Category Archives: WallHALA

Monthly Meeting on Wednesday December 7 at 7PM

Location: The Wallingford Community Senior Center in the Good Shepherd Center, 4659 Sunnyside Ave N. Note that this location is downstairs from our usual meeting place in Room 202.

Agenda:

Welcome / Call to Order
Approval of Minutes
Program:

Announcements:

  1. Wallingford Urban Village Workshop. We are waiting for a date from Rob Johnson’s office.
  2. Seattle Public Schools Community Budget Gap Meetings for families to provide feedback on budget priorities:
    • Ballard High School, Tuesday December 13, 6:30 to 8:00 PM.
    • South Shore PreK-8 School, Thursday December 15, 6:30 to 8:00 PM.
    • Franklin High School, Tuesday January 3, 6:30 to 8:00 PM.
  3. Yard Signs: Keep Seattle Livable; No HALA “Grand Bargain” Upzones.
  4. The WCC Board approved getting a third party review of the environmental report for Waterway #20.
  5. North Transfer Station: Official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday December 10, 10:00 to 11:30 AM.
  6. Next Monthly Meeting: Wednesday January 4, 7 PM.

Good of the Order (anything people want to bring up)
Adjourn

Testify on U-District Zoning Changes this Wednesday (November 16)

Show our elected officials that we care about our neighborhoods! Bring your friends and neighbors – the more people the better.

What: Public Hearing of the Planning, Land Use, & Zoning (PLUZ) Committee.
Where: The Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Deca, 4507 Brooklyn Ave NE.
When: Wednesday November 16, 2016, 5:30 – 8:30 PM. Open house at 5:30 PM; Presentation at 6:00 PM; Public Hearing begins at 6:15 PM. Come early if you wish to sign-up and testify.

The City wants to change zoning in the U-District in a very big way.  Changes include high-rise zones with 320′ and 240′ height limits, and Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) requirements. Wallingford and other nearby neighborhoods will be impacted by the proposed changes:

  • The Seattle Displacement Coalition estimates that 1,500 affordable housing units will be demolished.
  • Small businesses will be displaced by rising rents and demolition. The unique character of the U-District will be lost.
  • The substantial increase in commercial space will negatively impact east-west traffic and commuter parking in nearby neighborhoods.
  • The vast increase in commercial space will intensify demand for housing in nearby neighborhoods.
  • Since the U-District has no public schools, our already overcrowded public schools will suffer.
  • The City does not have a plan for U-District residents who still require cars.

The U-District is already zoned to accommodate 9,000 additional housing units, but the City estimates only 3,500 housing units are needed by 2035.

Independently, the University of Washington Campus Master Plan would add 12 million square feet in West Campus buildings adjacent to Wallingford. The City refuses to look at the combined effects of these zoning changes.

Growth should be integrated into our current neighborhoods with sensitivity to neighborhood character, livability, and concurrent infrastructure needs. City planning should include adequate mitigations to counteract the negative effects of growth.

This is the first of many massive zoning changes planned by the City. Tell your elected officials that developer profits should not obliterate our beloved neighborhoods!

Show up in force at the November 16 meeting and make our voices heard!

Continue reading →

Zoning Changes for the Wallingford Urban Village

The City has released maps of the draft zoning changes for Urban Villages. Each map shows possible zoning changes necessary to implement Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) in a specific neighborhood. Maps for Wallingford and Fremont are available on the WallHALA page.

See the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) page for an explanation of the proposed MHA zoning changes, and examples of the buildings allowed.

Tell City Council – send it back! (today October 17)

City Council is voting today, Monday, October 17 at 2:00 PM!

The Seattle City Council is poised to pass the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan update on October 17 that will:

  • TAKE AWAY YOUR VOICE
  • TAKE AWAY TREES
  • TAKE AWAY PARKING
  • TAKE AWAY SINGLE FAMILY ZONES

Don’t let them do this! The devil is in the details. Read about it here: Seattle 2035 List of Concerns and here: Worst of the 2035 Comprehensive Plan, and let all of City Council know: Don’t pass it, fix it! Rework the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan!

Please CALL, WRITE, and VISIT all nine city council members now and demand no action on the proposed Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan until it is amended to include:

  • Requirements for neighborhood outreach & involvement
  • Development of adequate transportation, parks & open space, schools, and utilities concurrent with increased residential density
  • Protections & preservation of existing trees
  • Parking requirements for new development
  • Stable urban village boundaries
  • Protections & preservation of Single Family Zoning

Tell City Council that you want infrastructure investment to be concurrent with growth. We want to grow a livable city. Tell City Council Do Not Pass the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan in its current form. Send it Back!

  • Please CALL, WRITE, and VISIT City Council Members before October 17!
  • Please attend the full City Council Meeting at City Hall and comment in person – Monday, October 17, 2:00 PM.
  • Please share with your friends, neighbors, and social networks.

Continue reading →

Tell City Council – send it back! (Updated)

NEW DATE: City Council will now vote Monday, October 17!

The Seattle City Council is poised to pass the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan update on October 17 that will:

  • TAKE AWAY YOUR VOICE
  • TAKE AWAY TREES
  • TAKE AWAY PARKING
  • TAKE AWAY SINGLE FAMILY ZONES

Don’t let them do this!  The devil is in the details.  Read about it here: Seattle 2035 List of Concerns and let all of City Council know: Don’t pass it, fix it! Rework the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan!

Please CALL, WRITE, and VISIT all nine city council members now and demand no action on the proposed Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan until it is amended to include:

  • Requirements for neighborhood outreach & involvement
  • Development of adequate transportation, parks & open space, schools, and utilities concurrent with increased residential density
  • Protections & preservation of existing trees
  • Parking requirements for new development
  • Stable urban village boundaries
  • Protections & preservation of Single Family Zoning

Tell City Council that you want infrastructure investment to be concurrent with growth. We want to grow a livable city.  Tell City Council Do Not Pass the Seattle 2035 Comprehensive Plan in its current form.  Send it Back!

  • Please CALL, WRITE, and VISIT City Council Members before October 17!
  • Please attend the full City Council Meeting at City Hall and comment in person – Monday, October 17, 2:00 PM.
  • Please share with your friends, neighbors, and social networks.

Continue reading →