Seattle’s design review process could get a major overhaul if Mayor Bruce Harrell gets his way.
On Tuesday, Harrell proposed a swath of reforms to the city’s design review process that could cut the permitting time for most new housing developments by up to two years, the Puget Sound Business Journal reported.
Under the new system, only large construction projects would be subject to design review, and the threshold for building size would increase to 150 or more housing units or 20,000 or more square feet of commercial space.
To streamline approvals, one citywide 14-member board would replace the eight separate boards covering different parts of the city. The new board would be composed of design, development and equity experts with the goal of better reaching historically underserved communities.
The changes, Harrell said, would reduce the number of projects subjected to design review by up to 40 percent in any given year. That would, in turn, decrease permitting time for most new housing projects by one to two years.
Projects that go through the new design review process would shave off an average of four to nine months. Part of that includes limiting design review to one meeting instead of two or more.
An analysis by the city found that a project can take as long as two years to complete the process.
“Seattle needs more housing — and we’re taking critical steps that build on the success of current initiatives to get that housing across our city more quickly,” Harrell said in a statement on the proposal.
Two years ago, the Washington state legislature passed a bill that mirrors Harrell’s local proposal, limiting design reviews to one meeting and requiring local governments to use “only clear and objective development regulations.” House Bill 1293 goes into effect in Washington July 27.
If the Seattle City Council approves Harrell’s proposal, the reforms would roll out in two phases. An interim ordinance halting design review requirements for new projects would go into effect immediately to align with the new state law. It would also extend the design review exemption pilot program for affordable apartment projects under Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability program by six months.
In October, the mayor signed a design review exemption for downtown buildings to encourage more housing, jobs and economic activity in the city center. The mayor’s office expects permanent, wide-ranging reforms with input from community members and homebuilders to be introduced this summer.
Meanwhile, a handful of nonprofit affordable housing developers in Seattle are looking to roll back some eviction laws and tenant protections in what could be another move toward market-oriented adjustment, similar to Harrell’s proposal.