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Committee clears two City Light easement ordinances covering 190 parcels
Summary
The committee voted unanimously to recommend two ordinances accepting City Light distribution and platted easements—61 distribution easements and 129 platted easements—totaling 190 easements acquired through land‑use permitting; both ordinances will go to full council on April 29.
The Sustainability, City Light and Arts & Culture Committee recommended passage of two ordinances that accept electrical distribution easements acquired by Seattle City Light through land‑use permitting. The committee voted 5–0 on each ordinance and will forward both bills to the full City Council for consideration on April 29.
Bill Devereaux, director of environmental management and real estate for City Light, told the committee these easements were rights the utility received through development review and are routine for the utility to accept by ordinance under the Seattle City Charter. Devereaux summarized the two sets: 61 distribution easements, typically needed when lines or poles must cross a third party’s yard to serve a customer; and 129 platted easements associated with unit lot subdivisions, boundary adjustments or short plats. Devereaux said the package includes 190 easements in total.
Councilmember Strauss, who reviewed the ordinance language, thanked City Light staff for batching the easements to avoid separate ordinance votes on each parcel, calling the items “routine business.”
Votes at a glance - CB 120953 (distribution easement acceptance): moved, seconded and recommended to pass; committee roll call 5–0 in favor. - CB 120954 (platted easement acceptance): moved, seconded and recommended to pass; committee roll call 5–0 in favor.
What this does and next steps The ordinances place the accepted easements under City Light’s jurisdiction and ratify prior acts associated with those easements. The committee’s recommendations send both bills to the April 29 City Council meeting for final action.
Provable transcript evidence: The committee clerk read the two bills into the record; City Light staff briefed the committee and the committee voted 5–0 on each ordinance.
