Planning for Growth in Seattle

• Comprehensive Plan
• Neighborhood Planning

Comprehensive Plan

As the "stewards of the Comprehensive Plan", the Planning Commission closely monitors and advises the City on the Comprehensive Plan. The Comp Plan is a collection of City-adopted goals and policies about how the City will accommodate growth over the next 20 years.

Commission makes recommendations on which proposals to the Seattle Comprehensive Plan should be considered in the 2010/2011 amendment cycle.
Read the Commission's 2010 recommendations to City Council here.

Commission provides recommendations to City Council on 2009/2010 annual Comprehensive Plan amendments
In February, the Planning Commission provided their final recommendations to City Council about the proposed 2009-2010 amendments. As stewards of the Comprehensive Plan, providing recommendations about the proposed amendments is a mandated responsibility. Please click here to view the Commission’s letter.

Commission makes recommendations on which proposals to the Seattle Comprehensive Plan include in the docket
Read the Commission's 2009 recommendations to City Council here.

Additional Planning Commission Recommendation;

SPC recommendations on the 2008 Comprehensive Plan amendments ere; and on the 2008 threshold resolution.

SPC recommendations on the 2007 proposed Comprehensive Plan amendments; and on the 2007 threshold resolution.

SPC recommendations on the 2006 Comprehensive Plan Amendments; and on the 2006 threshold resolution

SPC recommendations on the 2005 Comprehensive Plan Amendments; and on the 2005 threshold resolution

Comprehensive Plan Case Study Focus Groups Summary and Planning Commission Observations (Word)

November 2004 Letter (PDF) June 2004 letter (PDF) June 2004 detailed comments (PDF)

DPD Comprehensive Plan Homepage

Neighborhood Planning

The Planning Commission, as "stewards of the Comprehensive Plan," has played an active role in neighborhood planning. In 1999, the City Council finished the approval process for 38 neighborhood plans created by nearly 20,000 citizens. The plans identify actions needed to ensure that each neighborhood will continue to thrive and improve in ways that meet our commitments under the State's Growth Management Act as Seattle grows over the next 20 years. In the years since approval, much progress has been made on implementing the projects identified in the neighborhood plans. The Commission is helping the City think about what's next for Neighborhood Planning.

Planning Commission policy position, reports, white papers, and other information related to Neighborhood Planning;

Recommendations on future Neighborhood Plan updates
After a yearlong effort in 2009 to assess 24 of the 38 adopted neighborhood plans the Commission presents advice on whether or how to update neighborhood plans now and in the future. It includes findings and recommendations as follows;

• Which plans should be updated including criteria for deciding on when an update is warranted.
• Other planning and implementation tools that may be more appropriate than a full scale Neighborhood Plan update for some areas of the city where focused attention is needed.
• Community engagement in neighborhood planning. 

Status Check: Seattle Citizens Assess Their Communities and Neighborhood Plans
In the summer of 2009 the Planning Commission helped convene a discussion with people who live, work, have businesses and go to school in 24 of Seattle’s neighborhoods to ‘check-in’ on current status of their neighborhood plans and changes in neighborhoods since the plans were adopted a decade ago. This civic engagement effort helped us better understand the perceptions of the community regarding changes in their neighborhoods and how well the plans are working.

Updating Neighborhood Plans - Responding to a request from Councilmember Sally Clark, the Planning Commission has completed its review of the recently altered proposal to update neighborhood plans. Read the Commission's letter to Council here. (June 2008)
Seattle’s Neighborhood Planning Program, 1995-1999: Documenting the Process (November 2001)
Neighborhood Plan Stewardship Survey (May 2001)
Citizen Participation Evaluation Final Report(Released March 2010)

•  Report Summary (PDF)
• Citizen Participation Evaluation Final Report (PDF)
• Citizen Participation Evaluation Final Report Appendix
• Citizen Participation Evaluation Final Report -- Consultant Report (Conducted for The Seattle Planning Commission by Marketworks. Released 1999)

Guide to Neighborhood Stewardship (PDF)
Department of Neighborhoods Neighborhood Plan Implementation Homepage