Hundreds of residents urge changes to ‘1 Seattle’ plan, cite outreach gaps and displacement risk

Dozens of residents urged the Seattle City Council select committee on Jan. 29 to slow parts of the proposed 1 Seattle comprehensive plan, increase public outreach and expand anti-displacement protections, saying many homeowners and renters remain unaware of rezoning maps and potential tax impacts.

The testimony — 31 in person and 20 remote speakers, the committee clerk said — covered repeated themes: requests for district-level public hearings, concerns that property taxes will be reassessed at “highest and best use,” worries about displacement of longtime and lower-income residents, and calls to preserve trees and environmentally sensitive ravines.

Why it matters: The comprehensive plan will rezone many residential areas and create neighborhood centers under state law updates. Residents say the scale of change and the complexity of maps require more in-person outreach, especially to elderly, disabled and non-online households.

Public commenters asked the council to hold neighborhood hearings before adopting non-mandated elements of the plan and to delay nonstatutory changes if needed to meet state deadlines for HB 1110 implementation. “I request that you hold a public hearing…