Our City Wants Us to Participate in Major Review of Its Comprehensive Plan

Here’s some news about the City’s Comprehensive Plan and what it means for you. This information below comes directly from the Seattle Department of Community Development’s site to ours for our community’s potential use and involvement.

The City is kicking off a Major Review of the Seattle Comprehensive Plan. Specific questions and issues are now being discussed between DPD, other City departments, and the Seattle Planning Commission. We want you to be part of these discussions, which focus on basic planning issues like how to manage growth. As Seattle grows, we’ll have to provide attractive and affordable places to live. We’ll need to develop reliable transit to connect our neighborhoods. All of this needs to take into consideration climate change and a challenging economy.

This new Review of Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan will produce a practical and visionary roadmap, expressing Seattle’s values and vision for the next 20 years. The plan will spell out specific goals and policies affecting the natural environment, land use, transportation, housing, and open space. These goals are the building blocks of all the City’s plans and programs. The Comp Plan also provides specific guidance for where to locate new housing and jobs, and makes state-required changes.

By state law, the Comprehensive Plan must be consistent with the regional growth management strategy (Vision 2040), and the King County Countywide Planning Policies. Since those documents have been recently updated, part of the Review will be to ensure that Seattle’s Plan remains consistent with them.

What does this all mean for me?

The Major Review is your opportunity to influence Seattle’s future. Like any household, we periodically need to take stock of our assets and decide on our future direction. In this case, the household is our city. This summer we’ll ask for your initial ideas about topics the Plan already covers or new ideas that it should cover.

The last Major Review happened in 2004 — quite a while ago! Since 2004, Seattle has changed. 2010 Census data shows that Seattle’s population has increased by 8% since 2000 to a new high of 608,000 people. Seattle now has an expanded modern transit system with light rail and a streetcar. By 2030, Seattle expects 120,000 new residents and 115,000 new jobs.

With so many new facts to consider, how do we promote good planning, keep Seattle’s unique qualities, and address the challenges of the economy, climate change and new growth? Your input during the Major Review will help ensure the final revised Plan will reflect a 20 year vision for the Seattle community.

by Dale Johnson

Updated: July 22, 2011

Category: Broadview Community Council, Development, Living Here