Envision SeaTac 2044

Middle Housing and ADU's Update

New legislation (HBs 1110 and 1337) passed in 2023 and 2024 requires all cities planning under the Growth Management Act to make certain changes to codes and development regulations to allow middle housing and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). While SeaTac has already made some of these changes through Envision SeaTac 2044, more must be done to implement the new state requirements. The City is proposing amendments to the SeaTac Zoning Code related to Middle Housing and ADUs, substantially updating standards and regulations such as setbacks, landscaping and tree retention, and building lot coverage.

A public hearing for the proposed middle housing and ADU code amendments was held on April 29, 2025, during which the Planning Commission recommended approval of the proposed code and forwarded the topic to the PED committee. No public testimony was received. Please visit the Middle Housing and ADU documents section on the right for more detail about proposed code amendments. You can also visit our SeaTac City webpage for background information and legislative requirements.

What does the future look like?

The Envision SeaTac 2044 project represents two years of technical analyses and community input to create a vision for how the City of SeaTac should grow and invest in itself over the next twenty years. This project served as the City’s state and regional required review of our Comprehensive Plan and alignment, King County Countywide Planning Policies as well as the Puget Sound Regional Council Vision 2050, which is a four-county planning agency.

The focus of the work was to increase equitable access to opportunity for SeaTac’s communities by resetting SeaTac’s twenty-year growth and development policies and regulations.

Envision SeaTac 2044 will be used when we plan future projects. Any growth development will be based on this plan to reach our goals for a stronger community.

Seven key themes to guide the work of Envision SeaTac 2044

1. Wellbeing and Access to Opportunity

2. Growing Urban Villages Near Light Rail

3. Healthy, Equitable, Connected, and Complete Neighborhoods

4. Multimodal Transportation

5. Housing for All

6. Economic Vitality

7. Resilient Built and Natural Environments

Social Equity

The Envision SeaTac 2044 project also has goals related to addressing social equity within the planning process, including:

1. Equitable Community Engagement: Ensuring representative, inclusive, equitable community engagement throughout the project.

2. Equitable Policy Development: Incorporating an equity framework into the policy development process including a focus on: Increasing access to opportunity and wellbeing as well as creating healthy, equitable, connected, complete neighborhoods citywide.

3. Creation of SeaTac Equity Index: Developing an equity analysis tool to better understand demographic and geographic relationships and opportunities related to equity throughout the city.

The project’s main outcome was to increase equitable access to opportunity by:

• Focusing growth in city centers: Provide jobs, housing, services, and amenities including urban villages, neighborhood villages, corner stores, and flex warehouse/industrial areas.
  
  
• Creating complete neighborhoods: The goal is to create complete neighborhoods that support new growth with infrastructure and services that promote a high quality of life for residents and an attractive economic environment for businesses.

City’s Growth Strategy

The project’s main outcome is to increase equitable access opportunity by the following:

A. Focusing growth in centers: Providing jobs, housing, services, and amenities in urban villages, neighborhood villages, corner stores, and flex warehouse/industrial areas.

B. Creating complete neighborhoods: Support new growth with infrastructure and services that promote a high quality of life for residents and an attractive economic environment for businesses.