Campus Master Plan update for 2019 January Newsletter
On Monday afternoon, Dec. 10. The Seattle city council unanimously adopted the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµâ€™s 2018 Campus Master plan for growth. During this months-long process, the City heard concerns from the broader Seattle community and attached significant conditions (requirements) and requests (suggestions) to the approval of the 2018 Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Campus Master plan. These include:
- Require Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ to provide 150 Affordable Housing Units for faculty and staff earning less than 60% AMI
- Require Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ to provide 300 additional Affordable Housing Units for faculty and staff earning less than 80% AMI
- Require Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ to lower the parking cap from 12,300 spaces to 9,000 spaces
- Require that the Drive Alone / Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) rate will be reduced to:
- 15% 1 year after opening of the Northgate Light Rail Station,
- 13% after opening of the Lynnwood Light Rail Station
- 12% by 2028.
- Require that the Burke-Gilman Trail separation improvements be accomplished by 2024.
- Request that childcare be incorporated in to affordable housing
- Request for Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ to study and pursue a childcare voucher program
- Request for more bicycle parking facilities in areas where demand is high
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Regents will meet on February 14th 2019 to discuss their response to the “conditionedâ€� approval of the 2018 Campus Master Plan.  The Professional Staff organization is following this process closely and especially watching the Regents response to the conditioning of a lower SOV rate as this will likely affect investments in non-driving commute mode shares such as active transportation and the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Transit “U-Passâ€� program. Any change in investments and incentives to these programs are likely to have impacts on how professional staff choose to get to campus. Historical Ģ¹½ÊÓÆµ Transportation survey data shows that when UPASS rates were lower, more staff chose transit to get to/from campus.  It is also notable that some Unionized Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ employees will have a free UPASS starting July 1, 2019.
References:
City Council Resolution: https://seattle.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3768347&GUID=01C5F213-36FF-49F7-8A23-ABC1F7A4B816
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµ Campus Master plan:
https://cpd.uw.edu/campus-master-plan