Land Use and Sustainability Committee

Executive Summary

The Seattle Land Use and Sustainability Committee held a brief 12-minute meeting Wednesday morning, taking final action on floodplain regulations that have been six years in development. Chair Eddie Lin led the committee through the approval of permanent floodplain development regulations required by FEMA, adopting new flood maps that became effective in 2020. The committee unanimously voted to recommend passage of Council Bill 121152 with a technical amendment, sending the legislation to the full City Council for final consideration on March 24th. The bill establishes permanent regulations to replace interim measures the city has used since FEMA updated Seattle's flood maps. Committee members praised the thorough stakeholder engagement process, particularly after pier owners raised concerns at the previous meeting. SDCI staff met with concerned property owners to address questions about how the new regulations would affect future development projects on waterfront piers. The committee also briefly discussed CB 121171, which would repeal a law allowing residential use in the Stadium Transition Area Overlay District, scheduling a public hearing for April 1st.

Key Decisions & Actions

**CB 121152 - Floodplain Regulations:** - **Action:** Voted 3-0 to recommend passage with Amendment 1 - **Staff Recommendation:** Support passage (implied) - **Amendment:** Technical correction to definition of "substantial improvement" to mirror federal regulations - **Next Step:** Full City Council vote on March 24, 2026 - **Practical Impact:** Establishes permanent floodplain development regulations, replacing interim measures in place since 2020 **CB 121171 - Stadium Transition Area:** - **Action:** Discussion only, no vote - **Next Step:** Public hearing scheduled for April 1, 2026 - **Practical Impact:** Would repeal Ordinance 127191 allowing residential use in Stadium Transition Area

Sign up free to read the full briefing

Unlock Full Access — It’s Free

Notable Quotes

**Chair Eddie Lin, opening the meeting:** "Good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming to the meeting to discuss land use." **Steve, public commenter on MHA fees:** "The city seems to be for housing as long as the developers say it's okay." **Steve, on Seattle values:** "Raising those fees will provide housing, and hopefully it will provide putting people of different incomes around the city in many neighborhoods. These things used to be Seattle values. It appears they are not." **Steve, on political turnover:** "When I was young, it was quite a coup to get ready of a city council person or person in the city. Now, the coup would be to save one." **Councilmember Rinck, praising committee leadership:** "I want to take a moment to commend you for your leadership on this. I know we had intended to vote on this during the last committee meeting but some of the last-minute public comments that came up raised some issues." **Councilmember Rinck, on project timeline:** "It's my understanding this has been in the works for six years so I'm particularly excited to be taking action today."