Committee advances bill to allow housing in stadium transition area over port objections

The Seattle Governance, Accountability and Economic Development Committee voted 3-2 on Feb. 27 to recommend that the full City Council pass Council Bill 120933, a measure to allow residential uses in the Stadium Transition Area Overlay District and to remove the urban-industrial 200-foot buffer from major truck streets.

The committee recommendation is nonbinding and will be forwarded to the full council for final consideration. Chair Sarah Nelson told the panel that "Our committee vote is a recommendation to full council. That's what it is. It is non binding on the counsel" and noted the vote does not itself change land use.

The bill would amend Seattle Municipal Code sections 23.74.002 and 23.74.008 to permit housing in the overlay district. Council Central staff analyst Lish Whitson summarized technical points: the change would remove the existing prohibition on housing in the Stadium Transition Area Overlay District, eliminate the 200-foot limit on housing near major truck streets within the urban industrial zone, and was studied in the Industrial and Maritime…