Montlake Community Club

Citywide Upzoning “Call to Action”!

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Greetings Montlakers,

The future of Seattle’s neighborhoods, including Montlake, is being decided – right now.

IMPORTANT: The Interim Ordinance, up for final vote on May 27, applies to every single-family lot in the city. It shrinks setbacks, raises roof heights, and expands lot coverage—changes that will fast-track demolition and large-scale redevelopment across neighborhoods, destroying Trees, greenspaces, and the enjoyment of existing properties.

What can you do right now?

STEP 1: ✍️Every signature on our Change.org petition helps show City Council that real Seattle residents are paying attention. Read it to learn more about the changes that the City is implementing to zoning rules beyond what is state-mandated.

  • No need to donate – that money goes to Change.org, not to our local efforts.
  • You can stay anonymous – there’s an option to hide your name
  • Look for the confirmation email – it’s a two-step process
  • No spam – petition organizers don’t see your email address

STEP 2: 🖂 Email Council members – use content from this email, or from Montlake.net/rezoning.

STEP 3:📣 Forward this email to 5 neighbors. Most people we talk to aren’t aware of the proposed changes that could soon reshape our neighborhood.

STEP 4:🧑‍⚖️ Attend the public hearing May 19 (Mon) @ 9:30am & 4pm, City Hall  Agenda – Watch live, or listen to the meeting by calling in: 206-684-8566. For remote comments – register here from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Show up at 3pm with a sign identifying you as: Seattle Citizens for Minimum HB1110. Some other sign ideas include: Save Our Neighborhoods — Implement HB1110, Not a Developer Giveaway | Seattle Voters for Minimum HB1110 | Yes to Density + Affordability | No to Speculation on Tiny Lots | Minimum HB1110 — Real Housing, Real Affordability | Missing Middle, Not Mini-Mansions — Support Minimum HB1110 | Preserve Trees + Neighborhoods — Enact Minimum HB1110 | Don’t Sell Our Trees to Developers | Middle Housing, Not Maximum Profit | Affordable for People, Not Just Profitable for Developers | Neighborhoods Deserve Smart Growth — Minimum HB1110 | Density Yes — Displacement No | Stop the Land Grab — Respect Minimum HB1110

Together, we can make a difference!

We believe Seattle can do better

The Mayor’s office is moving too fast, making changes without fully informing its citizens and without a good understanding of the Plan’s impact on our neighborhoods.

  1.     Yes, to Middle Housing—done right. Seattle has many examples of Middle Housing that follow existing standards and comply with State Law HB 1110. These multi-family homes are consistent with the greenways, scale, and character of nearby houses. Let’s shape our policies to encourage more of this kind of housing.
  2.     The One Seattle Plan overestimates what’s needed. With realistic demand forecasts, the scale of upzoning could be significantly reduced.
  3.     Keep tall buildings where they belong.
  4.     Don’t fly blind into zoning changes. The City Council members will vote on this massive upzone before receiving critical traffic and safety information. We are asking City Council members to understand the traffic and safety impacts of proposed rezoning before—not after—making their decisions.

May 7th recap – Amendments to Interim Ordinance

▶️ Seattle City Council Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan 5/7/2025

This meeting included discussions on Council Bill 120969, which proposes zoning changes to align with Washington State’s HB 1110. However, the bill goes beyond what the law requires—modifying setbacks, height limits, and lot coverage in ways that will accelerate teardowns and invite bulldozers into established neighborhoods. The outcomes from this meeting included:

  1. City Councilmember Cathy Moore added an amendment that closes a loophole in the Ordinance that would have allowed developers to use greater lot coverage to build oversized single-family homes—McMansions. We appreciate that fix. But these changes aren’t necessary for multi-family housing either. Thoughtful design can result in middle housing that fits the scale and character of existing neighborhoods and complements adjacent homes.
  2. City Councilmember Bob Kettle confirmed that setbacks matter when he requested an amendment to preserve 20-foot setbacks along Queen Anne Boulevard—the only place in the entire city where they’ll remain. If they’re worth protecting there, why not elsewhere? Queen Anne and other neighborhoods already have plenty of middle housing that fits the scale and character of adjacent homes without rewriting the rules. Let’s make more like those—not fewer.

April 30 recap – Council Meeting on One Seattle Urban Forestry

▶️  Select Committee on Comp Plan – One Seattle Urban Forestry – 4/30/2025

City Council focused on Seattle’s trees—vital not just for the environment, but for the character, health, and livability of our neighborhoods. Several councilmembers offered easy questions and left the harder ones unasked, even as public concern about tree loss continues to grow. However, Councilmember Cathy Moore didn’t settle for vague reassurances. She challenged what she called the “disingenuous representation of what is happening with the tree ordinance,” and urged her colleagues to “pierce false narratives.” Her comments—starting at 2:05:32—reflect a real connection to her constituents and a willingness to speak up when it counts. Shortly after, Alexis Mercedes Rinck brought depth and personal experience to the conversation, drawing from her prior work. Her comments helped reframe trees not as an afterthought, but as infrastructure—a foundation of neighborhood safety, health, climate resilience, and equity. We could use more of this kind of leadership on the Council—especially when the stakes are this high.

The Interim Ordinance should follow Bob’s lead. Two and a half hours in, at 2:34, Councilmember Bob Kettle proudly highlights the Queen Anne Seattle Children’s Home project—a 59-townhouse development now known as McGraw Court—as an example of thoughtful design. And he’s right to be proud. The project preserved mature trees, including massive elms, firs, and a cedar that was carefully built around. It respected setbacks and kept building heights consistent with surrounding homes.

The Seattle Children’s Home project is exactly the kind of development Friends of Queen Anne believes the City Council should encourage by amending the Interim Ordinance. It shows that new housing can preserve mature trees, respect setbacks, and stay in scale with surrounding homes—all while adding dozens of new units. If future Middle Housing follows this example, we can grow in a way that strengthens, rather than disrupts, the character of our neighborhoods.

“It’s important for the City to know that this can be done.” Kettle says. Yes, McGraw Square shows we can keep doing Middle Housing right. Ask Bob Kettle to support Interim Plan amendments that make projects like McGraw Square possible in the future.

Next Steps & Resources

The May 19th public hearing(s) will shape the final version ahead of the Select Committee vote on May 21 and the full City Council vote on May 27. 

We urge the City to adopt an ordinance that meets—but does not exceed—the requirements of state law HB 1110. The law allows Seattle to apply the same standards to Middle Housing as it does to single-family homes, and that’s exactly what it should do.

  • May 19, 2025: Public hearing sessions at 9:30 AM (remote) and 4:00 PM (in-person) at City Hall. Agenda – Watch live, or listen to the meeting by calling in: 206-684-8566. For remote comments – register here from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
  • May 21, 2025: Select Committee vote on interim legislation
  • June 2025: Meetings will be set up to vote on the One Seattle Plan by end of June.

Resources and information:

 

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