We look forward to seeing you in 2024. 🙂
P.S. Have new neighbors? Please invite them to join the WCC mailing list.
We look forward to seeing you in 2024. 🙂
P.S. Have new neighbors? Please invite them to join the WCC mailing list.
This week, please ask City Council to support Council Bill 120635 to amend the City’s Comprehensive Plan to allow the Council to engage with the public and then to later vote on whether to adopt transportation impact fees to pay for infrastructure needs created by new developments.
Monday, Nov. 6th: Please contact all Members of City Council and ask them to vote YES on CB 120635.
Tuesday, Nov. 7th: Please consider also making public comment either in-person or via telephone and ask all Councilmembers to vote YES on CB 120635.
City Council needs to hear from we, the people. 🙂
NOTE: CB 120635 is a procedural requirement—it does NOT impose any fees. What it does do is allow for the discussion, public engagement, and then, ideally, a vote. If the comp plan does not get amended, then the exploration of impact fees cannot happen. Impact fees are charged by all surrounding communities of Seattle, i.e., Redmond, Bellevue, Renton, Bainbridge Island, etc..
What are Impact Fees? Impact fees are one-time charges assessed by a local government against a new development project to help pay for new or expanded public capital facilities that will directly address the increased demand for services created by that development. *
What can Transportation Impact Fees be used for?
Transportation impact fees must be used for “public streets, roads, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities that were designed with multimodal commuting as an intended use” that are addressed by a capital facilities plan element of a comprehensive plan adopted under the GMA, per RCW 82.02.050(4) and RCW 82.02.090(7).
According to our discussions with the Washington State Department of Transportation, “bicycle and pedestrian facilities that were designed with multimodal commuting as an intended use” would include any bike trail/lane/path, sidewalk, or any other multimodal trail/lane/path, whether on-street or off-street, as long as it is publicly owned or within the public right-of-way and connects two or more destinations.
It is unlikely that transportation impact fees can be used for other multimodal improvements not listed above, such as transit vehicles or recreational hiking trails.
Since impact fees are restricted to capital facilities, they cannot be used to fund transportation studies or operating and maintenance costs. *
Development impact fees are not a new idea—the cost to provide infrastructure for new real estate development should be carried in part by those new projects (“growth should pay for growth”). Implementing development impacts fees—like 70 other Washington Cities already do—requires a two-step process: our comprehensive plan must be amended to allow impact fees before they can be considered by a separate ordinance. CB 120635 is just the first step (amending the comprehensive plan)!
The timing of CB 120635 is particularly important because the 2015 Move Seattle property tax levy expires next year. Ideally, that property tax can remain flat or even decrease; shifting a reasonable amount of the burden to the for-profit developers of new market rate projects (as is done by Redmond, Bellevue, Federal Way, Shoreline, and 66 other Washington cities) will help make this tax reform possible.
CM Herbold, a long-time proponent of impact fees, and CM Pedersen are co-sponsors of CB 120635 to amend the Comp Plan to enable consideration of a program at a later date.
Reference:
– * Source and language for What are Impact Fees and What can Transportation Impact Fees be used for? Comes from https://mrsc.org/research-tools/ask-mrsc
– To read Council Bill 120635 – click here
Background reading links:
– CM Pedersen’s page
– CM Herbold’s page
– Seattle Times: Seattle Leader Wants Developers to Help Pay for Transportation Projects
Some talking points on this topic:
• Seattle is overdue for impact fees to help us pay for our transportation infrastructure rather than piling the entire cost-burden on homeowners and renters through property taxes.
• Seattle is an outlier when 70 other Washington State cities, including Bellevue, Redmond, Renton, Bainbridge Island (as well as cities across the nation) collect this important revenue for better infrastructure to support growth.
• Impact fees do not interfere with growth – Bellevue, Redmond and many other cities in Washington use those fees and these cities have not stopped growing.
• Seattle’s proposed impact fees would be relatively small in comparison with other cities’ programs.
• Public, non-profit, and other low-income housing projects could be exempt from these fees.
• Impact fee revenue can be used for projects that support for ALL modes of travel, including pedestrians, transit, bikes, and freight.
• Impact fee revenue would free up other transportation revenues that Seattle needs to fix our aging bridges.
• Impact fees could be used to help pay for new or replacement trees in upgraded rights of way (streets) projects.
• Impact fees are not likely to appreciably impact market rate housing production or rents – driving down land values reduces upward pressure on market rent rates.
• Impact fees will not reduce the supply of low-income housing: Low-income housing is likely to be exempt.
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Location: Room 202 of the Good Shepherd Center, 4659 Sunnyside Ave N.
Location: Room 202 of the Good Shepherd Center, 4659 Sunnyside Ave N.
Volunteers Needed – Creative project to replace the banners along 45th Street:
Have an interest in joining the Wallingford Community Council in collaboration with other volunteer neighborhood organizations? This project needs outreach, project coordination, and creativity – does any of that sound like you? If so, please email pres@wallingfordcc.org to get connected.
Do you agree that the recently passed Tree Ordinance 126821 has some holes to be filled? Holes like not being in compliance with the city’s comprehensive plan, and forgetting to include tree protection during property development.
There is a city-wide movement to amend the legislation to bring it into compliance with the City’s own 2035 Comprehensive Plan goals (30% coverage by 2037), as well as the state Growth Management Act.
To learn more about this movement, go to: www.seattleneedstrees.com
One can also get a better idea of the benefits of amending the Tree Ordinance from this Seattle Times article by Naomi Ishisaka, “Yes, Seattle, we can have both housing and trees.”
Creative project to replace the banners along 45th Street: Have an interest in joining the Wallingford Community Council in collaboration with other volunteer neighborhood organizations? This project needs outreach, project coordination, and creativity – does any of that sound like you? If so, please email pres@wallingfordcc.org to get connected 🙂
You are invited! 🙂
The North Seattle Districts 4, 5, and 6 will be from 6pm – 7 pm. Wallingford is in Districts 4 & 6.
Central and the South Seattle Districts 1, 2, 3, and 7 will be from 7pm – 8:15 pm.
Plan to come to one or both. Click here to join via zoom
13 of 14 candidates have said yes, and only one had a conflict! Click here for more information!
Each candidate will have 90 seconds for an introduction. The questions will concern density, affordable housing, our tree canopy and how they fit in our Comprehensive Plan. There will also be a lightning round of six Yes/No questions.
The forums will be recorded and posted at www.seattlefairgrowth.org. Please direct questions about the forums to Sarajane Siegfriedt Sarajane3h@comcast.net.
Click here for a map of the “as of January, 2024” Seattle City Council Districts.
Big thank you to Seattle Fair Growth for their outreach and work to pull together and moderate this candidate forum.
Co-Sponsors Include:
NOTE: The Wallingford Community Council does not support nor endorse individual candidates.
The Wallingford Kiddie Parade is 11AM, Saturday, July 15th!
Parade Route is along N 45th, starting at Bagley N. and ending at Interlake N.
What makes this parade special is that it is all about the kids marching in the parade!
This year’s theme: Halloween in July! Bring kids in their Halloween costumes to Bagley N. & 45th, and if you are joining them – don’t forget to dress up, as well!
For more information about participation, here’s your LINK
The Great Parade Float Bonanza: We encourage people to create cool floats! Blake Garfield, (Celebrate Wallingford Board President) has a couple trailers to loan to folks who’d like to create a parade float. Yes, there’s NO rental fee! He’ll even deliver it to your door. The only commitment is your promise to turn yours into something fantastic. Intrigued? Want to enter? Find out more LINK
A little community history: This parade is Seattle’s oldest parade. It began as a Kiddie Parade and throughout the years has had several different faces. The event nearly fell into such disrepair that it was questionable whether it would survive. But survive it has. Celebrate Wallingford is a brand-new neighborhood non-profit created especially to produce the parade. Wallingford Parade is for everyone in the neighborhood, and out! Parade route is from Bagley N to Interlake N on N 45th. Everyone is welcome. More info: Parade | Wallingford Parade (celebratewallingfordwa.org)
This is a community event by, for, and in YOUR neighborhood. Help make it happen! Love a Parade? Volunteer HERE and/or Join the Board!
To Sponsor / Donate, click HERE
In March 2023, the Wallingford Community Council launched a survey using survey monkey to solicit feedback on areas of interest from the community. The short survey was sent out to community council members, advertised on social media – including the WCC website and sent around to various listservs and groups within the neighborhood. The goal of the survey is to help the community council understand key priority areas for the neighborhood in order to prioritize the work of the community council. Over 250 people responded to the survey which provided helpful insight.
The top 5 areas the community wanted to see focused on were:
The results of the full survey were presented at June 7th WCC meeting.
Join us and learn about the connection between the neighborhood and Lake Union, along with past and presents efforts to preserve our many public access points to Lake Union.
Saturday, June 10th, 10am, Rain or Shine!
Location Update! Meet at Waterway 15, on the western side of Ivar’s, and the walk will leave from there. Plan on about an hour or two, ending at Stone Way. All are welcome.
To read more about the Wallingford Shoreline, click here: https://www.wallingfordcc.org/shorelines/
Join us on-line as Kristin presents the WCC survey results and shares what the WCC’s focus will be for the year.
To join, click here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88923577386?pwd=aTYzcndLQWFwbHpBREUrbHcyOGMzZz09
Meeting ID: 889 2357 7386
Passcode: 192433
There is no in-person meeting this month; online only. 🙂
Learn about the connection between the neighborhood and Lake Union, along with past and presents efforts to preserve our many public access points to Lake Union.
Saturday, June 10th, 10am, Rain or Shine!
Location Update! Meet at Waterway 15, on the western side of Ivar’s, and the walk will leave from there. Plan on about an hour or two, ending at Stone Way. All are welcome. 🙂
To read more about the Wallingford Shoreline, click here: https://www.wallingfordcc.org/shorelines/
Wednesday, May 3, 2023, 7:00 PM
In-Person at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd Center, all are welcome
4659 Sunnyside Ave N.
NOTE: Max. Capacity of the Chapel is 85 people. The elevator to the Chapel is broken. 🙁 Hot tip from the building manager: follow the WAY FINDING signs to get to the correct stairwell. To watch online: https://meet.google.com/vhx-chgc-vrg AGENDA: 6:30pm: Member check-in, followed by elections. Must attend in-person to vote. 7:00pm: Welcome and Officer Elections 7:20 – 8:00pm: Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal 8:00pm: closing remarks by Miranda Berner 8:15pm: adjourn · Have a topic that you would like Rep. Jayapal to touch upon? Please email pres@wallingfordcc.org with it prior to Wednesday. · Volunteers needed to help with setting up chairs before the meeting and then putting them away afterwards. · Reminder: To vote in the election, you must be a current member for 2023. Five years ago, we moved to a calendar year membership cycle. If you joined or renewed your membership on or after November 1, 2022, then your membership is valid for all of 2023. To be eligible to vote in this year’s election, you must have renewed or joined no later than April 17, 2023. · If you would like to be considered for nomination to an Officer position, please send a message describing your interest, and your past level of involvement with the neighborhood and the WCC, to communications@wallingfordcc.org ANNOUNCEMENTS: Wednesday, June 7th, 7pm, join us on-line as Kristin presents the WCC survey results. Link to come. No in-person meeting. Saturday, June 10th, 10am, Wallingford Waterway Walk and Tour. Rain or Shine! Meet at the tiled plaza of the Wallingford Steps (1800 N Northlake Way). Learn about the connection between the neighborhood and Lake Union, along with past and presents efforts to preserve our many public access points to Lake Union. To read more about the Wallingford Shoreline, click here: https://www.wallingfordcc.org/shorelines/ |
Save the Dates!
Announcements
Dear Fellow Wallingford Neighbors,
The Wallingford Community Council Board wants to hear from you! How can we best represent our neighborhood?
Please take 5 minutes to fill out THIS SURVEY to help the WCC Board set priorities for 2023-2024. NOTE: Survey closes Saturday, April 15th, 2023.
Thank you! And Happy Spring!
HB1110/SB5190 seeks to dictate and override current land use laws in Seattle and statewide without any guarantee of affordability.
Governor Inslee – fill out his contact form here, and to call: 360-902-4111
District 43rd(mostly south of 45th street)
Jamie.Pedersen@leg.wa.gov 360 786 7628
District 46 (North of 45th street)
Javier.Valdez@leg.wa.gov 360 786 7818
along with:
Chair of Ways and Means
Christine.Rolfes@leg.wa.gov 360 786 7644
One can also comment and track the bill by:
1) Going to the Washington State legislature page and click on MENU on left https://leg.wa.gov
2) Then click on “Bill Information” on list and then type in search bar the bill number “1110” only (do not include the HB prefix), then click “search”
3) Click “Comment on this bill” and fill in your name, address, and zip to verify your legislators
5) You can choose to “oppose,” “neutral,” or “support” and leave comments
6) Lastly be sure to “send comment” or “submit” (make a copy for your records, optional)
Here are the core excerpts from the original bill HB1110 and substitute bills:
1) Any city with a population of 75,000 or more … must provide statewide … authorization for the following:
a) The development of at least FOUR units per lot on all lots zoned for residential use,
b) The development of SIX units per lot on all lots zoned predominantly for residential use within ½ mile walking distance of a “Major transit stop or community amenity” and,
c) The development of SIX units per lot on all lots zoned predominantly for residential use, if at least two units are affordable housing.
Note b above: “major transit stop” definition has expanded to include, “community amenity” of about 200 public schools in Seattle and 300 parks within one half mile
Note b above: Amendments to reduce the 1/2 mile to 1/4 mile have failed in latest substitute bill and to the request to omit parks and schools denied
Note c above: “major transit stop” definition includes light rail, rapid ride, bus stops with regular service qualifications
d) To qualify for the additional units … the applicant must commit to renting two of the six units at rents affordable to low-income households (60% AMI renters and 80% AMI buyers) for a term of 50 years.
Note: this option of providing two units of affordable housing is only available if the building location is outside the ½ mile and the developer wants to increase production from four units to six units, AND, as almost all of Seattle is “within ½ mile walking distance of a, “Major transit stop or community amenity,” this incentive to add affordable housing units is negated by the above 1.b. Essentially, this bill provides no incentive to build affordable housing units within Seattle and gives away negotiation power that could be used to ask for it.
Edmonds News, Reader View, Feb. 5, 2023, says it succinctly:
“There is no upside to these bills. Failure to build affordable housing, override of local zoning ordinances, negative impact of development on our environmental resources (watersheds, critical areas, tree canopy) and on our aging infrastructure, and inevitable future property tax increases, are all serious downsides.”
Background reading links for HB1110/SB5190:
1) Seattle Times Jan. 27, 2023 “Serve the people, not the developers”
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/serve-the-people-not-developers-amend-middle-housing-bill/
“HB 1110 includes no authentic proscription to create affordable housing. Instead, it creates market-rate housing.”
2) Seattle Fair Growth Missing Middle Fact Sheet
https://www.seattlefairgrowth.org/missing-middle-fact-sheet.html
3) District 4 Council Alex Pedersen News in Land Use section” Reasons to Reject HB1110/SB5190”
https://mailchi.mp/seattle.gov/so-much-to-accomplish-in-2023?e=af260c3273#land-use
4) Edmonds News Feb. 17th, 2023
https://myedmondsnews.com/2023/02/reader-view-who-will-benefit-from-house-and-senate-housing-bills-follow-the-money
Not only are the so-called “Missing Middle” House bills examples of using language to mislead, but both “Missing Middle” bills HB1110/SB5190 are statewide mandates to override and pre-empt Seattle’s local zoning laws.
Briefly, we need to reflect on Seattle’s sweeping blanket up zone legislation passed in 2019 which included MHA (Mandatory Housing Affordability) that eliminated all single-family zoned lots within 27 Urban Villages. All single-family lots inside these 27 Urban Villages were converted to higher density multi-family low rise zones. Also, Seattle increased development capacity with massive upzones in Neighborhood Commercial zones and hubs such as downtown, Ballard, and the U District.
Additionally, the 2019 ADU/DADU attached and detached backyard cottage legislation up zoned every single-family lot citywide outside of the urban villages to allow 3 units per lot, citywide. That has evolved into unit lot subdivisions, generating the development of townhouses, being sold for a median listing price of $769K1. Currently, developers can maximize profits by tearing down one house and selling or leasing 3 units at market rates in single family zones citywide.
Both of these sweeping changes to zoning are having the effect of decreasing the amount of naturally occurring affordable housing throughout Seattle faster than any affordable housing is being generated. At least with the Seattle urban village MHA up zones, there is a development fee collected which transfers to non-profits to build affordable housing at a range of income levels.
Some key reasons to reject or oppose HB1110/SB5190
—Reference:
In-Person, Bi-Monthly Meeting Wednesday March 1, 7 PM
Location: Room 202 of the Good Shepherd Center, 4659 Sunnyside Ave N.
In-Person, Bi-Monthly Meeting Wednesday January 4, 7 PM
Location: Room 202 of the Good Shepherd Center, 4659 Sunnyside Ave N. Agenda: – Welcome and Call to Order – Guest: Stephanie Secord, SPU SCWQP Project Manager for the Storage Tunnel and Wallingford Conveyance Projects: “Seattle Public Utilities has selected a contractor for the Wallingford Conveyance Project and we’re looking to begin construction in January 2023. The project includes an approximate year-long closure of Stone Way between N 34th St and N 35th St and we’d like to be able to answer any questions.” – Guest: Councilmember Alex Pedersen – Committee reports Announcements: – We have moved to every other month (bi-monthly) meetings for 2023. The next Bi-Monthly Meeting will be Wednesday March 1st, 7 PM. – The Communications Committee is looking for volunteers to help with writing emails and posting content to the website – Hybrid Meeting Tech Help: need volunteers with the equipment to lend to make the bi-monthly meetings hybrid. It is something we would like to offer, but we need a volunteer to do so. 🙂 Good of the Order (anything people want to bring up) Adjourn |
invites you to an in-person
Good Shepherd Center, Room 202
4649 Sunnyside, Ave. N.
Meet and reconnect with your neighbors,
learn about the WCC (& about volunteer opportunities!),
a 100% volunteer organization made up of residents of Wallingford,
celebrate with friends, join in community conversations, meet some of our elected officials, enjoy dessert, win raffles with prizes,
and a Halloween switch witch for the kids.
RSVP – To help us plan – please RVSP, and indicate how many kids for the Switch Witch 🙂
Did you know – The City has grown 21.1% since 2010.
We are partnering with the Seattle Redistricting Commission to host the District 4 Public Forum – a hybrid meeting on the Redistricting of Seattle’s seven City Council Districts. Come learn and provide feedback. All are welcome. 🙂
Time: 5:30-7:30 PM
Date: Thursday, June 9, 2022
Location: Wallingford Community Senior Center in the Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue Northsuite, Suite 140, Seattle, WA 98103
OR
Virtual Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82217028349
Note: there is no meeting Wednesday, June 1st.
Join us for the Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at 7:30 PM. Our guest speakers are Tanya Kim, Acting Director, and Michael Bailey, Assistant Director, of the Human Services Department (HSD). This meeting will be virtual.
We want to hear from you.
Send us your questions or topic ideas for the upcoming monthly meetings to communications@wallingfordcc.org.
When: April 23, 10 AM to 2 PM
Where: Meet at the Wallingford Center
Join Wallingford residents in an Earth Day celebration on April 23rd at 10 AM to 2 PM. We will be meeting at the Wallingford Center to clean the streets of Wallingford between Interstate 5 and Stone Way N. and beyond.
Please bring food donations for Wallingford‘s Family Works food bank.
Support comes from Seattle Public Utilities, Family Works, and Wallingford Community Council along with other organizations and Wallingford residents.
Questions? Contact Colleen Kurke, Street Keepers
All are welcome! Meet at the Animal Storm Sculpture on the corner of 45th Street and Wallingford Ave. N, across from QFC.