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Committee briefed on University of Washington Medical Center Northwest major institution master plan
Summary
Council staff and SDCI briefed the Land Use Committee on a proposed major institution master plan for the University of Washington Medical Center Northwest campus and the record upon which the council must base a quasi-judicial decision.
The Land Use Committee received an orientation Monday on a proposed major institution master plan (MIMP) for the University of Washington Medical Center Northwest campus. Council staff framed the item as a quasi-judicial decision: the council must make a decision based on the hearing-examiner record produced at an open-record hearing.
Keto (Keto) Freeman of Council Central Staff and SDCI's Gordon Clowers walked the committee through the MIMP process and the record. The University of Washington (UW) submitted a notice of intent in September 2022; a Development Advisory Committee (DAC) convened 16 public meetings between April 2023 and May 2024 and produced a final report in July 2024. The hearing examiner held an open-record public hearing in October 2024 and in December 2024 recommended conditional approval.
The MIMP process sets a development program, development standards and transportation-management components for university and hospital campuses. For the UW Medical Center Northwest campus, staff explained the proposed map would allow higher building heights concentrated toward the center and southwest of the site, with maximum heights discussed in committee materials as high as 175 feet in some zones and smaller setbacks along selected edges. The plan includes a single-occupancy-vehicle reduction goal and several SEPA conditions addressing construction impacts and future permit submittal requirements.
Staff noted there was no public testimony at the hearing-examiner open-record hearing; however, the DAC record contains public comments and minutes from the DAC's 16 public meetings, and some DAC recommendations informed the UW's final proposal.
Committee members asked about the MIMP's potential effects on trees and setbacks. Staff said most mature trees are at the site edges and that proposed setback and landscaping requirements aim to protect edge trees; tree protection and landscape notes are included in conditions.
Next steps: staff will prepare findings, conclusions and a decision for the committee and draft council legislation to amend the zoning map and create a major-institution overlay if the committee chooses to recommend approval. No final committee vote occurred Monday; staff indicated draft approval documents would be ready for the committee's next meeting.
