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Dear TreePAC Supporters, TreePAC sent General Election Questionnaires to City Council and Mayoral candidates in Seattle and Shoreline this year. You can see the questionnaires that were returned here. They are also on the TreePAC website at www.TreePAC.org. click here to see: Seattle and Shoreline 2025 General Election candidate questionnaires The deadline to vote this year is Tuesday Nov 4th at 8:00 PM. Please put your ballot in a drop box before then, not in the mail. Seattle Times reported this week that “The Washington Secretary of State’s office encouraged voters to use drop boxes after Oct. 28. To find a drop box near you, check out the Washington Secretary of State office’s drop box locator.” The reason is that the US Postal Service cannot be counted on to postmark your ballots before the deadline based on postmarks checked during our August Primary. If you want to hear the 2 Seattle Mayoral candidates discuss climate and trees check out this recording by the Seattle Park Foundation of the recent Climate Forum with Seattle Mayoral and King County Executive Candidates. You can also check out the Official Voter’s Pamphlet here. Thanks for voting. |
Seattle and Shoreline 2025 Candidates
Seattle and Shoreline both have mayoral and council candidates on the ballot. The general election is on November 4th. Support candidates who support our trees!
| City | Position | Candidate | Questionnaire | Campaign Email |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | Mayor | Bruce Harrell | TreePAC Questionnaire | info@bruceforseattle.com |
| Seattle | Mayor | Katie Wilson | TreePAC Questionnaire | katie@wilsonforseattle.com |
| Seattle | Council 9 | Sara Nelson | TreePAC Questionnaire | info@saraforcitycouncil.com |
| Seattle | Council 9 | Dionne Foster | Not Received | info@dionnefoster.com |
| Seattle | Council 2 | Adonis Duckworth | TreePAC Questionnaire | info@adonisforseattle.com |
| Seattle | Council 2 | Eddie Lin | Not Received | hello@linforseattle.com |
| Seattle | Council 8 | Alexis Rinck | Not Received | alexis@alexisforseattle.com |
| Seattle | Council 8 | Rachael Savage | Not Received | savageforseattle@gmail.com |
| Shoreline | Council 3 | Laura Mork | Not Received | vote4lauramork@gmail.com |
| Shoreline | Council 5 | Eben Pobee | TreePAC Questionnaire | electebenpobee@gmail.com |
| Shoreline | Council 7 | Chris Roberts | Not Received | chris@chrisrobertswa.com |
| Shoreline | Council 1 | Valerie Snider | TreePAC Questionnaire | electvaleriesnider@gmail.com |
| Shoreline | Council 1 | Jack Malek | Not Received | jmalek1234@gmail.com |
Public Hearing on Amendments to Seattle City Council Bills CB 120993 and CB 120985 Sept 12, 2025
Public Hearing on Amendments to Seattle City Council CB 120993 and CB 120985 regarding housing and trees and other issues during development
Please note
CB 120993 – AN ORDINANCE relating to land use and zoning; implementing a major update of Neighborhood Residential zones and modifying development standards in other zones to comply with various state laws
Amendments needed to Seattle City Council Bill 120993
The following was sent to Seattle City Council members:
Dear Seattle City Council members,
Neither the proposed Comprehensive Plan update or CB 120993 give adequate oversight or protection for maintaining a thriving healthy urban forest over the long term. The current Tree Protection Ordinance was adopted prior to the current proposed Comprehensive Plan, WA state HB 1110 and new zoning proposed in CB120993. SMC 25.11 – the Tree Protection Ordinance needs to be reviewed and amended to address the increased loss of trees and urban forest ecosystem services under the current changes proposed.
Council Bill 120993 needs amendments to protect and plant more trees where people live if Seattle wants to reach its 30% canopy goal, address urban heat island impacts, reduce air pollution and stormwater runoff and keep our neighborhoods healthy where people live.
Here are amendments we believe need to be made now:
- Remove the “basic tree protection area” loophole in SMC 25.11.070 that lets developers solely make the decision to remove Tier 2 trees. SDCI is responsible to help protect Seattle neighborhoods and keep them healthy as well as support the city reaching a 30% tree canopy by 2037. Use the tree protection area criteria in SMC 25.11.060 that allows for reduction of the tree protection area according to ANSI 200 standards. Let the SDCI Director decide on the final required tree protection area.
- Give the SDCI Director authority to also decide on removal of Tier 3 and Tier 4 trees, not the developers as is currently done. Urban forests need to have trees of all ages to be sustainable and healthy. The goal of SDCI should be to maximize the retention of existing healthy trees whenever possible.
- Require lots have designated tree retention and planting areas. Portland, Oregon recommends a tree planting area of 50 square feet for small trees, 75 square feet for medium sized trees and 100 – 150 square feet for large trees.
- Require a tree inventory and landscape plan be done at the beginning of the development process before approval of any building site plan is submitted. This will help both developers and the city expedite necessary decisions at the beginning of the process on maximizing retention of existing trees and planting new trees.
- The point system for planting trees on a lot allows most trees, particularly large ones to be removed and replaced with saplings. Require that plans maximize the retention of existing healthy trees that already are the survivors and providing services.
- Require all trees removed over 6” DSH during development pay an in lieu mitigation fee for environmental services lost to the city, as well as replacing when possible, the removed trees either on site or off site to sustain our urban forest benefits to the city. The current system allows developers to replace a tree of any size removed on the property and not have to pay mitigation for the loss of the trees benefits if they replant a tree on site. Portland ,Oregon has a mitigation in-lieu fee for environmental services lost as a result of trees removal that has raised over $1 million/year to pay for replanting trees.
- Set up a Tree Replacement and Preservation Fund independent from SDCI’s budget to collect the mitigation in-lieu fees and for public donations or grants that can be used to plant and protect trees.
- Require all new development projects, not just principal housing units, to have street trees. This includes ADU’s and building additions over 250 square feet. Currently only new principal buildings and building additions of 1000 square feet are required to add street trees if none are on the building site street front.
- Allow stacked flats to be built on all lots in the neighborhood residential zone, not just those over 6,000 square feet, which represent less than 45% of the current NR lots in the city. Stacked flats would allow more open space to retain and plant trees. Provide incentives for building stacked flats. See Urbanist article here The Deck is Stacked Against Stacked Flats.
- Give incentives to build housing units with common shared walls to increase open space on lots for retaining and planting trees for environmental equity, climate resilience, reducing air pollution and stormwater runoff.
- Amend canopy definition for replacement to include canopy area and volume to consider environmental services and benefits lost when different size trees and different species are removed.
Steve Zemke
Chair TreePAC and Friends of Seattle’s Urban Forest
Letter Sent to Seattle City Council regarding Amendments to CB 120993
Dear Seattle City Council members,
Neither the proposed Comprehensive Plan update or CB 120993 give adequate oversight or protection for maintaining a thriving healthy urban forest over the long term. The current Tree Protection Ordinance was adopted prior to the current proposed Comprehensive Plan, WA State HB 1110 and new zoning proposed in CB120993. SMC 25.11 – the Tree Protection Ordinance needs to be reviewed and amended to address the increased loss of trees and urban forest ecosystem services under the current changes proposed.
Council Bill 120993 needs amendments to protect and plant more trees where people live if Seattle wants to reach its 30% canopy goal, address urban heat island impacts, reduce air pollution and stormwater runoff and keep our neighborhoods healthy where people live.
Here are amendments we believe need to be made now:
- Remove the “basic tree protection area” loophole in SMC 25.11.070 that lets developers solely make the decision to remove Tier 2 trees. SDCI is responsible to help protect Seattle neighborhoods and keep them healthy as well as supporting the city reaching a 30% tree canopy by 2037. Use the tree protection area criteria in SMC 25.11.060 that allows for allows according to ANSI 200. Let SDCI Director decide on required tree protection area.
- Give SDCI Director authority to also decide on removal of Tier 3 and Tier 4 trees, not the developers as is currently done. Urban forests need to have trees of all ages to be sustainable and healthy. The goal of SDCI should be to maximize the retention of existing healthy trees whenever possible.
- Require lots have designated tree retention and planting areas. Portland, Oregon recommends a tree planting area of 50 square feet for small trees, 75 square feet for medium sized trees and 100 square feet for large trees.
- Require a tree inventory and landscape plan be done at the beginning of the development process before approval of any building site plan is submitted. This will help both developers and the city expedite necessary decisions at the beginning of the process on maximizing retention of existing trees and planting new trees.
- The point system for planting trees on a lot allows most trees, particularly large ones, to be removed and replaced with saplings. Require that plans maximize the retention of existing healthy trees that already are the survivors and providing services.
- Require all trees removed over 6” DSH during development pay an in lieu mitigation fee for environmental services lost to the city, as well as replanting, when possible, the removed trees either on site or off site to sustain our urban forest benefits to the city. The current system allows developers to replace a tree of any size tree removed on the property and not have to pay mitigation for the loss of the trees benefits if they replant a tree on site. Portland, Oregon has a mitigation in lieu fee for environmental services lost that has raised over $1 million/year to pay for replanting trees.
- Set up a Tree Replacement and Preservation Fund independent from SDCI’s budget to collect the mitigation in lieu fees and for public donations or grants that can be used to plant and protect trees.
- Require all new development projects, not just principal housing units, to have street trees. This includes ADU’s and building additions over 250 square feet. Currently only new principal buildings and building additions of 1000 square feet are required to add street trees if none are on the building site street front.
- Allow stacked flats to be built on all lots in the neighborhood residential zone, not just those over 6,000 square feet, which represent less than 40% of the current NR lots in the city. Stacked flats would allow more open space to retain and plant trees. Provide incentives for building stacked flats. See Urbanist article here The Deck is Stacked Against Stacked Flats.
- Give incentives to build housing units with common shared walls to increase open space on lots for retaining and planting trees for environmental equity, climate resilience, reducing air pollution and stormwater runoff.
- Amend canopy definition for replacement to include canopy area and volume to consider environmental services and benefits lost when different size trees and different species are removed.
Steve Zemke
Chair TreePAC and Friends of Seattle’s Urban Forest
E-mails needed now to increase tree retention and planting during development in Seattle’s Neighborhood Residential Zone
E-mails needed now to increase tree retention and planting during development in Seattle’s Neighborhood Residential Zone
The Seattle City Council is working to adopt its CB 120985 – Comprehensive Plan and Council Bill 120993 to implement WA State HB 1110 allowing 4 to 6 plexes in Seattle’s Neighborhood Residential zones. Council Bill 120993 needs amendments to protect and plant more trees where people live if Seattle wants to reach its 30% canopy goal, address urban heat island impacts, reduce air pollution and stormwater runoff and keep our neighborhoods healthy where people live.
Please use the suggested comments to send an e-mail to the Seattle City Council and Mayor Harrell. You can cut and paste the comments below, pick and choose from the comments, and add your own thoughts.
The Seattle City Council has set a deadline for Council members to submit proposed amendments this Thursday, June 26, 2025.
Here are the amendments we are asking Councilmembers to submit:
- Remove the “basic tree protection area” loophole in SMC 25.11.070 that lets developers remove large (Tier 2) trees. Use the tree protection area criteria in SMC 25.11.060 to give SDCI final authority on tree removals, not developers.
- Give SDCI authority to decide on removal of Tier 3 and Tier 4 trees, not the developers as is currently done. Urban forests need to have trees of all ages to be sustainable and healthy.
- Require lots have designated tree retention and planting areas.
- Require a tree inventory and landscape plan be done at the beginning of the development process before approval of any building site plan is submitted.
- The point system for planting trees on a lot allows all trees to be removed and replaced with saplings. Require that plans maximize the retention of existing healthy trees.
- Require all trees removed over 6” DSH pay an in lieu mitigation fee for environmental services lost to the city, as well as replanting the removed trees either onsite or pay for off site planting to sustain our urban forest benefits to the city and its inhabitants.
- Set up a Tree Replacement and Preservation Fund independent from SDCI’s budget to collect in lieu mitigation fees and for public donations and grants.
- Require all new development projects, not just principal housing units, to have street trees. This includes ADU’s and building additions over 250 square feet.
- Allow stacked flats to be built on all lots in the neighborhood residential zone, not just those over 6,000 square feet. Stacked flats would allow more open space to retain and plant trees.
- Give incentives to build housing units with common shared walls to increase open space on lots for retaining and planting trees for environmental equity, climate resilience, reducing air pollution and storm water runoff.
- Consolidate urban forest oversight and maintenance in a Dept. of Climate and Environment with an Urban Forestry Division independent from SDCI and other city Departments.
- Amend canopy cover assessment in next Tree Canopy Study to include not just canopy area but also canopy volume.
Neither the proposed Comprehensive Plan nor CB 120993 give adequate oversight or protection for maintaining a thriving healthy urban forest over the long term. The current Tree Protection Ordinance was adopted prior to the current proposed Comprehensive Plan and new zoning proposed in CB120993. SMC 25.11 – the Tree Protection Ordinance needs to be reviewed and amended to address the increased loss of trees and urban forest ecosystem services under the current changes proposed.
Send comments to Council@Seattle.gov and Bruce.Harrell@Seattle.gov
Seattle City Council Select Committee on Comprehensive Plan June 5th 2025 meeting agenda.
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan Agenda
June 5, 2025 – 9:30 AM Meeting
Location: Council Chamber, City Hall , 600 4th Avenue , Seattle, WA 98104
This meeting also constitutes a meeting of the City Council, provided that the meeting shall be conducted as a committee meeting under the Council Rules and Procedures, and Council action shall be limited to committee business. Only written public comment will be accepted at this meeting. Please submit written comments to all Councilmembers two hours prior to the meeting at Council@seattle.gov or at Seattle City Hall, Attn: Council Public Comment, 600 4th Ave., Floor 2, Seattle, WA 98104.
Check documents in Agenda for meeting.
Heads up – a public hearing is being scheduled for Monday June 23rd at 9:30 AM on Comprehensive Plan and HB 1110 legislation. Check for more details when that is released on Council calendar with agenda
Urge Seattle City Council to Maximize Saving Trees as We Build Needed Housing
Urge City Council to Maximize Saving Trees as We Build Needed Housing
Comments to increase tree retention and planting during development needed now to Seattle City Council Bill 120969
Dear Tree PAC supporters,
The Seattle City Council is adopting legislation on Wednesday this week to implement WA State HB 1110 which requires the city to allow developers to build 4 and 6 plexes in Seattle’s Neighborhood Residential Districts. We support the need to increase more housing supply in urban areas. We do not, however, support clearcutting building lots to do this.
One major concern is that Seattle City Council Bill 120969 will significantly change the building code to reduce setbacks on lots without evaluating how this will impact the city’s ability to retain existing trees or set aside space to plant trees to meet tree code requirements. They say they can evaluate this later but also say they are not intending to update the The Tree Protection Ordinance, SMC 25.11, even though there are a number of provisions needing updating. Other concerns are listed below.
The Seattle City Council Select Committee on the Comprehensive Plan will consider amendments and vote on the CB 120969 on Wednesday May 21st. There will be no public comments on Wednesday but you can still e-mail comments, the sooner the better.
Please send an email with your comments. to Council@seattle.gov and bruce.harrell@seattle.gov
Suggested Comments for e-mails – feel free to copy these and add your own comments or write your own statement:
1. Please amend CB 120969 to keep the current setbacks of 20 feet in the front and 25 feet in the rear instead of 10 feet in the front and 10 feet in the back or zero feet if an alleyway. These reductions will not allow sufficient place to retain or plant most larger trees.
2. Amend Seattle Tree Protection Ordinance section SMC 25.11.070 to remove the provisions that the basic tree protection area cannot be modified during development. The International Society of Arboriculture and SMC 25.11.130 say it can be modified. SMC 25.11.050 details how this can be done.
3. Allow the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) to ask for alternative site designs to save existing healthy trees where possible and create designated tree planting areas. The goal should be to maximize the retention of existing trees where possible.
4. Remove the increased ability in CB 120969 for SDCI that would allow more building in critical areas, particularly steep slopes.
5. Amend the replacement in lieu fee provision in SMC 25.11 to be like Portland Oregon has – an in lieu mitigation fee for larger trees removed to compensate for tree services lost to the city with their removal, like storm water runoff reduction, air pollution removal and heat island impact reduction.
6. Require street trees to be planted for all building construction, including ADU’s which is not currently required.
7. Require all building done under CB 120969 to comply with tree replacement and in lieu fees required under SMC 25.11.110
8. Set up the One Seattle Tree Fund proposed in Mayor Harrell’s Executive Order 2023-3, the One Seattle Tree Plan. Expand it to include grants and donations and fines to be used for planting more trees.
Thank you for submitting comments!
Steve Zemke – Chair TreePAC.org
Information for Candidates running for Public Office in King County, WA 2025
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What Seattle could do – Middle Housing including Land Division in Oregon – less scattering of housing units, more space for trees
One Seattle Comprehensive Plan needs to include Middle Housing Land Division on shared common walls like Oregon does. It would mean less scattering of housing units on lots being developed, allowing more space for retaining and planting trees and nature in Seattle. We need our trees and urban forests for healthy neighborhoods where we live.
Here seems to be an option for housing construction alternatives that current city documents have not considered that Oregon allows. Oregon has allowed 4 housing units per city lot since 2020. The concept of “expedited lot splitting” based on 4 attached units on a large lot being split into smaller lots based on the common walls seems like a way to free up more land on the site to retain and plant more trees. Also would reduce building costs and heating/cooling costs with a common wall between units.
Steve Zemke
Chair – TreePAC.org
A couple of ways to open up more space for tree retention and planting.
references:
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What is a Middle Housing Land Division (MHLD)? An MHLD is an expedited land division of a lot or parcel to develop middle housing. “Middle housing” is a housing type that includes duplexes, triplexes, quadplexes, cottage clusters, and townhouses. MHLD provides an opportunity to increase housing supply in developed neighborhoods and can blend in well with detached single-family dwellings.
www.portland.gov
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92.010 Definitions for ORS 92.010 to 92.192 92.012 Compliance with ORS 92.010 to 92.192 required 92.014 Approval of city or county required for specified divisions of land 92.016 Sale or negotiation to sell lot or parcel prior to approval of tentative plan 92.017 Lawfully created units of land 92.018 Buyer’s remedies for purchase of improperly created unit of land 92.025
oregon.public.law
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Oregon City City Hall 625 Center Street Oregon City, OR 97045. Phone: 503-657-0891 Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm
www.orcity.org
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Courtyard housing was previously presented as a Seattle option in draft Seattle documents but not in the examples of most recent plans. This could involve the joining of several larger lots and positioning housing units such that a common area could be shared as open space – one way to plant trees or preserve a space for a grove of trees and areas where neighbors and kids can get together other than public streets.
See Oregon City article below – “Cluster housing formerly known as cottage housing, includes group(s) of 4 to 12 smaller dwellings clustered together around a common green space; more than one such group can be developed on the same site. The dwellings themselves can be individual detached structures-often called cottages; attached structures such as townhouses, duplexes, and 3- to 4-plexes. The dwellings are clustered together facing each other across a courtyard, rather than arranged in a traditional grid along public streets. Dwellings share common amenities such as green space, parking areas, and community buildings.” See picture in article below.
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Oregon City City Hall 625 Center Street Oregon City, OR 97045. Phone: 503-657-0891 Hours: Monday to Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm
www.orcity.org
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