Some big changes are coming to Seattle’s University District. This week, the City Council is expected to pass controversial legislation to increase density in the neighborhood.
Besides being home to the University of Washington, the U District is mostly made up of small brick and wood-frame buildings, just a couple stories high. New rules to upzone the area would allow buildings up to about 30 stories. Most would be clustered near a light-rail station that is now under construction.
John Fox with the Seattle Displacement Coalition, a group that has been fighting the changes, is disappointed. But he says at least no changes will be made for six months to University Way, also known as “the Ave.”
“If you know the Ave, it’s this rich mix of first generation shops and small businesses and it just has this unique, historic character — and there’s an opportunity now to build in some policies to ensure that those businesses can remain there,” Fox said.
Meanwhile, the city says that building more apartments in the U District is a key step toward its vision of mandatory affordable housing. High-rise buildings will be required to provide low-income apartments, as well as other services such as daycares and open space.
