NEWS GLEAMS | Mayor Harrell Releases Draft of One Seattle Plan, Movement Asks WA Voters to Vote 'Uncommitted'

A roundup of news and announcements we don't want to get lost in the fast-churning news cycle!

by Vee Hua 華婷婷

Mayor Bruce Harrell Releases Draft of One Seattle Comprehensive Plan

On March 5, Mayor Bruce Harrell released an initial draft of his One Seattle Comprehensive Plan, which would serve as a framework to guide the city's growth over the next 20 years. Among the plan's key components is a proposal for increased housing density across all parts of the city, which would hypothetically bring middle housing, which allows denser development, to each neighborhood and expand housing around transit hubs. The plan also seeks to increase walkability in neighborhoods, reduce climate impacts, and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

"The One Seattle Plan takes that type of deliberate and tailored approach — bringing a greater diversity of housing types to every neighborhood, uplifting the voices of neighbors and vulnerable communities, and building a city where teachers, baristas, and working families can afford to live," Harrell stated. "Combined with other ambitious elements of our One Seattle Housing Agenda, like an expanded housing levy and efforts to speed up production of affordable housing, this bold plan is an important step forward as we seek to drive progress on the housing affordability and homelessness crises and create a city with complete neighborhoods where communities can live, work, and thrive."

Though the Harrell administration says that the plan will build over 100,000 housing units over the next 20 years, it still falls significantly short of the number some advocates for "abundant housing" are calling for, and at least 112,000 units short of the needs projected by King County. As reported in The Stranger, "If the City changed absolutely nothing, developers could build 80,000 more units over that 20-year period, according to the newly released Environmental Impact Study. Harrell's plan would allow for at least 20,000 more than the do-nothing option; the plan from housing advocates would have allowed for 200,000 new units to meet the needs of the rapidly growing City."

If passed by the Seattle City Council, the One Seattle Draft Plan calls for 24 new "urban centers," with about 40% of new developments focused around downtown Seattle and nearby neighborhoods, as well as areas such as Capitol Hill and First Hill, University District, Northgate, and Ballard. It would also change zoning in certain residential areas that are currently composed of primarily single-family residences and provide additional homes on particular lots, especially when sites are near transit hubs or would include affordable housing options.

A 60-day public comment period began following the release of the draft plan, which can be viewed on the City of Seattle's website. The Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) is encouraging all community members to provide feedback on the Draft Plan via the One Seattle Plan Engagement Hub or by emailing OneSeattleCompPlan@seattle.gov.

Open Houses will also be hosted — one for each of the seven council districts and one online — in order for the public to discuss the One Seattle Plan and offer in-person feedback. The current draft plan has been informed by citizen input over the past two years.

Uncommitted WA Asks Washington Voters to Vote 'Uncommitted' During March 12 Presidential Primary

A broad coalition of Palestinian-led Washington State organizers, anti-war activists, faith leaders, elected officials, union members, and immigrant community members have joined together to form Uncommitted WA. The group seeks to encourage Democratic voters to vote "uncommitted" in the March 12 Washington State presidential primary in order to send a message to President Joe Biden around the need for an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

"Washington State has never been afraid to do the right thing," Uncommitted WA organizer Kristina Beverlin, stated during a press conference on March 4. "We were the first state in the nation to stand up and challenge former President Trump's horrific Muslim ban. Washington State has been a leader in the cease-fire movement from the beginning, as city and county governments across the states, as well as a multitude of local Democratic party organizations, including the Washington State Democrats, have passed resolutions calling for an end to the violence in Gaza. All of us here today know that Washington is the best state to carry the momentum that we saw last week in Michigan forward, as people across the country joined together to say that we will not be committed to a president who chooses to support and fund unthinkable violence, famine, war, and injustice."

The Washington group's effort to push for "uncommitted" voters comes after over 100,000 voters in Michigan — or about 13% of the Democratic party vote — voted "uncommitted" in late February to send a similar message to Biden. The results in Michigan, which is home to one of the largest Arab American and Muslim populations in the country, kicked off a nationwide movement in other states with large populations who support the Palestinian people.

Many supporters and organizers involved with Uncommitted WA had previously voted for Biden but believe their actions are necessary to convey that their support for him has waned due to his policies around Gaza. As Rami Al-Kabra, the only Palestinian American elected official in Washington, stated, "The most precious tool that we have to hold this president accountable for his harmful policies is our vote. Voting as a way to send a message to the president is the most American thing we can do."

Vote in the Washington State presidential primary by March 12, and view South Seattle Emerald's guide for the ins and outs of voting in King County.

Burien City Council Expands Outdoor 'Anti-Camping Ordinance'

In a 5-2 vote, the Burien City Council has passed an expanded "anti-camping ordinance", adding to their previous outdoor sleeping ban, which prohibits anyone from sleeping on any nonresidential public property — including streets, parks, or any other open area where Burien or governmental agencies have a property interest — between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.

Citing public health, safety, and crime, the expanded ban goes into effect immediately. It will create a buffer zone prohibiting anyone from sleeping within 500 feet of schools, day care centers, libraries, parks, senior centers, and other areas that have been defined by the City Council as "critical." A map shared during the City Council meeting shows that many of the buffer zones are overlapping, which greatly limits the locations where individuals could reside, especially because the buffer zone would be in effect all hours of the day.

The Burien City Council has been criticized due to their lack of ability to create sufficient temporary or permanent housing for their houseless population. In January 2024, the Seattle/King County Coalition on Homelessness and three unhoused people living in Burien filed a lawsuit against the city. The lawsuit challenges Burien's Ordinance 827, saying it violates the Washington State Constitution, by "adopting a vague and almost incomprehensible ordinance that criminalizes the status of being homeless, inflicts cruel and unusual punishment, and deprives individuals of due process," according to a press release by Northwest Justice Project.

The amended anti-camping ordinance also comes after PubliCola was the first site to publish a video of Burien Councilmember Linda Akey, who voted in favor of the amendment. In the phone camera video, which went internationally viral, Akey cites City policies and confronts unhoused individuals in tents around her condo building. She is seen threatening them by saying that their presence was "trespassing" around her home and that she would call the police on them.

Over 30 individuals signed up for public comment around the ordinance, mostly in opposition. The two dissenting Burien Councilmembers, Sarah Moore and Hugo Garcia, voted "no" on the ordinance, citing the existing King County lawsuit and the idea that the ordinance does not address the root causes of homelessness.

📸 Featured Image: Mayor Bruce Harrell has released an initial draft of his One Seattle Comprehensive Plan, which would serve as a framework to guide the city's growth over the next 20 years. (Photo: Susan Fried)

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