Testify on U-District Zoning Changes this Wednesday (November 16)

Show our elected officials that we care about our neighborhoods! Bring your friends and neighbors – the more people the better.

What: Public Hearing of the Planning, Land Use, & Zoning (PLUZ) Committee.
Where: The Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Deca, 4507 Brooklyn Ave NE.
When: Wednesday November 16, 2016, 5:30 – 8:30 PM. Open house at 5:30 PM; Presentation at 6:00 PM; Public Hearing begins at 6:15 PM. Come early if you wish to sign-up and testify.

The City wants to change zoning in the U-District in a very big way.  Changes include high-rise zones with 320′ and 240′ height limits, and Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) requirements. Wallingford and other nearby neighborhoods will be impacted by the proposed changes:

  • The Seattle Displacement Coalition estimates that 1,500 affordable housing units will be demolished.
  • Small businesses will be displaced by rising rents and demolition. The unique character of the U-District will be lost.
  • The substantial increase in commercial space will negatively impact east-west traffic and commuter parking in nearby neighborhoods.
  • The vast increase in commercial space will intensify demand for housing in nearby neighborhoods.
  • Since the U-District has no public schools, our already overcrowded public schools will suffer.
  • The City does not have a plan for U-District residents who still require cars.

The U-District is already zoned to accommodate 9,000 additional housing units, but the City estimates only 3,500 housing units are needed by 2035.

Independently, the University of Washington Campus Master Plan would add 12 million square feet in West Campus buildings adjacent to Wallingford. The City refuses to look at the combined effects of these zoning changes.

Growth should be integrated into our current neighborhoods with sensitivity to neighborhood character, livability, and concurrent infrastructure needs. City planning should include adequate mitigations to counteract the negative effects of growth.

This is the first of many massive zoning changes planned by the City. Tell your elected officials that developer profits should not obliterate our beloved neighborhoods!

Show up in force at the November 16 meeting and make our voices heard!

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