The overhaul makes way for 3,000 homes, but a SoDo Makers District with 900 homes didn’t make the cut.
On Tuesday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell signed industrial land reform into law, capping a lengthy process of study, outreach, and debate, spanning at least three mayoral administrations.
The land use code updates will strengthen “protections for existing industries, allow flexibility for future growth near planned Sound Transit light rail stations, and create healthier transitions from industrial to non-industrial areas,” the Mayor’s office said in a press release “The updates are estimated to create 35,000 new jobs and 3,000 new homes over the next 20 years.”
“Our maritime and industrial lands are a unique, vital, and historic asset that strengthen Seattle’s economy and provide pathways to thousands of living-wage union jobs in our city,” Mayor Harrell said in a statement. “The policy leads with our values of inclusivity, equity, and innovation and sets the groundwork for the Seattle we want to see: a thriving city with diverse employment opportunities and vibrant, affordable places to live, work, and play.”
Harrell’s signing ceremony included representatives from the Port of Seattle, labor, housing partners, and maritime and industrial businesses. Many of Seattle industrial zones abut Port of Seattle facilities from huge container terminals in Elliott Bay to Fishermen’s Terminal on Salmon Bay.
