As those in my class Writing the City at Hugo House will be told almost immediately, this kind of thing has only one answer:
In 2010, the Seattle City Council changed the land use code to allow buildings as tall as 48 feet (5 stories) to be built throughout our lowrise multi-family neighborhoods (termed lowrise 3 or LR3) in growth areas. For many decades before that, Seattle’s strict zoning code limited LR3 buildings to a maximum of 30′ (3-4 stories), preserving the green, human-scale character of our urban neighborhoods and making Seattle one of America’s most livable big cities. The City Council’s intentions may have been good – things did need to be fixed, and some aspects of the new code addressed those issues.
However, the increases in maximum height are destroying Seattle’s vibrant multifamily lowrise neighborhoods. No-one wants to live next to a monolithic building that towers 20 feet or more above them, casting shadows that could put them into darkness much of the year. Imagine what your life would be like if that 5 story building went up next to your 2 or 3 story apartment or home: The backyard garden you planted would be in shadow all summer. Your sunny bedroom would lose its natural light. Your favorite window would look out at a monolithic wall rather than at trees, sky, and sun.
That answer is Vancouverism.
Commercial base and narrow, high-rise residential towers to accommodate high populations and to preserve view corridors.
Problem solved. Next?
