ReVision Seattle

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.

Keynote speaker, Patrick Condon, author of Broken City: Land Speculation, Inequality, and Urban Crisis, will explain 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.

June 15, 6-8pm
Mt Baker Community Club
2811 Mt Rainier Dr S.

Seating is limited | Register today
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News / Resources

POLICY BRIEF: Upzoning is not the answer:Why supply-side housing policy fails working families

LEGISLATION:

Learn from Other Cities

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: legislate what you want to see. If there is a glut of apartments in Seattle (13,500 on the market at this moment), why are we going to tear down single family homes to create more apartments?

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. Resources: Condon on land speculation & inequality (Podcast, 30 mins), Condon speaks out in Vancouver to reconsider planning for a specific area in Vancouver: 7 minute talk.

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 housing prices have gone DOWN on average. Let’s study what they did – let’s learn from them! See article

State Mandate: Build Middle Housing,
not Single Family Homes and Tower-hoods

HB1110 defines Middle Housing 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

What is not Middle Housing? Detached single-family “tower homes” and oversized attached units over 1,250 square feet do not align with the spirit or intent of Middle Housing. When developers replace older, modestly priced homes with luxury units—especially tall, bulky tower homes—they eliminate existing Middle Housing, erase tree canopy, and drive up land values. These projects often attract wealthier buyers relocating from other cities, while long-time residents seeking attainable 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.

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