Public commenters urge passage of building-permit extension after council removes bill from agenda

The Land Use Committee on Monday heard public comment urging prompt consideration of Council Bill 120948, a proposed 24-month extension of building permits for projects vested under earlier Seattle building codes.

Supporters told the committee the extension would keep thousands of housing projects from being forced into costly redesigns and cancellations. Jesse Simpson, director of government relations and policy for the Housing Development Consortium, said the measure would protect projects delayed by rising construction and insurance costs, supply-chain disruptions and higher interest rates and would spare developers from redesigns required by newer codes.

"This legislation will provide a 24 month extension for building permit applicants with projects vested to those prior codes," Simpson said. "It will ensure that more than 3,000 housing projects totaling more than 34,000 homes will be able to move forward rather than face additional redesign and costs." He also said some projects have not yet paid their Mandatory Housing Affordability fees and that the extension could preserve funding for affordable housing.

Lincoln Property Company executive Alex Agner also testified in favor, describing life-science and research-and-development projects that the company has developed in Seattle and urging flexibility for street-level uses on certain corridors to help attract biotech and R&D users.

At least one commenter urged the council to amend the bill to adjust MHA fees for inflation. Megan Cruz said the bill, as described in the bill summary, would increase carbon emissions and reduce Seattle's ability to fight climate change, and argued the estimated MHA revenues did not account for inflation.

Committee members noted strong public and industry support for the bill but said it was removed from the committee's agenda for this meeting. Chair Solomon said the intent is to bring CB 120948 back for committee consideration on April 2.

Because the bill was taken off the agenda, no committee action occurred Monday. The committee clerk and Chair Solomon indicated the matter would be reintroduced at a future meeting for formal consideration.

Why it matters: Supporters say the extension would let projects already through parts of the permitting process proceed without being redesigned to meet newer codes, potentially preserving both market-rate and affordable housing production. Critics want protections so that the change does not shortchange the city's affordable housing fee revenues or environmental goals.

What's next: Chair Solomon said the committee expects CB 120948 to return for consideration at the committee's next meeting (April 2). No amendments or votes were taken at Monday's session.