Northgate residential area to be replaced with taller buildings, commercial uses | Development

A plan to rezone a patch of two-story residential buildings just north of Northgate Mall to allow taller buildings and commercial uses moved forward this week.

The city has been working on a rezone of the Northgate neighborhood since 2006. It includes switching the area around 11200 First Ave N.E. (the large light-blue section on this map) from Midrise with a 60-foot height limit to Neighborhood Commercial 3 with an 85-foot height limit.

On Dec. 1, the Seattle Department of Planning and Development determined this rezone would likely have a significant negative impact on the environment, including historical resources, housing, shadows, trees and transportation.

To satisfy this Determination of Significance under the State Environmental Policy Act, the city will be adopting an Environmental Impact Statement prepared back in December 2009. You can read the Northgate Urban Center Rezone EIS here.

The switch to Neighborhood Commercial from Midrise would not only increase allowable height limits in the area by 25 feet, it would allow the addition of businesses, such as grocery stores, restaurants, offices, hotels and clothing shops, to the purely residential neighborhood.