SDCI Customer Service Options

Most services are available online through our Virtual Applicant Services Center. For customers who need language assistance or technical assistance accessing the Virtual ASC, we have an SDCI information desk on the 4th floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower. We offer limited access to our offices for scheduled public meetings.

2030 Challenge - Overview

What Is It?

The 2030 Challenge for Planning was issued by Architecture 2030, a non-profit think tank transforming climate change problems into solutions through the design of the built environment. The 2030 Challenge for Planning asks the global architecture and planning community to adopt reduction targets for energy, water, and transportation for new construction and major renovations. To advance these goals on a district basis, Seattle 2030 District was created in partnership with the City of Seattle. This pilot relies on the 2030 Challenge for Planning goals but focuses on existing buildings to improve the viability of high-performance renovations.

The 2030 Challenge program provides additional height, floor area ratio, and allows you to request additional departures from the Seattle Land Use Code through Design Review in exchange for meeting the environmental requirements below.

Project Benefits

Developers that are constructing new buildings or building additions that meet the program standards can get the following benefits:

Up to 25 percent more floor area
Up to 30 percent more floor area if saving an unreinforced masonry structure
12.5 feet of additional height for residential construction or 15 feet of additional height for non-residential construction in zones with height limits of 85 feet or less
25 feet of additional height for residential construction or 30 feet of additional height for non-residential construction in zones with height limits greater than 85
Additional design departures for the pilot programs as specified in Seattle Municipal Code 23.41.012D

Eligibility

To be qualify for this program, your project must:

Qualify for Full Design Review or review by a special district or historic review committee
Be located within an urban center, excluding lots within the shoreline or the international special review districts
Renovate an existing structure that qualifies as a substantial alteration as determined in the Seattle Energy Code and the Seattle Existing Building Code
Retain either the opaque portions of all exterior walls or the superstructure of existing structures (the foundation, structural frame, floor framing, and slabs of the structure)

Our pilot program will expire on December 31, 2025 or when 20 projects enroll in the 2030 Challenge Pilot.

Environmental Requirements

Reduce total energy use by 25 percent or more based on the Energy Use Intensity (EUI) targets in the Target Performance Path of the Seattle Energy Code Section C401.3, and use no fossil fuel for space and water heating
Reduce annual stormwater runoff and potable water use by at least 50 percent from program baselines
Reduce single-occupant vehicle trips for work and non-work-related trips to percentages equal to or better than rates defined in the Seattle Comprehensive Plan