Seattle’s Land Use Committee on April 2 heard SDCI staff and developers on Council Bill 120948, a code amendment proposed to allow additional extensions for projects and building permits vested under the 2015 and 2018 Seattle Building Codes.

SDCI staff said financial market shocks and pandemic‑era delays left numerous projects unable to proceed under their original permit vesting. The legislation would allow two types of relief: an additional 24 months for permit applications that remain under review and an additional 24 months renewal for permits already issued, both measured from the date of an extension request. SDCI told the committee roughly 1,100 permit applications in review and about 1,300 issued permits could be eligible for extensions; approximately 330 of the issued permits showed no activity since late 2023.

Developers and housing providers testified in support. Scott Surdike, senior development manager at Community Roots Housing, described projects rendered infeasible by rising construction costs and interest rates, saying lenders withdrew and projects were paused. “Extraordinary circumstances also led to us doing something extraordinary. We put projects on hold for the first time,” he said. Scott Koppelman of Amley Residential said two projects with master use permits would deliver about 706 homes and nearly $400 million in construction costs but cannot move forward without relief. Steve Shanks of Shorenstein Properties said an additional two years of permit life for a South Lake Union office project would enable the project to proceed when the market recovers and estimated the project would contribute $1.5 million to the city’s MHA program.

SDCI staff acknowledged trade‑offs: projects vested to older codes would not incorporate some updates in the 2021 Seattle code, such as newer seismic design provisions, the 2021 energy code and updated accessibility standards. Staff reiterated that buildings vested under the 2015 and 2018 codes remain safe, but noted that projects choosing to exercise extensions may postpone adoption of newer safety, energy, and accessibility provisions.

Committee members asked about public outreach; central staff said no public outreach specific to the vesting change had been conducted and that the item had been introduced at this meeting with the expectation that a vote would come later. Chair Mark Solomon said he favored moving the measure but also wanted more opportunity for community input. The item was not voted on; committee members directed staff to return with additional outreach and to consider a technical amendment that corrects an internal date to the expected November 2026 code update.

Action on CB 120948 was deferred for further committee consideration and outreach; staff said the proposal includes a sunset tied to the November 2026 code update.