Dear Neighbors,
📝 President’s Message
Thank you to all who attended the Tuesday, May 5, 2026 7 PM WCC Annual Board Election Meeting. It was a pleasure to hear from our keynote speaker, Assistant Police Chief Tyrone Davis. We had a large crowd, including Wallingford Chamber of Commerce business owners who connected directly with the Seattle Police Department after recent burglaries along 45th.
A/C Davis took a wide range of questions. Among the highlights:
- The Community Service Officer program is restarting, with 24 CSOs assigned across the five Seattle precincts (no badges, no guns) to handle a variety of non-emergency police business.
- 103 police recruits are in training (one-year program), though A/C Davis acknowledged the ongoing shortage of officers in Seattle.
- The Seattle motorcycle police force is preparing to escort dignitaries and athletes for the FIFA World Cup (mid-June to mid-July), with help from other jurisdictions to absorb the expected 800,000 visitors.
- A new community engagement program, “Our City, Our Safety,” will rotate monthly between precincts. The next session is Monday, July 7, 6:00–7:30 PM at Bitter Lake.
More info: SPD Blotter — Our City, Our Safety 2026
🗳️ Board Election Results & Transition
Thank you to our dedicated outgoing board from the past two years: Ted Hunter, Mark Johanson, Matt Hallett, Mary Hodder, Margaret Holt, Jen Ring Perez (one year), and Bonnie Williams (President). Bonnie is the only member leaving the board after two terms as President and ten years of WCC involvement. She will help with the summer transition to incoming President Alexis Chartouni and prepare the board for the fall.
Alexis brings significant Building and Land Use knowledge to the role. Thank you also to Miranda Berner (past President), who remains involved year-round and served as Nominating Committee Chair for the May 5 election.
Newly elected board, joining President Alexis Chartouni:
- Mark Johanson — Treasurer
- Matt Hallett — Secretary / Tech & Communications
- Margaret Holt — Vice President
- Jen Ring Perez — At Large
- Larry Bush — At Large (begins September 2026)
- Michelle Hamilton — At Large (begins September 2026)
At the May 20 board meeting, the President will appoint the Shoreline Committee Chair and the Gasworks Park Committee Chair. No WCC meetings are scheduled in July or August.
🏙️ Comp Plan Phase 2 — Where Things Stand
When can you expect final decisions on future land-use map rezoning by City Council district under Phase 2 “Corridors and Centers” of the Comprehensive Plan? What are the remaining opportunities to use your voice and influence the Council before the scheduled August 5 final vote?
Join us Wednesday, June 3 at the WCC meeting for the latest news from the May 14 and May 28 Select Committee (Full Council) meetings, and to prepare for the Public Hearing scheduled for Thursday, July 23 at 9:30 AM.
The City Council has a revised Select Committee schedule for May–August (see below). The Council will review maps by neighborhood and decide zoning categories for thousands of individual Neighborhood Residential (NR) lots citywide. The controversies center on the massive proposed change from NR (3-story / 32-foot maximum) to Lowrise 3 / 5-story apartment heights — a plan that has been contested by many neighborhoods since the online map proposals first appeared in October 2024.
In Wallingford and Tangletown, NR lots targeted for rezoning to LR3 / 5-story are either on a local bus route (“corridor”) or within the boundary of one of 30 new neighborhood “centers”. Specific locations include:
- Wallingford: #31, #32 bus routes along N 40th, Wallingford Ave N to N 35th, and N 35th to Stone Way
- Tangletown: #62 bus corridor from N 50th to N 56th on Meridian
OPCD and Council have purposely excluded neighborhood voices by voting down a 2025 amendment that would have required mailing rezone notifications to property owners by address. Each neighborhood is unique — different street widths, historic properties, layouts, and density already absorbed from 2019 upzones. OPCD is short on customer service to its property-owner tax base. Seattle is now more dependent on residential property tax payers than on its commercial property tax base, as so many commercial properties remain vacant (especially downtown, per King County Tax Assessor John Wilson in 2025). OPCD priorities — and Mayor Katie Wilson’s (see Seattle Times editorial on closed-door meetings) — appear to favor developers and newcomers without real concern for preserving the character of family neighborhoods like Wallingford, or for scaling back the predominantly LR3 / 5-story one-size-fits-all approach.
Double-check your property’s proposed zoning category: One Seattle Plan Zoning Map
Background on Wallingford and Tangletown rezoning: April 2026 WCC Newsletter
📅 Phase 2 Council Meeting Schedule (Revised)
Public Hearing moved from May to July; June meetings cancelled.
| Date / Time | Meeting |
|---|---|
| Thursday, May 14 — 2:00 PM | Select Committee |
| Thursday, May 28 — 2:00 PM | Select Committee (amendments may be published before this date) |
| Thursday, July 23 — 9:30 AM | PUBLIC HEARING (morning + afternoon sessions) |
| Thursday, July 30 — 9:30 AM | Select Committee |
| Wednesday, August 5 — 9:30 AM | Possible Final Vote on Phase 2 |
Council contacts, background, and how to make your voice heard: seattle.gov/council/topics/comprehensive-plan
Seattle Times editorial on Mayor Wilson’s April 22 closed-door meeting (“Taller, Denser, Faster”): No more closed-door City Hall meetings on Seattle growth strategies
📅 Upcoming WCC Events
- Tuesday, May 26 — 4:00 PM · Waterway 20 Grant Community Meeting #2 · Ivar’s Salmon House (4:00–5:30 PM)
- Wednesday, June 3 — 7:00 PM · WCC Monthly Meeting · Room 202, Good Shepherd Center · Topic: Phase 2 “Corridors and Centers” map update ahead of the July 23 Public Hearing
- Sunday, June 14 — 2:00 PM · Annual Shoreline Waterway Walk · Meet at Wallingford Steps · ~1 hour, optional happy hour at Ivar’s Salmon House after
🙋 Join or Renew Your Membership
Your membership powers WCC’s work on land use, transportation, public safety, and shoreline stewardship. Join or renew at wallingfordcc.org.
See you Wednesday, June 3 at 7 PM in Room 202 at Good Shepherd Center.