Resolution Up Zone School Zones as part of Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan

June 18, 2026

WHEREAS, Seattle has been one of the fastest-growing large cities in the US over the last 15 years, but the number of children living in Seattle is declining because parents can’t afford the

cost of family-sized housing in Seattle.

WHEREAS, enrollment in Seattle Public Schools is declining or stagnant.

WHEREAS, Seattle Public Schools’ costs are increasing because teachers and staff can’t find affordable housing near the schools where they work.

WHEREAS, we can reduce school bus costs by increasing the number of students who can walk/roll to their neighborhood school.

WHEREAS, current incentives and restrictions have resulted in almost no new family-sized units of multi-family housing in Seattle.

WHEREAS, taxpayers have paid billions for the construction and maintenance of schools through

the BEX and BTA Capital Levies (property taxes), but that investment isn’t being fully utilized due to declining school enrollment. And whereas those property taxes fund fewer maintenance projects due to rising construction costs driven by the Seattle region’s high housing costs.

WHEREAS, studies show that students who walk or roll to school get the fidgets out and are better able to focus and learn. Boosting the number of homes in the walk zone will boost student performance.

WHEREAS, increasing family-size housing in school zones will reduce car traffic congestion and parking utilization during school drop-off, pick-up, and after-school events

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that MLK Labor calls for the City of Seattle to incorporate the following in the Comprehensive Plan:

1. Allow a height limit and floor area ratio (FAR) 50% above the baseline limits for the zone, in addition to any other density bonuses that the development qualifies for when:
   1. The parcel is within a Seattle Public Schools Walk Zone.
   2. At least 75% of the units on the lot have three or more bedrooms.
   3. Any parcel zoned industrial, or adjacent to truck corridors, inside SPS walk zones, be exempt from upzoning.
2. To allow the possibility of this bonus, MLK Labor calls for the Environmental Impact Study (EIS) for the combined Phases 3 & 4 of the Seattle Comprehensive Plan to study at least a height of 120’ and FAR of 8 within Seattle public school walk zones.