Seattle City Council voted this week to approve a bill that will allow residential towers up to 440 feet tall along a stretch of downtown streets. That will more than double the previous limit of 170 feet.

The rezone covers 11 parcels of land along Third Avenue between Stewart and Union streets. Supporters of the bill, including sponsor Councilmember Dan Strauss, hope the change will encourage developers to transform existing developments into high-rise projects.

Three councilmembers opposed the rezone, stating the bill doesn’t directly address the need for affordable housing.

Supporters, however, including Mayor Bruce Harrell, have posited the rezone as a chance to revamp the area with retail spaces.

“We are not engaged in a project of restoring downtown Seattle to the pre-COVID status quo. Downtowns have to evolve,” Councilmember Andrew Lewis told The Seattle Times. “By putting a large concentration of residents in our downtown core, we are creating the demand for new storefronts.”

Estimates project that the rezone could produce a total of 1,200 new units in the next 20 years. Under Seattle’s affordable city mandates, this would in turn generate about 10-20 affordable housing units or up to $8.4 million in fees to fund affordable housing in other parts of the city.