Seattle City Council President Sara Nelson has made a call for action to push through Council Bill 120933, which aims to introduce crucial workforce housing near T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field, despite receiving opposition from the Port of Seattle. Nelson emphasized the need for more housing, especially for the workforce close to light rail stations and job opportunities, expressing that "this bill does that and will spur mixed-used construction for small business in an area of the city that desperately needs it," in a statement obtained by Seattle City Council's news releases.
Community leaders from Pioneer Square and the Chinatown-International District, labor unions, and housing experts have shown support for this legislation, which they believe can rejuvenate an area marred by empty streets and vacant buildings without negatively impacting nearby industrial activities, Nelson highlighted the collaboration with labor unions and housing leaders seeing the bill as a chance to "create good paying jobs for their members" and "affordable homes and new economic opportunities by supporting small maker businesses." However, the Port, clinging to a short-sighted perspective, has threatened legal action, which Nelson finds disappointing given the pressing nature of the housing crisis in Seattle.
The bill, slated for a vote in the Council's Governance, Accountability, and Economic Development Committee, seeks to transform the Stadium Transition Area Overlay District, part of the South of Downtown (SODO) neighborhood rezoned in 2023 as Urban Industrial (UI), allowing residential uses under certain affordability conditions. Currently, housing is permissible everywhere in the UI zone except the Stadium District, despite the Environmental Impact Statement's preferred alternative suggesting almost 1,000 residential units could be included in this area. This bill is seen as a much-needed solution for Seattle's housing crisis.
During a public hearing, attended by a large crowd where many voiced their opinions both in person and remotely, representatives of the Port, ILWU Local 19, the Seattle Freight Advisory Council, and other bodies articulated their arguments against the proposal, yet Nelson hopes the Port will "reconsider their approach — especially as it affects housing for the workers they want to protect" since the bill aligns with the City's land-use policies and long-term plans, it was during this packed, standing room-only Public Hearing on Feb. 24, that the council reviewed wide-ranging input from both supports and opponents of the bill.
