Category Archives: Monthly Meeting

Next WCC Meeting on Feb 12th with Maritza Rivera, Seattle City Council Member (District 4)

Wallingford Community Council Meeting
Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Location: Room 202, Good Shepherd Center (4659 Sunnyside Ave. N.)

Join us on February 12 for the first WCC meeting of 2025, featuring District 4 Council member Maritza Rivera. We’ll discuss the latest updates on the Comprehensive Plan and zoning changes and their impact on Wallingford. With the Final Environmental Impact Study (FEIS) just released and a short window for public input, this is a critical time to stay informed and engaged. Key upcoming meetings and public hearings will shape the future of our neighborhood—get involved!

Maritza is a representative of the “One Seattle Team,” and this is a critical opportunity to hear about and discuss the impacts/mitigations identified resulting from the Comprehensive Plan updates and zoning proposals for Wallingford.  Maritza can review her role on the Select Committee as she and the full council review the One Seattle Zoning plans and Comprehensive Plan legislation with a public process. (The Select Comm for 2044.)

Mark your calendar, bring your questions, and provide feedback to shape the future of our community.

BREAKING NEWS: The FEIS (Final Environmental Impact Study) was released yesterday, Jan 30, 2025. There is only a two-week appeal period that closes on Feb 13th, 2025. This document is 1,300 pages and available for reading here: https://www.seattle.gov/opcd/one-seattle-plan?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

We recommend reading the talking points about the impacts of rezoning for upcoming Select Committee meetings and public hearings on the Comprehensive Plan 2044 Wallingford Community Council’s “One Seattle Plan-Call to Action”
Key Topic for 2025: The City Council/Select Committee now focuses on the Public Process for the Comp Plan 2044 and Re-zoning Legislation. 

The City Council’s Select Committee launched discussions on Jan. 6 on the 2044 Comprehensive Plan and the One Seattle Plan. The “Select Committee” is comprised of all nine City Council staff members. They are responsible for final decisions on the Comp Plan legislation, the HB1110 Middle Housing state mandate passed in 2023, and the Mayor’s additional rezone map proposals. We are including the Select Committee meeting dates and times for people to participate in the public process for Phase 1 legislation through May 2025. The state deadline for the city to complete adoption legislation for HB1110 is June. 

All Select Committee meetings can be seen live at the time of the meeting or recordings are made available on the Seattle Channel shortly after the meeting ends. (Link: https://www.seattlechannel.org/mayor-and-council/city-council/select-committee-on-the-comprehensive-plan)

Upcoming “Select Committee” Meetings. (located at City Hall 600 4th Street Floor 2)
– Wednesday, February 5 at 11 am – “Public Engagement” 
Wednesday, February 5th at 5:00 pm – “Public Hearing”.Pre-register to be able to make public comments either in person or remotely by signing up here.
– Email: council@seattle.gov.

Refer here for the full City Council Select Committee Schedule.

Only two more Public Hearings are planned through May!

Please review the Wallingford Community Council’s “One Seattle Plan-Call to Action” page for more details and talking points. 

Past “Select Committee” Meetings:

Here is the link to a Seattle Times article with quotes from the council from the first Select Committee meeting on:
– Jan. 6: “Comprehensive Plan” Overview: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/fault lines-emerge-as-seattle-council-takes-up-housing-plan
– Jan. 15: “Growth Strategy Overview & Phase 1 Zoning Preview”
– Jan. 29: “Select Committee key Topic ‘Displacement’”You can watch recordings and find the presentation slides for the Jan. 6th, 15th, and 29th meetings here: https://www.seattlechannel.org/mayor-and-council/city-council/select-committee-on-the-comprehensive-plan

Future “Select Committee” Meetings:
The Select Committee has announced tentative dates for future meetings in March, April, and May. 
– Wednesday, March 5th – “Comp Plan Issue ID Part I”
– Wednesday, March 19th – “Comp Plan Issue ID Part II”April 2,16,( April 30 Public Hearing Comp Plan and Zoning)
– May 16 Public Hearing, May 22,23
May 29th – Final Vote on Phase I – Meeting the state requirements for HB1110
– June to Sept – “Phase 2 zoning legislation”

Other Resources: 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. Recapping the WCC November / December  Meeting Information on One Seattle Plan and Rezone Maps

On October 16, 2024, the city released online maps with the locations of “NR” (Neighborhood Residential) zones where formerly single-family lots outside urban villages will be converted to denser multi-family 5,000 square foot lots allowing 4-6 units per lot as required in the state-mandated legislation HB1110. Four units are now allowed in all designated NR zones, but six units are allowed ¼ mile from major transit (rapid ride or light rail). 

OPCD provided opportunities to comment on online maps using social media and held open houses for each city council district, distributed paper maps for neighborhoods, and closed public comment on December 2024. 

At our meetings, we demonstrated in our meeting how you can use the online maps to show current and proposed zoning for individual properties by address. We also distributed maps showing proposed rezone locations and differences in the lowrise and NR zones including heights, setbacks, far, lot coverage for each of the zone changes.

WCC’s November presentation explained the details of the Mayor’s plan which is additional and separate from the state plan. The Mayor’s rezone proposals include expansions of 30 Neighborhood Centers and conversions of thousands of single-family lots to multi-family surrounding the 30 Neighborhood Centers citywide increasing bulk, height, and scale. In addition, the Mayor’s proposal proposes to rezone single-family lots facing arterials city-wide on the bus routes for “frequent transit” from “single-family lowrise” to 5 stories. The public comments received on the rezone maps through December 20 will be compiled and shared this coming spring 2025.

The Comp Plan housing growth target from April 2024 set a target of 80,000 to 120,000 housing units. The FEIS ( Final Environmental Impact Study) just released studied the 80k to 120k impacts for that housing growth target. The Mayor’s plan released on Oct. 16, 2024, surpasses the Comp Plan housing growth target by increasing housing unit growth to 330,000 housing units. 

The public comments during the Select Committee hearings for the next several months will be considered before the second set of rezone maps are prepared by OPCD and released in May 2025. The vote on revised maps will follow. Michael Hubner, Director for the Comp Plan said “he guarantees there will be changes on the revisions of rezone maps.

Major Wallingford Impacts

Ask the city to reduce heights in the Mayor’s frequent transit plan from “Lowrise 3” 5-story/50-foot buildings to more compatible heights of “NR” (4-6 units per lot 30 height) or “Lowrise 1” (30 feet) along arterials in Wallingford of routes 62, 31, 32.Let us consider the residents who want to stay in their neighborhoods and the potential displacement here. Many blocks of the formerly single-family zoned lots located along these bus routes in Wallingford have naturally affordable older homes. Many homes are family-sized rentals, including duplexes, triplexes, small apartments, and businesses.

The Mayor’s plan is proposing city-wide upzoning on all “frequent transit “arterial facing streets encouraging demolitions, not rehabilitation. These proposed high unit capacity zone proposals at LR3 allow 5-story/50-foot buildings to offer more built-in profitability for developers and will likely accelerate demolitions. This can displace and force out occupants of all ages, races, and incomes who reside in these homes facing arterials citywide. Rezoning for greater unit capacity and jumping to the highest residential zones can increase land values and property taxes for homeowners, renters, businesses, and those on fixed incomes who simply can not keep up with these increases. Assessors base property values on market sales on “highest and best use”. That means you can have property tax increased on the rezoned potential capacity of your lot even though you choose not to redevelop it.

The 5-story city-wide plan for rezones citywide along “frequent transit” bus routes….
– Lack of nuances of various neighborhood street considerations
– Ignore direct outreach by the city to neighborhoods
– Lack of consideration of context and existing heights
– Create corridor and canyon effects
– Shadow neighboring homes
– Devalue investments in solar panels
– Reduce access to air and light
– Create a loss of trees with an increase in lot coverage from 35% -50%. 
– Decrease front setbacks for larger tree retention and planting
– Create a scarcity of amenities like parks, libraries, and grocery stores for increased populations.
– Lack of mitigations for traffic, and parking congestion
– and overall is a very weak plan for truly affordable housing 

A win/win can be achieved with either an NR designation (Hb 1110 4-6 units per 5,000 sq. foot lot) or a Lowrise One zoning designation both blending in with existing heights of 30-foot maximum in the context of older neighborhoods instead of such a height jump to 50 feet to large 5 story buildings on the bus route arterials described below. NR zones 4-6 units per lot or Lowrise one zones increase unit housing capacity and density at heights, but are more compatible with the existing context of these blocks.

Ask the council about revisiting and implementing impact fees for parks, fire, schools roads instead of more levies which could help reduce property taxes.  Many other municipalities outside of Seattle collect impact fees for infrastructure.

Ask for reduced heights from LR3 /5 story /50 feet zoning proposed to NR or LR One /3 story/ 30 feet zoning for residents of these specific streets impacts for arterials on Wallingford bus routes 62, 31,32.
1. Route 62 proposes to upzone properties to Lowrise LR3/5 stories, 50-foot buildings along Meridian north/south from 50th- 56th
2. Routes 31 & 32 propose to upzone properties to LR 3 5 stories, 50-foot buildings along 40th east/west from UW to Wallingford
3. Routes 31 & 32 arrive at the 40th and Wallingford intersection then travel south on Wallingford to 35th 
4. Routes 31 & 32 at 35th and Wallingford intersection the bus travels west/east to Fremont Ave.
(Click here for larger versions of the Wallingford Impacted Areas as seen above) 

Email all city council: at council@seattle.gov or contact them directly by phone with your concerns.

Thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to making Wallingford a thriving community. Our goal is to update you on the Select Committee meetings and public hearing dates so you can be a part of the public process before final maps and policies for the Comp Plan 2044 are voted on in 2025. 

Warm regards,
The Wallingford Community Council
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Property Tax, Zoning & Levies with King County Tax Assessor on 9/25

Stay Engaged: Property Taxes, City Council Candidates, and Key Neighborhood News

We have several important updates and events coming up that we want to share with you, including a live discussion on property taxes with the King County Tax Assessor, a Seattle City Council candidate forum, and key information on the upcoming Transportation Levy.

These meetings are valuable opportunities to engage with issues that will directly impact our neighborhood and city. Please mark your calendars and join us in shaping the future of Wallingford!

1) NEXT WEEK: September WCC Meeting on Wed, 9/25 – Property Tax Impacts Discussion

  • Agenda: The WCC is hosting a live discussion on property taxes with King County Tax Assessor, John Wilson. Learn about how changes in state and city zoning, as well as new levies, might impact your property taxes. Ask questions and engage directly with King County.

2) SAVE THE DATE: “Seattle City Council Candidate Forum”  Tuesday, Sept. 24th with the Fremont Neighborhood Council.

  • Agenda: The Fremont Neighborhood Council President, Tim Kitchen, is inviting WCC members to their Candidate Forum.
  • Speakers: The Forum will host candidates Tanya Woo and Alexis Mercedes Rick who are running for the Seattle City Council at large position 8 on the November ballot. 
  • Actions: Compare and contrast our future city council members in person.
  • Meeting Info:
    • Tuesday, September 24 at the Fremont Doric Lodge 619 N. 36th at 7 pm. (No reservation is necessary.
    • The meeting will also be live-streamed on Fremont Neighborhood Council’s Facebook page.

3) SAVE THE DATE: Thursday, October 17th WCC Meeting – Transportation Levy Discussion 

  • In November, Seattle voters will decide on the biggest transportation levy in the city’s history, impacting property owners. Learn more about how this levy might affect your taxes and services.
    • Property owners would pay a rate of .65 cents for every 1,000 of assessed value.” This is the biggest levy ask of residents in the history of Seattle. The owner of a median-priced home assessed at $804,000 would pay an estimated $520.00 a year or about $230.00 more than they pay now through 2032. 
  • Meeting Info:
    •  Thursday, October 17 from 7-9 pm at the Senior Center Good Shepherd (4649 Sunnyside Ave N)
  • Reference Links:

4)  NEWS: The 20-year vision for Seattle, called the Comprehensive Plan (One Seattle Plan 2044) proposed by the Office of Planning and Development (OPCD), is scheduled for public comment. 

  • On October 16, 2024, The OPCD will release the online draft zoning maps reflecting zoning changes to formerly single-family properties city-wide. The maps will apply the zoning changes mandated by the state legislation (House Bill) HB1110. HB1110 increases the number of units allowed from the existing 3 units maximum to 4-6 units per lot depending on proximity ¼ mile from light rail, rapid ride, and major transit.
  • More information on HB1110 Middle Housing Bill Concepts:  https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/OPCD/SeattlePlan/OneSeattlePlanNeighborhoodResidentialConceptsDRAFT2024.pdf
  • October 16-November 20, 2024: Public engagement and comment period
  • December 2024: Release Final Environmental Impact Statement and transmit Mayor’s One Seattle Comprehensive Plan for Council consideration and adoption in 2025.
  • The City Council will consider the Mayor’s proposal in a Select Committee consisting of all nine city council members.
  • The following was released last spring for both the One Seattle Plan and the DRAFT Environmental Impact Study (DEIS) https://www.seattle.gov/opcd/one-seattle-plan/project-documents
  • The Wallingford Community Council will continue to provide information and references  to links online as the city releases the maps in October and the Final Environmental Impact Statement in December. 

5)  SAVE THE DATE: Follow up meeting in October with the Seattle Public Schools regarding the proposed siting of a practice field in Wallingford for area schools.

  • On Thursday, 9/19, there was an initial meeting at Lincoln High School to gather community input on the consideration of potentially modifying and using area parks as practice fields for Lincoln and Hamilton Schools. This was an active discussion on the suggestion for Wallingford Playfield as the option with the least amount of obstacles. Seattle Public Schools (SPS) will update their project pages with more information and replies to unanswered questions about this proposal and other potential options. https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/capital-projects-and-planning/school-construction/projects/lincoln-field/ 

  • – Seattle Public Schools (SPS) will hold a follow-up meeting to continue the conversations in October, 2024. (the WCC previously understood this event would be held on October 24th via their in-person meeting on 9/19, but we are so far unable to confirm this date with SPS).
    • – We will post more information about this meeting when available.

In the meantime, additional  concerns, opinions and other comments can be submitted via their online feedback form in advance of the October meeting. https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/capital-projects-and-planning/school-construction/projects/feedback/

Annual Meeting and Officer Elections – May 8th, 2024

Wednesday, May 8, 2024, 7:00 PM

In-Person at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd Center
4659 Sunnyside Ave N.

  • Member check-in at 6:30pm, in the Chapel, followed by Board elections.  Must attend in-person to vote.  (To vote for the 2024-2025 Board, one must be an official member as of April 23, 2024.)
  • 7:00pm: Welcome and Officer Elections
  • 7:15 – 8:00-ish pm: City Councilmember Tanya Woo, Position 8 – Citywide. Join us as we hear from CM Woo. Includes Q&A.
  • 8:00-ish pm: closing remarks by outgoing President, Miranda Berner
  • 8:30pm: adjourn

WCC Board: Run, or recruit, or both  🙂
April 26, 2024:
Hi All,
Over the years, many of you have volunteered with and/or attended Wallingford Community Council Meetings.  Maybe it was a few years ago, maybe it was 15, 20, or 30+ years ago.  Maybe it was the Brooks building or the Transfer Station.  Maybe it was the Wallingford Steps or the Band Stand in Meridian Park. Perhaps it was an SDOT proposal or the MHA Upzones.  Or one of the community conversations the WCC hosted with the SPD on race and policing.  Maybe you came to hear from various City Council Members and other elected officials and ask them your questions. Perhaps you joined in to get educated on how to safely pick up sharps and drug-related garbage.  Maybe it was the Tenants Rights event, or a waterway walk, or a garbage pickup walk, or a beautify Wallingford project.  Perhaps it was something else.  Whatever it was, I thank you for participating.
 
There are many of you throughout Wallingford who have been active on and off for as long as you have lived in the neighborhood.  Thank you for that!  Perhaps, you are ready, once again, to get involved.  We are in search of new board members for the new WCC year.  A couple of us are stepping down from the Board on May 8th, including myself, leaving several vacancies that need to be filled.  This board is a working board, made up of volunteers from within the community.  Please consider either running, or recruiting, or both.
 
If you or someone you know is interested in serving at the Board level, please send any “emails” of interest to me, at pres@wallingfordcc.org, on or before May 6th.
 
Thank you and Happy Friday, 
Miranda Berner /Wallingford Community Council, President

P.S.
To get an idea of what the WCC stands for, I recommend reviewing the website.  It’s a great resource for getting an idea of the WCC, its decades of history, and where the membership tends to lean on certain topics.
 
As an FYI, here is what I see as of now, as the big items of interest: the Draft Comp Plan and its corresponding Draft EIS, Trees, and crime.  The WCC also continues to work with DNR (Dept. of Natural Resources) and the City to restore public access to Lake Union at Waterway 20.  There are many smaller and/or less involved activities the WCC does, as well.  It all comes down to volunteer interest and bandwidth.  🙂

NOTE: one does not need to be an official member to serve on the Board, but there is an expectation that all Board members officially join.  🙂

Monthly Meeting – April 2024

Wednesday April 3, 2024, 7 PM

Join Us – engage on neighborhood issues, opportunities, projects, and initiatives. Learn. And as as something piques your interest, volunteer. 🙂

Location: Room 202 of the Good Shepherd Center4659 Sunnyside Ave N.

Agenda:

  • Welcome and Call to Order
  • Special Topic: Future of Aurora Avenue – SDOT is seeking public input.  Jules Posadas, Public Engagement Lead, Seattle Department of Transportation to present.
  • Special Topic: “Comp Plan” – Both the One Seattle Comprehensive Plan 2044 to guide growth for the next 20 years and the DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Study) which analyzes impacts of growth strategy alternatives have been released.  The city’s public engagement period has started and comments will be incorporated into the Final Comprehensive Plan and FEIS (Final EIS).  Click here for more information (open houses, links, how to submit feedback, etc.).
  • Committee reports
  • Announcements
    • Earth Day Clean-Up: Saturday, April 20, 10 AM to 1 PM.  Meet at 45th & Wallingford, next to the Animal Storm statue 
    • Annual Meeting and Board Elections: Wednesday, May 8, 7PM.  Any interest in serving on the WCC Board, please email communications@wallingfordcc.org
    • Note: the May Monthly Meeting is canceled
    • Membership – Renew / Join: To vote for the 2024-2025 Board, one must be an official member a minimum of 15 days prior to election.  To renew or join, click here.
    • Wallingford Beautification: if you are interested contact Rhonda Bush at rhonda.bush@historicwallingford.org to participate. 
    • 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. 🙂
  • Good of the Order (anything people want to bring up)
  • Adjourn

Monthly Meeting

Wednesday March 6, 2024, 7 PM

Location: Room 202 of the Good Shepherd Center4659 Sunnyside Ave N.

Agenda:

  • Welcome and Call to Order
  • Special Guest Council Member Maritza Rivera, District 4.  CM Rivera will share a bit about her first two months in office, what her focus is for 2024, and take questions.
  • Committee reports
  • Announcements
    • Wallingford Beautification: if you are interested contact Rhonda Bush at rhonda.bush@historicwallingford.org to participate. 
    • 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, April 3, 7PM.
  • Good of the Order (anything people want to bring up)
  • Adjourn