Category Archives: WallHALA

The Antiquated Sewer System & the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA)

Many areas in Seattle have combined sewers where rainwater from roof and street runoff (which often carries pollutants), and raw sewage from our homes combine in the sewer pipes.  During and after heavy rains the sewage flow can exceed the capacity of the waste treatment pipes and the untreated sewage overflow is discharged through Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) directly into waterways.

The zone immediately North of Lake Union from The Locks to Lake Washington produces a significant proportion of the raw sewage dumping into the freshwater areas of Seattle.  Wallingford, Ballard, Fremont, and the U-District dumped more than 130 million gallons of raw sewage into Lake Union, Salmon Bay, and the Ship Canal during 2014 (the most recent data available) alone.  King County and Seattle City CSOs discharged a total of 1.14 billion gallons over 388 events during 2014 (this includes only untreated overflows).

There is a plan in place to address the problem, but according to The Long Term Control Plan (see page 302) the NW Seattle CSO basin projects will not be fully completed until 2030.  If the HALA proposals to upscale zoning are successful, the increased housing density will exacerbate the existing raw sewage problem.  Every new toilet added to the system means more fecal matter in our freshwater!

We urge you to share your opinion of this situation with your elected officials in city government.

Please comment by email to the City Council:
sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov; tim.burgess@seattle.gov; mike.obrien@seattle.gov; kshama.sawant@seattle.gov; rob.johnson@seattle.gov; lorena.gonzalez@seattle.gov; lisa.herbold@seattle.gov; bruce.harrell@seattle.gov; debora.juarez@seattle.gov

And please submit your comments to Mayor Murray:
http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/get-involved/contact-the-mayor

Feel free to send your version of this suggested comment:

I oppose HALA up-zoning in the areas that have significant raw sewage outflows.  These environmentally sensitive areas should be specifically excluded from HALA and growth initiatives until the planned sewage retrofits are completed.  Both King County and City of Seattle Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) should be improved in the affected areas before new population growth should be considered.

It is irresponsible for you as our elected city leaders to consider exacerbating the current environmental problems in these sensitive areas with more population and more raw sewage. As government officials, it is your responsibility to ensure that we are in compliance with the State Growth Management Act, which requires concurrent growth of infrastructure with density, and the Federal Clean Water Act.  The environmental impact of HALA is a significant concern for myself and my family.

For additional information:

  1. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU): Sewage Overflow Prevention:
    http://www.seattle.gov/util/environmentconservation/projects/sewageoverflowprevention/
  2. CSO Program 2014 Annual Report:
    http://www.seattle.gov/util/cs/groups/public/@spu/@drainsew/documents/webcontent/1_037450.pdf
  3. SPU: Protecting Seattle’s Waterways.  Long Term Control Plan:
    http://www.seattle.gov/util/cs/groups/public/@spu/@drainsew/documents/webcontent/01_030101.pdf
    See page 157 for a CSO map. Page 302 shows a final completion date of 2030 for NW CSO projects.
  4. Seattle Ship Canal Water Quality Project:
    https://youtu.be/IZCqMfUoiMw
  5. Growth Management rules with regards to wastewater treatment:
    http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Construction/planning.aspx
  6. Rainwise – infomation on managing runoff, including rebates if you live in an overflow area:
    http://www.seattle.gov/util/EnvironmentConservation/Projects/GreenStormwaterInfrastructure/RainWise/index.htm

Meetings This Week (June 6 to 10)

WallHALA General Meeting

Wednesday June 8, 7:00-9:00 PM in the Wallingford Community Senior Center (bottom floor of the Good Shepherd Center).

With special guest, Jesseca Brand, HALA outreach, from the Department of Neighborhoods, City of Seattle.

A General meeting of the WallHALA committee to address the Housing Affordability & Livability Agenda (HALA), the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan revisions, and the Backyard Cottages (DADU) revisions that will affect the Wallingford neighborhood.

Planning Land Use & Zoning Committee

This City Council Committee will meet Tuesday June 7, 9:30 AM in City Hall.

The committee will be discussing the Living Building Pilot Program, and the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) framework for up-zoning building heights (with Downtown and South Lake Union (SLU) to be approved first). The percentage of affordable housing units that developers will need to build are still very low and the issue of low-cost rental housing displacement is barely addressed. (See Agenda item #2 and download the presentation.)

https://seattle.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=489894&GUID=4A672765-B8B2-412D-AA84-D328D7EF3A0E

Councilmember Office Hours

Councilmember Mike O’Brien will be holding office hours Wednesday June 8 from 3:00-6:00 PM at the Fremont Public Library, 731 N 35th St. We encourage you to attend and talk to him regarding your concerns.

Councilmember Lisa Herbold will be holding office hours Friday June 10 from 12:00-7:00 PM at South Park Community Center, 8319 8th Ave S.

Important Future Meetings – Mark Your Calendars!

Public Hearing on Mandatory Housing Affordability – Residential. Tuesday June 21 in City Council Chambers at 9:30 AM. This is the framework legislation for the up-zoning of building heights in all Urban Villages (including Wallingford and Fremont). Please come and bring a friend and make a Public Comment! We are expecting a big turnout of people in favor of the upzones so please let your concerns be known.

Public Hearing on the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan. Monday June 27 in City Hall at 6:00 PM. We want to retain neighborhood specific planning in the comprehensive plan as an integral part of the planning process. Please come and bring a friend and make a Public Comment!

Zoning Changes for Backyard Cottages & Mother-in-Law Apartments: Your Input Matters!

The City of Seattle is considering changes to the rules governing backyard cottages (Detached Accessory Dwelling Units or DADUs) and mother-in-law apartments (Attached Dwelling Units or ADUs) on single-family lots. The proposed changes include:

  • Removing the owner occupancy requirement.
  • Allowing both a mother-in-law apartment (ADU) and a backyard cottage (DADU) on the same lot.
  • Removing the off-street parking requirement.
  • Permitting up to 12 unrelated persons to live on a single-family lot.
  • Allowing backyard cottages (DADUs) on lots less than 4,000 square feet.
  • Increasing height limits to allow structures up to 27 feet tall, which is 2½ stories.

These changes could have profound impacts on single-family neighborhoods throughout the city, both inside and outside of urban villages. The HALA (Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda) Strategy SF.2 proposes allowing more variety of housing types in single family zones, including duplexes and triplexes.  By allowing three units (a principal dwelling and an ADU and a DADU) on a single-family lot, this proposal moves towards the HALA goal of allowing multi-family dwellings on single-family lots. This, in addition to no parking and increased residents, could drastically affect the livability and character of single-family neighborhoods.

For a full discussion see the Backyard Cottages page.

We urge you to share your opinion of these proposals with your elected officials in city government.

Please comment by email to the City Council:
Lisa Herbold; Bruce Harrell; Kshama Sawant; Rob Johnson; Debora Juarez; Mike O’Brien; Sally Bagshaw; Tim Burgess; Lorena González.

And please submit your comments to Mayor Murray:
http://www.seattle.gov/mayor/get-involved/contact-the-mayor

Feel free to send your version of this suggested comment:

I oppose the changes to the backyard cottage rules that are being discussed within city government. Removing the owner occupancy requirement while simultaneously allowing both backyard cottages and mother-in-law apartments on the same lot could have profound impacts on single-family neighborhoods throughout the city, both inside and outside of urban villages. How is this different than the original HALA proposal to allow multi-family developments in single-family zones?  That proposal was rescinded due to its unpopularity with voters.  This one should be too. This, in addition to no parking and increased residents, could drastically affect the livability and character of single-family neighborhoods.  Please prevent these rule changes from occurring.

Community Forum: City plans to upzone the U-District for 320′ towers (May 16)

IMPORTANT – Monday, May 16, 7:00-8:30 PM: Community Forum on the City’s plan to upzone the U-District for 320 foot towers – sponsored by the University District Community Council City, Seattle Fair Growth, and other neighborhood groups. Councilmembers and/or their staff, and city planners will be there to hear your concerns (University Heights Community Center, Room 209, 5031 University Way NE).

Click here for questions to ask our elected officials on this topic.

Planning, Land Use & Zoning Committee meeting (May 3)

An important meeting of the Planning, Land Use and Zoning (PLUZ) Committee of the City Council is scheduled for 9:30 AM tomorrow, Tuesday, May 3 at City Hall.  We encourage you to attend and to make a public comment.

The agenda was announced late last Friday. The PLUZ committee will hear presentations from mayoral and council staff on the following two significant initiatives:

These proposals are of concern to the Wallingford neighborhood and the entire city.

  • The Mandatory Housing Affordability program was previously known as Mandatory Inclusionary Housing. The name change recognizes that the proposal does not mandate that affordable housing be included in new residential construction. The majority of developers are expected to pay a fee instead, leaving the City to build the affordable housing in other neighborhoods. That could result in Wallingford becoming less affordable and less diverse as the city becomes more economically segregated.
  • The Equitable Development Implementation Plan proposal ends with “all communities are able to determine their own futures”. However, the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan proposal gets rid of neighborhood planning and all but eliminates the ability of citizens to affect development in their neighborhood.

Rob Johnson, our council member, is chair of the PLUZ committee and has recently announced in public his total commitment to up-zoning in our district. Tuesday’s committee meeting is the first step in that process. If you cannot attend to voice your views in person, please contact Rob Johnson or the other committee members, Lisa Herbold, Lorena González, and Mike O’Brian, to let them know of your concerns.

rob.johnson@seattle.gov; lisa.herbold@seattle.gov; lorena.gonzalez@seattle.gov; mike.obrien@seattle.gov

Please share this information!