The changes, part of the mayor’s Downtown Activation Plan, make way for more residential development in the city’s downtown core.

The Seattle City Council approved several rezoning changes proposed by Mayor Bruce Harrell in the Downtown Activation Plan (DAP).
According to Doug Trumm, writing in The Urbanist, the changes include a residential 440-foot highrise rezone in the Downtown Retail Core, a change that encourages residential high-rises and could incentivize a new downtown school, and a rezoning of Belltown that will allow hotel uses. That rezone area “covers about eight blocks and has nine vacant properties currently used as surface parking lots.”
The mayor’s other proposals include “extending the life of land use and building entitlements and permits, waiving or modifying development standards to encourage tower office-to-residential conversions, incentivizing childcare with extra building heights, allowing a variety of less active uses at street level (e.g., office, lab space, residential building amenities), and facilitating retail and entertainment uses at all levels of a building in downtown zones.”
The changes come ahead of the Seattle Comprehensive Plan Major Update, which the city must complete in 2024 and purports to make way for 120,000 new housing units over the next two decades.
FULL STORY: Seattle Council Approves Batch of Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan Rezones

Eugene Ends Parking Minimums
In a move that complies with a state law aimed at reducing transportation emissions, Eugene amended its parking rules to eliminate minimum requirements and set maximum parking lot sizes.

How Paris, Texas Became a ‘Unicorn’ for Rural Transit
A robust coalition of advocates in the town of 25,000 brought together the funding and resources to launch a popular bus service that some residents see as a mobility lifeline—and a social club.

How ‘Daylighting’ Intersections Can Save Lives
Eliminating visual obstructions can make intersections safer for all users.

States Scramble in Wake of Clean Water Act Ruling
The removal of federal oversight of wetlands has left millions of acres unregulated and erected major hurdles for lawmakers seeking to protect them.

Brightline West Awarded $3 Billion in Federal Funding
The high-speed rail line will cut travel time between Southern California and Las Vegas roughly in half.

OKC Celebrates New Rapid Bus Line With Free Rides
The agency wants to showcase the benefits of a recently opened BRT line connecting the northwest part of the city to downtown.
City of Kissimmee - Development Services
City of Kissimmee - Development Services
Alamo Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
Park City Municipal Corporation
National Capital Planning Commission
City of Santa Fe, New Mexico
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.