014: Good morning readies! I have this widget on my iPhone that shows old photos, and has an “on this day” feature. On Wednesday May 1st, I was shown a video that I made on May 1, 2018. Back then, I had a trade deal with a Green Lake yoga studio called Modo Yoga (now called Pranify Yoga). In exchange for a membership, I would takeover their IG account and post a video about the Tuesday class I attended. From a 2024 perspective, that’s sounds normal and what we see everyday on Instagram. But in 2018, that was different.

Back then, IG was just photos and stories. Nobody was posting videos, and nobody was watching videos. Having your audio on within social media really didn’t start until 2020/2021 when we all got on Tiktok.

I would arrive early, and shoot a bunch of clips inside the studio. I’d sweat my ass off (phones weren’t allowed in the hot room), and share my pontifications after class. My hair went past my shoulders then. I would edit the video while I road the 62 bus from Green Lake back downtown to my apartment.

I’ve come a long way, and my videos have come a long way since then. I never would have guessed that making short form videos on my phone would become my entire business. I make 10 - 15 videos per week for other businesses, and most don’t get shown on Find Me in Seattle. It all started 6 years ago, with those silly Tuesday Takeovers.

— Conner Cayson

If you have opinions about housing, affordability, density, or your neighborhood. This is your ONLY moment. The DEADLINE IS MONDAY MAY 6!

I Attended the Open House for Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan Update, but I Know Why Nobody Else Did.

You know the thing about a “kid in a candy store?” Ok, now think the opposite. That’s me. Walking into Chief Sealth International High School in West Seattle earlier in the beginning of April. I’m attending an Open House Event for the “One Seattle Plan Comprehensive Plan Update.” What’s the easiest way to make sure nobody pays attention or takes any interest in your event? Name it something that says the word Plan twice in three words.

This traveling road show has popped up across the city in many neighborhoods/districts over the past few months. It’s a chance for us residents to learn and chime in with our opinions about The Plan. I’d say there are about 75 people here, but I can’t tell who’s an employee of the city, and who is a resident. There’s employees from Seattle’s Office of Economic Development (OED) standing in front of poster boards of the plan, soliciting questions. It makes me feel like the press conferences after the big game. Or after big trail cases, when the defendant walks out of court and is surrounded by the press.

They are passionate about their work, and very involved with the Plan, but this has to be one of their hardest days of the year. I can’t imagine many people are coming here to shake their hand and tell them they did a good job. There are people here that are pissed, lobbing scorchers because their block is left out, or because they’ve lived in their house for 30 years and they don’t want a new 6-story townhome built across the street.

What is Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan?

Every 20 years, the City of Seattle creates a plan that becomes the framework for growing the city. This plan then becomes the guide for all decisions around housing, and neighborhood development. It sets a cap for how many homes we are allowed to build in that time. The plan calls for 80,000 units. That might have made sense in 2014, but it’s clearly not enough in 2024. The Plan designates the hot spots and where to build most of the housing. These areas were called “urban villages,” now changing to be called “neighborhood centers.”

One Seattle Comprehensive Plan Update

Every 20 years, since 1994, we make a new plan. At the mid point (10 years for those who don’t want to math), the city creates an update to the plan. That’s happening now. The update, which is a giant binder of information, is broken into 8 parts including: Climate & Environment, Capital Facilities, Arts & Culture, Parks & Open Space, Housing, Economic Development, Transportation and Utilities.

I picked up so many papers at the event. Each category above has a one sheet brief that was a good starting point for someone who had no clue about any of this. They also had booklets on strategy, planning, and overviews.

Attending the Open House Event

I showed up to this event not knowing much of anything. That was my first mistake. I bet most who’ve read this far into the newsletter, also don’t know anything about it. I assumed that the open house was a place to educate myself about The Plan. It wasn’t. All of this is too dense for it to be simple.

I came here with a mission to talk with people, and ask questions. It takes courage to approach a bunch of strangers and dive in. In a city known for its freeze, this wasn’t easy. I felt out of place, out of touch and confused on where to even start. And that’s an obvious reason why so few of us are engaged.

This isn’t fun. This is niche work. But the people here are incredibly passionate about it, and for good reason. It really is an important process. The decisions made in this plan dictate the future, and once it’s set, we aren’t changing it.

Why Are You Writing this Conner?

I felt weird even making this a topic this week. The city does a very poor job educating us as citizens on any of it. I’m decently engaged, but if it weren’t for my friend Ace telling me about this, I would have never known it was happening.

Everyone is complaining about housing, the lack of it and its affordability. I’m right there with you. I’m writing this because I did walk away with one thing from this weird experience. If you have opinions, you NEED to share them. There aren’t many chances for us to actually express ourselves to the city and see impacts. You get your single vote in elections, but I think that is small compared to this. You’re rarely voting on your neighborhood, and neighbors. And that is a Yes/No, A vs B decision. This is a chance for nuance and clarity.

I know that’s hard to do. It’s so much easier to complain on Twitter and IG stories about the horrors of the homeless, how I can’t afford an apartment, and how this and that group are disappearing from Seattle. But that literally does nothing. It likely just annoys people watching. That’s why you should start a newsletter instead 🙂 

Right now, you have one way to express yourself that will actually be heard, and considered. Your neighborhood is likely impacted in some way. My point here isn’t to tell you what to think. I don’t care if you’re NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) and you hate the construction and growth, or you want the entire city to go without zoning so we can build anything anywhere. My point is for you to express your opinions.

If you want to say anything about how you’d like the city to change and grow over the next 10 years, you can do so here (link).

The DEADLINE IS MONDAY MAY 6!!!

See you next week!