Seattle Neighborhoods - Urgent Call to Action

Help Us Appeal and Ensure Real Public Participation

In June 2015, Mayor Murray presented the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA), which among 65 recommendations to help solve our housing affordability crisis, included converting all single family zones to multi-family. Neighborhoods and citizens citywide loudly objected and soon thereafter Mayor Murray promised to take all the single-family changes “off the table.”  He has often repeated his commitment!

Now, contrary to Mayor Murray’s promise, City Councilmember Mike O’Brien has put before the City Council a proposed legislation to rezone almost all the city’s neighborhoods – 50% of the total area of Seattle – 120,000 properties –  from single-family to “triplex,” and ruling that this unprecedented zoning change will have NO SIGNIFICANT IMPACT upon livability, infrastructure, congestion, traffic, parking, and many other considerations.

This proposed legislation bypasses all customary and traditional public process: no professional environmental impact studies, no neighborhood outreach or involvement—NO PUBLIC HEARINGS!

We of the Queen Anne Community Council are formally appealing to the city to stop this high-handed, undemocratic, and destructive rush to overturn decades of inclusive, gradual, rational land-use policy. We ask you to familiarize yourself with the outlines of the problem by visiting our website; to rouse your neighbors to the threat to our civic lifestyle; and to contribute what you can to cover the legal costs of halting the biggest challenge to intelligent and humane development in the history of the city.


We have only a few weeks to raise the $25,000 we need to fund our appeal. Please join with us now to ensure real public participation in this vital decision. Learn about the basis of the appeal. If you already understand our concern and wish to help, Please Donate Now!