Seattle council committee hears competing views on trees as city moves to implement HB 1110 and update comprehensive plan

Chair Joy Hollingsworth convened the Seattle City Council Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan on April 30 to hear a briefing from the executive on the Seattle Urban Forest strategy and how it intersects with interim and permanent actions to comply with state House Bill 11 10, the state law the city is implementing to allow missing‑middle housing.

The meeting combined a scheduled executive presentation with an extended public comment period: 30 people spoke in person and 18 remotely. Many callers said the city can — and must — pursue both denser housing and stronger tree protection; others urged the committee to tighten the 2023 tree ordinance and to require more preservation and comparable replacement of large, mature trees.

Why it matters: the committee is preparing interim legislation intended to satisfy the state HB 11 10 deadline (the chair said the state implementation deadline is in June). The executive said it will also transmit permanent legislation that will add measures aimed at preserving or replacing trees and creating on‑lot amenity space while enabling stacked flats, changes to parking rules and other incentives to retain canopy when sites redevelop.

The executive team — including Brandon Staley (Office of Planning and Community Development), Lauren Ergenson (Office of Sustainability & Environment), Megan Newman (Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections) and Chris Tobias (mayor’s office) — described a citywide approach that treats street trees, parks/natural areas and private‑property trees as complementary parts of…