Seattle 'streamlines' environmental review for some downtown buildings

The approval process just got faster for certain construction projects in downtown Seattle. The City Council voted to cut down on environmental reviews for small and medium-sized projects in the area.

City Councilmember Dan Strauss says other laws already cover factors like traffic, air quality, and noise pollution, making additional review under the State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) redundant.

“The shorthand understanding of what this bill does is it reduces time and cost for building or renovating projects downtown, so that we can revitalize downtown faster,” Strauss said.

Downtown has many buildings that must quickly adapt to a changing real estate market. For example, office buildings that could be converted to apartment towers.

Under the new rule, downtown buildings with up to 200 residential units would be exempt from SEPA review. Non-residential downtown buildings of up to 30,000 square feet will also be exempted.

Some residents are concerned that removing the SEPA review process will eliminate a simple report that outlines the environmental impacts of projects.

When a project falls under the expanded exemptions, people will also lose the ability to file an appeal through SEPA if they suspect a developer has glossed over an issue.

This move aligns with a larger trend on the West Coast, where lawmakers are reducing regulations to address housing shortages, or to simplify the process of converting a building from one use to another.

Generally, these lawmakers say environmental review, while important, has been used to restrict housing density in cities, resulting in more damage to the environment from urban sprawl and longer commutes.

The changes in Seattle this week pale in comparison to new SEPA exemptions for housing authorized statewide by the Washington State Legislature earlier this year.