Category Archives: Shorelines

Issues involving shorelines, waterways, and street-ends.

WCC June 3 Meeting Reminder — Comp Plan Update & Two Bills to Watch

📝 A Note from the President

Hello, Wallingford! I’m honored to have been elected President of the Council for the 2026–2027 term. I’m grateful to Bonnie Williams for her years of capable leadership, and I look forward to building on her work — advancing our initiatives, expanding our voice at City Hall, and deepening community ties for everyone who lives here, between the lake and the lake, from the freeway to the speedway.

Please join us on Wednesday, June 3 to meet the new board, and to get the latest on the Comprehensive Plan Phase 2 “Centers and Corridors” rezoning proposals. With the final Public Hearing set for July 23, the window to make your voice heard is closing — come learn how to use it.

— Alexis Chartouni, President

📅 Reminder: WCC Monthly Meeting — Wednesday, June 3

Wednesday, June 3 · 7:00 PM
Room 202, Good Shepherd Center (4649 Sunnyside Ave N)
Topic: Phase 2 “Corridors and Centers” map update, ahead of the July 23 Public Hearing.

🏙️ Comp Plan Phase 2: Where Things Stand

The City Council is finishing its review of the Phase 2 “Centers and Corridors” rezone maps. The proposals — first released as online maps in October 2024 — would change zoning for thousands of individual lots citywide, including many along Wallingford’s frequent-transit corridors (the #31/#32 and #62 bus routes) and within the new Tangletown Neighborhood Center. The June 3 meeting will cover the latest from the Council’s May 14 committee session (the May 28 session was canceled) and how to weigh in before the hearing.

Public Hearing: Thursday, July 23 · 9:30 AM (morning & afternoon sessions)
Committee review: Thursday, July 30 · 9:30 AM
Possible final Council vote: Wednesday, August 5

Full background is in our May 2026 newsletter. Check your property’s proposed zoning on the One Seattle Plan zoning map. Council contacts and how to comment: seattle.gov comprehensive plan.

⚠️ Two Bills to Watch — Limited Time to Comment

Two related zoning bills are moving quickly, with little time for public input:

CB 121196 — “Housing Opportunities.” Would allow significant building-height increases and spot rezones in several areas, including Fremont/Stone Way, Belltown, Downtown, the U District, Madison-Miller, and Rainier Beach. The Land Use & Sustainability Committee voted on May 20 to advance it to the full Council, with a vote expected June 2.

CB 121215 — rescission of SEPA appeal rights to the City Hearing Examiner. Would exempt the environmental reviews (EIS) tied to Comprehensive Plans, Comp Plan amendments, area-wide rezones, and zoning-code amendments from appeals to the City Hearing Examiner — removing the public’s main formal way to challenge an inadequate environmental impact study. A Land Use Committee public hearing is set for Tuesday, July 1, with chances to comment on June 3 and June 17 (9:30 AM, Land Use Committee).

Make your voice heard. Email your councilmember — for Wallingford, District 4’s Maritza Rivera (maritza.rivera@seattle.gov); for Tangletown and South Green Lake, District 6’s Dan Strauss (dan.strauss@seattle.gov) — along with Land Use Chair Eddie Lin (Eddie.Lin@seattle.gov) and Mayor Wilson (mayor@seattle.gov) to oppose removing the public’s right to appeal environmental reviews (CB 121215).

🗓️ Save the Date: Annual Waterway Walk — Sunday, June 14

Sunday, June 14 · 2:00 PM
Meet at the Wallingford Steps (south end of Wallingford Ave N, across from Gas Works Park)
~1-hour tour of the waterways along the north shore of Lake Union. Optional happy hour after at Ivar’s Salmon House.

💧 Waterway 20 Update

On Tuesday, May 26, WCC held Waterway 20 Community Meeting #2 at Ivar’s Salmon House, continuing the push to reopen Waterway 20 to public access on Lake Union. Slides from the April 8 and May 26 meetings are on our Shoreline & Environment page. Questions or want to get involved? Contact Shoreline Committee Chair Ted Hunter (shorelines@wallingfordcc.org).

🌿 Join or Renew Your Membership

Membership keeps WCC independent and effective. Join or renew at wallingfordcc.org.

See you Wednesday, June 3 at 7 PM, Room 202, Good Shepherd Center.

Help Shape the Future of Waterway 20 — Take the Community Survey

Your input matters! The Wallingford Community Council is working with the State of Washington to expand public access to Lake Union at Waterway 20, just west of Gas Works Park. We want to hear from you about how this space should serve the community.

Take a few minutes to fill out the Waterway 20 Community Survey and help shape the future of our waterfront. Whether you kayak, paddle board, walk the shoreline, or just want more green space — we want to hear from you.

Take the Survey Now

Want to learn more about Wallingford’s shoreline initiatives and how we got here? Visit our Shorelines page for background on Waterway 20, the history of Lake Union’s public waterways, and how to get involved with the Shoreline Committee.

This Wednesday: Waterway 20 Kickoff at Gasworks Brewing — Help Reopen Lake Union Access

⚠️ Date Correction: An earlier version of this announcement listed the wrong day. The Waterway 20 kickoff is Wednesday, April 8 — not Thursday, April 9. We apologize for the confusion!

💧 This Wednesday — Waterway 20 Kickoff!

Hi Neighbors,

There’s a stretch of Lake Union shoreline on the west side of Gas Works Park in Wallingford that’s been closed to the public for decades — fenced off and awaiting environmental cleanup — that most people don’t even know about. That’s about to change!

The Wallingford Community Council has been awarded a 2-year grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology to bring the community into the investigation and cleanup of Waterway 20 — and to chart a path toward reopening public access to this priceless public waterfront.

Join us for the kickoff meeting to learn where things stand now, what’s planned for next steps, and how you can shape the outcome of this site.

📅 Wednesday, April 8, 2026

🕖 7:00 – 8:30 PM

📍 Gasworks Brewing
2441 N Northlake Way (Waterway 17)

This is the first of two public meetings this year. Your voice is needed as a part of the grant — literally! Come be heard. The future of Lake Union is calling you!

See you Wednesday!
— Wallingford Community Council, Shorelines Committee

WATERWAYS WALK – this Saturday! 10am, May 31st, 2025

Did you know that there are multiple spots in Wallingford where the public has access to Lake Union? Join us for a walk along the lake to learn about Wallingford’s historic connection to Lake Union and ongoing efforts to preserve public shoreline access.

Join us! Bring friends, neighbors, family, etc., wear walking shoes and weather appropriate gear 🙂
When: Saturday, May 31, 2025 | Time: 10:00 A.M.
Where: Meet at the tiled plaza at the Wallingford Steps (above the Burke-Gilman Trail)
Learn More: Wallingford Shoreline Project

Annual Membership Meeting w/ Special Guest Jorge Baron (District 4), Waterways Walk, Gasworks Park News, and Historic Wallingford at Wally-Home Resource Fair

We have an an update that the “Waterways Walk” has been moved to 10:00 am on Saturday, May 31st, 2025. (Corrected below.)

SAVE THE DATE: Annual Meeting and Officer Elections 2025 on Wednesday, May 14th, 7:00 PM

Elections for the Wallingford Community Council board member positions and our special guest: Jorge Barón, District 4 Representative on the King County Regional Council.

Wallingford Community Council – General Meeting
Date & Time: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 | 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Check-In: 6:30 PM – 6:55 PM (You must attend in person to vote)
Location: Good Shepherd Center, 4659 Sunnyside Avenue, North Chapel, 4th floor
Special Guest: Jorge Barón, District 4 Representative on the King County Regional Council (About Jorge Baron)

We invite you to an evening of learning about interconnections between state, county, and city government. Jorge is one of nine members of the King County Council for the 2024-26 term. D4 includes Belltown to the south, Broadview to the north, and West of I-5 to the water. Jorge follows Jeannie Kohl Welles, who retired two years ago. We are honored to have Jorge as our keynote speaker. Join us!

Agenda:

6:30–6:55 PM: Member Check-In (must attend in person to vote)
7:00 PM: Welcome and Officer Elections
7:20–8:15 PM: Special Guest — Jorge Barón, District 4 Representative on the Metropolitan King County Council
8:15 PM: Announcements and Closing Remarks
8:30 PM: Adjourn

Have a topic or question for Rep. Barón?
Please email pres@wallingfordcc.org by May 12.

Volunteers Needed:
We could use help setting up and putting away chairs before the meeting and leave in place after.. Thank you!

Membership Reminder:
To vote, you must have renewed or joined after November 1, 2024, and no later than April 28, 2025.

Interested in serving on the WCC Board?
Please email communications@wallingfordcc.org with a short description of your interest and neighborhood involvement.

Upcoming Event: Waterways Walk

Join us for a walk to learn about Wallingford’s historic connection to Lake Union and ongoing efforts to preserve public shoreline access.

SAVE THE DATE
When: Saturday, May 31, 2025 | Time: 10:00 A.M.
Where: Meet at the tiled plaza at the Wallingford Steps (above the Burke-Gilman Trail)
Learn More: Wallingford Shoreline Project

Gas Works Park News

The Wallingford Community Council Board recently met with the Assistant Superintendent of Parks to discuss concerns around large private music concerts and events at Gas Works Park. We have been meeting with park managers recently to ask for stricter monitoring of noise amplified at music and athletic events. We have requested better supervision related to traffic safety and congestion, parking management for extremely large private ticketed commercial events, as experienced last summer 2024. Gasworks has not hosted this type or scale of event since 2007. We have requested the Parks administration plan for the availability of on-site management to address problems that arise during these events.

The current schedule for large/major special events at Gasworks in 2025 is:

Seattle 4th of July Friday, ( 40 K estimated attendance)
Day Trip Concert: Saturday. July 26th (10K estimated attendance)
Obliteride: Friday August 8th (concert-3K estimated attendance)
Saturday. August 9th ( bike ride-7K estimated attendance)
AEG Concert: Saturday, August 30th ( 10K estimated attendance) ** date could be moved to August 23
Diplo Mascot Run+ Concert: Saturday, September 27 ( 8K estimated attendance)

Historic Wallingford Sponsors a Wally-Home Resource Fair at Wallingford Center

When: Saturday, May 31, 2025, 10 AM-3 PM, free
Where: Wallingford Center, 1815 N. 45th Street
Learn more: https://www.historicwallingford.org/2025-home-fair/

Thank You

The next several months will be critical for shaping Wallingford’s future. We encourage residents to get involved! Please visit https://wallingfordcc.org/contact to send us your information. We will follow up with ways to get involved.