One Seattle Plan

This page summarizes zoning changes proposed for parts of Madison Park. Friends of Madison Park wants to increase community awareness and understanding of these changes and their possible impact.

Upcoming: The City Council is resuming discussion of the One Seattle Plan. With the boundaries of the neighborhood centers now established, the council will set final zoning designations. These will determine the maximum allowable height and necessary setbacks for buildings within the zone.

  • March 19 2:00 pm: City Council meeting to discuss the comprehensive plan

  • April 6 9:30 am: City Council public hearing

  • June 4 9:30 am: City Council public hearing

  • June 18 1:00 pm: City Council meeting

  • July 16 1:00 pm: City Council meeting

Zoning 101

Like most U.S. cities, Seattle has zoning laws that regulate what is legally permitted on a given plot of land. A common goal of zoning is to separate activities, for example separating residential, commercial, and industrial areas.

On its own, zoning does not dictate construction — just because a plot of land is zoned to allow a 4-story building does not mean that such a building will be built there. Instead, zoning creates conditions that may make new construction or redevelopment more attractive to people such as real estate developers. A zone that allows more density will tend, over the long term, toward denser construction.

Zoning can be used to conserve the existing use or character of an area. For example, American cities often restrict residential areas to single-family houses because many people prefer such neighborhoods. On the other hand, such zoning can put someone’s home far from their school or place of work, resulting in increased traffic and commuting times. Restricted residential zoning is also associated with rising rents, which can in turn lead to increased homelessness.

Washington State middle housing

In 2023 Washington State’s legislature passed House Bill 1110 (HB 1110) to increase long-term housing availability and affordability. The text of the original bill explains:

“The legislature finds that Washington is facing an unprecedented housing shortage for its current population and without significant action will not meet its goal of creating 1,000,000 homes by 2044.”

To meet this state goal, the bill requires Washington cities to permit more middle housing: housing at a scale between single-family homes and large multi-family buildings. Middle housing includes multiplexes, townhouses, stacked flats, and cottages. The bill also seeks to promote more walkable, transit-oriented, and affordable neighborhoods.

To comply with the state bill, Seattle must adjust its residential zoning to permit:

  • At least 4 homes per residential lot

  • 6 homes per lot if located within a quarter-mile walking distance of a major transit stop

  • 6 homes per lot if two of the homes are affordable

Seattle housing

Seattle is a growing city: in 2024 it was the 18th largest city in the country, and in 2025 the population passed 800,000. The city’s growth reflects its healthy job market and its attractiveness as a place to live.

A City of Seattle housing needs analysis in 2021 underlined the city’s need for more housing:

  • Seattle has gained jobs faster than new housing has been produced.

  • There is a shortage of affordable rental units.

  • Low-wage workers cannot afford apartments in the city and are forced to commute long distances from the suburbs.

In recent years the city has struggled with an increasing number of homeless people. Despite heavy spending to address homelessness, the most recent 2024 census in King County showed that both the percentage and absolute number of people without housing continues to rise.

The city maintains a Comprehensive Plan as a fundamental planning document, periodically updating it in response to changing needs. In recent years the Comprehensive Plan has focused on “Urban Centers”, concentrating multi-family growth in limited areas and restricting about two-thirds of the residential land for single-family housing. The city is now revising that plan to permit higher density in more neighborhoods.

One Seattle Plan

To comply with the Washington State house bill described above, the Seattle mayor’s office formulated the One Seattle Plan. This plan designated 30 new neighborhood centers for zoning changes permitting denser housing.

The One Seattle Plan designated Madison Park as a neighborhood center. This reflects both its existing status as a dynamic, walkable neighborhood and its potential capacity to accommodate more housing. (The neighborhood already has unused capacity for the business area buildings to go to 4 stories and many of the existing condos and apartments on 42nd Ave E, 43rd Ave E, and the north portion of E McGilvra Blvd are presently zoned to 5 stories.)

The first phase of the One Seattle Plan culminated in legislation in September 2025 that established the boundaries of the neighborhood centers. The legislation passed in December. You can read the minutes of the City Council meetings for more details.

The boundaries for Madison Park’s neighborhood center are:

You can explore the map of proposed zoning designations.

  • The allowed height of most commercial buildings along Madison Street would increase from 40 feet to 55 feet (5 stories).

  • Most residential lots within the neighborhood center would see an increase in the allowed number of stories, for example from 3 to 4 stories or from 4 to 5 stories.

Friends of Madison Park activity

Friends of Madison Park has been actively engaged with city officials to: ensure we understand what the One Seattle Plan means for our neighborhood, consolidate community feedback, get questions answered, and share concerns. We have met with people from the Office of Planning and Community Development, Seattle Public Utilities, the Mayor’s Office, and our local Seattle City Council representative, Joy Hollingsworth. We have walked the neighborhood with these officials, participated in online calls, and attended city-wide presentations about the plan.

Topics of interest to neighborhood residents include:

In January 2025, Friends of Madison Park submitted an Appeal to the Environmental Impact Statement behind the One Seattle Plan. This appeal voiced concerns about the impact of the One Seattle Plan on our shoreline, stormwater and sewage infrastructure, loss of tree canopy and parking. In March 2025, the City Hearing Examiner dismissed the appeal, along with several other neighborhoods, on technical grounds.

In spring of 2025, Friends of Madison Park proposed an alternative Neighborhood Center map for the Council to consider. This includes expanding the boundaries to include the areas of 43rd Ave E and north portion of E McGilvra. Those areas are already zoned for 5-story construction and represent unfulfilled capacity. This proposed map also recommended retaining an existing 3-story zoning for the attenuated 3 blocks from the business area and maintaining the 4-story zoning for the existing historic business blocks.

Our City Council member, Joy Hollingsworth, accepted our invitation to speak about the plan and other topics at a well-attended neighborhood event in late September 2025.

Learn more and get involved