Committee backs amendment to South Lake Union landscape and infrastructure funding plan

The Parks, Public Utilities and Technology Committee recommended passage Wednesday of an ordinance to amend the Landscape Conservation and Local Infrastructure Program (LCLIP) funding plan to add park and open‑space projects in South Lake Union and downtown.

The amendment updates the list of projects that will be paid for with revenues generated through a transfer-of-development-rights program the city established with King County in 2013 and which Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) said has already funded most original projects since the program began. The committee voted 4‑0 to forward the bill to full council on July 15.

The plan matters because it directs revenues from development-rights trades in a designated local infrastructure project area (LIPA) toward open‑space and infrastructure improvements in dense downtown neighborhoods. Andy Sheffer, deputy superintendent for SPR capital projects, said SPR and partners used five years of community engagement to develop…