The Seattle City Council's select committee on the comprehensive plan voted Thursday to advance council bill 120933 to full council after adopting and rescinding a series of amendments and directing additional environmental review. The committee chair, Joy Hollingsworth, said the committee voted 9-0 to send the amended bill to the full council.

The action follows debate and several procedural moves, including Council member Rinkmoving to rescind amendments 54, 56 and 58, which the committee approved by roll call. "Upon additional legal analysis, I've determined it is in our best interest to keep these amendments in the docket resolution rather than pass them in the legislation now," Rink said when explaining the rescission; he told colleagues the ADU topics could return after further environmental review next year.

Why it matters: the bill contains multiple land-use and zoning changes that would alter parking, tree-protection incentives, and other development standards across the city. Committee members repeatedly said some provisions require more study under the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) before becoming final rules.

Most important actions taken
- Rescission of amendments 54, 56 and 58: Moved by Council member Rink and adopted by roll call (motion carried; tally read as "9 in favor, none opposed"). The rescinded amendments were moved into the committee's docket resolution for future study rather than being enacted now.
- Adoption of amendment 85 (implements portions of state law): Central staff told the committee that Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5184 (passed by the state legislature this year) requires cities, by January 2027, to allow residences under 1,200 square feet without requiring parking and to remove parking requirements for childcare centers and certain small businesses. The committee adopted amendment 85 (vote: 5 in favor, 2 opposed, 2 abstentions). Council member Rink framed the amendment as bringing the city into compliance with state law.
- Adoption of amendment 94 (tree-retention bonus): The committee approved an incentive package to retain or plant trees that would count toward a 10% canopy coverage target at maturity, with incentives including additional height (up to 42 feet) and waivers for amenity and parking standards; vote read as 7 in favor, 1 opposed, 1 abstention.
- Several amendments were withdrawn or deferred, including amendment 76 (which would have redefined "major transit service" to include routes with 15-minute headways) and amendment 99 (withdrawn from the bill and later folded into a resolution study item).

What staff said about next steps
Central staff told the committee that council bill 120933 and a related bill (120985) require additional environmental review under SEPA. Staff said the scope of that review is still being defined and that it could be handled via an addendum to the existing environmental impact statement; the earliest the bills would return to council is "late October or potentially early November," pending consultantsand departmental work.

Discussion and dissent
Committee discussion distinguished between items that the council formally adopted today and items being deferred to further study. Council member Rink and others emphasized that rescinding certain ADU amendments now does not end the policy discussion; Rink said he expects the issues to return after environmental analysis. Council president Nelson asked staff to confirm the timeline and the department of commerce guidance tied to the state bill; staff said that guidance is expected by the end of the year.

Quotes
"Upon additional legal analysis, I've determined it is in our best interest to keep these amendments in the docket resolution rather than pass them in the legislation now," Council member Rink said about the ADU-related rescissions.
"This amendment would simply bring us into compliance with the state law that was passed earlier this year regarding parking mandates," Rink said about amendment 85.

Ending
The committee's recommendation to adopt council bill 120933 as amended will be transmitted to full council for consideration; the committee and central staff said further SEPA work and law-review steps must be completed before the bill's provisions could take effect.