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City Gives Inch on Height, Takes Mile in Fees

SEATTLE-The city raises the height limits by a few stories, but to build more than five times the size of the parcel, developers must now pay a $22 per sf premium instead of a $13 per sf premium.

By Gina Binole | Updated on July 24, 2001

SEATTLE-A city council decision this week raises slightly the height limit for buildings in certain Downtown areas, and raises substantially the extra fees developers must pay to get there. By not also raising the size of the building, the city is hoping for taller, skinnier buildings that will leave more room for housing.

In the Downtown core, buildings can now be 49 stories instead of 45; in the Denny Triangle area they can now rise up 33 stories instead of 30 and in the south Downtown area they can now reach 26 stories instead of 24. But the real story is in the fees. Buildings can only add the other stories if they are willing to pay a 40% premium.

Under the old ordinance, a developer could essentially erect a building four times the size of his parcel without much extra cost. If a building six-times the size of the lot was wanted, certain public amenities had to be added to the building. And if the developer wanted to go higher, up to 10 times the size of the parcel, $13 for each extra square foot had to be paid.

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