Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson ceremonially signed legislation Tuesday aimed at streamlining parts of the city’s environmental appeals process and reducing delays f
Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson ceremonially signed legislation Tuesday aimed at streamlining parts of the city’s environmental appeals process and reducing delays for housing and planning measures.
Council Bill 121215, sponsored by Councilmember Eddie Lin of District 2, was passed by the Seattle City Council on July 28.
The legislation changes the appeals process under the State Environmental Policy Act, or SEPA, in some instances to reduce delays and legal hurdles.
Wilson was joined at the signing by Lin and representatives from Puget Sound Sage and House Our Neighbors.
“Streamlining how we build housing is an important way to make sure families aren’t pushed out of Seattle, that people can grow their lives here, and that the workers who keep this city running can afford to live in it,” Wilson said.
The ordinance is intended to allow the city to consider and adopt housing and planning legislation more efficiently and accelerate timelines for construction of different types of housing.
Lin, who sponsored the legislation and chairs the council’s Land Use Committee, said the SEPA appeals system has caused delays and uncertainty in long-range planning.
“This legislation reduces the bureaucracy so we can get to work building the diverse types of housing which uplift the needs of all community members,” Lin said.
The changes preserve project-based appeals as well as appeals of housing and planning legislation to the Growth Management Hearings Board.
The board provides a path for challenging whether plans comply with city, county and state laws.
Lin said the city can pursue additional housing while maintaining environmental priorities, including its urban tree canopy, clean air and green spaces.
House Our Neighbors, which advocates for social housing, also supported the legislation.
“At House Our Neighbors, we are thrilled that this bill will enable greater predictability in planning social housing development for decades to come,” said Jeff Paul, the organization’s co-executive director.
Paul said the organization hopes the legislation will help support social housing development throughout Seattle.
