Why a new Seattle housing plan is sparking backlash
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Shipping containers await transport at the Port of Seattle in February. Photo: David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson is pushing a plan to allow residential development in the Stadium District, a section of SoDo reserved for industrial use.
Why it matters: The proposal to permit housing and spaces for small manufacturers, artisans, and craftspeople is shaping up to be one of the biggest political battles in Seattle this year.
Driving the news: Nelson's legislation to permit residential development at the edge of the industrial district narrowly passed 3-2 out of a policy committee last week.
The big picture: Proponents include stadium owners, some building trades unions, and Chris Hansen, an investor who gained prominence for his years-long efforts to develop a basketball arena on his land in SoDo, Post Alley reported.
- Supporters argue the plan would alleviate Seattle's housing shortage by adding nearly 1,000 housing units — including about 500 affordable "workforce" units — and boost small business opportunities.
- "Bringing all these pieces together will transform an area long associated with empty streets, vacant buildings, and public safety challenges while providing a much-needed solution to Seattle's housing crisis," said Nelson in the City Council Blog.
The other side: Opponents of the legislation — including the Port of Seattle, the Washington Farm Bureau, several large labor unions and others — outlined their concerns in a letter, including potential disruption to freight mobility and increased congestion.
What they're saying: "Putting housing across the street from our deepwater terminal and on our primary freight route is a serious logistical problem," Port of Seattle Commission president Toshiko Hasegawa told the committee last week.
- "You will drive business to Canada or California. And without volume, longshoremen don't work."
Catch up quick: Opponents further argue that Nelson's bill breaks a 2023 agreement that kept the Stadium District industrial-only, a deal widely seen as a hard-fought compromise, Port of Seattle spokesperson Chris Guizlo told Axios.
- The city rezoned SoDo's industrial lands two years ago, allowing limited housing in some areas but preserving the Stadium District for industrial use.
- A last-minute decision to strip housing from the plan helped secure the Port of Seattle's support for the broader zoning overhaul, PubliCola reports.
- Nelson's proposal would reverse that exclusion, extending residential zoning to the Stadium District and bringing it in line with other industrial areas in SoDo where some housing is already allowed.
What's next: The proposed legislation is slated to go before the full council on March 18.