
♪ Refrain from cutting the trees ♪
Are you going to heed the June 2nd letter
from Representative Jerry Paulette
to the council pointing out
that the Growth Management Act mandates that
Comprehensive Plans include preserving urban tree canopy
as part of the city's mandatory climate change resiliency plans?
This includes setback requirements,
limiting lot coverage and stormwater runoff,
and tree canopy and retention requirements.
Or are you going to listen to the master builders
who are trying to persuade you otherwise?
Where do you live? Do you have trees?
Would you be so cruel as to deny our children the life-saving,
yes, life-saving benefits and oxygen that trees give,
until you stop paving Seattle and start saving our trees?
I can't breathe.
-Thank you. Thank you, Suzanne.
Next, we have Garrett, number 44, followed by --
hold your thoughts right there, Garrett --
followed by Greg Smith, 45.
Yeah, 45. I'm sorry, 46 through -- sorry.
Let me rewind. My apologies. Garrett, you're next, right?
Let me reset the table. Garrett's next.
45 through 50, you are up next.
Number 45 after Garrett is Greg Smith, followed by number 46.
I don't know if that's a Zane or -- but that's number 46.
Zaren? Zane. Zane. Amen. Thank you.
Okay. Garrett, you're up. -Hey there,
Chair Hollingsworth and Councilmembers.
I feel like I don't quite have the pipes
to follow the last speaker,
but I'll give it a shot.
So my name is Garrett Plesko-Moore,
and I'm addressing both bills today.
My partner and I are renters in District 3,
and we are deeply engaged in our community,
from helping redevelop a local park,
to going to neighborhood coffee shops and breweries,
and hoping to soon have kids here.
But, given the current shortage of housing,
I don't currently see
how we can continue to be able to live here affordably,
much less have a family here.
So I'm really asking Council to please expand
the affordable housing density bonus citywide.
Create a similar bonus for low-rise zones.
Increase the stacked flat bonus. Remove lot minimums.
And increase height limits.
Expand neighborhood centers, especially in areas that have
not carried the heavy weight of displacement historically.
Bring back smart, proven anti-displacement strategies,
like connected communities.
I'm a passionate runner who loves the outdoors
and needs the trees to address chronic disease.
If we don't build here,
we will sprawl and cut more trees outside the city.
Thank you.
-Thank you, Garrett, for your comments and for coming down.
Next, we have Greg Smith, followed by Zane, number 46.
45 through 50, you're up. -I'm Dr. Greg Smith,
and I've spent years working in programs for people
who are homeless.
In 2015,
there were around 7,000 people living homeless in Seattle.
That year, Seattle and King County
declared an official homelessness emergency.
Over the next 10 years,
Seattle spent over a billion dollars on homelessness.
Last year, the homeless count was 12,000 people.
That's an increase of 60% over 2015.
So how do you spend over a billion dollars
and end up with more homeless people,
60% more homeless people?
You do it by refusing to do what really matters for homelessness,
and that's build enough housing.
Homelessness is caused by not having enough housing.
Any proposals that decrease the amount of housing
is going to increase the amount of homelessness.
Strengthen the complex. -Thank you, Greg.
Next, we have Zane, number 46, followed by Julie, number 47.
Hey, Zane.
-I'm Zane Muller, and I'm here to speak,
I think, to both issues.
I'm a renter who recently returned to Seattle
after more than a decade,
and one of the reasons I drag my wife
and one-year-old back here is that I think people in the city
are unusually conscientious and empathetic and open.
It's the kind of community I want to raise my daughter in.
So as I've gotten reengaged in conversations
about housing in the city, I've been struck by, I think,
a disconnect between some local concerns and the big picture.
You know, the link between floor area ratio restrictions
and the desperation of the unhoused isn't obvious,
but the truth is that even well-intentioned
zoning requirements become tools for cynical opponents
of housing density to reduce the amount of housing available
and to hoard the privilege of living in this beautiful city.
So if you're opposed to the Comprehensive Plan,
for whatever specific reason,
I would ask you to be open to seeing those connections
and to be open to reflecting also on how your position aligns
or doesn't align with your other values.
-Thank you, Zane. You still have 10 seconds.
-Well, just, you're doing great, Joy.
-Okay, awesome. Thank you, Zane.
Next, we have Julie, number 46, or 47.
I'm sorry, Zane was 47 -- 46, followed by number 48.
So again, we're 47 through 50.
-Hello, my name is Julie Scribner,
and I am commenting on both. I'm a homeowner in Fremont,
and my number one priority for the Comprehensive
Plan update is to make stacked flats viable
across every single street in Seattle.
In my 10 years living here,
my husband and I have seen mostly townhomes being built.
Townhomes primarily cater to wealthier,
childless professionals like us. But we want to live in a city
where our friends who are therapists and artists
and teachers and civil servants
can afford to grow their families and age in place,
not just tech workers.
We don't want to become San Francisco.
To prevent this,
we need stacked flats on quiet neighborhood streets.
I urge you to remove lot minimum requirements,
relax setbacks, and double the bonus for stacked flats.
Further, let's expand the number and size of neighborhood centers
and invest in planting public trees everywhere
so we can create a city that is affordable, diverse,
and green for everyone, not just North Seattle.
-Thank you, Julie.
Next, we have number 48, 49, and 50.
So 48, Kirsten, Sage Miller, and then number 50, Susan.
I know I butchered your name.
I'm so sorry.
-You know, if somebody just stutters, I think that's me.
-Yeah.
-My name is Kirsten Gemeiner,
and I'm here for the Comprehensive Plan.
I'm a physician in District 5.
Thank you, Cathy, for being here today.
The reason I'm not in my practice today
and I'm here instead after a lifetime of delivering babies
and helping people die at home is that the decision
you'll make with the Comprehensive Plan
will affect more health than I have done in my lifetime
practicing on three continents.
So I know trees, you know, yeah, yeah, more trees.
We actually can't afford to cut down any more mature trees.
We've got a heat dome in the Midwest.
Alaska's recording 80 degrees in June,
which it's never done before.
And Washington has a fire season,
which didn't exist when I grew up here.
I loved the person who cited
that trees increase healthy baby weights.
It's true.
The health statistics go on infinitely.
Make a decision to keep all the mature trees
and find the will to make dense housing.
-Thank you, Doctor.
Thank you for all the babies you delivered as well.
So we have Sage Miller, number 49.
Yes, ma'am, one second, Sage.
And then we have, I think this is Susan, number 50.
So 49 and 50, you're up. -Yes.
Well, my name is Sage Miller,
and I live in the Cascade neighborhood.
I'm a registered voter,
and I'm here to advocate for changes in the CB 120.993
to protect trees.
I know that you all have heard the talking points,
the recommendations for protecting trees.
And I'm also hoping that you've opened your hearts
up to the public comments for everybody's concern
for a tree canopy in Seattle.
As a citizen, as a private person,
I know the value of the 30% tree canopy in Seattle
for the health and welfare of all the people that live here.
So I'm hoping that you will not chop down these recommendations,
and that a tree canopy and affordable housing
can exist together.
-Thank you, Sage.
And before -- is it Susan? Yeah? Okay, awesome.
Before you go up, Susan, we have --
after Susan, we're going to call up 51 through 60.
So 51 through 60, you're on deck.
And then, Susan, whenever you start, you're all good to go.
-Susan Fedor, West Seattle, here to talk about HB 1110.
Seattle's urban forest, 50% of which is on private property,
exists in setbacks.
Our tree canopy is one of our most powerful tools
for climate resilience, public health,
and neighborhood livability.
The legislation has currently written fast tracks tree loss
by incentivizing edge-to-edge development.
The increase in hardscaping will make our city hotter,
more polluted,
and have severe impacts on stormwater and sewage.
This hurts residents
and compromises the long-term health of Puget Sound
and our endangered orcas and salmon.
Given the potential scale of impact,
City Council has the opportunity to exercise
true leadership and innovation
in the face of an uncertain future and climate
implications of hotter summers and more intense rainfall.
In conjunction with HB 1110,
the City Council is equally mandated by the state's
Growth Management Act to formulate zoning
that mitigates displacement and avoids creating
or worsening environmental disparities.
Please work toward a sustainable future for all of us
by following the GMA mandate and to achieve an equitable,
livable, and healthy Seattle.
Thank you. -Thank you, Susan.
So we have speakers 51 through 60,
and I will shout your names out.
I won't shout them out, but we'll say them, sorry.
Jennifer, number 51. 52, Henry. Number 53, Kim Gold.
Number 54, Calvin Jones. 55, Kathleen.
56, Penelope. 57, Brittany. 58, Jasmine.
59, Scott.
And 60, Ryan. Okay. So 51, Jennifer.
Awesome. Welcome. So 51 through 60, you are up.
Floor is yours, Jennifer.
-Okay. Good afternoon.
Thank you, Council, for listening to us today.
My name is Jennifer Nadelchev.
I live in District 5.
Thank you, Councilmember Moore, for your service.
I'm here to actually make a plea.
Oh, sorry.
I'm addressing the Comprehensive Plan.
And my plea is actually to increase city-managed
drainage infrastructure.
Where I live, it's a little bit --
well, I'm close to city limits, and we don't have as much.
And unfortunately, the road behind me slopes down,
and so everything sort of gets sent into my backyard,
and I'm sure I'm not the only one for whom this happens.
So I'm a little bit concerned with the greater construction
and the bigger multifamily houses.
Wonderful.
But that's going to lead
to more stormwater drainage going down the public right
of way and ending up in maybe where it shouldn't be.
So I just want to make a plea
that the city consider updating in North Lake City
the public drainage systems and consider,
or at the minimum,
consider a bioswale to sort of mitigate the effects
of the large amounts of water cascading.
Thank you so much.
-Thank you, Jennifer. Number 52, we have Henry.
Hi, Henry.
And then after Henry, 53, Kim Gold, followed by Calvin Jones.
Henry, the floor is yours.
-Hi, my name is Henry. I'm a homeowner of District 7.
NIMBYism and opposition to common-sense zoning and land use
is strangling the future growth and economic viability of
Seattle, much like a plastic six-pack ring
around the neck of a sea lion.
There needs to be more mid-rises, more high-rises,
more stacked flats.
The boundaries of neighborhood centers
and urban centers need to be expanded.
When Seattle residents can walk, bike,
and take public transit to their jobs, schools,
restaurants, and stores, the quality of life improves.
Walkable neighborhoods reduce traffic congestion
and air pollution.
Local businesses will thrive
when more customers live in their neighborhood.
Denser housing increases much-needed tax revenue
per square mile
without necessarily raising taxes per person.
Building vertically allows Seattle to accommodate
more residents and preserve more green spaces and trees.
The city council needs to strengthen the One Seattle plan
in order to bring Seattle zoning and land use
into the 21st century.
Thank you.
-You still have 10 seconds, Henry.
Oh, okay. Sorry.
I didn't want you to feel like you needed to get cut off
with that buzzer.
-That was it. -That was it? Okay.
I'm sorry. Thank you, Henry.
Just a reminder, when you hear that buzzer,
you still have time.
So thank you, Henry.
Kim Gold, followed by Calvin Jones.
-Good afternoon. I'm speaking on both bills.
My name is Kim Gold. I live in D3.
I'm going to talk about equity.
Keeping the HV 1110 setbacks and lot coverage
enables ownership for young people, families with kids,
and promotes diverse neighborhoods and racial equity.
And here's why.
Reducing setbacks encourages teardowns,
resulting in a $1 million home being replaced
by three or four $1 million homes,
or a single $3 million large home.
Keeping the setbacks will incentivize conversions
of single-family homes to add rental units.
The result?
Young people with moderate incomes can afford
to buy this home thanks to built-in rental income.
Families have room for their kids.
Multi-generation immigrant families have the flexibility
to split up the house.
Let's incentivize conversions as a critical
middle housing option,
thereby diversifying our neighborhoods by age,
by income, and by race.
Thank you. -Thank you, Kim.
Next, we have number 54, Calvin Jones.
Before you go, Calvin, followed by Calvin,
we have Kathleen, number 55, and Penelope, number 56.
Hi, Calvin.
Hi. -Hi, everyone.
I'm Calvin Jones.
I'm a renter in District 6, and I'm here to speak on both bills.
I'd like to urge this council to amend
both the One Seattle Plan and the HB 1110
compliance legislation
to prioritize housing abundance as much as possible.
Specifically, I'd like to see the number
of neighborhood centers expanded.
I'd love to see the affordable housing bonus spread to all lots
throughout the city
and expand it as well
so the Seattle social housing developer can benefit from it.
I'd love to see the stacked flat bonus expanded to all lots
as well, corner stores allowed on all lots
and not just corners,
and the elimination of parking mandates citywide.
I think housing abundance is such a core part
to our affordability goals,
our climate goals, and our local commerce,
and we have a huge opportunity
to make housing much more affordable
for generations of Seattleites to come.
Thank you. -Thank you, Calvin.
Next, we have Kathleen, 55, followed by Penelope,
56, 57, Brittany. -Hello. I'm Kathleen Kirkhoff.
I'm in District 6, and I want to address probably both bills.
As you'll notice,
we've got over 30 states in our country right now
that are under heat wave concerns.
If we do not plan for increased heat waves here,
we are really endangering our local population.
I also want to point out that we cannot rely
on electrical air conditioning to save us,
given that AI is going to suck up a huge amount of electricity,
and the cryptocurrency is sucking up that energy,
and I feel that what will happen is it will get
priority, and the rest of us will be scrambling
for the little bit that's left.
Trees provide cooling without having to rely on electricity.
Please give them space to live.
-Awesome. Thank you, Kathleen.
Next, we have Penelope, number 56,
followed by Brittany Ambrose, 57, 58, Jasmine,
59, Scott, and 60, Ryan. Penelope, hello.
-Hello.
I'm Penelope Nichols,
and the reason I'm here is I'm seeing one element
of the One Seattle program,
that is not included, and that is collaboration.
It feels like it's a top-down thing that's sort of like,
here it is, here it is, here's the unit, blah, blah.
And, yes, we need those spaces.
We need the urban area. We need the density.
We need all that.
But if you don't include the people,
the neighborhoods in particular,
especially those neighborhoods
who already have their own character,
then you're just trashing it all,
and you're going to end up with one monoculture of Seattle.
So we need to work with those folks
that want to see the density.
We want to work with the people
who'd like to include the green space.
We'd like to work with, and I'm speaking from Maple Leaf,
we'd like to work with developers
who actually don't just come in,
rip out their houses, and put their great big things on there,
or their little things,
and make it unaffordable for any teachers,
for our firepersons, for our medical care people.
-Thank you, Penelope. Appreciate you.
Next, we have Brittany, number 57,
followed by 58, Jasmine, 59, Scott, 60, Ryan.
Hi, Brittany.
-Hello. -Welcome.
-My name is Brittany,
and I'm here to talk about the Comprehensive Plan.
I live in District 7.
I am a lifetime renter
because I will never be able to afford a home, a condo,
or anything in this city.
I am urging the council to please bring back all
the original neighborhood centers in this bill.
If you do not start building housing now,
we will be here at the next Comprehensive Plan
having the same conversation again.
But quite frankly,
I probably won't be here
because I probably won't be able to afford to live in this city
because rent keeps going up. To quote somebody,
the rent is too darn high,
and I left out the swear word
because my dad is watching this right now,
and I don't want to have to put a quarter in the jar
because I'm a Midwesterner by heart.
And quite frankly, he'll get upset.
But I'm also going to say something
that's going to upset him because he's a boomer.
We are all aging, and stacked flats are great because,
quite frankly, you don't have to use stairs.
And if you ever see my toes that don't see sandals,
as somebody who's legally blind,
stairs and sometimes other things suck.
As you get old, you have issues in aging,
and sometimes you can use a wheelchair.
And stacked flats are great because they're on one level.
It's perfect.
Please consider doing those throughout the city.
Thank you.
And would last non-millionaire please turn off
the coffee pot in this city.
-Thank you, Brittany.
Jasmine, you are next, and then followed by Scott and then Ryan.
Jasmine, the floor is yours.
-Thank you. My name is Jasmine Smith.
I am the Director of Local Advocacy at FutureWise,
co-chair of the Complete Communities Coalition,
and proud D7 renter.
We're really excited for the opportunity
to shape the future of our city and undo the harm of the past.
By adding neighborhood centers, we're able to make sure
that everyone has a place to call home.
And as we figure out how to address the housing shortage,
we need yes and,
bold neighborhood residential and bonuses for stack flats
and affordable housing, corner stores and neighborhood centers,
anti-displacement and more opportunities citywide.
I love living in Queen Anne,
and everyone should be able to stay and live there,
whether it's along the 1, the 31, the 32.
We have a lot of frequent transit
that I really can't wait to add more neighbors around.
And restricting our city keeps out our neighbors
and clear cuts more trees. -You still have 10 seconds.
-Oh, that's right. There's a lot of incentives
that we can put forward to ensure
that we're able to keep our trees,
that we're able to really maximize the opportunity
that we have in front of us.
Thank you. -Thank you, Jasmine.
Just a reminder that, Buzzer, you still have 10 seconds, okay?
Scott and then Ryan.
I know it's confusing because it rings so loud,
and it makes you feel like, stop.
But it's not. It's just a nice reminder.
Scott and then Ryan, number 59, then 60.
-Hi.
My name is Scott Hadelsey,
speaking to the Comp Plan on behalf of Beacon Hill Council.
We have two asks.
Prioritize and accelerate housing levy investments
for low-income and workforce housing in Beacon Hill.
And two, incentivize the building of additional
detached dwelling units and DDUs.
There's a cost of about $60,000 to $70,000 at the point of sale.
Please defer that until later on.
This will help residents generate income to stay in place
while providing additional fill-in housing
for families and newcomers.
The Beacon Hill neighborhood is historically
majority working families.
As Seattle has evolved and rents have increased,
the viability of working-class incomes has plummeted.
To combat displacement and gentrification,
we need affordable housing,
not luxury mid-rise
after luxury mid-rise
with permanently vacant commercial spaces.
The theory under which luxury apartments were built
is that any increase to housing supply
would reduce the overall pricing in the market,
but that logic assumes profit-driven
developers will outpace population growth,
which they have not.
The free market is neither responsible for
nor interested in providing shelter for the people
whose labor the city is built on.
It is your responsibility to wield the office
to serve the public's interest.
-Thank you, Scott.
-...whose only goal is to siphon our community's wealth.
Thank you. -Thank you, Scott.
Next, we have Ryan.
-Thank you,
Chair Hollingsworth and Councilmembers.
My name is Ryan McKinstra.
I've met a few of you a few times.
I'm currently the Advocacy and Policy
Manager for Habitat for Humanity.
I'm also a resident of District 6.
Thank you.
Nice to see you, Councilmember Strauss.
My comments refer to both pieces of legislation.
I'm here today to urge you to consider the current version
of proposed changes as kind of a floor,
somewhere we should look up from,
and to basically address the housing needs
of our fellow Seattleites.
Our neighbors, many, who are very, I would say,
very affected by the crisis we're currently experiencing.
By allowing stacked flats throughout the city,
along with more extensive affordability bonuses,
we can create more homeownership opportunities,
like the two stacked flats
we recently completed in the Capitol Hill area.
These projects have created homes for 31 families
in the heart of Seattle,
with households made up of social workers,
journalists, educators, medical professionals,
and even a pastor.
And I say families, not just single, but couples.
As you can share these changes in the comp plan,
please look at creating more affordability across the city
and stacked flats everywhere they could be produced.
Thank you.
-Thank you, Ryan, and great work on the stacked flats
that you all produce.
And for the record,
you did say it was only good to see Councilmember Strauss.
Not me. I'm just playing. I'm messing with you.
We've got to keep the mood light.
He did say that, Ryan, right?
He did say, Councilmember Strauss, it's good to see you.
-It's good to be seen.
-Yeah. I'm just playing, Ryan. Thank you.
Okay. Numbers 61 through 70 are next.
That is Alyssa. You are next. Followed by Michael.
Then Jesse Simpson.
I'm going to read off the names through 70
so you all know who you are.
Joanna Cullen, 64, 65, Jess Yang, 66, Brittany,
67, Sarah, 68, Thomas, 69, Liam, and 70, Kim.
So 61 through 70. Awesome. You're next.
-Hello. My name is Alyssa Rose.
I am a homeowner and a business owner in District 5.
I may lose a client who's here after what I have to say
because I know we don't agree. But I'm here.
Randomly, I was at the federal building,
realized this was happening, and had to come.
I am going to ask all of you to be visionaries,
really, true visionaries,
and think about the future of this city,
and think about future generations.
And that doesn't mean going tree by tree.
It means designing a Comprehensive Plan
that provides more than adequate housing
in whatever ways we get there.
I'm not a shill for the Builders Association at all.
But we need to be visionary about the amount of homes
we need and not stifle ourselves on a lot of people
who just want to keep the neighborhoods
exactly where they are.
You know, they like living in single-family neighborhoods.
Seattle will not have a tax base.
We will not have a future without homes.
-Thank you, Alyssa.
Next, we have Michael, number 62,
followed by Jesse Simpson, 63. Hi, Michael.
-Hello. Hello, counsel.
Michael Gellinwater, addressing in both bills.
I applaud the improvement
that the mayor's draft Comprehensive Plan
represents relative to the status quo.
But we know that the status quo has created
a housing and homelessness crisis,
as well as car dependency,
doing so much harm to our health and the climate.
So I encourage you to seize this opportunity and go bigger.
Show Seattleites and those outside of Seattle
that our government, city government, is a world leader.
I'll highlight a couple of examples of going bigger,
personal to my family. First, make it easier
and cost-effective to build stacked flats,
including increasing the bonus on all lots.
And second, establish eight additional neighborhood centers,
as proposed by FutureWise,
so more people can live near schools, transit, parks,
at Golden Gardens near me, and Lowell Heights Elementary,
which both of my kids attended.
Thank you. -Thank you, Michael.
Next, we have Jesse Simpson.
And just a reminder, please state your name,
what you're addressing, and then the timer will start.
So it will not start while you're saying that.
We just need your name and the bill that you're addressing.
You can say both bills, and then your time will start.
Jesse, good to see you.
-Yeah, good to see you, too.
So good afternoon, Councilmembers.
I'm Jesse Simpson. I'm addressing both bills.
I'm here to speak in support of a bold,
Comprehensive Plan that tackles Seattle's deep housing shortage.
The status quo is not working.
Our neighbors are being priced out, left behind,
and forced to question whether they have a future in this city.
If we want to be a truly welcoming place,
we need to allow for more housing in every neighborhood.
The draft plan is a major step forward,
but we must go further.
I urge you to adopt amendments
that make stacked flats an accessible,
family-friendly housing type,
more feasible across the city
through additional height and floor area ratio bonuses,
paired with incentives for preserving trees.
I also ask you to create more neighborhood centers
throughout the city
to create mixed-use hubs in low-displacement risk
and high-opportunity neighborhoods.
This Comprehensive Plan is a once-in-a-decade chance
to undo the legacy of exclusionary zoning,
to allow for abundant housing,
and create a more just, sustainable, and equitable city.
Let's meet the moment by putting housing first.
Thanks for all your work on this.
-Thank you, Jesse.
Next, we have Joanna Cullen, 64, and then Jesse Yang, 65,
followed by Brittany, 66.
Ms. Joanna, welcome. -Hi, Joanna Cullen.
I'm speaking to the Comprehensive Plan.
I'm a resident of the Central District since 1977.
Reject expanding the CD urban-village center boundaries
into the neighborhood residential areas,
and reject annexing the Central Area
to Capitol Hill, First Hill.
The Central Area Design Guidelines clearly claim
this area for the Central Area, not Capitol Hill,
and it is part of the Central Area Arts District.
These designations represent decades of work
by many community members to preserve the history and culture
of the area,
along with building a connected,
livable community with trees and environmental justice.
Reject expanding the urban-village center boundaries
into the current neighborhood residential areas.
This formerly redlined area has already been up-zoned,
densified, and taken more than its share
of disruption and displacement,
sometimes resulting in a glut of affordable studio apartments.
And this is not --
[ Mic shuts off ]
-Thank you, Ms. Joanna.
Next, we have Jess Yang, number 65, followed by Brittany, 66.
So we're between number 65 through 70.
Hi, Jess.
-Hi. Hi, Council. Good to see you all.
I'm Jess Yang, the HTC Community Organizer,
speaking with Complete Communities Coalition,
and I'm speaking on both bills.
I support a strong, Comprehensive Plan
that incentivizes affordable housing development
throughout the city.
As a new homeowner in Ballard -- hi, Dan -- I love the walkable,
transit-accessible neighborhood that I live in.
To create more opportunities for my friends and family
to live in neighborhoods like mine,
I encourage you to increase the number of neighborhood centers,
boost the affordable housing bonus,
and increase incentives
to build stacked flats throughout the city.
In particular, we need more neighborhood centers.
This means housing near restaurants, grocery stores,
and schools,
creating more complete communities
that everyone can enjoy living in, just like mine.
This is a generational opportunity,
and I want to ask you all
to combat our housing and homelessness
crisis and strengthen the Comprehensive Plan this summer
and throughout the process.
Thank you all so much.
-Awesome. Thank you, Jess.
Next, we have Brittany, number 66.
So now we're on 66 through 70, Brittany, followed by Sarah,
then Thomas, number 68, 69, Liam, 70, Kim.
Hi, Brittany. -Hi. Good afternoon, Council.
Thank you for your patience and listening to all of us.
I'm here to speak about the Comprehensive Plan.
My name is Brittany.
I am a longtime resident of District 7.
I own a home off of Nickerson Street.
I've lived there almost 20 years, and I am here
to advocate for a neighborhood center on Nickerson.
I love where I live.
It has, like, ridiculous access to buses.
I have seven buses, I think,
within a 10-minute walk from my house.
There's two major bike trails.
I can walk to multiple grocery stores.
It's a great place, and it's a great place to put more homes.
So I think we should do it.
I would love to have more neighbors.
I would love to have more neighbors
to support small businesses around me,
to support more bus service,
to, like, walk their cute dogs past my house,
to go see the Sonics when we bring them back.
So yeah, let's make more homes for more people
because I want more people around.
-Awesome. Thank you, Brittany.
Next we have Sandy, who's number 67.
-I'm not really named Sarah.
Yeah. -No, no, no.
-We traded because her kids needed to go.
So hi.
Yeah, I'm Sandy Shetler, and I'm addressing HB 1110.
So the new tree planting requirements in this bill
reduce the number of trees required by 65%
and the total tree volume required by 90%.
This is the wrong direction for a city in the top five
nationally for urban heat islands.
So I thought it would be easier
if you could visualize the trees in this space.
So the last time I was here, I paced out the room.
And if you count the dais and this seating area and the lobby,
that's about the size of a 4,000-square-foot lot,
a typical city lot.
So the old formula required eight two-inch
diameter trees for this room.
So that would be one -- sorry, two for every 1,000 square feet.
The new formula requires three one-inch trees for this room.
It's on a point system.
One point equals 1-inch trunk for every 750 square feet.
So please restore common-sense replanting requirements.
Thank you. -Thank you, Sandy.
Speaker number 68, Thomas,
followed by 69, Liam, and number 70, Kim.
Hi, Thomas. -Hi, Councilmembers.
I'm Thomas Zugg.
I'm a 20-year-old born and raised right here in Seattle.
I'm here today in support of expanding
the Comprehensive Plan.
Call me brash, but youth is the time for brashness.
So I would like to first point out
that many of those advocating for delays today
are as old as the historic trees and homes that they speak for.
As a kid, I lived in a duplex in Upper Queen Anne
where walking to school took mere minutes and proximity
to businesses freed me to navigate childhood
without reliance on adults.
That lifestyle was only possible for my family
because of affordable,
dense housing in an otherwise single-family
zoned neighborhood.
Young people like me are not a guarantee in Seattle.
If this city remains unaffordable,
we will continue to leave.
We will leave for places like Texas and Florida,
for Arizona and Indiana,
places where housing is abundant and affordable.
Already, dozens of my peers have left.
This is bigger than Seattle. It's a national emergency.
When 2028 comes, don't act surprised
when red states see a surge in young voters.
The trend is already clear.
If you don't make room for us here,
we'll build our lives and our futures elsewhere.
Thank you, Councilmembers.
-Thank you, Thomas.
Appreciate you coming, all of our young people.
Thank you, Thomas, for coming and speaking up.
Appreciate you. Number 68, 69. Liam, how are you doing?
And then followed by Liam is 70.
And then we'll go numbers 71 through 73.
And then it skips a little bit because we had different people.
We had different sign-up.
You know, I can't really explain, but just trust me.
Okay. You're not Thomas. You are Liam.
Awesome. All right. Go ahead, Liam.
-Hello.
My name is Liam Neastab,
and I'm a renter in the Roosevelt neighborhood here
to address the comp plan in favor of it.
I used to live in the same apartment building
as a few of my friends,
but annual rent hikes have priced them out
of the neighborhood and maybe soon the city.
I see the Comprehensive Plan as our opportunity
to legalize the construction of affordable housing
we need and to reduce displacement pressure.
But I believe the council can further strengthen
the comp plan to make Seattle even better
by expanding affordable housing density bonus citywide
and by creating a similar bonus for low-rise zones.
We could also ensure
that all publicly owned social housing is eligible
for the density bonus too
and increase the bonus for stacked flats to be on all lots,
not just the largest ones. I hope that 10 years from now,
my friends and I will be better able to afford
to live in this wonderful city of Seattle
rather than be priced out of it. Thank you all.
-Thank you, Liam.
Number 70, Kim, followed by Harper.
Number 71, followed by 72, Linda, followed by 73, Colleen.
So now we're on Kim.
Number 70. -Hi, council.
My name's Kim Butler,
and I have lived in the city of Seattle my whole life.
I have lived -- currently I've lived in District 4
with Maritza Rivera's governance,
but I've also lived in Dan Strauss's for 20 years.
I've lived in Joy Hollingsworth District when I went to college,
and I've lived in Cathy Moore's district growing up as a child.
I've raised my children in this community as well,
and I've seen a lot of changes that Seattle's made.
And one of the most concerning things
that I'm seeing right now is a proposal here for the comp plan
that does not consider the retention of our trees.
Seattle is a beautiful area. We have a beautiful environment.
We have a beautiful Puget Sound,
and we need to do better in preserving the exceptional trees
that we currently have.
We need to go back to a plan to encourage developers
and give them incentives
and give SDCI allowance to give these developers guidance
to preserve the trees that are being lost.
I brought my friend,
Grace, who's a giant sequoia
that was lost here at Green Lake this last year.
She was on a lot with 18 other trees, 13 of which were removed.
And this was for a single-family home.
This was not for affordable housing.
-Awesome. Thank you, Kim.
And for the record, all the districts she lived in,
District 3 was her favorite.
71, Harper. -I don't know about that.
-I'm the chair. I decide. I'm just playing.
Harper, thank you so much. Hold on.
Let's make sure the timer is good.
71, you're good. -I live in District 3,
and I'm here to advocate on the behalf of more housing.
There is an immense attack on civil rights
in the United States,
and many people are looking for a place to flee.
Right now, Seattle is near the top of their list
as a sanctuary, and it is accepting.
However, Seattle is becoming less affordable as rents rise.
Many of you have heard from homeowners
who shudder at the idea of their physical appearance
of their neighborhood changing
or losing their view of Bellevue.
Many of you have heard -- this selfishness is a rot in Seattle.
We must fix the problems many of these people
have brought up as excuses for
why their neighborhoods cannot accept more density.
And we must increase areas for zone density housing
beyond just the pittance in the plan.
We must allow for the density we need by increasing heights,
flow rate ratio, and decreasing setbacks.
-You still have 10 seconds, Harper.
-More hosing. -Awesome. Thank you, Harper.
Next, we have Linda, followed by Colleen, 72, 73.
Linda, followed by Colleen.
And then we will jump to speakers number --
before you start, Linda, give me one second.
And then we will jump to speakers
81 through 97 we have next. 81 through 97.
So this is Linda, followed by Colleen.
-Yeah.
Well, good afternoon, Councilmembers, especially Dan.
I'm Linda Overly, and I'm in District 6.
And I have been a resident of Ballard,
born and bred all my life. I'm 69.
And I'm going to talk about affordable senior housing.
I'm going to sound the alarm on this one
because boomers are going to be need assisted living by 2050.
So right now, you've heard the King 5 News.
They booted everybody out of the Norse home, retirement home.
And they had 87 residents,
and now half of them had to leave and find other places.
And it's just, some have died because of moving trauma.
And it's not a good thing.
And I just really wish you would remember two words,
transforming age.
Thank you. -You still have 10 seconds.
-Oh, well, yeah.
And I'm also a life member of the Norse home.
-Awesome. Thank you, Linda. Next we have Colleen.
And before you start, Colleen,
numbers next will be 81 through 100.
So 87 through 100.
And that 81 is Noah Williams, followed by Kathy Carpenter, 82.
And you are up.
-Good afternoon, City Council, and thank you for your patience.
Colleen McAleer here for Laura Hearst Community Council
and representing 2,200 residents and my grandchildren as well,
too, who live in Seattle.
We support the housing of HB 1110, adding three more units,
and that will project out to over 300,000 units
in the next 20 years,
far exceeding Seattle's goal right here for 120,000
in the next 20 years.
HB 1110 also requires compatibility of scale,
form, and character when adding that middle housing.
And currently,
the One Seattle plan omits that compatibility clause.
We'd like that to be back in there.
Otherwise, developers will have free reign
to decide what to put in there.
There will be a turnkey project without regard
to the city's whole look and feel,
from tree retention to piecemeal aesthetic incompatibility.
Secondly, HB 1110 supports highest density
at major transit sites, and we do, too.
And we just ask that One Seattle use
that instead of the frequent bus service
to make it compatible with the state's legislation.
Thank you. -Thank you, Colleen.
Now we're on numbers 81 through 100.
So we have 81 through 100 are up next on deck,
but we'll call 81 through 90.
So 81 through 90, that is Noah Williams.
Before you start, Noah, give me one second.
I'm going to read off everyone's names so they know, okay?
Noah Williams, we have Kathy Carpenter, there's no 83,
then there's 84, Austin, then 85, Julia, 86,
Laura, 87, Lily, 88, Daniela, and 89, Kate, and 90, Anne.
So Noah, you are up. So 81 through 90.
Noah. -Councilmembers, thank you.
Good afternoon.
My name is Noah Williams, and I live on the sea line.
I'm here today to share that I simply don't care
what the rich Karens and Kevins think, and you shouldn't either.
And the reason is that they're sabotaging transit right now
in the same way that the Freeman family sabotaged transit in --
sorry, they're sabotaging housing right now
in the same way that the Freeman family sabotaged transit
in decades earlier. Today, the Freemans are hated.
They're the piranhas of the region,
and they've lost most of their power and credibility.
But we are still paying for their decisions.
The One Line was down this weekend
because of decades of neglect,
because of design compromises introduced
by those malicious actors who sabotaged transit,
and the tunnel buses,
Metro's ingenious hack around the problem required
weaker embedded rail
that cracked recently for the second time
in as many months requiring emergency replacement.
And people are pissed about that.
If you cave to their demands and weaken this housing plan,
as previous councils did, the voters will realize that and,
in time, take it out on you.
So ask yourself, at the end of this story,
do you want to be the Claudia Balducci's of this story,
beloved by the voters,
or do you want to be seen on the Kemper Freeman side?
Thank you. -Awesome. Thank you, Noah.
Next, we have Kathy Carpenter, 82, followed by 84, Austin.
Hi, Kathy.
-I'm Kathy Cappeliner, by the way, not Carpenter.
Can you hear me? -Yes, we can.
If you just pull it closer to you
and just speak a little louder.
-Okay. How do I follow that?
My name is Kathy Cappeliner from District 6.
Like the lady who sang before,
being able to breathe is my paramount issue,
so I am here asking for seven actions/changes to keep trees.
One, oh, these actions I'm asking do not prevent density.
They improve livability.
So please, one, amend CB 120.993 to, A,
include tree retention requirements, B,
include green space requirements, C,
require stacked flats, and D, to keep the trees
that have grown in the infill spaces of lots.
Two, please amend Section 2511.07
of the Municipal Code A in such a way
that developers cannot justify removing trees
because, quote, they can't protect them, unquote.
Please keep the flexible guidelines of Section 2511.60
and require developers to prepare alternate site plans
that retain trees up front in the process.
Thank you all very much for all you do.
-Thank you, Kathy.
Next, we have Austin, number 84, Austin, followed by Julia, 85.
Hi, Austin.
Either one you're most comfortable with.
-Hi, I'm Austin.
I'm here to talk about the Comprehensive Plan.
I live in Ballard near Market Street.
I'm in an apartment next to another apartment,
and I'm here to say it's not that bad.
During the lockdowns, we'd go out on balconies and chat.
There's another apartment going up after, I think,
four years of unexplained delays,
I assume caused by design review and other restrictions.
So I'm living in one of those horror stories
of development and urbanization, and, folks, it's not that bad.
Apartments are not scary.
What is bad is that you're trying to shove 20 years
of unmet demand into a few areas like mine,
to use renters, frankly,
as living barriers for car noise and car exhaust
to protect the quote-unquote real residents
whose biggest worry is landscaping.
For every person who speaks here today,
there are about 200 homeless people who don't get to speak.
This has to be our priority.
It has to.
The only way to address this is more housing, way,
way more than the current plan will allow.
Increased housing stock applies downward pressure on rent.
Lower rent applies downward pressure on homelessness.
Ignoring the problem won't make it go away.
If you don't do serious upzoning citywide,
the homeless problem will get worse.
Sprawl will increase in exurbs,
which will incidentally bulldoze millions of trees.
This is happening today.
-You're good. Thank you. Thank you, Austin.
Number 85, Julia, followed by 86, Laura.
-Hi.
Yeah, my name is Julia, and I'm going to be speaking on 129.93.
Seattle's existing tree code has fueled the removal
of at least 3,200 trees to date,
and the removals this year have outpaced last year by over 50%.
All the while,
your constituency has consistently asked for
better tree protections, overwhelmingly in 2023
when the initial bad tree code was passed,
and in every comp plan hearing this year.
Instead of seeing action,
we've seen the removal of huge trees with large climate,
archaeological, and community significance.
Strawman arguments that our climate is better
without tree protections fail to realize the simple changes
to existing and planned codes
that can allow us to have housing and trees.
Please, increase tree requirements
and remove the tree point system.
Add green space provisions.
Require site designs to build around trees.
Add green wall requirements
and close existing loopholes in our tree code.
Thank you. -Thank you, Julia.
Number 86, we have Laura, followed by 87,
Lily, followed by 88,
Daniela, followed by 89, Kate, and then Ann.
Hi, Laura.
-Hi. Hi. My name is Laura Gardner.
I live in West Seattle,
and I support a bold Comprehensive Plan with more
and larger neighborhood centers.
I grew up and lived my whole life
in various suburbs made of single-family homes,
large yards, and spread-out people and places.
Last year, my husband
and I very intentionally moved from Bellevue
to a place with more people closer together,
aware and excited about the changes proposed
in the comp plan.
For the first time in my life,
I run into people I know while going about my daily life.
I walk to the dentist, the doctor, or the vet.
I live less than a mile from seven grocery stores.
We instantly became a single-car household.
In terrifying times,
I know I am close to people with diverse skills
who will help me and who I can help.
This is the neighborhood character
I was missing my whole life.
I live between the Admiral and Alaska neighborhood centers,
and I would love to see their boundaries grow.
More people should be able to live here
on calm streets near amenities.
More neighbors will help support our precious small businesses
and foster a stronger community
to navigate the storms ahead of us.
-You still have 10 seconds.
Oh. Okay, awesome. Thank you so much.
Next, we have number -- are we on 88?
Was that 86? That was Laura? Okay.
That was 86, Laura. Okay, my bad.
Lily is next. 87. Hi, Lily.
Followed by 88, Daniela, 89, Kate, and 90, Anne.
Awesome. -Great.
Good afternoon,
Chair Hollingsworth and committee members.
My name is Lily Hayward,
speaking on behalf of the over 2,500 members
of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
to urge you to use our Comprehensive Plan as a tool
to expand opportunities for density across the city
and support an accessible and affordable Seattle.
Housing continues to be one
of your constituents' top priorities.
In our latest index polling,
66% of voters agreed
that increasing housing supply will help slow down
our housing crisis,
and 74% said that the city needs to make it easier, not harder,
to build more housing citywide.
Housing is a top priority for our members, too,
because it is a workforce development, recruitment,
and retention issue for businesses of all sizes.
And our city and economy
thrive when communities are walkable
and accessible by transit and people
can live close to where they work or operate a business.
As you consider this Comprehensive Plan legislation,
we ask that you support amendments
that expand our housing stock,
like including expansion of the stacked flat
and affordable housing density
bonuses and neighborhood centers.
Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
-Awesome. Thank you, Lily. Number 88.
I probably butchered your name. I apologize.
-Hi. This is Daniela Lopez Salcedo.
-Awesome.
-All right. Hello, councilmembers.
I am here to ask you to consider making it
so that we can build more housing.
A lot of the anti-housing rhetoric
has revolved around environment and health.
And I just want to flag that when we expand
or when we make it harder to build it densely
or we make the zones much smaller,
we actually end up sprawling a lot.
And that actually means that we kill more trees
to build the same number of housing.
Then we have to kill more trees to build hospitals,
schools, grocery stores for those people,
more trees to build the roads to get to them.
Then we all, as taxpayers,
end up having to pay more on our utility bills
because we have to build the infrastructure to get to them.
The environmental people who study this,
like RMI, which is Rocky Mountain Institute,
well-established think tank that creates nationwide policy,
they will even have papers that will prove this,
that well-designed codes can have a bigger impact
or as big of an impact as well-designed transit.
So please consider this
if you really care about public health and accessibility.
So thank you. -Thank you, Daniela.
Next we have number 89. Did I say your name?
Kate? Yeah? Okay.
I didn't know if this was an F or a T.
88. You're all good. Oh, 89. Sorry.
That was 89, and then 90.
Yes. -My name's Kate.
-Yes, ma'am. -I'll have better handwriting.
-No, it was fine. I just can't read.
You're good. -Yes.
I am here to say
that I believe in increased housing and tree protection.
And the two are not mutually exclusive.
I'm asking and I'm speaking on HB 1110.
There we go.
I'm asking that the Seattle City Council include
green space requirements in its plan.
And without requiring these green space requirements --
or without requiring developers to make space for trees,
they will not.
And they will raise our trees and put up big, huge homes.
Also asking that you have tree retention requirements
and that you require stacked flats.
And that you require developers to prepare site plans
to retain trees up front in the building process.
If they are open and they are flexible,
then we can retain the trees.
-Awesome. Thank you, Kate. Next, we have Anne, number 90.
Followed by Anne, we have numbers 91 through 100.
So you all are next, 91 through 100.
Hi, Anne. -Hi there.
My name is Anne Bicklay
and I am a long-time resident of Tangletown in District 6.
My comments pertain to both bills.
The proposal to designate Tangletown a neighborhood center
is poorly conceived and needs modification.
Let me explain.
We have a tiny commercial area and a quirky street grid.
As a consequence,
we are neither on the way to anywhere
nor a natural geographic center, and we lack robust services.
I'll provide some granular details so you see what I mean.
Our commercial core is only two blocks long.
It contains a few bars and restaurants,
dental and hair services, and a coffee place,
among several others.
A corner store provides non-perishables,
a few potatoes and onions, booze, and some other beverages.
To put a fine point on it,
this is definitively not a grocery store.
Our so-called frequent transit service
is similarly depauperate,
meaning, sure, you can get somewhere,
but how much time do you really have?
All right.
Me and other Tangletowners have better,
more logical ideas for
how to increase middle housing in Tangletown
that is proportional to our commercial area,
minimizes loss of tree cover
and honors the existing neighborhood.
We look forward to working with all of you.
Thanks. -Thank you, Anne.
Before you go, Riley,
let me just read off the names to the people behind you.
Thank you so much. We have Riley at number one.
Number two, we have Nicholas.
Number three, we have Chun.
Number 94, we have Cheryl.
Number 95 -- I'm sorry.
I can't read your handwriting, so I'm going to say number 95.
And no knock on you. I just can't read.
And then number six. Okay. Molden?
-Holden. -Nolan? It says Nolan?
Molden? Nolan? -Nolan.
-Okay. My bad. Thank you. Number 96 is Nolan.
Number 95 I can't pronounce.
And then number 97, Amy.
So we have numbers 91 through 97.
You are up. And Riley, the floor is yours.
Remember, we're not going to start the timer
until Riley states their name and all their intro stuff,
and then they'll get into their comment.
Thank you.
-Good afternoon. My name is Riley Avron.
I live in West Seattle, Councilmember Saka's district.
I'm here to ask for more homes and more housing choices
in every neighborhood, including mine.
My landlord is in the process of raising my rent.
And he understands, in fact, specifically said,
the shortage of units and the one or two that won't last long,
that was his justification for raising my rent.
So he understands when there's a shortage of units,
he can raise my rent and he has all the power.
And you know what?
He got the rent increase he wanted.
I had no power because I couldn't go anywhere else.
There was no units like that anywhere in my neighborhood.
Our housing shortage is urgent.
It affects me and it affects all of your constituents.
Please pass a bold Comprehensive Plan.
The most popular option during the three years
of public outreach we've already done, and get it done.
Thank you. -Thank you, Riley.
Number 92, Nicholas, followed by number 93, Chun.
Hi, Nicholas. -Hi.
-I'm Nick.
I'm here in favor of the comp plan.
I'm a mental health therapist.
I grew up and live now currently in Seattle
and currently work here in the Northgate area.
My family's been here for four generations now,
yet as even going to grad school, being a therapist,
over half my income goes to rent.
I've watched many of my young clients
who grew up in this city be priced out
and have to leave the city.
I've seen how this impacts their lives.
I know many other social service workers
that support the community,
residents that want to live and work in Seattle,
but can't because of the cost. Please support this comp plan.
I think it would be really helpful to a lot of that.
And I think it does make me sad
that sometimes I feel people care more about trees
than actual humans and their own life experiences.
Thank you.
-All right. Thank you, Nicholas.
We have number 93, Chun, and then number 94, Cheryl.
Hi, Chun. -Hi. My name is Chun.
I'm a homeowner in District 1.
I'm here to address the Comprehensive Plan.
I asked the council to adopt the most generous possible options
in a Comprehensive Plan to build denser housing and neighborhood
centers for our communities,
removing setback and parking requirements.
Too many of my friends are either planning to
or dread having to leave the city with
how expensive it is to have a roof above our heads,
much less starting families and raising children.
Their jobs are essential to us, a restaurant chef,
an office admin, an editor.
I work in tech, and with all due respect to my colleagues,
I don't want to live in a city of just tech workers
and their bosses.
I want my own retired parents, my younger friends,
my service industry friends to afford
to be my neighbors and thrive.
Trees can be replanted and regrown.
I've done that. All homeowners here can do that.
Trees for Seattle, thank you.
Please fill more housing, and so we will.
Thank you. -Thank you, Chun.
Next, that was number 93, 94, Cheryl,
followed by number 95 -- 94, Cheryl.
-Hi. My name's Cheryl Hargesheimer.
I've never come before a council before,
but I feel so strongly about what's happening
with the tree canopy,
and I'm hoping that you will realize
that the building affordable housing
and having a tree canopy are not mutually exclusive.
I was speaking to 120.993.
There's some really good recommended changes for it,
and one of them being not allowing the setback
to be decreased, but be sure to have enough room for trees.
I think you can all agree that cutting down a tree
that has a 62-inch diameter being replaced
by a couple of 2-inch diameter trees doesn't really cut it,
and so please consider keeping our tree canopy.
Thank you.
-Thank you, Cheryl. Next, we have number 95.
I butchered your name. I'm so sorry.
-It's all good. My name's Holden.
I'm a resident of D7.
-You're Holden. Okay, okay, I got you.
-You can make it out now. -Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
-As long as it's not Hayden or Colton,
you know, those are my least favorites.
-Holden, I got you. All right.
-But I'm talking in reference to the Comprehensive Plan.
So in Seattle, there's about 460,000 cars.
It takes about 240 trees
to offset a single car in a given year.
In order to offset all of those cars,
we would need 110,400,000 trees.
There are about 4.5 million trees in the city of Seattle.
So in a forest, you got about 150 trees per acre.
And at that scale,
we would need about 736,000 acres in order
to offset all the cars in the city,
which is about 1,150 square miles.
We have 84 square miles in the city of Seattle.
It's unreasonable to expect
that we have that many trees in the city,
but it is reasonable and sensible
to build denser housing,
making it easier for folks to walk, bike, take transit.
Let's see more neighborhood centers,
especially over on Nickerson.
Let's see some stacked flats, some density bonuses,
support a bolder Comprehensive Plan.
Thank you so much, council. -Thank you, Holden.
I can make it out now since you said it.
I got you. Yeah, no, you're good.
Thank you, man. Next, we have Nolan.
Hi. And then Amy. Awesome. Number 97.
All right. 96, Nolan. All you.
-Thank you. Hi, everyone. I'm Nolan.
And I'll be speaking in favor of a bold Comprehensive Plan.
I am a renter living in Wallingford,
and I am fortunate that I can afford to live in a neighborhood
where I can walk to work and have access to reliable transit.
Many people in Seattle, teachers, retail workers,
neighbors here
that are essential to our communities
cannot afford to live near where they work.
We need reform to fix this.
More people should be able to enjoy what I can enjoy
in my neighborhood.
We can make this possible with bold action
in the Comprehensive Plan by adding more
and bigger neighborhood centers and building more housing,
especially dense housing in walkable transit rich areas.
People want to live in Seattle.
Let's welcome them with a plan that makes room for all of us.
Thank you. -Awesome. Thank you, Nolan.
We have number 97, Amy.
Great. -Height adjustment. Okay.
So I am Amy Bailey.
I'm a district four homeowner, a former landlord,
chair of the housing and homelessness
task force for the Seattle Human Rights Commission.
I'm speaking as an individual,
although the Human Rights Commission is a signatory
to the Complete Communities Coalition's letter.
So housing policy is a matter of racial and gender equity
and of social justice.
And I give my strongest endorsement
for increased housing density,
transit-oriented development and affordable housing.
We must have more density
and also require more from market-based developers,
including, in absentia Councilmember Rivera,
in our neighborhood.
Seattle made a similar mistake relying
on market-based solutions
when it changed code regulations to apply to allow
for ADUs and DADUs.
And many of these were built and transitioned quickly,
not into long-term affordable housing,
but turned into Airbnbs.
The current proposal allows too few affordable housing units,
fails to mandate equivalency between affordable
and market-based housing.
And we need housing that meets the needs of all Seattleites
in all family forms and across all income levels.
Lower-income workers
who are disproportionately people of color
and white women must be able to remain in the city
and contribute to our economy and culture.
Thank you. -Thank you so much.
Next, we have speakers 101 to 102, 103, 104, 105.
And I will call off your names.
So we have Brandon. Brandon is at number 101.
Give me one second, Brandon,
because I'm going to say other people's names as well.
Thank you. We have 102, Hunter. Number 103, Katie Wilson.
104, Zach Hansen.
And number 105, I think Emily. All right. Awesome.
So Brandon, you have the floor is yours.
-My name is Brandon Derbletcher.
I live in Belltown, which is District 7.
I have a plan that will save trees,
save the orcas, and reduce housing prices,
all without evicting anyone from their home.
My plan is to vastly increase allowed density
across the entire city, keep all neighborhood centers,
and add new neighborhood centers.
Zoning for dense, affordable housing in the city
prevents up to hundreds of trees per lot in the suburbs,
where people will move to if they can't afford
to live in Seattle,
from being destroyed to make way for single-family homes.
If you want to plant more trees in the city
to offset trees removed for developments,
may I suggest removing parking spots and planting trees there?
These trees can grow to be much larger
in just a couple of decades.
It's also more effective to plant many trees
than to just save one or two.
Zoning for dense, affordable housing in the city
will cut down on the amount of driving that people have to do,
which saves orcas.
Zoning for dense, affordable housing
will allow developers to build more homes
and drag down housing costs.
We desperately need more housing in the city.
Please vote to allow it to be built.
Thank you. -Thank you, Brandon.
Next, we have Hunter is next.
Hi, Hunter. -Hey. My name is Hunter.
I live in District 1,
and I'm here for more affordable housing.
We need stacked flats.
We need bigger neighborhood centers.
And it just feels like we're stuck
between two political parties.
One where Democrats refuse to do anything and Republicans
who want to destroy everything.
And so what I'm asking is that you make bold change
so we don't lose our country. I mean,
if we think climate change is bad because of loss of trees,
if we can't get Democrats in the House and the Senate,
I mean, none of that matters.
So what I'm asking is to please make bold change
for housing for our country.
Thanks. -Thank you, Hunter.
Number 103, we have Katie Wilson followed
by Zach Hansen and Emily, number 105.
Welcome, Katie. -Hi, Councilmembers.
Katie Wilson. Great to be here. I'm a renter on Capitol Hill.
Previously in Seattle,
I was a renter in Greenwood and Finney Ridge
and the Central District.
Over the time that I've lived here,
I have watched and felt rents climb and climb and climb.
The cost of everything is out of control,
from childcare to groceries.
And the common denominator is housing costs.
People are going to keep moving to our region
and we need to plan for that growth.
So I'm here to urge you to adopt a strong Comprehensive Plan
that allows for more housing in neighborhoods
throughout our city.
I urge you to expand the affordable housing density bonus
citywide, make that available for social housing as well.
Increase the bonus for stacked flats
and allow it to be used on all lots.
And establish more neighborhood centers in neighborhoods
throughout our city
so that we can welcome more neighbors to our city.
Make sure that people like my daughter can grow up
and build a life here.
Thank you. -Awesome. Thank you, Katie.
Next, we have Zach 104, followed by Emily 105.
-Hello, Councilmembers. My name is Zach Hanson.
I'm a renter in Fremont.
The Comprehensive Plan update is our once-in-a-generation
chance to fix our broken housing system.
Zoning restrictions have held us back for decades
and you all have the power to change that.
We need denser neighborhoods so people can live near parks,
schools, jobs and transit.
That means ending parking mandates,
reducing arbitrary setbacks and allowing more housing per lot.
Let's expand neighborhood centers,
legalize stacked flats near transit
and make family sized middle housing possible in every zone.
This isn't just about housing supply.
It's about affordability, opportunity and fairness.
We shouldn't aim for the state minimums.
Please support bold change, zoning and land use.
That will build a city
where everyone across all incomes can find a home.
We can choose to shape change now
or spend years wishing we had.
Thank you. -Awesome. Thank you, Zach.
Next, we have Emily, Speaker 105.
Hi, Emily. -Hi.
I'm a renter in Wallingford
and I would like to stay in Wallingford.
Someday, I'd like to buy something,
maybe a little cottage or a unit
and co-housing development in a multiplex.
Please make it easier to build middle housing
all over the city.
Please expand the neighborhood hubs, especially in Wallingford.
And just as a follow up,
Tangletown already is a neighborhood hub.
It is an excellent one
and I think we should share it with more people.
It will grow as it needs to grow.
Thank you. -Awesome. Thank you, Emily.
Next, we have Speaker 121, Brendan Wallace.
Brendan? Welcome. Come on down. The price is right.
-Hi. Thank you. I'm Brendan.
I'm a PhD student at the University of Washington.
-Could you pause there?
Could you talk more into the mic?
Yeah. Yeah. Let me hear you. No, perfect.
We'll restart your time. You're good.
Hold on. No worries. Give me one second.
All right.
And you're going to say your name
and then what bill you're speaking about.
And then we'll start the timer.
-Perfect.
-Awesome. Okay. -Hi. I'm Brendan Wallace.
I'm speaking about the Comprehensive Plan.
So I live in Upper Fremont,
which is one of the rare neighborhoods
that allows small apartment buildings off of the arterial.
So there's a good mix of single-family housing.
There are stacked flats.
There are slightly bigger apartment buildings.
I live in one of those mid-size apartment buildings.
It's actually really nice. So I walk to the grocery store.
I walk to the coffee shop. I ride my bike to school.
I get that change can be scary for people,
but I actually think
that this kind of gentle density is super nice.
So I'm just here to speak in support
of expanding the neighborhood centers,
having more and bigger neighborhood centers,
and more support for the stacked flats.
Thank you. -Thank you, Brendan.
Thank you so much.
You can tell you have good energy, Brendan.
I just want to say that.
Seriously, I could tell from y'all who got good energy.
All y'all have good energy, but Brendan has good energy.
So I can't play favorites.
Everyone has great energy.
Okay, so right now we're going to wait for
more people to sign up,
but what I'm going to do
is repeat back what I have been hearing
and what my colleagues have been hearing from you all
regarding the comment.
And then if there's no one that signs up,
we'll go to a recess because the sign up period is until 6:30.
So I realize that some people are getting off 5:00, 5:30.
They're going to make their way down here.
As long as you're in line by 6:30,
you will be able to speak for public comment.
So we just want to make sure that we are honoring everyone.
So what I heard was obviously we heard a lot about trees.
We heard a lot about abundant housing.
That word abundance, we've heard that a lot.
We've heard a lot about stacked flats.
We heard from a young woman about accessibility
and having units that have wheelchair accessibility,
wide doorways, hallways.
We heard about walkable neighborhoods from folks.
We also heard about lot coverage.
We heard about parking minimums.
We heard about transit opportunities.
So housing on transit corridors,
but also into neighborhoods as well.
People want to be able to live in neighborhoods.
We talked about expansion of neighborhood centers.
We also heard about pedestrians,
for us to pedestrianize more of the city.
I'm seeing a lot of hands wave.
So that means we must be on the right.
I heard correctly. Yes. Awesome.
I have really good listening ears.
We heard the yes and approach from folks.
We also heard about people with social housing
that said that people wanted opportunities
for social housing.
Type of housing, we've heard about that, duplexes, triplexes.
We also heard about also AI pollution as well.
Someone talked about that. That is real.
Right now, going on in Memphis,
Elon Musk is polluting a bunch of black neighborhoods
with 30 combustible gas turbines
that are constantly running 24 hours a day,
seven days a week in Memphis, Tennessee.
And there are black neighborhoods
that are being polluted by AI currently right now.
So I had to say that
because I have been reading about that for months now.
And there are people that are dying and getting asthma
and getting lung disease currently right now in Memphis,
Texas, from these massive amounts of AI turbines
that are going constantly with gas.
So I had to say that because someone said AI pollution.
That is true.
Also, we've also heard about the rent is too darn high.
And we heard about someone getting priced out
because there wasn't enough apartments in their neighborhood
and their landlord was able to up the rent.
I think that gentleman lived in West Seattle.
So we've heard about a lot of these things today.
And I know that we'll continue to hear more from you all
and how we can address these things
in the Comprehensive Plan.
So we have one speaker that signed up while I was rambling.
So we will get to that speaker
and then we will go into a recess
and wait for more speakers. I don't have that person's name,
but I'm assuming they're number -- what number are you?
122.
That is the lucky number for the lottery today.
How are you doing?
-Hi, my name is Simon and I am a young Seattleite,
very proud young Seattleite, actually.
I'm here today to speak like highly in favor
of like any amount of like housing,
anything that can make rent cheaper.
Because right now, for families like mine
who are low-income and, you know,
for my future and for whatever anyone else or,
you know, people I went to high school with.
You know, I recently graduated from Lincoln.
It is very do-or-die right now.
We have a lot of issues here, like a ton.
And like one of them is homelessness.
And one of the things that like jumps out
is that we need housing.
We'll like talk about how this is such an issue or access
is such an issue.
But like it really is like,
I personally cannot afford to live outside of my home
right now with my family
and they can barely afford their rent.
And the situation is really dire is what I guess I'll say.
And thank you.
-Awesome. Thank you so much. Thank you, Murphy.
And I had a signal that there's another person as well.
So I think that's 122 and we'll wait for them.
And then after this person,
we will go on a quick recess while we're waiting.
Hello.
I know you walk right into public comment
and you get the red carpet treatment right to the front.
-What luxury? -Yes. Any mic you can use.
If you want to use the middle mic, you can.
Use whichever one is most comfortable for you.
No, no, no, no. Yeah. Yeah, this mic.
You just come. Yeah. -I just got here.
-Yeah, you're good.
We thought you were coming back here to give us something.
No, you're good. Yeah.
-I'll give you some snacks here.
-Yeah. No, you're good. Just right there.
-I did bring some if anyone needs some.
All right. So hi.
I've had zero time to prep and that's not a problem.
My name's Dan. I just hiked up the hill.
I'm a little bit tired, but that's okay.
-Do you want to catch your breath, Dan?
You can catch your breath before you start.
You're good. We have time. -So my name's Dan Love.
I am a D4 resident. I live in Maple Leaf.
I think you guys have heard a lot
from Maple Leaf for this round.
I'm a combat veteran, father of three...
...at least fourth generation Washingtonian,
third generation Seattleite.
And I don't feel like the reality here
is matching with what a lot of people wish they saw in Seattle.
I lived in Germany for four and a half years
and Germany had this level of density in public transit
that everyone here seems to love.
And we still see a lot of that
in what our council's decisions have reflected.
So I would love to see a little more of acting
like we're Germany and being a better place
for people to live and a little bit less acting
like we're trying to make corporations lots of money.
And that's all I have to say.
Thanks. -Awesome. Thank you, Dan.
And thank you for your service.
-Thanks for your support. -Thank you so much.
And so right now, if there's no objections,
we're going to go into a quick recess
while we wait for more people.
And we will return -- let me look at the clerk
because I'm not sure.
I'm going off the top of my head.
15 minutes. Okay.
Can I do 5:45? Yeah.
Okay. So we're going to do 5:45 where we're going to return.
So 5:45 is when we will return.
We are going to be at recess till 5:45 p.m.
and we get more people signed up.
Awesome. Thank you all.
♪♪
Awesome. Welcome back, colleagues.
I believe that we have to take a roll real quick.
Would we?
Would the clerk please call the roll?
-Councilmember Kettle. -Here.
-Councilmember Moore.
Council President Nelson.
Councilmember Rinck. -Present.
-Councilmember Rivera.
Councilmember Saka.
Councilmember Strauss. -Present.
-Councilmember Solomon. -Present.
-And Councilmember Hollingsworth.
-I am here. -Five present.
-Awesome. Five present. Thank you, colleagues.
We have returned from recess,
and we are going to continue our public hearing.
Remember, just for the public,
that public hearing sign-up is open until 6:30.
Right now it's 5:51.
So if you come down and you are in line by 6:30,
you're able to sign up and be able to give public comment.
We have had our morning public comment.
That started at 9:30 this morning.
We heard over 80-plus speakers,
and then today we had a number of people sign up.
And so we took a little recess,
and now we are back and looking forward to the speakers
that are here today.
And so we will get started with those.
So this is officially, we've come back to,
this is the public hearing for Council Bill 120.985
and Council Bill 120.993.
So we have two speakers, number 141 and number 142.
You all are next, Speaker 141 and 142.
Welcome so much.
So what you'll do is you'll just say your name,
which council bill.
If you're doing both bills that you're addressing,
you can say, hey, I'm here to talk about both bills,
and then the time will start.
So you'll get a full one minute of your comments.
Okay? -Okay.
-Awesome. Thank you. -Okay. Hi.
My name is Ian Crozier.
I am here to comment on both bills.
I live up in Capitol Hill. I'm an urban planner.
I work with cities all around the state.
I see a lot of Comprehensive Plan land use maps.
And I think the thing that's really easy
to do always as a decision maker
when you know that you need housing
is to put the housing in places
where people don't really want to live.
And I think looking at our map,
I think there's a lot of great stuff in the plan.
But I think you might draw the conclusion
that people like living near freeways,
near industrial areas, inland,
people in Seattle don't want to live near the water.
And I think that those are not really true.
And I think that it's really important
that we add the neighborhood centers back into the plan,
especially places like Alki that are, in fact,
neighborhood centers.
You go there, and there are businesses.
There's a diversity of amenities and everything.
And also,
the affordable building bonus for the middle housing.
Otherwise, the middle housing bill looks great.
So you should pass it. Thank you.
-Awesome. Thank you, Ian.
And thank you for coming, for your comments.
We have Speaker 142.
Welcome. -Hey. My name is Jason Lee.
I am a homeowner in Capitol Hill,
so Chair Hollingsworth, your district.
I am here to speak in favor of more housing
for the Comprehensive Plan.
I love Capitol Hill.
I think it's a great, walkable neighborhood.
I've lived in Capitol Hill for five years without a car.
And unfortunately, during those five years,
I've seen a lot of my friends and neighbors
get priced out of Capitol Hill.
And I think it is a great neighborhood
that people should be able to, you know,
people of all income should be able to experience.
And not only that, I think
that we should be able to bring this experience
to more areas of Seattle.
The reason why Capitol Hill is so popular is
because there's a large density in the area
that allows businesses to thrive there,
allows people to just walk around.
You know, you don't have to go very far to get to
where you need to go.
And if you expand more neighborhood centers in Seattle,
then you can bring this to more areas of the city.
We have larger neighborhood centers.
That means that, you know,
instead of just being able to walk for like a,
you know, like a quarter mile around you,
you have a lot more area
to work with in terms of business and housing.
So yeah, thank you and more housing.
-Awesome. Thank you so much.
We have 141, 142.
I'm looking over at our staff.
Yeah, I see Murphy going, shaking his head no.
That was a nice no. Okay. Thank you, Murphy.
So just for the record,
we're joined by Councilmember Rivera and Councilmember Saka.
Awesome. Welcome.
So just for -- so we can just do a reset here.
The public comment period is open
for people to sign up until 6:30.
We've heard from speakers 141 and 142 while we were at recess.
And so, I'm going to move that we go into another recess
because I know we'll have another wave of people coming.
And I know that you all don't want to see my face
on the Seattle Channel anymore, which is fine.
Maybe you do. Maybe you don't.
I hear people in the crowd saying, yes, they do.
They do want to see my face.
Okay. That's good. Nice. So anyways, thank you.
You all want another minute?
You want to? No, I'm just playing.
Just playing.
So what we'll do now is we're going to go into recess.
We're going to go into recess until 6:20, colleagues.
Is there any objection to that?
6:20, we're going to keep the lines open.
I want to first thank our volunteers.
You all,
you had your staffs volunteer to help with the management
and our central clerk.
They will be out there waiting for people to sign up
and usher them in.
We will return at 6:20 to hear the second wave of folks
that are coming in.
People are just getting off work now and coming down.
So really appreciate everyone's time and attention to this.
So if there's no objection,
I'm going to move that the council be in recess until 6:20.
6:20. Sign up is until 6:30.
So 6:20, we will be in recess and returning.
Thank you.
♪♪
-Thank you, Council President.
-Was that a mic check, Council President?
-Yes.
-Awesome. Thank you.
So welcome back, everyone.
We are still in our session two.
This was our second recess.
We're back from recess.
Thank you for your patience.
Can we go ahead and call the roll?
-Councilmember Kettle. -Here.
-Councilmember Moore.
Council President Nelson. -Present.
-Councilmember Rinck. -Present.
-Councilmember Rivera.
Councilmember Saka. -Here.
-Councilmember Strauss. -Present.
-Councilmember Solomon. -Here.
-And Chair Hollingsworth. -Here.
-Seven present. -Awesome. Seven present.
Looking forward to hearing our public commenters.
Thank you for coming down.
We still have six minutes that we're keeping open
for people to sign up.
Please remember that you can still sign up until 6:30.
Even if you're in line, you'll still get a chance to speak.
So we have some public commenters that signed up.
So we're going to call up numbers 161 to 164.
So we have -- is it Marti, 161? It is? Awesome. 161.
And then we have 162, Alec, followed by 163,
which is Leo, followed by Scott Berkley, 164.
And just a reminder, please tell us your name and which bill
that you're speaking on.
It could be both bills.
You could say just, hey, both bills,
Comprehensive Plan, both bills.
And then we'll go ahead and start the clock
so you'll have your full one minute.
Okay, awesome.
And we've been joined by Councilmember Rivera online.
Thank you. Okay, hold on, Marti. One second.
We've got to put up the clock.
Thank you, Councilmember Rivera.
We have to put up the clock.
One second. You don't get one second.
You get one minute.
-How many speakers do we have?
-So we currently have five speakers.
Yeah. Five speakers.
But there could be some that sign up between now and 6:30.
Awesome. Marti, you're ready to go.
-Yes, hi.
I'm Marti McHugh, and I happen to live in Green Lake.
But really, what I want to address is citywide.
We have, at West Green Lake,
put together a proposal as an alternative,
and we've given it to Dan in District 6.
And I just emailed it to all of you to have a look at.
And you can see it at westgreenlake.com.
And it's a compromise proposal for the neighborhood center
at West Green Lake.
Now, we at West Green Lake
are all in favor of people having a place
to live that's affordable and comfortable and et cetera.
I have in my hand right here, though,
or maybe in addition,
attachment one, council work program,
city council topics for permanent legislation,
and one of those is helping to prevent predatory development.
I feel very strongly, as do all of us,
that those of us --
-I know it was a quick minute.
-[ Speaks indistinctly ]
-Thank you, Marti.
And if you have additional comments,
thank you for sending us those emails.
We'll make sure that we read that.
If you have anything additional,
you can throw in the bucket if you had anything.
-It's just the addendum attachment.
-Yeah, if you wanted that to be part of the record.
-Absolutely. -All right. Thank you, Marti.
Oh, sorry. Go ahead.
162, Alec, followed by 163, Leo, and then Scott, 164,
and then we have 181, Sanders. -Hello.
I'm Alec Muzante, and I want to speak on my Comprehensive Plan.
-Hold on.
If you could pull that mic towards you
and speak in that so we can hear you.
Awesome. Perfect. -All right.
So I just want to encourage -- can I start?
-Yeah, you're good. Yeah.
-I just want to encourage the council
to don't compromise on the Comprehensive Plan.
Like, expand out these neighborhood centers,
because what will help Seattle's housing problem
and also help me as well,
because I would like to afford a house here one day.
I currently rent.
But just increase the density in housing,
keep them next to transit
so that it's easy to get around the city,
and don't cut back on the neighborhood centers
as they are.
They can be so much better, and I don't want to see them,
like, only half-baked
when they actually are built sometime in the future.
Thank you. -Awesome. Thank you so much.
Next, we have Speaker 162.
Awesome. 163. That was Alec. Now we have Leo.
My bad. Hi, Leo. Welcome. -Speaking on both bills.
Or proposals. Hi, my name is Leo Kitchell.
I'm a longtime resident of Seattle.
I live in Madison Park.
I want to speak in favor of a bold, strong Comprehensive Plan.
Zoning is a pernicious issue because it involves a large
but diffuse benefit and a concentrated cost
or perceived cost. As councilmembers,
I assume you hear the specific concerns,
particularly of those with the time, money, and other resources
to make those concerns heard.
I urge you to think more holistically.
Councilmember Hollingsworth,
I urge you specifically to help make
our district more affordable, for example,
by strengthening our neighborhood centers
and not paring back Madison Park, Majorna, et cetera.
Council President Nelson, as a citywide representative,
the challenge of diffuse benefits
is even more significant.
I was heartened by the pro-housing statement
in the candidate forum.
All of the leading candidates, we're strongly pro-housing.
Please live up to this moment.
And your campaign statements,
all rise to this opportunity to build a Seattle
that works for all. -Thank you, Leo.
Next, we have Scott Berkley, followed by Sanders.
Hi, Scott.
-Hi, everybody. My name is Scott Berkley.
I am a District 1 resident in the beautiful West Seattle.
And I am a member of a group called Tech for Housing.
So you can call me a tech bro.
It would be a fair characterization.
And as such,
I've had the opportunity to spend a little bit of time
in San Francisco,
which we can think of as maybe a comparable city to Seattle,
our older sibling on the West Coast,
and a cautionary tale of what can happen to a city
if they make it too hard to build housing.
Just incredible rates of inequality, of homelessness,
of all sorts of dysfunction.
And so I'd like to inspire us to a sense of civic pride
that Seattle should be the shining beacon on the West Coast
of what it looks like when we run a city well,
when we build enough housing.
Just that everyone can talk about Seattle
as the example of success,
and we can make it happen in this Comprehensive Plan.
Thank you. -Awesome. Thank you, Scott.
Next, we have Sanders. Hi, Sanders. Welcome.
Whichever mic is most comfortable.
-Hi, my name is Sanders.
I'm speaking on the HB 1110 legislation.
While the state law is a great first step in allowing housing
citywide, I think it's important for the city to make sure
that what gets passed in HB 1110
aligns with what will be in the comp plan
when that legislation is passed.
In this chaotic time nationally,
housing builders need stability in their city.
If HB 1110 aligns with the future comp plan,
builders can get started now versus waiting for
the comp plan to get implemented before starting
on future construction plans. Thank you.
-Awesome. Thank you, Sanders.
And I will check with my team over there.
Okay. Awesome.
So that was our last signed up public speakers with Sanders.
Thank you so much.
And I know that the public comment period is now --
well, this is the public hearing -- period is now closed.
So thank you all. I want to thank the people.
There's a couple of thank yous.
The people that all signed up this morning to speak.
Thank you all.
Thank you all to the people who came down here in person
to come and speak, to all the young people that came to speak,
especially that's our young youth that are 10,
12, 15, and also our young folks under the age of 35.
Is that a good amount? Is this what I said last time?
35? Yeah. That's a good amount. Our young folks under 35.
It's that Gen Z, millennial age.
I'm an older millennial, but it's that Gen Z millennial age.
Thank you all for coming down to speak as well about
the Comprehensive Plan.
We know how incredibly important this is to people.
And that's why we have really put a lot of time
and work in this, between meeting with people,
also doing public comments and hearing about things
and talking to people one-on-one.
Sometimes I miss somebody's email.
People will be like, I sent you five, six emails.
I get a thousand emails
and I'm constantly trying my best to go through
every single email.
And sometimes I miss it.
And trust me, I hear about it
when people put it on Bluesky or Twitter or Instagram,
they tell me, you missed my email.
Please know, give me some grace, resend it to me
because I definitely want to respond to it.
So just want to say that.
Also want to thank the city clerks
for all your hard work and time and effort in this
and all the volunteers that help a lot.
People don't know there's a lot of stuff
that goes on behind the public hearing,
from IT, all the work that they have to do behind the scenes,
to our security, all the work that they have to do,
to our staff, our clerk's office, the volunteers,
the councilmembers, it's our job.
But also the people
that are making us look as best as possible
and keeping the city run. So just thank you all as well.
A couple housekeeping things and deadlines so people know.
Our next -- councilmembers,
you all know that our next concepts are due for --
did you sign up for public comment?
No. Okay.
I just want to make sure we didn't miss anyone.
So you're all good. Did you want to sign up?
Did you want to come give public comment?
I don't want to put you on blast.
Okay. Awesome.
All I need you to do is just sign up on here.
Can you sign up on here?
No. -It's past 6:30.
-He was here. He was in line. He was in line.
-Okay. -He was in line. I saw him.
-Thank you. -He was in line. Thank you.
He was in line. Thank you. You were in line.
Yep.
And so we have one more public commenter before I wrap up.
You're all good.
And you can go ahead.
We're going to put the timer up on.
We just wanted to make sure that we got everybody
who was standing in line so they could give public comment.
Take your time. You're good.
Is that an Oklahoma City Thunder shirt on?
-Oh. Yeah. -Oh my God.
-What are you doing here?
I didn't see him in line. I didn't see him.
-Sorry. -Is that a joke?
-This is unbelievable.
-Nope. -Hold on. Freedom of speech.
Can you put a sticky note over that?
-Oh, I'll hand to chest.
-Okay. Hand to chest. Oh my gosh.
The day after?
-Dang. -Okay.
I'm messing with you and I'm kind of not.
All right.
-I do have a spare shirt in the office.
Would you like to borrow it?
-Yeah. Is it a signed shirt? Okay.
We're going to let you go ahead and do your public comment
and then we're going to officially close it.
We saw you in line.
So we just want to make sure you got to do public comment.
-Okay. -All right.
And make sure you speak in the mic.
-Okay. Okay. Thank you. Councilmember Hollingsworth.
I'm in District 3,
a Capitol Hill resident, moved from Oklahoma.
I'm sorry. Big Thunder fan.
But all that to say -- I'm trying to wrap up my speech.
Coming from a very hostile community for queer residents,
it's really nice to be in a place that --
finding a community in Capitol Hill of people
who fully accept me for who I am.
It's something I cherish about being here.
Something that I wish other people would have
the ability to do.
31 seconds.
Because of that,
I'm a big advocate for us having more housing in the city,
especially meeting every economic band
that were allocated from all sorts of --
like PSRC, everything.
And really the state is leading the charge on this.
I've been really embarrassed to watch the mayor and council's
response to everything. And we need to add
in as many neighborhood growth centers as possible.
We need to spread the wealth and development
to allow for people across the world
to move to this beautiful community
and be a part of all different --
-Awesome. Thank you.
Beautifully said, even from a Oklahoma City Thunder fan,
but thank you for that.
Sorry. That threw me off. That threw me off.
I'm sorry, but I appreciate the comment
and thank you for coming to a better city than Oklahoma City.
Yeah. No, just give me that one right now.
You're wearing -- just give me that.
I know.
But no, I really appreciate those comments.
And just to wrap up, we've heard from a number of folks
about how Seattle will be, is be -- is be?
-- will be, and is a safe haven for a lot of our trans,
our gay community, a lot of our immigrant families,
a lot of our people that are vulnerable neighbors.
We see people coming here a lot. And so we want to welcome them.
And I understand people talking about,
hey, we need more housing to welcome them.
So thank you for that comment.
I also want to reiterate a couple house cleaning things.
We also have another meeting Friday, July 11th at 2:00 p.m.
So that's Friday, July 11th at 2:00 p.m.
That is our next scheduled committee meeting.
Colleagues, you all know
that amendment concepts are due on the 25th this week
to central staff
so we can start getting those amendments together
for the Comprehensive Plan. And I have repeated this.
There will be a chair's package
that we will put together as well.
But councilmembers can also bring all
their own amendments as well. So we will have a great time.
All right. So thank you all. Sorry, I'm a little shaken
by that Oklahoma City Thunder shirt.
I'm not going to lie. I'm a little shaken by that.
That got me, man. Anyway, okay.
I don't know if there's any other comments
that any other councilmembers want to make
before we conclude the meeting. Looking.
-Madam Chair, point of personal privilege.
I'll just say, thank you.
You've done an amazing job not just today's meeting,
but this whole process
and grateful to be able to work alongside you
and have this run so smoothly.
But also to that gentleman,
I'm still traumatized from what happened last night.
We welcome everyone from wherever you come from
in the country and in the world,
but I really do wish you came up here
and wore some Oklahoma Sooners swag
or some Cowboys swag of some sort.
The thunder is just a little too raw.
I think you did redeem yourself.
You have a very, very nice mustache.
So shout out to my fellow mustachioed man out there.
Um, looking great.
Thank you.
-All right. Thank you, Councilmember Saka.
With that, do my colleagues have any more items of business?
If not, seeing none,
that this is going to conclude our June 23rd
public hearing for the select committee
on the Comprehensive Plan. It is a cool 6:40 p.m.
The next meeting is going to be Friday, July 11th at 2:00 p.m.
And if there's no further business,
this meeting is adjourned. Hearing none, we are adjourned.
Oh, was there somebody else on?
No, that was y'all just waving.
Okay. We're adjourned. Thank you.
♪♪