Join us for ReVision Seattle 2.0
October 19, 2026

Bitter Lake Community Center
7pm - 8:30pm

The Mayor’s proposed “Taller, Denser, Faster” strategy to accelerate high density development will affect every neighborhood in Seattle. Join us to learn how Seattle can grow sustainably and equitably, welcoming families, seniors, and all levels of income, while maintaining its environmental sustainability for a long-term future.

The evening’s presentation covers where the Comprehensive Plan stands now, what is being planned by the city, propose solutions, and share ways to get involved and make your voice heard.

At thie event, learn how cities deal with the pressures of growth, while expanding affordable housing. Market-driven density, when purely guided by the principles of trickle down economics, lead to gentrification, displacement, and the erasure of nature from the urban environment.

Register Now!
TREE ACTION SEATTLE FEATURE: THE CITY OF SEATTLE HAS A CREDIBILITY PROBLEM WHEN IT COMES TO TREES
YouTube Playlist: ReVision Seattle event, June 2026

MISSION

A growth strategy for Seattle that results in housing attainable to middle income households, protects the environment, and supports livable neighborhoods.

WHO WE ARE
We represent over 30 Seattle neighborhoods that advocate for legislation that encourages smaller, more affordable market-rate housing that working- and middle-income families can afford. Seattle's growth strategy must prevent displacement, protect the environment, preserve livability, and ensure growth is supported by funded infrastructure. We also advocate for upzoning strategically, rather than blanket upzoning, and taking steps to reduce inflating land values/speculation.

Empirical evidence shows that upzoning and land speculation increase land values, making new market-rate housing out of reach for working- and middle-income families. The One Seattle Plan is legislating upzoning that encourages larger luxury homes and demolition of naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH), with the belief that trickle-down economics will make that housing affordable, eventually, to middle-income families. SRTG believes we can create affordable housing while we grow through legislation that preserves NOAH, encourages low impact conversion development (LID Conversions), develops grey zones, limits hotel-like short-term rentals in neighborhoods, and incentivizes for commercial-to-residential conversions.

State Mandate: Build Middle Housing,
not Tower HOMES anD LARGE, EXPENSIVE SINGLE FAMILY HOMES

Washington’s HB1110 upzones every lot in its largest cities from “single family home” designation to multi-family zoning, with up to 4-6 homes depending on its size and proximity to transit. Why? To grow middle housing, which the state defines as: “compatible in scale, form, and character with single-family houses and contain two or more attached, stacked, or clustered homes including duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, fiveplexes, sixplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, courtyard apartments, and cottage housing.” Source: HB1110, lines 32 - 35

In late 2025, Seattle City Council approved the Seattle version of HB1110, which in addition to the basic requirements, grants developers the opportunity to build homes with greater lot coverage, taller heights, and smaller setbacks. Because of the generous entitlements given to developers, we’ve seen this result in teardowns of homes (many were duplexes and triplexes), and building multiple detached $1M+ single-family “tower homes” standing on 1,250 sq ft of land. We also see huge luxury single family homes taking advantage of legislation meant for multiple families. Phase 1, as this is known, does not align with the spirit or intent of Middle Housing.

When developers replace older, modestly priced homes with luxury units, they eliminate existing Middle Housing, erase tree canopy, and drive up land values. Working families seeking housing are left with even fewer options.

If we continue down this path, we risk accelerating the destruction of true Middle Housing—ironically, under the banner of creating it.

NATURALLY OCCURING AFFORDABLE HOUSING WHITEPAPER
WHY SUPPLY SIDE HOUSING POLICY FAILS WORKING FAMILIES
THAT'S NOT MIDDLE HOUSING - A GALLERY

CitiES THAT LEGISLATE, NOT JUST HOPE FOR,
THE HOUSING THEY WANT TO SEE

Vancouver “went big” with their plan, and tripled its housing stock in hope of driving down costs. After growing more than any other city in North America, Vancouver is now the 3rd least affordable city in the world, sharing the “most expensive city” podium with Sydney and Hong Kong. Renowned professor and growth strategist Patrick Condon, author of Broken City, shows how foreign investment and speculation, which increased the cost of land, were at the root of the exacerbated affordability problem. Condon now speaks out on how “Abundance” is a fallacy in housing.

Portland literally “went small” with their plan, focusing upzoning with affordable density as the explicit, intended outcome. They did this by only allowing the building of affordable density types (attached, smaller homes). It resulted in affordable density, and on average, housing prices have gone DOWN. Let’s learn from what they did: See article

Bellingham realized that given the choice, developers would build McMansions instead of multifamily housing. They had to issue a one-year moratorium on permits for single family homes within multifamily housing-zoned areas. The details may differ—but the point remains: as with Portland, legislate what you want to see.

FALSE NARRATIVES: NOW AVAILABLE IN BOTH WASHINGTONS

The Mayor’s self-proclaimed “NEWS” post leaves out a rather important part of the story. Claiming that eliminating our rights to accessible environmental appeals will result in building houses faster is like firing the referee and then creating a “NEWS” post, “Great news: the game will move faster.”

SRTG advocated for the amendment that proposed new measures to expedite the appeals, so they can be heard without slowing down the legislative process.

CASE STUDY: In the most recent appeal, after spending 10 months working with OPCD and Council to correct the Environmental Impact Statement, the appelant filed an appeal with the Hearing Examiner. The delays were a result of the processes in the City Attorney’s office’s process, which can be improved. The appelant simply followed the process.

CB121215 does not build affordable housing. It eliminates a long-standing avenue for Seattle residents to appeal certain land-use decisions to the independent Hearing Examiner. When the Council considered the legislation, Councilmember Debora Juarez explained why she could not support it:

“I don’t believe that appeals are holding up housing production. I think it’s a false narrative. I think it’s a false equation.” - CM Juarez

While Lin described appeals as being “weaponized” against development, Council Central staff shared this data:

  • 28 appeals in 10 years. Fewer than 3 a year.

  • 25 dismissed or withdrawn.

  • 3 appeals resulted in a decision being overturned or sent back for correction.

“I cannot make the connection between, or the unequivocal statement, that the appeals stop housing production. I just don’t believe that that’s true.” - CM Juarez

Juarez called the legislation “a solution looking for a problem” and defended the Hearing Examiner as an independent safeguard. Frivolous appeals get turned away, and important errors in environmental statements would be taken seriously:

“That’s why we have a Hearing Examiner.” - CM Juarez

And ultimately:

“I have to err on the side of more (people’s voice). Because that’s due process, and that’s what the people want.” - CM Juarez

Mayor Wilson is entitled to support eliminating this appeal right. But Seattle residents are entitled to be told what was eliminated, and to see the evidence for the claim that doing so will accelerate housing construction. Calling this simply a measure to “prioritize affordable housing” does neither.

Read CM Juarez’s full statement here. Watch the Councilmember comments towards 3:30hrs in this video: Full July 28 Council video

NEWS / RESOURCES

SEATTLE ZONING MAPS FOR PHASE 2 (CENTERS ONLY)

ALL MAPS (PDF)
D4: BRYANT, RAVENNA, WEDGWOOD [CM RIVERA]
INTERACTIVE MAP (GIS)
D5: GREENWOOD, HOLLER LAKE, MAPLE LEAF [CM JUAREZ]
D1: GEORGETOWN, SOUTH PARK, W SEATTLE [CM SAKA]
D6: BALLARD, GREENLAKE, MAGNOLIA, TANGLETOWN, [CM STRAUSS]
D2: BEACON HILL, HILLMAN, GRAHAM [CM LIN]
D7: INTERBAY, QuEEN ANNE [CM KETTLE]
D3: C. HILL, MT BAKER, MAD VALLEY, MADRONA, MONTLAKE [CP HOLLINGSWORTH]

Over 30 Seattle organizations and neighborhood groups agree: Seattle can do better. The City’s HB1110 Permanent Legislation, which applies to every single-family lot in the city, unnecessarily shrinks setbacks, raises roof heights, and expands lot coverage—changes that will fast-track demolition and large-scale redevelopment across neighborhoods – to the benefit of developers and investors and to the detriment of affordable Middle Housing, current residents, and the environment. There are many examples of middle housing in Seattle today that respect the scale, character, and tree canopies of their neighborhoods – the true intent of HB1110. Let’s do more of that!

Capitol Hill | Central District | Columbia City | Green Lake | Greenwood | Haller Lake | Madison Park | Madrona |
Magnolia | Maple Leaf | Montlake | Mt Baker | Phinney Ridge | Queen Anne | Tangletown | Wallingford |
Washington Park | Wedgwood | West Seattle – Fauntleroy | West Seattle - Seaview/Fairmount | Whittier Heights

Take action today