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Tree Action Seattle warns plan could leave lots paved and asks: 'Where will the trees go?'
Summary
Tree Action Seattle told the committee the comprehensive plan and outreach slides under‑represent tree canopy and environmental justice, warned that existing zoning could allow 100% pavement on lots, and urged the committee to clarify where urban trees will be preserved or required.
Cindy (Sandy) Shetler of Tree Action Seattle told the select committee that the plan’s materials understate tree canopy concerns and that outreach procedures were uneven, arguing that the City’s slides overstate balanced stakeholder engagement.
Shetler disputed OPCD slide claims that developers, environmental groups and anti‑displacement advocates had equivalent outreach meetings; she said the developer meeting had been primary until the Seattle Times exposed it and that subsequent meetings were limited to OPCD‑handpicked participants. She warned that the plan’s current rules could permit extensive paving: "The current plan is to have 100% pavement on every lot because even the current zoning in neighborhood urban and regional centers allows it," and asked the council plainly: "Please ask where will the trees go?"
OPCD staff acknowledged environmental justice overlaps with displacement concerns and said tree canopy was raised at stakeholder convenings; they also indicated environmental mitigation and related policies will be part of Phase 3 study alternatives and the SEIS. The committee did not vote on tree canopy policy at this meeting, but multiple commenters connected canopy protection to health outcomes and displacement risks.
