Seattle forum to examine upzoning and affordability

Seattle Residents for Thoughtful Growth will host a June 15 public forum in Seattle on the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan, with author Patrick Condon headlining. The event is aimed at showing how upzoning can fuel speculation without delivering affordability and at outlining anti-displacement strategies.

Why it matters: - Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan will shape where and how much housing gets built in the city. - The forum centers on a key policy question: whether broad upzoning can improve affordability or instead accelerate speculation and displacement. - The discussion is aimed at middle-income housing concerns, not just overall housing supply.

What happened: - Seattle Residents for Thoughtful Growth is hosting “ReVision Seattle: Lessons Learned from the Biggest North American Upzone - Vancouver, BC” on Monday, June 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. - The public forum will be held at the Mt. Baker Community Club in Seattle. - Patrick Condon, author of “Broken City: Land Speculation, Inequality, and Urban Crisis,” will headline the event. - The forum will focus on Seattle’s One Seattle Comprehensive Plan process.

The details: - The event will cover the current scope, timeline and key concerns for each phase of the One Seattle Plan. - Condon will use Vancouver’s experience to argue that broad upzoning can fuel speculation without producing affordability. - The forum will compare approaches in other cities, including Vancouver and Portland. - The presentation says Vancouver built more housing units than any other North American city but became the least affordable city on the continent, with stockpiles of unoccupied apartments. - The forum will also highlight anti-displacement strategies. - The event will address how to take next steps and participate in the decision-making process. - The forum is free. - Registration is available through the link provided in the announcement. - The Mt. Baker Community Club address is 2811 Mount Rainier Dr. S, Seattle, WA 98144.

Between the lines: - SRTG is framing the Seattle housing debate around affordability outcomes, not just density targets. - The Vancouver example is being used as a warning that upzoning alone may not protect residents most exposed to rising costs. - The emphasis on people of color, families with children and seniors signals concern that displacement pressures can fall unevenly across neighborhoods. - The Portland reference is meant to show that different density policies can produce different housing outcomes.

What’s next: - Attendees are expected to hear guidance on how to engage in the One Seattle Plan process. - The forum may feed into public feedback around Seattle’s next land-use decisions. - SRTG will continue its advocacy for housing affordable to middle-income families. - More information is available on the organization’s website. - SRTG also listed its Instagram page for updates.

The bottom line: - Seattle’s housing debate is moving toward a familiar split: build more homes, but make sure the policy also prevents displacement and delivers affordability.