Seattle to Get Taller

There’s been a number of local stories about a push to make Seattle taller.

The first batch last week was about Pioneer Square.

Seattle Times, City plans taller buildings in Pioneer Square, International District:

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and city planners are calling for taller buildings in parts of Pioneer Square and the Chinatown International District that would allow for 6,000 more apartments and condos and 16,000 more workers in the next two decades.

Seattle PI, New vision for South downtown. This story includes a great info graphic [PDF] showing the proposed heights.

And the next set of stories is about South Lake Union.

Seattle PI, Raised height limits tied to livability in South Lake Union:

On Tuesday, the community group, South Lake Union Friends and Neighbors, will discuss upzoning proposals throughout South Lake Union. Narrow buildings as tall as 300 and 400 feet high are expected to be approved with a group vote.

And of course The Slog has the best reporting on the issue by letting us all know just who is behind SLUFAN in, Maybe This Will Shut Up Those “My View!” NIMBYs:

SLUFAN is a racket, really, because it’s mostly a symphony of business interests that amplify the mayor’s goals to blanket SLU with new devlopment. For instance, SLUFAN’s Web site is sponsored by Vulcan, and the board’s appointed members include representatives of PEMCO, Sellen Construction, Vulcan, and the Seattle Times Company.

A related planning type note is that if you’re a hater of the current crop of townhomes you’ll want to check out the forum hosted by Sally Clark, Town Homes—Can the Patient be Saved? It’s this Saturday but I’ll be in Vegas.