Seattle council repeals law allowing housing in Sodo

The Seattle City Council on Tuesday formally repealed a law allowing housing just south of the two Sodo sports stadiums, a final nail in the coffin of a hotly contested bill passed last year.

The decision was procedural in nature: The state Growth Management Hearings Board deemed the bill out of compliance last fall with requirements around environmental review, public engagement and assessments of its impacts on the surrounding neighborhood.

The board's conclusion, ultimately, was that the council should restart the process.

Since then, its primary backer, former council President Sara Nelson, lost reelection, and new members have joined the council.

The vote to repeal was unanimous, though some members indicated they'd be interested in bringing the idea back. Councilmember Eddie Lin, who joined the council this year and chairs the city's land use committee, said the best path forward is a negotiated settlement that could prevent protracted fights and survive future elections.

"It is not helpful when the pendulum swings one way or the other when something gets passed, then appealed and lawsuits happen," he said.

The bill, which passed 6-3 last year, changed the allowed uses for land in the city's stadium district. With a specific eye toward the two lots just south of T-Mobile Park, owned by Chris Hansen, it opened the door to housing being built where only hotels were previously allowed.

Nelson and others saw the change as key to injecting energy into the area, in pursuit of a so-called "maker's district" made up of small manufacturers and artisans. Nelson had the support of a wide array of construction unions, nearby small businesses, the Mariners and others.

But the Port of Seattle and other maritime and industrial interests saw the bill as an incursion that could threaten the viability of commerce in the area. Housing, they contended, would create a constituency of residents in the area that would pressure local politicians to tamp down noise and activity.

Supporters of the bill pointed to a 2022 analysis of the possible impacts of new housing, which concluded that traffic in the area would not be significantly affected, as evidence that the concerns were overstated.

The board, however, concluded that the city should have conducted a new analysis before passing the bill.

Nelson saw the legislation as a significant part of her legacy, touting it as a pro-housing measure that would bring safety and vibrancy to an underused part of the city.

But it also perfectly agitated long-running political faults in Seattle, particularly as maritime business in the area has struggled to regain its footing postpandemic and following the imposition of tariffs.

Joshua Curtis, executive director Washington State Ballpark Public Facilities District, which oversees the baseball stadium and supported the housing plan, said he understands why the council took the vote.

That doesn't mean we're not disappointed," he said. He said he hopes to "leave the door open" to its revival, but hasn't yet talked to anyone on the council willing to take it up.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the Port of Seattle said the Port "remains steadfast in its defense of our maritime and industrial operations and lands. We thank the Seattle City Council for their decision to repeal 2025's harmful and rushed changes to the land use code.

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