City Asking for HALA Focus Groups Applications from Ravenna-Bryant

The City still needs applications for their  Housing and Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) focus groups.  The deadline is today, February 26th but, due to a lack of applications from our area, has been extended until Monday February 29th for folks in Ravenna-Bryant .

There are 65 HALA recommendations but some of the ones that might be of interest to folks in Ravenna-Bryant are:

  • Anything that is currently zoned lowrise or commercial in our neighborhood could be upzoned.  Single family zones are not being considered for an upzone unless they’re in an Urban Village or Center, but proposed policy changes for Accesory Dwelling Units (ADUs or “mother-in-laws”) and Detached Accesory Dwelling Units (DADUs or “backyard cottages”) could change the single family neighborhoods in Seattle.  Learn more about how Ravenna-Bryant is currently zoned through these two blog posts about 35th Avenue and “Downtown Ravenna” or just look at our RBCA map.
  • Urban Villages like Roosevelt would see even more growth.  Currently, a dotted line for the Urban Village Boundary for Roosevelt comes into the single family neighborhood east of 15th Avenue NE; this has the potential to upzone some single family homes east of Roosevelt High School.  We wrote a blog post about that here.
  • An expanded, perhaps doubled, housing levy could go to ballot next year.
  • Read about all 65 recommendations here.  Yes, it’s 76 pages!

Do you have interest in being part of this discussion?  The focus groups are facilitated not by the City but by a third party.  Some land use knowledge is helpful, but not required.  The focus groups meet through the end of 2016.

Big Changes Coming for South Ravenna-Bryant

BGT_viewThe second Design Review Board meeting for the new project on Union Bay Place is tonight (February 22) at 6:30 at University Heights.  This project is across from Tully’s at “Five Corners” and buttresses the Burke Gilman Trail; however, due to slope issues, the project will not be connected to the Burke.

Just East on the Burke Gilman Trail, the new restaurants in the former Bill the Butcher site have opened.  This site was considered as a bike hotel, but people in Laurelhurst were concerned about the lack of parking for such a project.  The Laurelhurst Community Association Blog has written a post about the new restaurants and now appear to be content with having more options for eating out near their neighborhood.

With the opening of the new Light Rail station at Husky Stadium opening on March 19th, this portion of Ravenna-Bryant will surely see a lot of new development.

Are More ADUs and DADUs coming to RBCA?

This Tuesday, January 26th, from 5-7 p.m. at City Hall Mayor Murray and department directors will launch their conversation on the implementation of HALA (Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda).

The HALA Report, which consists of 65 recommendations made by a 28 member committee, identified ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units) and DADUs (Detached Accessory Dwelling Units) as a way to create more housing in single-family areas in Seattle.  Last Tuesday, January 19th at the Filipino Community Center, about 100 people gathered to hear former Planning, Land Use, and Zoning Committee Chair Councilmember Mike O’Brien and Nick Welch from the Office of Planning and Community Development discuss policy changes that would encourage more homeowners to construct ADUs and DADUs.  (District 4’s Rob Johnson is the current Planning, Land Use, and Zoning Committee Chair Councilmember.)

According to Mr. Welch, the City of Seattle currently has just over 1000 permitted ADUs and 220 permitted DADUs.  There were 6 policy changes on which attendees were asked to comment and vote.  Based on public comments and the votes on the 6 poster boards, the majority of people at the Filipino Community Center last week were in favor of all of the changes below.

1)Should we remove the off street parking requirement?

2) Should we allow an ADU and a DADU on the same lot?

3)Should we remove the owner-occupancy requirement?

4) Should we modify development standards for backyard cottages?

5) Should we increase the height limit for certain lots?

6) Should we modify the rear yard coverage limit?

The next ADU/DADU meeting is Wednesday February 3rd at Wallingford Senior Center 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North from 6-7:30 p.m.  You will get to vote on which, if any, of these recommendations should be implemented.

While the HALA recommendations are being rolled out, the City is also considering expanding Urban Village boundaries for the new 2035 Comprehensive Plan.  You can also educate yourself on how the two plans overlap on the City’s website and this timeline.

 

 

Comp Plan and HALA Changes in RBCA

New Comprehensive Plan Map for 2035.seattle.gov
New Comprehensive Plan Map for 2035.seattle.gov

RBCA is embarking on some of the most interesting land use discussions that we have had in some time.  First, the City is in the process of updating is Comprehensive Plan, called Seattle 2035. The City’s Comprehensive plan is the policy document that guides long-range land use planning strategies.  While there are updates to the plan each year, this effort is part of a wholesale update to the Plan that occurs every 10 years. In the Draft Plan, the City has recommended expanding the Roosevelt Urban Village Growth Boundary into portions of Ravenna-Bryant’s Community Association’s Boundary.

The City notes that this expansion is intended to include an area that is a 10-minute walk from frequent transit (in this case, the Roosevelt LINK station, scheduled to open in 2021). In addition, the City Council is in the process of adopting a legislation proposed by the Mayor’s HALA (Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda) committee to upzone most portions of the City zoned for intensive residential and commercial uses*, in conjunction with requiring 5-7% of new residential units to be made affordable a below-market rates.
The green in this map show where the City proposes zoning changes to 16% of Seattle. See more at http://murray.seattle.gov/housing/#sthash.GrgHZxBa.dpbs
The green in this map show where the City proposes zoning changes to 16% of Seattle.
The confluence of these two events presents an opportunity to provide feedback to DPD about land use policy decisions that may affect how our neighborhood will evolve in the future.  At the last RBCA Board meeting, we had a robust debate about how and where the Roosevelt UV boundary should expand, with some interest in amending the proposed expansion area to be more aligned along the 65th Avenue corridor instead of the recommended expansion area proposed by DPD.
The consensus seemed to be that there is an opportunity to better address the need for greater housing diversity (in terms of product type and income level) along that corridor and perhaps focus more of DPD’s planning efforts in Ravenna business district proper. This is an area where zoning already allows for more intense uses than exist currently, but lacks a strategy for streetscape improvements and neighborhood –specific urban design standards.  In addition, given the two current proposed developments along the neighborhood’s southern boundary on Union Bay Place, and the strong likelihood of redevelopment along 55th and 65th at some point in the future, we may want to discuss whether and when it would be appropriate to request Urban Village status for some portion of Ravenna-Bryant. An urban planning best practice is that infrastructure planning (and investment) should keep up with growth, and perhaps one or more UV designations could be a mechanism to support better planning.
So, how can you participate in the discussion of these exciting topics? First, we invite you to attend the November 3rd RBCA board meeting (yes, on election day) when we will be discussing the Comp Plan 2035 update process, and HALA.  We will be learning more about both of these initiatives and assessing whether to opine on one or both as a Board.  Second, individual comments regarding the Comp Plan 2035 should be directed to the City’s website http://2035.seattle.gov/ no later than November 20
* land zoned for a mix of multifamily, office and retail uses (i.e. “Neighborhood commercial” and “Commercial” zones)
Written by Chris Fiori and Sarah Swanberg, RBCA board members

New Project on Union Bay Place

The project will replace parking garages for Lake View Medical Dental and Union Bay Place Medical Offices with apartments above.

 

A new project on Union Bay Place across from Tully’s at the “Five Corners” will create 60 residential units right along the Burke Gilman Trail, parking for roughly 115 cars, and add 4,000 square feet of commercial space along Union Bay Place.  You can read the complete Early Design Guidance package here .

The impetus for this project was to improve the parking and circulation for both the Lake View Medical Dental building and the Union Bay Place Medical Offices, all owned by affiliates of ICP Capital.

This project is next to the Burke Gilman Trail but it is unclear if a connection to the trail will occur given several challenges facing the site.  In addition to a steep slope between the building site and the trail presenting elevation issues, there is a City right of way that runs between the site and the trail that would require an easement.  Access approval from Seattle Parks would also be required to connect to the Burke.

This is not the first time a developer has applied to build along the Burke Gilman in our neighborhood.  In 2013, developer Ron Sher explored building a “bike hotel” on 45th in the old “Bill the Butcher” site.  He eventually opted to put two new restaurants on his property, set to open in July/August 2015.

Union Bay Place recently got some pedestrian safety upgrades, but this new development will also be required to put new sidewalks in front of its project.

Union Bay Place is zoned NC2-40 (neighborhood commercial with 40 foot heights) on the Burke Gilman side of the street, but it is zoned C2-65 (commercial with 65 foot heights) across the street.  It seems likely that this entire street will soon be redeveloped as the new Sound Transit Station soon opens at Husky Stadium.

There is an Early Design Review Board meeting Monday July 6th, 2015 at 6:30 at University Heights, room 209.


zoning_UBP

 

 

 

 

Restoration and Construction Set to Begin at Theodora Site

The Theodora 6559 35 NE
The Theodora 6559 35 NE

65th and 35th is a busy place these days with the construction at Bryant Heights and the Theodora, right across the street.  RBCA has always known that change was coming to our neighborhood and was involved in the Future of 35th Ave NE Project.  On Wednesday June 24th from 6-7:30 at Congregation Beth Shalom, the City of Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD) will ask for feedback from the community about the potential up zoning along 35th Ave from NE 65th to NE 95th that was endorsed by the 35th Ave Committee, RBCA, and the Wedgwood Community Council. Goodman Real Estate has provided the following information to RBCA about their project on 35th Ave NE, just south of the NE Library.

“Construction and staging activity at the Theodora is photo (5)underway as the project prepares for interior renovations to the existing Theodora units and common spaces, exterior cleaning and painting, refreshed landscaping, and the addition of new units in the existing south parking lot.

In addition, activity through the summer and fall will include:

  • Cleaning the building exterior and repainting all wood to match the existing color
  • Installation of new entries at the north and the east sides of the building to help open up the building to better pedestrian access
  • Excavation at the south parking lot for a new below grade parking garage
  • Construction of new apartment units over the new parking garage

As construction begins to ramp up, we will also ensure regular communication with Polygon and their NE 65th St. project.

A month or so ago, the Volunteers of America (previous site owner) and Goodman Real Estate (current owner) finalized the transition of all previous Theodora residents to new permanent housing. Residents worked closely with a relocation specialist to help determine their new housing needs – one of the positive results of this work was that 73 percent of residents were able to stay in Seattle.

All residents who received Section 8 subsidized rent were able to retain their reduced-rent vouchers and use them in their new homes. In addition, 12 residents who were not currently receiving Section 8 subsidized housing vouchers were qualified through the relocation process and now receive federal rent subsidies.

Assuming we have approval from the Landmarks Board, we plan to discuss these updates and provide detailed information about parking, traffic planning, overall design and plans for the south building, as well as our onsite tree and shrub plan when we attend the Ravenna Bryant Community Association July 7th board meeting.

In the meantime, questions about construction or timelines should be directed to Rita Burden at rburden@goodmanre.com.

3 Ways to Play in Your Street this Summer

The City of Seattle has given us 3 ways to shut our streets down to cars for play and parties–Play Streets, National Night Out, and Block Parties.

PLAY STREETS

play_streets
The blue dot represents a current play street. The red dots are previous playstreets. Go to http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/playstreets.htm for the interactive map.

The Seattle Department of Transportation has a pilot program called Play Streets that will close your street down for play on a reoccurring basis.  In 2014, there was a block (shown to the left in the blue) that had a play street for every home Huskies football game. There is a nice Play Streets Handout you can pass around so we can get more dots on this map.

 

NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

Earlier this week we reported on National Night Out funds being available.  National Night Out is sponsored by the Seattle Police Department as way to create community, and therefore deter crime.  National Night Out is always the first Tuesday of August and you can apply by going to SPD’s website.

 

BLOCK PARTIES

As we reported last summer, if you decide that the first Tuesday in August for National Night Out isn’t a good time for your block to have a party, you can close your street down any time you wish as long as you follow the simple rules below:

  • Do not live on an arterial street,
  • Do not close your intersection,
  • Do not have a bus stop on your block,
  • Clean up and restore your street before 10pm,
  • Do not request more than one block party per month.

 

Tell your favorite restaurateur about Bryant Heights

Bryant_Heights_Retail

**UPDATE** We have received this message today, June 8th, 2015 about the status of the restaurant application process:  “Thank you to the community members who have given input on the types of restaurants you would like to see at the new Bryant Heights development.  One of our most successful experiences was a community member telling a restaurant about opportunities at Bryant Heights. The restaurant called their Broker and had them contact us.  We had good discussions and in the end the restaurant operator decided the opportunity was not the right fit for them.  Please keep talking to your favorite restaurants and encouraging them to check us out.  We appreciate the community input and help in finding some restaurant concepts that will be great additions the neighborhood”

 

Polygon Northwest, the developers of the Bryant Heights project, would like the neighborhood to have a say in what kind of restaurant (or retail) should go into the two “bookend” spaces on NE 65th, on the corners of 32nd and 34th Avenue NE.  Neighbors are encouraged to print out/email this PDF (Leasing_Bryant_Heights) and take it to your favorite restaurateur.

 

commercial_ABoth commercial spaces are over 2,000 square feet and include outdoor eating space.  There will be a total of 10 car parking spaces and parking for 73 bikes on NE 65th, 32nd NE, 34th NE, as well as inside the garage.

 

Corner of 34th

In a survey that RBCA did in late 2013, 75% of the people who patronized businesses on NE 65th lived within 10 blocks, and new businesses opening along will make it easier for people to go to restaurants and stores without having to fight traffic.  Also, the number of families in RBCA has increased in the past ten years, and many of those bike or walk to school.   New restaurants in our neighborhood that cater to the walk/bike crowd are already coming to NE 45th and further west on 65th.

35th_plan_65_nodeThe 35th Ave Committee’s final report also clearly shows that the neighborhood would like to see more viable retail and a more walkable business district.  Although the Bryant Heights project is not on 35th Ave NE itself, it is still considered part of the 35th Ave Business District.  Very little new development with commercial space is being built in our neighborhood, so this is a rare opportunity to take part in shaping the future of our community.

What would YOU like to see in this new commercial space?  Please help spread the word by telling your neighbors and talking to your favorite restaurateurs.

Bryant Elementary wants you to have a Blast!

Please considering visiting Bryant Elementary (3311 NE 60th)  on Saturday, May 9th from 1-5 pm for their annual school carnival – The Bryant Blast! Threre will be magic shows, carnival games, pony rides, craft booths, face painting, tasty sno cones, awesome raffle baskets, and much much more. The raffle baskets are always a big hit, and you can now buy tickets online to support the school.
Students looking for community service hours are encouraged to volunteer at the Blast. Use their Community Volunteer SignUp Page to reserve your volunteer slot.

Blast

Former “Bill the Butcher” Site to Become Two Restaurants

The former “Bill the Butcher” site on the south end of Ravenna-Bryant will soon be home to two restaurants owned by Josh Henderson of Westward.   These restaurants replace the original “Bike Hotel” idea proposed by developer Ron Sher.  The Laurelhurst Community Club also wrote about this property in their blog.

45th_elevation

According to this article in Seattle Met, the upstairs restaurant will face the Burke Gilman Trail and have “juices and pastry in the morning, salads and plates of charcuterie with cheese and crusty bread by day, and bistro fare at night.”

The restaurant facing NE 45th Street at 36th Ave NE will be a burger shack.  The developer Ron Sher also owns the beloved Third Place Books and Vios Café in our neighborhood.

 

1st_floor_plan

U-Link Transit Re-Structure Open House

Board Member Chris Fiori provides this update on how we can participate in the process to access the new Light Rail Station at Husky Stadium in the early part of 2016:
King County Metro is in the midst of a public process around restructuring its transit service for routes that can connect to the new Sound Transit U-Link Stations (Capitol Hill and UW Husky Stadium), which open for service in Q1 2016. RBCA, among other groups, has lobbied King County Metro to look at ways to provide direct, high-qulaity transit connections to the UW Husky Stadium. This month, King County Metro proposed two Alternative Restructures: Alternative 1 is substantial re-structure of the existing Northeast Seattle transit network and Alternative 2 is similar to today’s network with additional connections to the Link Station. Much, much more detail about the first alternative can be found at the Seattle Transit blog here: http://seattletransitblog.com/2015/03/09/alternative-1-northeast-seattle/.
Frequent NE Seattle map
At first glance, Alternative 1 presents a major improvements in the transit service by creating a “gridded” network of frequent routes, with a much better connection to the planned LINK Station than exists today. On the other hand, some routes have been consolidated and walk times to the more frequently serviced stops may increase for some people in NE Seattle relative to today’s network. In addition, the bus/train connection at the LINK Station still leaves much to be desired in terms of proximity. 
 
The Northeast Seattle Open House will be held on Thursday, March 26 at the University Heights Center Room 209, from 6-8 p.m. You are also encouraged to take Metro’s online survey: http://metro.kingcounty.gov/programs-projects/link-connections/  Please help RBCA spread the word about the survey and open house.

Update on Bryant Heights Project and Theodora

A representative from Goodman RE will attend our April 7th, 2015 board meeting (Ravenna Eckstein Community Center 7-9 p.m.) to give an update on their project to remodel the Theodora, just south of the NE District Library.

Just on the other side of 34th Ave NE from the Theodora, the City of Seattle issued the Master Use Permit for the townhome (LR 2) portion of the Bryant Heights Project.  You can read more about this project on NE 65th between 32nd and 34th Ave NE here.

With this land use decision, the City can now begin the process to release or issue the pending and separate demolition permits for the older dormitory (cottage) buildings on the middle of the Bryant Heights property.  Based on current permit issuance cycle, it is estimated that the demolition permits will be released to the team on or before March 23, 2015.  They anticipate that the demolition of these older buildings will take approximately 30 days.  As you may recall, these structures were also used by the Seattle Fire Department for training exercises, consequently, all of the environmental inspection of hazardous materials such as asbestos was previously completed.

Bryant Heights Construction Traffic Plan
Bryant Heights Construction Traffic Plan

As noted on the above plan, all construction personnel will be instructed to park within the confines of the Bryant Heights property.

According to Polygon Homes, the building permits for the actual construction of the townhome buildings are “currently under separate review with the various departments within City of Seattle Planning and Development Department.  At this time, we do not have an update as to when those permits will be released, but will update you once we know more.”

 

Still Waiting on Sisley Progress

You may be wondering what happened to the City’s 2014 resolution to shut down Sisley’s business model in our neighborhood.  Although we have nothing definitive to report, there has been movement since we last reported on it.

photo

The City is working on 2 fronts regarding code enforcement activities on the Sisley properties.
  1. The City Attorney’s Office is in the process of executing the judgment, after all appeals have been exhausted, to collect the full amount of fines and penalties owed to the City by the property owners for previous code violation citations.  A final resolution is expected  to be announced once this process is completed.
  2. The City’s Department of Planning and Development(DPD), through their Code Compliance Division, has been taking code enforcement action on the Sisley properties.  For the three vacant houses on 65th, DPD’s end goal is either voluntary demolition by the owners or obtaining a court order to allow the City to go onto the properties and demolish.  To obtain the court order is a rather long and technical process as there is an administrative process that must occur first.  DPD has taken the first steps of doing the calculations and preparing the documentation and other things needed in order to issue a Director’s Complaint and schedule a hearing. At the hearing, DPD must establish that the cost of repairing these buildings would exceed 50% of the cost of replacing them (this is the code standard allowing DPD to order demolition).  Then, if DPD prevails at the hearing, an administrative order is issued requiring the owner to demolish or repair the buildings as unfit for human habitation.  If demolition (or repair) is not done voluntarily, DPD must go to court to get an abatement order allowing the City to enter onto the property to tear them down.  Unfortunately, there are several points between the initial hearing and the ultimate goal of demolition at which the property owners can contest and slow things down, both at the administrative level and in court.

As soon as we hear any news, you’ll be the first to know.

 

Roosevelt Reservoir “Out-of-Service Period” extended until 2016

In February of 2014, we brought you information regarding the fate of the Roosevelt Reservoir.  Since that time, we have received notice that the time needed to determine if the reservoir can indeed be surplussed has been extended until early to late 2016.  You can read the public notice here.

If and when the Roosevelt Reservoir needs to be surplussed, look to your community associations (www.ravennabryant.org and www.rooseveltseattle.org) to help with the public process needed to fairly determine what happens with this roughly 12-acre piece of property.  The Roosevelt Neighborhood Association has written about this issue on their blog and Facebook page.  Since the reservoir is technically in Roosevelt, not RBCA, RNA will take the lead on this.  Check out RBCA’s boundaries here.

Sisley News from City Attorney’s Office

Last year, the City Attorney announced that his office was taking vigorous steps to enforce the fines and penalties that had been piling up on Sisley’s properties (at the intersection of 65th and 15th, among other locations). In May, 2014 City Attorney Pete Holmes spoke at an RBCA community meeting to discuss the actions his office was taking.  Since then, RBCA has continued to monitor progress.  This matter seems to be moving through the legal system at the usual rate of speed for such cases.  We are hopeful of hearing of a resolution soon and that it will lead to creating a better environment for that area.  Until that legal case is settled, development of some of these properties has been postponed.  The following is RBCA’s report on the issue based on a statement from the City Attorney’s office today:

In response to the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association’s (RBCA) inquiries about the status of enforcement actions on the Sisley properties in the vicinity of NE 65th Street and 15th Avenue NE, the Seattle City Attorney’s Office informed RBCA that the City is still aggressively pursuing the matter. With regards to three prior violations that gave rise to substantial civil penalties and judgments, the State Supreme Court previously denied the Sisleys’ request for judicial review leaving intact the Court of Appeals’ decision that the Sisleys are fully liable for the previously-imposed civil penalties and judgments. The City Attorney’s Office states that it will collect all penalties owing from the Sisleys and hold them to full compliance with the law.  Despite various defense maneuvers that have prolonged the case, the City Attorney expects to resolve in the near future the collection of civil penalties that arose from the existing judgments.
Stay tuned for more updates on this matter.

We Want Better Connection to New ST Husky Stadium

University of Washington Station (at Husky Stadium) is scheduled to open in early 2016. This is welcome news to many in Ravenna and Northeast Seattle who are seeking better transportation options to Capitol Hill, Downtown, Sea-Tac and other places currently served by Central LINK.  Transit time from the station to Downtown will be six (6!) minutes. In addition to being an effective peak-hour connection to downtown, University link will dramatically impact off-peak transit quality from the neighborhood to Capitol Hill and Downtown Seattle.

RBCA to Downtown Commute Options

 

While the Burke Gilman Trail provides a good bike and pedestrian connection to the station from parts of Ravenna-Bryant, there is no current plan for a direct transit connection from RBCA-land to the station. MT Route 372, which runs along 25th Ave NE from Lake City to Campus Parkway via Stevens Way, is currently the closest to a direct connection, but it is about a quarter-mile walk from closest stop on Stevens Way to the station entrance. Despite the lack of currently planned or funded transit connections, County Executive Dow Constantine has signed an executive order intended to improve cooperation between King County Metro Transit and Sound Transit, and a plan for improved bus connections from Northeast Seattle to the UW Husky Stadium Station may be in the works. RBCA has sent the letter below to King County, King County Metro, Sound Transit, and the City of Seattle in support of this policy direction and potential planning effort.

 

October 5, 2013

Mr. Kevin Desmond, General Manager

King County Metro

201 S Jackson St, Room 415

Seattle, WA 98104-3856

Mr. Jeff Munnoch, DECM Community Outreach Director

Sound Transit

401 S. Jackson St.

Seattle, WA 98104

RE: Transit Connection to UW HUSKY STADIUM LINK Station from Northeast Seattle

Dear Mr. Desmond and Mr. Munnoch:

On behalf of the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association (RBCA), I would like to offer comments with respect to our desire to have a reliable, direct transit connection to the future University of Washington (Husky Stadium) LINK station from Northeast Seattle neighborhoods. This letter builds upon the content of our November 4, 2013 letter to you.

Recently, we were very encouraged to learn of County Executive Constantine’s executive order intended to improve cooperation between King County Metro and Sound Transit, and believe that our desire for an effective transit connection to the LINK station is in complete alignment with that policy direction.

Recognizing that Metro’s funding situation is in flux, we believe that a direct connection to the Husky Stadium LINK station could be made in a revenue-neutral manner. The 372 and the 74 bus routes would be the two most obvious existing bus lines to re-route to the station. Regardless of the exact strategy, the goal is to achieve frequent, direct, reliable route(s) from our neighborhood and others in Northeast Seattle to the station, with the most seamless connection possible given the limitations of the station design and peak-hour southbound congestion along Montlake Boulevard.

While there are many current transit riders in our neighborhood, we believe that the opening of Husky Stadium LINK Station will uncover massive latent demand for rapid transit if a direct, efficient connection to the stadium can be created. We would be happy to work with you on any stakeholder outreach that may be needed to support this effort.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Tony Provine

President

Ravenna-Bryant Community Association

Cc: Dow Constantine, King County Executive

Tom Rasmussen, Seattle City Council, Transportation Committee Chair

Rod Dembowski, King County Council, Transportation, Economy & Environment Committee Chair

Reagan Dunn, King County Council, Regional Transit Committee Chair

Marshall Foster, Seattle DPD, Planning Director

Scott Kubly, Seattle Department of Transportation Director

Victor Obeso, King County Metro, Service Development Manager

RBCA Board to View Proposed 35th Zoning Changes

On Tuesday, September 9th from 7-9 p.m. at Ravenna Eckstein Community Center, the RBCA board will hear a presentation from the 35th Ave Committee Chair, Per Johnson, on the new zoning and streetscape recommendations along 35th from 65th to 95th.  The presentation can be viewed here.  Residents are welcome to attend, as always.

75th would increase from 4 stories to 6 at the Safeway
75th would increase from 4 stories to 6 at the Safeway

RBCA’s boundaries go north to 75th, so the presentation on Tuesday September 7th will focus on the 35th Ave nodes of 65th and 75th.  Both nodes have proposed upzones and/or height changes to current zoning.  There are also supplemental guidelines that aim to make 35th a more pedestrian friendly corridor; added sidewalk width, maximized commercial ceiling height to bring in more restaurants etc., and better corner crossing at nodes, for example.

 
The population of Seattle is expected to increase by about 100,000 new people
over the next twenty years.  In NE Seattle, light rail will make it easier
for people to live in the Ravenna-Bryant area and commute downtown and
connect with other neighborhoods without a car.  Our neighborhood schools
continue to attract young families who want to ensure their kids get a good
education and live in safe, walkable neighborhoods.  To plan for the likely
increase in people who want to live in the Ravenna-Bryant area and to ensure
that our community remains a safe, pedestrian-friendly, attractive place to
live, neighborhood volunteers have drafted this plan to meet that vision.  Please come hear more about it Tuesday September 9th from 7-9 p.m. at Ravenna Eckstein Community Center.

 

 

Need Your Comments:New Zoning Recommendations for 35th

 

Proposed changes for 75th/35th
Proposed changes for 75th/35th

The public comment period for streetscape guidelines and zoning recommendations proposed for the 35th Ave NE Business District has been extended until Friday August 15th, 2014.  The plan was developed by the 35th Ave Committee and their consultants (Makers Architecture & SvR Design) following a series of three public workshops.   While all 3 public workshops were well attended, the 35th Ave Committee has included this new public comment period to allow anyone who couldn’t make the public workshops an opportunity to provide feedback.  After August 15th, the plan will be tweaked as needed and finalized.   The RBCA board will discuss this plan at our September board meeting on September9, 7-9 p.m. at Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center (moved to the second Tuesday due to Labor Day Weekend).

 

You can see July 31st’s presentation and review the proposed streetscape guidelines, supplemental design guidelines, and zoning recommendations on the project’s website. Here are summaries of Public Workshop 1 and Public Workshop 2 if you’re interested as well. Public comments and/or questions should be sent to 35thplan@gmail.com

 

The 35th Ave Commitee is a group of neighbors who have volunteered since 2011 to pursue a proactive plan for the 35th Ave NE business district.  They include residents from Wedgwood, Ravenna, Bryant, View Ridge, and Hawthorne Hills and are not paid by or work for developer or the City.  However, this current planning has been funded through a grant from the City’s Department of Neighborhoods.  While the 35th Ave Committee includes board of trustee members from both the Wedgwood Community Council (WCC) and RBCA, the 35th Ave Committee is not affiliated with either group.  However, both the WCC and RBCA have endorsed the 35th Ave Committee and this current planning effort.

A Woonerf for a Night

blockparty2[1]Many of you know that on National Night Out you can shut down your street to cars for a night.  However, did you know that you can also shut down your street on any other night as well?  This gives a safe place for kids to play, and a great way to get to know your neighbors.  Creating community on your block is the best way to prevent crime in our neighborhoods, so  why not have more than one party a summer?

A woonerf is a street that gives priority to pedestrians and bikes, but also for a party!  You can make your street a woonerf for a night simply by going to Seattle Department of Transportation’s block party website and filling out a form.  There used to be a $75 fee for this, but not since 2008.  Need some more ideas?  Council Member Sally Bagshaw’s blog has some great ideas here.

There are a few common sense rules you’ll need to abide by:

  • You can not live on an arterial street
  • You can not close your intersection
  • You can not have a bus stop on your block
  • You must clean up and restore your street before 10pm
  • You must not request more than one block party per month

Have fun this summer!

Additional Fire Training at Bryant Heights

The following message is from the owners of  Bryant Heights, LLC, which has been bought by William Lyon Homes.  (read the Seattle Times article here.)

On Tuesday, June 24th, the Seattle Fire Department started conducting some additional “non-destructive” training exercises in two of the existing carriage buildings located on the Bryant Heights property (6520 – 32nd Avenue NE and 6545 34th Avenue NE).     These training exercises will include, room to room searches, mock dark building training, fire hose training, possibly some confined space training & similar activities.  The Seattle Fire Department estimates that this training will begin June 24th and will go to the end of the day on July 15th.  Consequently, residents can expect to see representatives of the Seattle Fire Department and equipment on the 32nd Ave. NE and the parking lot by the playground accessed off of 32nd Ave. NE. associated with the Bryant Heights property during this time. 

We appreciate your continued patience and support of the Seattle Fire Department.   If you have further questions, you can reach Deputy Chief Phillip Jose @ 206-386-1780  at the Seattle Fire Department.  As always, feel free to contact either myself or Holly Smith at the following.

Sincerely,

Eric C. Evans Direct Line: 425.586.7762 Cel. 425.495.0713

Mr. Holly Smith Direct Line: 425.586.7762 Cel. 425.766-3591