To preserve views, zoning rules from 2006 require adequate distance between residential towers of a certain height. As developers chafe against the restriction, residents still worry they'll be left facing a wall.
Another symptom of Seattle's success: limited access to a decent view. Condos boasting picture-window vistas a decade ago lose their allure when an even taller residential tower goes up 20 feet away.
Seattle has taken steps to prevent that from happening. "The city's tower-spacing rule, which governs a large swath of downtown, was adopted nearly a decade ago to preserve views and daylight in an increasingly dense downtown [...] When the city overhauled the zoning code in 2006, it allowed developers to build denser, higher towers in downtown's mixed-use areas."
"To prevent streets from becoming walled corridors that block out light and views, and make pedestrians feel like they're in a wind tunnel, the city required that new towers over 160 feet high be 60 to 200 feet away, depending on the part of downtown, from other existing or permitted ones." Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, this rule puts adjacent developers into competition for the permit to build higher. "Even small delays by either side can lead to being second in line for a tower permit and huge lost opportunities [...]"
Still, the tower-spacing rule enjoys public support. "Some residents of other downtown areas where the tower-spacing rules don't apply wish they had such restrictions. They say they live in fear of having a tower built a stone's throw from their window." To address those fears, some developers are experimenting with the podium-style developments (wide base, often with retail, and a thin, glassy tower on top) that have seen success in Vancouver.
FULL STORY: Rules preserving city views set up clash among towers competing to be first, biggest
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
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