Capitol Hill Light Rail Immediate Station Area Planning
The Sound Transit University Link light rail line is currently under construction and will include a new station on Capitol Hill. In order to build the underground light rail station Sound Transit acquired several properties near the intersection of E. Denny Way and Broadway Ave (see Capitol Hill Station Area Site Plan below). Construction of the light rail line is expected to be complete in 2016, at which time the properties around the station will be reused for transit oriented development, adding to the vitality and livability of Capitol Hill.

Center City Seattle 
The' "Center City Seattle" strategy focuses on encouraging economic growth, transportation, new housing and great urban neighborhoods in Seattle's downtown core and the nine centrally located neighborhoods immediately around it.

Citywide Design Guidelines Update
The City’s design guidelines, entitled Design Review: Guidelines for Multifamily and Commercial Buildings, have been the cornerstone of the Design Review Program since 1994. These original guidelines formed the basis for 19 sets of neighborhood-specific guidelines (as of July 2009) and a set of Downtown guidelines. In 2008 DPD initiated a process to update the 15-year-old citywide guidelines and began drafting revisions with the assistance of architecture and urban design consultant Weinstein Architects and Urban Planners. 

Greenwood Rezone
DPD solicited feedback from the public on a proposed rezone in the Greenwood Town Center. This website provides more information and maps of the proposed rezone areas.

Housing for Seattle's Future 
Seattle’s booming economy and healthy real estate market drive an increasing need for housing. To help address that need, DPD administers building standards that protect neighborhood character while allowing new development.

Light Rail Interim Parking
The economic recession has introduced uncertainty into the development process even in areas near the Link light rail system. Limited prospects for new development exist in the near-term. Vacant and underused lots and those awaiting development in and around light rail stations in Southeast Seattle may pose a safety hazard as well as create an unsightly condition. In addition to the issues raised by the recession, concerns have been raised that ridership of the new Sound Transit Link Light Rail system has been lower than projected.

Livable South Downtown 
Planning effort focuses on the neighborhoods of South Downtown as part of the "Center City Seattle" strategy.

Living Building Pilot
DPD is proposing to create a Living Building Pilot Program to assist projects in attempting to meet the requirements of the Living Building Challenge. The Living Building Challenge is a green building rating system created by the International Living Building Institute to recognize buildings meeting the highest level of sustainability.

Multifamily Zoning Update 
The Multifamily Zoning Update is part of the City's commitment to a comprehensive re-evaluation of Seattle’s Land Use Code.

Neighborhood Plan Updates and Neighborhood Status Reports
Executive staff and the City Council are currently discussing the process to follow for updating neighborhood plans. 

Northgate Revitalization 
Work is now underway to revitalize Seattle's Northgate urban center. 

Northgate Station Area Development
The City of Seattle and King County are working jointly with PSRC and Sound Transit, to explore ways to create a well-rounded, active community in the planned Northgate light rail station area. . 

Other Legislative Initiatives

Pike/Pine Conservation Overlay District
Councilmember Tom Rasmussen recently sponsored a project in the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to address concerns about the loss of neighborhood character in Pike/Pine due to redevelopment. The study is based on the recommendations in the Pike/Pine Neighborhood Plan..

Planning Exhibit 
The Planning Exhibit conveys the physical transformation of the city as it happens and profile some of the most compelling developments now in the planning stages.

Regulatory Reform 
To spark innovation and entrepreneurial investment, and make it easier for businesses to be sustainable, the City is pursuing opportunities to reduce red tape and encourage job growth while enhancing our commitment to the environment.

Residential Salvage and Deconstruction
A new demolition permitting option provides contractors and developers greater opportunities to salvage reusable building materials from housing that is being removed.

Roosevelt Legislative Rezone
DPD is recommending approval of a package of rezones based on a proposal by the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association (RNA) from 2006 when it undertook an effort to update its neighborhood plan to accommodate a planned light rail station. The rezones are intended to allow future development that respects the context of the neighborhood’s commercial core, achieves appropriate transitions to less intensive zones, and supports the neighborhood’s pedestrian and transit orientation around a planned light rail station.

Shoreline Master Program Update
The City of Seattle’s Shoreline Master Program (SMP) is being comprehensively updated for the first time since 1987. The SMP constitutes the policies and regulations governing development and uses on and adjacent to marine and freshwater shorelines.

South Lake Union Neighborhood Plan Update
DPD planners are working with the South Lake Union neighborhood to update the South Lake Union neighborhood plan.

Thomas Street Streetscape Concept Design
In collaboration with neighborhood groups, property owners and individuals - the City is developing a streetscape concept plan for Thomas St. from Eastlake Ave. to Elliott Ave. W., passing through the South Lake Union and Uptown neighborhoods. Thomas St. is one of several streets that will be reconnected between South Lake Union and Uptown when the North Portal of the waterfront tunnel is completed. This will create important new pedestrian connections.

Trees
Trees are valued in Seattle and legally protected in a variety of ways. Among their benefits, trees and landscaping add aesthetic value to the landscape, provide shade to cool structures, reduce stormwater runoff and aid in climate protection.

Unreinforced Masonry Buildings (URMs)
The City of Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) briefed City Council, in May 2008, on possible new requirements for the city’s unreinforced masonry buildings (URM’s).  The briefing included information from a recently completed study by the Reid-Middleton engineering firm, commissioned by the city, which estimates there are up to 1000 URM’s in the city, most of which have not been seismically retrofitted.

Utilty Landscaping
DPD is proposing new development standards for solid waste transfer stations and utility services uses. Utility services uses are facilities built to transfer or deliver power, water, sewage, stormwater runoff, and similar substances; these include electrical substations, combined sewer overflows, pumping stations, and trolley transformers.

Waterfront 
A once-in-a-century opportunity to create a new front porch for the city.

West Seattle Triangle
The recent closure of a large auto sales business in the Triangle has left several large parcels vacant.  This has prompted members of the community to assess changing conditions in the Triangle and contemplate a vision for the future of the area. 

Yesler Terrace
Yesler Terrace offers a unique opportunity to rebuild a neighborhood from the ground up. Redevelopment would create a mixed-use, mixed income community within walking distance of downtown and First Hill medical campuses. Consistent with Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan, proposed redevelopment would increase affordable housing and overall growth potential within a designated urban center. Seattle Housing Authority’s commitment to sustainability, public amenities, and urban design further increase the site’s potential.