Opening the way for mixed-use development that emphasizes commercial space along with new apartments on a block just off the growing 23rd Ave corridor is part of the plans.
CHS reported in April on the proposals from Mayor Katie Wilson’s office outlining a set of areas proposed for block by block upzoning including a block of the Central District.
The Wilson administration package includes proposals for a Fremont / Stone Way rezone, n expanded Downtown Retail Core and Belltown rezones, plus new incentives to retain a grocery store and housing in Lake City. Planners say the proposals would remove code barriers to passive house, modular and mass timber construction, make it easier to convert from commercial space to housing in more zones, and would surgically rezone select blocks to support multi-purpose redevelopment on sites with community-based uses.
One of those blocks is in the Central District. Under the proposal, the land around the Meredith Mathews YMCA and nearby Ebenezer AME Zion Church would be surgically upzoned:
Rezone the property between 23rd and 24th Avenue fronting on East Olive Street that is owned by the Seattle / King County YMCA from Lowrise 2 (LR2) to Neighborhood Commercial 2 with a 75 foot height limit (NC2-75). Additionally, rezone three adjacent parcels owned by the Ebenezer AME church from the Lowrise 3 (LR3) zone to the NC2-75 zone.
The Central District rezone area would consist of four parcels and 1.4 acres of land.
“This rezone would allow taller buildings and more than twice the allowable FAR under current zoning; bigger and bulkier buildings would result,” a council analysis of the proposal reads. “The rezone would allow a wider mix of uses making for more likelihood of mixed use development as opposed to purely residential construction.”
A broader component would “amend the City’s Planned Community Development (PCD) regulations to make redevelopment more viable on large sites in any downtown zone that are owned by nonprofit agencies.”
According to the council analysis of the legislation, the “Madison/Miller” proposal falls under the “Community-Based Uses Rezone Sites” which would include development standards “for areas that include ownership by nonprofit and public entities” and would adjust “Planned Community Development (PCD) standards to facilitate redevelopment on larger nonprofit-owned parcels.”
Rico Quirindongo, director of the Office of Planning and Community Development, recommends that the legislation be approved (PDF). Quirindongo has led the office since 2021 and was kept on by Wilson as she took office earlier this year.
While any plans for redevelopment of the 23rd Ave adjacent properties are not yet public, officials say the legislative package is hoped to spark near-term development with projects entering permitting over the next one to three years.
The near-term push comes as Seattle is also focused on completing an overhaul to its long-term growth plan.
CHS reported here on on the next phase for shaping core elements of the new growth plan and the debate that will likely burn hottest for those opposed to change in the city: future growth in areas like Montlake, Madison Valley, Madison Park, and Madrona.
Wednesday’s public hearing is part of the council’s Land Use and Sustainability Committee session chaired by South Seattle representative Eddie Lin who also chairs the council’s comprehensive plan committee.
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL Land Use and Sustainability Committee Agenda May 20, 2026 – 9:30 AM Public Hearing Meeting Location: https://seattle.gov/council/land-use-and-sustainability Council Chamber, City Hall, 600 4th Avenue, Seattle, WA 9810
Members of the public may register for remote or in-person Public Comment to address the Council. Please register in advance in order to be recognized by the Chair. Details on how to register for Public Comment are listed below: Remote Public Comment – Register online to speak during the Public Comment period at the meeting at https://www.seattle.gov/council/committees/public-comment. Online registration to speak will begin one hour before the meeting start time, and registration will end at the conclusion of the Public Comment period during the meeting. In-Person Public Comment – Register to speak on the public comment sign-up sheet located inside Council Chambers at least 15 minutes prior to the meeting start time. Registration will end at the conclusion of the Public Comment period during the meeting. Please submit written comments no later than four business hours prior to the start of the meeting to ensure that they are distributed to Councilmembers prior to the meeting. Comments may be submitted at Council@seattle.gov or at Seattle City Hall, Attn: Council Public Comment, 600 4th Ave., Floor 2, Seattle, WA 98104. Business hours are considered 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Comments received after that time will be distributed after the meeting to Councilmembers and included as part of the public record.
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