Category Archives: Transportation

Stay Engaged: One Seattle Plan Zoning Changes & Transportation Levy Updates

We have several critical updates and upcoming events to share with you, including an important discussion on the “One Seattle Plan” zoning changes that will significantly impact our neighborhood. 

1.) Save the Date – November 12th WCC Meeting

Join us at our upcoming WCC meeting on Tuesday 11/12 for a comprehensive review of the proposed “One Seattle Plan” zoning maps and their impact on Wallingford.  

The “One Seattle Plan” (youtube overview) proposes sweeping zoning changes for formerly single family lots outside the Wallingford Urban Village and across all Seattle neighborhoods.

The plan is to increase density by authorizing the construction of 4-6 units on remaining single family lots as mandated by the State’s Middle Housing Bill HB1110.  

Date: Tuesday, November 12
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Good Shepherd Senior Center, Room 140
Key Topic: “One Seattle Plan” Zoning Changes

Some Key Details:

  • The city’s neighborhood zoning changes reflect up-zones in proximity to a 1/4 mile walk from major transit (rapid ride and light rail) with unexpected up-zones to lots located adjacent to “frequent transit” bus routes. 
  • In Wallingford, for example, single family lots abutting the streets of bus lines 31, 32 and 62 currently have height limits of 30 ft in Neighborhood Residential zones. In the proposed rezone, heights on redeveloped lots would rise to 55 ft for 5-story, multi-family developments. 
  • A new Neighborhood Commercial Center is proposed in West Wallingford/Upper Fremont
  • There is a plan to expand the Tangletown commercial core and create a “new neighborhood center” where single family NR zoning is proposed to be rezoned to LR3. 

Key Resources: 
The city website has a consolidated page with an interactive Draft Mapping tool, the Neighborhood Residential Housing Models proposed for HB1110, and an Engagement Section with a listing of the seven in-person information sessions with the OPCD staff. (Office of Planning and Community Development)  There is also a helpful video on how to explore the maps and comment on them directly. 
https://one-seattle-plan-zoning-implementation-seattlecitygis.hub.arcgis.com/pages/zoning-map
(Please note, these Zoning Maps are available for Public Comment through 12/20.)

As mentioned, OPCD will host meetings on this topic from Oct. 30 to Dec. 12 across in-person and virtual meetings:

Other key resources and opportunities to engage:

Please note that Public Comment Closes on Dec. 20, 2024

2.) Transportation Levy “Proposition 1” Update

Following our October WCC meeting with SDOT representatives, please review the following links to find answers to any outstanding questions or decisions on this ballot issue.

Thank you for your continued engagement in shaping our community’s future.

Ask City Council to allow discussion on Transportation Impact Fees. Support Council Bill 120635.

CALL TO ACTION: Email, Call and Testify

This week, please ask City Council to support Council Bill 120635 to amend the City’s Comprehensive Plan to allow the Council to engage with the public and then to later vote on whether to adopt transportation impact fees to pay for infrastructure needs created by new developments.

Monday, Nov. 6th: Please contact all Members of City Council and ask them to vote YES on CB 120635.

Tuesday, Nov. 7th: Please consider also making public comment either in-person or via telephone and ask all Councilmembers to vote YES on CB 120635.

City Council needs to hear from we, the people.  🙂

NOTE: CB 120635 is a procedural requirement—it does NOT impose any fees. What it does do is allow for the discussion, public engagement, and then, ideally, a vote.  If the comp plan does not get amended, then the exploration of impact fees cannot happen.  Impact fees are charged by all surrounding communities of Seattle, i.e., Redmond, Bellevue, Renton, Bainbridge Island, etc..

What are Impact Fees?  Impact fees are one-time charges assessed by a local government against a new development project to help pay for new or expanded public capital facilities that will directly address the increased demand for services created by that development. *
 
What can Transportation Impact Fees be used for?
Transportation impact fees must be used for “public streets, roads, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities that were designed with multimodal commuting as an intended use” that are addressed by a capital facilities plan element of a comprehensive plan adopted under the GMA, per RCW 82.02.050(4) and RCW 82.02.090(7).
According to our discussions with the Washington State Department of Transportation, “bicycle and pedestrian facilities that were designed with multimodal commuting as an intended use” would include any bike trail/lane/path, sidewalk, or any other multimodal trail/lane/path, whether on-street or off-street, as long as it is publicly owned or within the public right-of-way and connects two or more destinations.
It is unlikely that transportation impact fees can be used for other multimodal improvements not listed above, such as transit vehicles or recreational hiking trails.
Since impact fees are restricted to capital facilities, they cannot be used to fund transportation studies or operating and maintenance costs. *

Development impact fees are not a new idea—the cost to provide infrastructure for new real estate development should be carried in part by those new projects (“growth should pay for growth”).  Implementing development impacts fees—like 70 other Washington Cities already do—requires a two-step process: our comprehensive plan must be amended to allow impact fees before they can be considered by a separate ordinance. CB 120635 is just the first step (amending the comprehensive plan)!  

The timing of CB 120635 is particularly important because the 2015 Move Seattle property tax levy expires next year. Ideally, that property tax can remain flat or even decrease; shifting a reasonable amount of the burden to the for-profit developers of new market rate projects (as is done by Redmond, Bellevue, Federal Way, Shoreline, and 66 other Washington cities) will help make this tax reform possible. 
 
CM Herbold, a long-time proponent of impact fees, and CM Pedersen are co-sponsors of CB 120635 to amend the Comp Plan to enable consideration of a program at a later date.

Reference:
– * Source and language for What are Impact Fees and What can Transportation Impact Fees be used for? Comes from https://mrsc.org/research-tools/ask-mrsc
– To read Council Bill 120635 – click here

Background reading links:
– CM Pedersen’s page
– CM Herbold’s page
– Seattle Times: Seattle Leader Wants Developers to Help Pay for Transportation Projects

Some talking points on this topic:
•        Seattle is overdue for impact fees to help us pay for our transportation infrastructure rather than piling the entire cost-burden on homeowners and renters through property taxes. 
•        Seattle is an outlier when 70 other Washington State cities, including Bellevue, Redmond, Renton, Bainbridge Island (as well as cities across the nation) collect this important revenue for better infrastructure to support growth. 
•        Impact fees do not interfere with growth – Bellevue, Redmond and many other cities in Washington use those fees and these cities have not stopped growing. 
•        Seattle’s proposed impact fees would be relatively small in comparison with other cities’ programs.
•        Public, non-profit, and other low-income housing projects could be exempt from these fees. 
•        Impact fee revenue can be used for projects that support for ALL modes of travel, including pedestrians, transit, bikes, and freight. 
•        Impact fee revenue would free up other transportation revenues that Seattle needs to fix our aging bridges.  
•        Impact fees could be used to help pay for new or replacement trees in upgraded rights of way (streets) projects. 
•        Impact fees are not likely to appreciably impact market rate housing production or rents – driving down land values reduces upward pressure on market rent rates.  
•        Impact fees will not reduce the supply of low-income housing: Low-income housing is likely to be exempt.

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Monthly Meeting, November, In-Person

Wednesday November 1, 2023, 7 PM

Location: Room 202 of the Good Shepherd Center, 4659 Sunnyside Ave N.

Agenda:

  • Welcome and Call to Order
  • Guests:
    • Scott Lien /Kamiak and Weinstein AU will present an update on their 6-story, 105-unit apartment building at 4318 Stone Way North.  The project will include space for restaurant & retail and also include parking for about 60 vehicles.
    • Councilmember Alex Pedersen or Toby Thaler /Pedersen’s office will go over the proposed Transportation Impact Fees legislation.
  • Committee reports
  • Announcements
    • Lid I-5 – Community Vision Workshop, Thursday, November 9, 2023, 5:30-8:00pm, Gould Hall Court, 3950 University Way NE.  Covering the highway, connecting communities – come brainstorm, share ideas, and help with envisioning the possibilities.  All are welcome.  To learn more and rsvp, click here.
    • 45th Street beautification project, Volunteers Needed – Creative project to replace the banners along 45th Street:  
      We have a small group of people interested and could use a few more!  This project needs outreach, project coordination, and creativity – does any of that sound like you?  If so, please email pres@wallingfordcc.org to get connected.
    • Seattle Needs Trees – There is a city-wide movement to amend the legislation to bring it into compliance with the City’s own 2035 Comprehensive Plan goals (30% coverage by 2037), as well as the state Growth Management Act. To learn more, click here.
    • Hybrid Meeting Tech Help: need volunteers with the equipment to lend to make the bi-monthly meetings hybrid.  It is something we would like to offer, but we need a volunteer or two to do so.  Contact pres@wallingfordcc.org if interested. 🙂
    • Next Monthly Meeting: Wednesday, Dec. 6, 7PM.
  • Good of the Order (anything people want to bring up)
  • Adjourn

Paving work to begin on E Green Lake Way N tomorrow Monday April 19!

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be paving E Green Lake Way N (along the east side of Green Lake) this coming week. They will start from N 51st Street and work northwards. Vehicle and bicycle traffic, and the 26E bus are impacted. Use of alternate routes is recommended.

See the SDOT weekly project notice or the project website for further details.

Join Us for our Monthly Meeting, Wednesday March 3

Time: 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Date: Wednesday, March 3
Location: Zoom videoconferencing

This month our Monthly Meeting will be a Zoom Meeting. This means attendees can choose to share your video, raise your hand to participate, and see your neighbors.

The Wallingford Community Council (WCC) Board of Directors will each share exciting and thoughtful updates from their respective areas:

  • Acknowledgements – Jenny Ring-Perez
  • Shorelines – Miranda Berner
  • Housing – Jamie Byrd
  • Land Use – Greg Hill
  • Quality of Life – Bonnie Williams
  • Communications – Frank Fay
  • Transportation – Ted Hunter (interim)

Darrell Bulmer from the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will discuss nearby projects in Fremont:

The N Northlake Way Retaining Wall project will repair and reinforce the retaining wall west of Stone Way N along Lake Union that holds up the buildings and the roadway. SDOT is conducting a survey to gather concerns and improvement ideas for this section of N Northlake Way.

The N 34th Street Mobility Improvements project will start construction soon to provide Protected Bicycle Lanes on N 34th Street between Fremont Ave N and Stone Way N. The Burke-Gilman Trail crossing will be improved at the intersection of Stone Way N and N 34th Street.