Category Archives: Land Use

Backyard Cottages Community Meeting

Wednesday, February 3rd, from 6:00 – 7:30 PM
Wallingford Community Senior Center (bottom level of the Good Shephard Center)

The City’s Description: “Expanding the construction of backyard cottages could provide thousands of new housing units throughout Seattle and give homeowners an opportunity to earn stable, extra income and remain in their homes. Join us, along with Council member Mike O’Brien, at two public meetings to discuss policy options that would encourage production of backyard cottages.”

The WCC is concerned about the proposed changes to the rules governing backyard cottages, and it encourages those interested in this topic to attend. The WCC General Meeting will begin after this meeting.

Follow Up on the January 20th Urban Village Meeting

The WCC hosted an informational meeting January 20th regarding the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan and the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA), and their potential impact on the Wallingford Residential Urban Village. Over 200 people attended, and more than 80 people signed-up to be part of a WCC committee on these issues. More have joined since by registering for ongoing WCC communications online on the mailing list registration page.

A complete record of this meeting has been posted in a video playlist on YouTube.

The next step is an organizational meeting to develop the WCC Urban Village effort. Stay tuned for further updates regarding the time and place for this meeting.

From the President:
The January 20th meeting was a great success in terms of attendance, community participation, and program. Thanks to all who attended! If you want to help and haven’t already signed up, please feel free to contact me or subscribe to our mailing list.

Carl Slater
President, Wallingford Community Council

01/20/2016 – Urban Planning Meeting – Video Recording

Videos recording from the Wallingford Community Council “Urban Planning” meeting on 1/20/2016 below.

If you want to get involved and make change (one way or another), be sure to register on the WCC registration page and choose “Urban Planning” as a special area of interest for future communications.

Urban Village, Seattle 2035 and HALA informational meeting this Wednesday!

The Wallingford Community Council will hold an Urban Village, Seattle 2035 and HALA informational meeting on: January 20th, 2016, 7:00 – 9:00 PM at the Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North, in the Chapel on the 4th floor.

Zoning and Housing Density Changes Proposed for the Wallingford Residential Urban Village

Map of Wallingford Residential Urban Village

The Wallingford Community Council wants you to know of major changes proposed in our neighborhood. Mayor Ed Murray will soon finalize recommendations to the Seattle City Council to revise the basic planning laws that govern what can be built on your and your neighbors’ property.

Mayor Murray has teamed up with developers and with advocacy organizations that promote housing density and want to change the way we live. Their first step is changing the City’s Comprehensive Plan through the Seattle 2035 process, followed by zoning changes recommended in the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) plan.

We believe these proposals will not create more affordable family housing or more affordable apartments, other than a few subsidized units.

Proposed “Seattle 2035” changes to the Comprehensive Plan would:

Eliminate requirements to include residents’ input in changes to neighborhood zoning and other aspects of the Comprehensive Plan.
Make it much easier to rezone any property in or near the Urban Village from single-family to multi-family.
Eliminate specific zoning types within the Urban Village from the future land use map.
Revise descriptions of single-family areas, making it easier to rezone to multi-family.
Again permit “skinny houses” and houses built on sub-standard lots.
Remove protections for trees and goals for more trees.
Permit more development on steep slopes and in environmentally sensitive areas.
Eliminate parking requirements for apartment complexes.

Mayor Murray’s “Grand Bargain” with the HALA panel of developers and advocacy organizations would:

Change all single-family zoning within Urban Villages to multi-family zoning.
Greatly increase the allowed heights and size in multi-family zones (from 3 to 4 or 5 stories) and in commercial zones (from 4 to 5 or 6 stories).
Push out locally-owned small businesses that cannot afford the higher rents in new mid-rise mixed-use buildings.
Accelerate demolition of existing affordable housing.
Replace affordable housing with “top-dollar” houses and apartments.
Increase rents for non-subsidized apartments.
Increase the parking shortage.
Create new legal “loopholes” for developers.
Make these changes despite City studies confirming that existing zoning is adequate for predicted future population growth!

How to Write to the Mayor and City Council:

http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/get-involved/contact-the-mayor
http://www.seattle.gov/council/meet-the-council

References:

Seattle 2035: http://2035.seattle.gov/seattles-planning-alternatives/
Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA): http://murray.seattle.gov/housing/#sthash.ON5TJ4OH.dpbs

Vince Lyons, 1943-2015

Vince Lyons

Long time Wallingford resident and neighborhood advocate Vince Lyons died on October 29th at the age of 72 from cancer. Obituaries can be found in the Seattle Times and theDaily Journal of Commerce.
Vince worked as an urban planner for 40 years. He was manager of the Design Review program for the Seattle Department of Construction and Land Use (DCLU), now the Department of Planning and Development (DPD), for 29 years.

Vince was an active member of the Wallingford Community Council and served as its President in 1988 and 1989. He was instrumental in turning Interlake School into Wallingford Center, and he provided the guiding vision for the Wallingford Steps pathway to Gas Works Park.
The memorial service is from 2:00 to 4:00 PM on Saturday November 14 at Wallingford United Methodist Church, 2115 N 42nd Street. Here are details from Greg Lyons, Vince’s son:

Hello All,
Greg here (Vince’s son)- writing from Vince’s account to ensure you know about his memorial service. It will be held a week from today, Saturday 11/14, 2pm-4pm at the Wallingford United Methodist Church. After the service we’ll have some food, coffee and soft drinks. Perhaps mosey to Murphy’s Pub on 45th Street after for whoever would like to do so.

Hope you can join us, please RSVP by reply e-mail [vince715@gmail.com]. If you know someone else you want to forward to that should see this, please do so – I’ve surely missed MANY dear friends who’s e-mails weren’t saved in Dad’s g-mail contact list.

Feel free to bring a photo or item that reminds you of Vince to display on tales we’ll have set up – you can retrieve when you go.

Thank you,
Greg