Category Archives: Land Use

Voice your concerns at two public meetings this Tuesday December 13

Attend the PTSA School Deficit Meeting, or the HALA “Grand Bargain” Open House

Go to the City’s NE Neighborhoods Open House: Rezoning Maps + City Services meeting. Carry a yard sign, wear a green scarf and speak up with your concerns!

Go to the Seattle Public Schools PTSA Community Meetings on the Budget Gap. Ask about Impact Fees!

Enough with Levies! Impact Fees now!

  • Mayor Murray and the City Council have refused to impose developer Impact Fees during the recent building boom. This missing money is sorely needed to support schools, parks, transportation, and community centers. Impact fees are collected by Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Federal Way, and Shoreline. Currently, Seattle citizens are paying for development impacts, but developers are not. Ask for Impact Fees!
  • Seattle Public Schools just sent out a notice that they expect a budget deficit of $74 Million for the next school year. To read the Letter to Families from Dr. Nyland, Superintendent of Seattle Public Schools, click here.

Display a Yard Sign

We have more Yard Signs! The Keep Seattle Livable; No HALA “Grand Bargain” Upzones signs are in!  To request a sign go to:  https://www.wallingfordcc.org/yard-signs/.

Community Celebration at the North Transfer Station Saturday December 10

Saturday December 10, 2016, 10:00 – 11:30 AM
N 34th Street and N Northlake Place

The North Transfer Station is now open! Join Deputy Mayor Kate Joncas and Seattle Public Utilities for a celebration and refreshments. Come see the features of the new station.

Transfer Station is Open

From The Seattle Times: Nicest dump around? New $108M transfer station in Wallingford even has a basketball court.

Park and Playground are Open

The park and the playground next to the North Transfer Station are open.  The park is along Woodlawn Ave N between N 34th and N 35th Streets, and includes a partial basketball court.  The playground is along N 35th Street between Woodlawn Ave N and Carr Place N, and includes play structures for climbing and sliding.

Monthly Meeting on Wednesday December 7 at 7PM

Location: The Wallingford Community Senior Center in the Good Shepherd Center, 4659 Sunnyside Ave N. Note that this location is downstairs from our usual meeting place in Room 202.

Agenda:

Welcome / Call to Order
Approval of Minutes
Program:

Announcements:

  1. Wallingford Urban Village Workshop. We are waiting for a date from Rob Johnson’s office.
  2. Seattle Public Schools Community Budget Gap Meetings for families to provide feedback on budget priorities:
    • Ballard High School, Tuesday December 13, 6:30 to 8:00 PM.
    • South Shore PreK-8 School, Thursday December 15, 6:30 to 8:00 PM.
    • Franklin High School, Tuesday January 3, 6:30 to 8:00 PM.
  3. Yard Signs: Keep Seattle Livable; No HALA “Grand Bargain” Upzones.
  4. The WCC Board approved getting a third party review of the environmental report for Waterway #20.
  5. North Transfer Station: Official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday December 10, 10:00 to 11:30 AM.
  6. Next Monthly Meeting: Wednesday January 4, 7 PM.

Good of the Order (anything people want to bring up)
Adjourn

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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