Please find below an Update on the UW Campus Master Plan process including recent comments of parties of record filed 10/26/2018
In mid September the City Council Planning, Land Use and Zoning (PLUZ) Committee voted to send an amended UW Master Plan as a draft resolution to the full City Council for a vote on Sept. 24. Here are the highlights:
Housing Amendment A
The Committee approved an amendment requiring the UW to build 450 units of affordable housing for employees, with 150 units for faculty and staff earning less than 60% AMI (Area Median Income) and 300 additional affordable housing units for faculty and staff earning less than 80% of AMI near the University, prior to completion of the 6 million sq. ft. authorized by the Master Plan. Herbold and O’Brien voted for the amendment, Johnson against.Lisa Herbold’s amendment to require the UW to pay into the MHA Housing Fund when it rents to commercial tenants such as Facebook was not voted on due to implementation concerns.
Transportation
Amendment B1 – Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) Trips to Campus
The Committee voted to reduce the University’s SOV rate goal from the current 17% to 15% one year after the opening of the Northgate Link Extension, to 13% one year after the opening of the Lynnwood Link Extension, and 12% by 2028. The committee is encouraging the UW to meet this goal in part by providing transit passes to employees and other strategies.Amendment B2: Parking associated with residence halls
The Committee voted to include residence hall parking under the overall campus parking cap (see next amendment)Amendment B3 – Parking
The Committee voted to reduce existing parking cap of 12,300 parking spaces to 9,000 parking spaces to better reflect actual parking use.Amendment B4 – Bike parking facilities
The Committee voted to require the UW to expand covered and high security parking, lighting, lockers, and shower facilities.Amendment B5 – Burke Gilman trail improvements
The Committee voted to require the UW to construct separate pathways for bicyclists and pedestrians on the Burke-Gilman Trail through the campus and install lighting following the University’s Facilities Design Guidelines and Campus Illumination Study, or successor documents by 2024. The University shall widen the Burke-Gilman Trail between Brooklyn Avenue NE and 15th Avenue NE (the Garden Reach) by 2028 or when site W27 develops. The University shall widen the Burke-Gilman Trail north of Rainier Vista (the Forest Reach) when sites C8 or C10 develop, or as opportunities permit.All three committee members supported the transportation amendments.
Amendment C1: Childcare space – intent statement that space dedicated to child care uses is not counted against the net new 6.0 million square foot allowance in the CMP. Approved.
Amendment D1 – Zoning for site W 22 – The Committee voted to keep the current height limit of 105 feet instead of the UW’s requested 240 feet for this site, prominently situated at the north end of the University Bridge on Campus Parkway. Herbold and O’Brien voted for the amendment, Johnson against.
Amendment D2: Zoning of site W37 – Herbold’s amendment to keep this site by the University Bridge at current zoning height to protect views was not adopted. Johnson and O’Brien were opposed, but O’Brien said he was open to hearing comments on why he should change his mind in the final round later this year.
Amendment E1: Priority Hire – committee approved another statement of intent to encourage the UW to adopt a community hiring/priority hiring ordinance. Herbold suggested that the committee add a requirement in the next round that the UW have to report annually on their progress towards priority hiring.
Amendment F1: Space for small businesses – Herbold’s amendment that above ground parking and commercial spaces on the ground floor of buildings designed for and dedicated to small businesses is not counted against the net new 6.0 million square foot allowance in the CMP was approved.
Amendment F2: Small business leasing programs – approved amendment encouraging the UW to ” explore innovative ways to support local economic development and integration of woman and minority owned local businesses into the Campus, such as the Port of Seattle’s retail leasing program at Sea-Tac airport
Amendment H1: City-University Agreement – approved resolution asking the UW to engage in negotiations to amend the City-University in order to bring the agreement up-to-date
and respond to changes to the regulatory environment, including changes to the Growth Management Act and the Seattle Comprehensive Plan.
The University Board of regents has met and discussed the City’s amendments and is going to push back against some of the city’s CMP requirements. Among the contested items, the UW wants to keep its 12,500 parking space cap (rather than lower it to 9000 as the city proposes). The UW uses only about 10,667 parking spots today. See the Seattle times article below for more details.
The collective bargaining process between many of the UW Unions and the Administration has reached an agreement which includes a free UPASS for some unions but not others and notably not the UW Faculty and Professional Staff. SEIU 925 and the Transit Riders Union have committed to fight to extend this benefit to all UW Employees.
There was a comment deadline on the City Council’s amendments to the CMP – that deadline passed on Oct 26, 2018. The Comments from both the community and university about the plan can be found here:
20181030-Comments on Responses to UW Master Plan
There is one last comment period that ends on 11/13/2018
References/media coverage related to the campus master plan:
https://crosscut.com/2018/08/uw-expansion-sharpens-debate-over-citys-power
https://transitriders.org/blog/2018/10/01/thousands-of-uw-workers-win-transit-passes
The Seattle City Clerk’s UW Campus Master Plan page is here:
The UW Campus Master plan web site is here: