Seattle Councilmember Wants a Temporary Development Moratorium While Rezoning Proceeds

A Seattle City Councilmember is looking for ways to encourage "more housing and pedestrian-oriented urban development in the Aurora-Licton Springs Urban Village," reports Stephen Fesler, but first the city must curb a popular form of commercial development.

 Councilmember Debora Juarez is pushing a temporary moratorium on "heavy commercial, manufacturing, and warehouse uses in the Commercial 1 (C1), Commercial 2 (C2), and Neighborhood Commercial 3 zones that line much of the urban village," reports Fesler. While the moratorium is in place, the city could move forward with the rezoning of the neighborhood under the citywide Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) process.

"The draft MHA rezones for the Aurora-Licton Springs Urban Village would generally change C1 and C2 to a Neighborhood Commercial zoning type," according to Fesler. "Some of this would be paired with Pedestrian zone designation placing further controls on the types of activities allowed to encourage denser pedestrian-oriented development."