Good luck convincing someone who lives on a half acre 10 minutes from downtown to give that up.

Offering to make them multimillionaires in exchange for the land so you can build apartments should work

Apartments are banned in about 70% of seattle residential land. Here are the things you are allowed to build: https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/SDCI/Codes/Nei...

Except for the neighbors who will likely block that apartment build-out via any means possible.

Indeed, that’s the nimbys

Do they actually do that here, or are you just saying that?

It's baked in to the process as part of design review, after getting pass the first wall of zoning.

https://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/public-participation/e...

No clue about Seattle, but they definitely do in Northern VA where I live. Every new development that requires a change of permitted use goes through a lengthy review process with plenty of opportunity for locals to object.

Edit - sibling comment indicates Seattle has something similar.

They do that everywhere!