| Dear Wallingford Neighbors, Spring is here, and with it comes renewed opportunities for civic engagement and neighborhood advocacy. We’d like to invite you to stay informed and get involved as Seattle continues its planning process for housing and zoning changes that will shape Wallingford for years to come. Below are key updates and Save the Dates for our upcoming WCC general meeting and May Board Election meeting. |
| SAVE THE DATE: The Next WCC Meeting is April 2, from 7-9 PMWallingford Community Council – General Meeting Date: Wednesday. April 2, 2025 Time: 7:00 PM- 9:00 PM Location: Good Shepherd Center Room 202 at 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North (Free parking on site) Join us for an informative session on the state-mandated HB1110, the “Middle Housing” legislation. We’ll delve into its direct impact on Wallingford and its surrounding neighborhoods. The meeting will feature a presentation and an open Q&A session, where we’ll explore the legislation’s requirements for the city to permit 4-6 units on previously single-family lots outside the urban village in NR or neighborhood residential zones. The city has a June deadline to comply in passing the HB1110 state-mandated legislation. We will present some key slides from the Select Committee/City Council’s March 19 and 28 presentations. We will highlight information property owners need to know. We will have Wallingford Maps to check to see if your formerly single-family lot outside the urban village is designated NR and where HB1110 will be applied. There are three categories of NR zoning: * NR3 = 5,000 square foot lots * NR2 = 7,200 square foot lots * NR1 = 9,600 square foot lots. RSL Residential Small lot designations west of Stoneway are being replaced by Lowrise 1 zones for several blocks. WHAT’S NEW “Select Committee” shifts focus from the 2044 Comprehensive Plan ( Mayor’s rezone plans) to the State’s HB1110 legislation through late May The recent filing of the six appeals challenging the validity of the FEIS ( Final Environmental Impact Study) forced City Council to postpone working on the Comprehensive Plan policies and Mayor Harrel’s plan on citywide rezones until the appeals are resolved in hearings before the city’s hearing examiner from April 28 to late May. The Wallingford CC did not file an appeal. Here is the link to look at details of the appeals challenging the FEIS by appeal sponsors: https://web6.seattle.gov/Examiner/casesearch?fid=0&sval=w-25 All Select Committee meeting times listed are during the day so if you miss watching live use the link www.seattlechannel.org to find the recording of any Select Committee meeting listed below. Pre-register to be able to make public comments either in person or remotely by signing up here. Revised Select Committee Schedule: * Wednesday, March 19 2:00 pm HB1110 meeting state requirements. Link to recorded meeting: https://www.seattlechannel.org/mayor-and-council/city-council/select-committee-on-the-comprehensive-plan * Friday, March 28 9:30 am: Proposed interim legislation and Mayor’s office on HB1110 (no public comment today) * Wednesday, April 16th 2:00 pm: HB 1110 an interim legislation * Wednesday, April 30th – 2:00 pm: Discussion of key issues * Wednesday, May 7th – 2:00 pm: Possible amendments * TBA date for May public hearing on HB1110 and interim legislation * Wednesday, May 21st – 2:00 pm: Committee vote on legislation * (Tentative date) May 27th – 2:00 pm: Council vote on legislation All the meetings will be located in City Council Chambers 600 4th Avenue Seattle, 98104. We encourage you to continue to write, call, or sign up to make comments remotely at any Select Committee meeting in the next few months. Email all city council: at council@seattle.gov or contact them directly by phone with your concerns. * Bruce.Harrell@seattle.gov * OneSeattlePlan.zoning@seattle.gov * Joy Hollingsworth D3 Chair Select Committee Joy.Hollingsworth@seattle.gov 206 684 8803 * Dan Strauss D6 Vice Chair N. of 50th Wallingford/Tangletown Dan.Strauss@seattle.gov 206 684 8806 * Maritza Rivera D4 N.E Seattle Wallingford Maritza.Rivera@seattle.gov 206 684 8804 * Sara Nelson At Large Sara.Nelson@seattle.gov 206 684 8809 * Alexis Mercedez Rinck At Large AlexisMercedez.Rink@seattle.gov 206 684 8808 * Robert Kettle D7 Robert.Kettle@seattle.gov 206 684 8807 * Cathy Moore D5 Cathy.Moore@seattle.gov 206 684 8805 * Rob Saka D1 Rob.Saka@seattle.gov 206 684 8801 * Mark Soloman D2 Mark.Soloman@seattle.gov OTHER RESOURCES * June to Sept – The Timeline for the council to resume review of Comp Plan legislation/Mayor’s Plan and release of revised zoning maps is postponed through at least the end of May * Zoning Proposal Maps: https://one-seattle-plan-zoning-implementation-seattlecitygis.hub.arcgis.com/ * OPCD Project Documents / Mayor’s Recommended Growth Strategy (2024). This contains the Draft Plan and other key related documents. The FEIS (Final Environmental Impact Study) was just released on Jan 30, 2025. FEIS ( Final Environmental Impact Study. This document released in late January is 1,300 pages. If you are interested in downloading it, here is the link: https://www.seattle.gov/opcd/one-seattle-plan?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govde |
| Join or renew your Wallingford Community Council Membership for 2025 online at wallingfordcc.org SAVE THE DATE Wallingford Community Council Annual Membership Meeting for Election of Board Date: Wednesday, May 14, 2025 Time: 7:00-9:00 PM (Member check-in for voting eligibility will be at 6:30 PM Location: Chapel (The top floor of the Good Shepherd at 4649 Sunnyside Avenue North) Featured Speaker: Jorge Baron D4 representative on the King County Regional Council. (About Jorge Baron) If you would like to be considered for nomination to a board member position, please send a message describing your interest and past level of involvement with the neighborhood and WCC to communications@wallingfordcc.org by April 20. Elected officers are President, Vice President, Secretary, and three board members “at large”. The current Treasurer is serving one more year of a two-year term. Here is a chance to show your support of the work of the Wallingford Community Council and their advocacy for the neighborhood by joining or renewing your WCC membership online today at wallingfordcc.org. You must reside in Wallingford, own a property, or manage a business within the boundary of the neighborhood to be a member to vote in May for the board renew by April 30. Annual dues are as follows: * Family Membership: $25.00 * Individual Membership: $15.00 * Senior Member: $10.00 * Business: $100 Your annual membership fee runs from January to December each year. The Wallingford Community Council meetings and newsletters from September to the present have kept you informed about important issues. Topics have included the transportation levy, the relationship between property taxes and rezoning, and citywide rezoning plans, specifically for Wallingford. Join or Renew Today! |
| RECAP: February 12 Wallingford CC meeting Residents were able to be heard and many voiced concerns and recommendations about rezone proposals for Wallingford directly to Maritza Rivera D4 City Council person, Michael Hubner Long Range Planning Manager Comp Plan and Rico Quinindongo Director OPCD. It was a full house and a great opportunity to provide feedback on rezoning proposals. |
| Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to making Wallingford a thriving community. |