Hundreds pack City Hall, fill overflow room for public hearing on Seattle's growth plan

Hundreds of people lined up to testify before the Seattle City Council Wednesday about Seattle's comprehensive plan, which would allow apartment building construction in more city neighborhoods.

Update, 11:00AM, 2/7/2025: Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth announced Thursday evening that her office is working on scheduling additional public hearings. Updates will be posted on the Comprehensive Plan webpage. For this reason, we've eliminated the word "final" before the words "public hearing" from the headline.

Original story:

The City Council chamber, which holds 188 people, was full to capacity. The Bertha Knight Landes Room, for people who couldn't fit in the chamber, also was full to capacity. That overflow room holds 282 people.

Even that wasn't enough space to contain the crowd. A long line of people snaked around the open lobby of City Hall, waiting for people to leave so they could get into the overflow room, where they'd wait for room to open up in council chambers.

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One of the hottest issues — where to allow apartment buildings. Some people say they want more housing, but not on the scale of, and not in the areas where the mayor's final draft of the comprehensive plan update recommends.

“I believe this proposed plan is a land grab for developers,” said Dale Alekel, who lives in the Rainier Valley.

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“We're opposed to the plan as it is because of the devastation that will happen to the tree canopy,” said Tom Carlson of Mount Baker.

Marilyn Smith stood next to the line, handing out homemade fliers. The fliers suggested that the city comply quickly with state laws allowing middle housing (townhomes, mostly) everywhere, but leave the thornier issues regarding where apartment buildings should go for the city to consider over a longer period of time.

Smith said she feared that once apartment buildings come in, the quality of life in her neighborhood would be irretrievably lost.

"You don't see apartment buildings being torn down to make single-family or even duplex houses," she said. "Once the apartment buildings are there, they're there. And so we're losing character."

The state-imposed deadline for Seattle to complete its comprehensive plan update was Dec. 31, 2024.

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The deadline for the city to comply with Washington's middle-housing laws comes at the end of June 2025.

The city takes that second deadline more seriously, as failing to meet it would force the city to adopt a more generic model zoning code produced by the state.

But the city will not have all elements of the comprehensive plan adopted by then.

Other people in line said the comprehensive plan should go further, allowing more housing everywhere.

“I think you need to make sure that the people that work in the restaurants, can afford to live in the same community that you do,” said Lynn Drake of West Seattle.

“My hope is that all communities understand, hey, we all bear some responsibility ability to house folks,” said Alec Olozie.

Shaunie Wheeler came to represent MLK Labor. She wants the city to allow more apartments that working families can afford. And personally, she hopes for more homes in the Central District, where her great grandfather set down roots years ago.

“ My family built community there, and we've been priced out of the community that we built and so for us it's really crucial for workers and BIPOC communities across Seattle,” she said.

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While some people in line had friendly debates with each other as they waited, it was clear that tensions were high.

Many of the people in line found they agree on some key goals — a healthy tree canopy in an age of climate change; a better supply of housing at prices people can afford. What they disagree on is how to get there.

As the meeting began, Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth tried to deescalate that tension.

"We know it can be super spicy," Hollingsworth said. "But if you need some plant-based milk, I got you."