Neighborhood Traffic Improvements

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Please join me in thanking the various Miller area neighbors whose efforts are shown here: their long and dedicated efforts have resulted in significant traffic improvements in our area. Click on the blue markers on the map above, or admire the pictures below.

So remember, you CAN make a difference. Contact them (or me) for hints as to how to get your favorite traffic issue addressed. And be sure to thank them if you meet them in the street.

Lonnie Lusardo's efforts resulted in the installation of the left filter arrow on the John & Madison traffic light, which makes it much safer turning from (eastbound) John to Madison: it was impossible to see westbound traffic coming up John. (click on any photo for bigger version)



Robert Njegovan rallied his neighbors on 22nd Ave E. to apply for grants and supply volunteer labor to get these 2 traffic circles installed on 22nd . They help to greatly slow down the "cut through" traffic that's bypassing the traffic lights on 23rd.




Andy Haas lobbied long and hard for this curb bulb on 21st Ave E. at E. John Street, which will help stop a constant stream of wrong-way traffic on this one-way street pass the playfield and school. Both he and Lonnie (above) got to explain their concerns to the Mayor when he toured our neighborhood.


Not all our efforts have yet been successful. Richard Samuel and Andrew Taylor are lobbying the City to fix this constantly flooding corner at Denny & 21st. Here's the City's letter about the problem: they have not yet actually done the work.

You may recall that (back in 2002) Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) carried out an extensive traffic study in our area, and made a number of suggestions, some of which have been carried out by SDOT alone, and others (shown here) were accomplished after much prodding by the people acknowledged here.

If there are other things on the SDOT report (or ideas of your own), that you'd like to pursue, please contact me (Andrew Taylor) and I'll put you in touch with SDOT people (and perhaps with the neighbors noted here, who can provide much useful guidance).

2051 E Madison St Design Review info

The City Department of Planning and Development (DPD) is now posting more information about the Design Review of building projects on their website.

Here is the Design Review Early Design Guidance report, and the applicant's very informative slide show, from the first (9/19/07) Design Review hearing for Jim Mueller's East Madison Street project. (BTW here's the report for his 23rd/Union project).

Here's what I previously reported about the meeting, together with some pictures of the architectural model of the project.

There will be at least one more similar meeting, in the coming months, at which you can offer your guidance.

Neighborhood Development activity

(vacation over, time to catch up on City activities)

Here are some recent Planning Department Public notices for major development projects in our area that might interest you.

2203 E UNION ST: Land Use Application for Jim Mueller's project at 23rd & Union.

Here are several Miller blog posts about it:

• Some expert advice (and some comments)
• MANY (19!) neighborhood comments on the project.
• The first Design Review Hearing on the project
• Reports on Mueller's neighborhood meeting
• A transcript of that meeting

A neighbor wrote in to URGE YOU to send your comments to DPD, if you have put them on the website (and even if you haven't):

Comments on the Miller Community Council site are not official to the City design process unless they are also sent to the city. Joanna
The comment period has been extended to the 19th of September.

Thank you!

General Info:

Department of Planning & Development
Public Resource Center
700 Fifth Ave. Ste. 2000
P.O. Box 34019
Seattle, WA 98124-4019

(206) 684-8467 phone
(206) 233-7901 fax

Send comments to:

Lisa Rutzick
Project: 3005925 ( 2203 E UNION ST)
Land Use Planner
Department of Planning & Development
700 Fifth Ave. Ste. 2000
P.O. Box 34019
Seattle, WA 98124-4019
T: 386-9049
F: 386-4039

***************************

2051 E MADISON ST: Notice of Design Review Early Design Guidance Meeting (Sept. 19, 6:30 PM, Miller Community Center). This is the first Design Review Hearing for Jim Mueller's project to demolish and redevelop the land where the Twilight Exit (formerly Oscar's II) now sits. Your comments at this first meeting will carry extra weight.

Here's an overview of the Design Review process, and here are notes on how to get involved and here's the permit status information and here's what little we know about the project.

***************************

2320 E MADISON ST: Notice of Application. A NEW application for a development on Madison. Anyone know any detials, or anybody involved? A Design Review Hearing surely awaits us!

Your letters, testimony, presence needed in Court

You all remember how unpleasant the groups of drug dealers on Madison used to make our lives. Most of them seemed to be destitute and were probably both dealers and users, in need of help and rehabilitation. We all felt grateful that Lt. Hayes, Seattle Neighborhood Group and POCAAN staffed the GOTS program there every Tuesday, to try and connect the destitute people with services.

You will not be surprised to learn that, among the destitute people on the street, there were also "career criminals". Please read this letter from Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ellen O'Neill-Stephens (who has been working tirelessly with our Madison task force for the last year) which details one such case and tells us what we can do to help in the prosecution. The gist of her letter is:

Your attendance at this sentencing will be an opportunity to tell a Superior Court Judge about the adverse effect open air drug markets have on your lives and work in these neighborhoods. Only a few community members may have the opportunity to address the court, so it will also be important to put your thoughts in a letter addressed to the judge.

Please send your signed letters to:
Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Justin Monroe
516 Third Ave. W554
Seattle, WA. 98104
Fax-296-0955
e-mail justin.monroe@metrokc.gov

The sentencing for Evelyn Lewis has been rescheduled for:

June 22, 2007 from 2:45 to 3:45
Honorable Catherine Shaffer,
King County Courthouse, Courtroom E753

Please feel free to contact Ellen, if you have any additional questions, at her e-mail address (Ellen.OneillStephens@Seattle.Gov) or cell phone 206-423-9756

The Sentencing Hearing is next week, so please write your letters NOW, and contact Ellen if you will be able to attend the Court Hearing.

You might also want to post your letters here, as comments to this message: Click the COMMENTS note at the end of this post. You may comment anonymously if desired.

Many thanks for your help: this prosecution may not directly help the East Madison Street neighborhood, but it will surely help 23rd & Union and other afflicted neighborhoods.

Many thanks,

Andrew

Design Review Meeting: 23rd & Union

The Director of DPD is convening the Design Review Board for an early design guidance meeting.

Project No. 3005925
Area Downtown/Central
Zone NC2P 40'
Address 2203 E Union St

Applicant: James Mueller, (206) 624-8095.
Land Use Planner: Lisa Rutzick, (206) 386-9049

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The proposal is for a six-story mixed-use building with ground level retail use and 91 residential units above. Parking for 100 vehicles located below grade.

PROCESS

The applicants have applied for Design Review related to development of this site for a mixed-use development. At the early design guidance meeting, the applicants will present information about the site and vicinity. The public may offer comments regarding the design and siting of a mixed-use development on the subject site; and, the Design Review Board members will also offer comments and identify those Citywide Design Guidelines of highest priority in developing the site.

MEETING

Date: Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Location: Miller Community Center

330 19th Av E

Multi-purpose Room

MORE INFORMATION

For more information regarding this application or the Design Review process, you may contact the Land Use Planner listed above. If you are unable to attend this meeting but would like to be informed of future meetings, please call the Land Use Planner to become a party of record.

Link to DPD Notice

How to comment on Land Use Actions

(This project is for a 65' building in a 40' commercial zone. It will require a rezone, probably via the Contract Rezone process, in which the rezone is granted only for a specific plan proposed by a specific applicant: this prevents any "bait and switch" issues.

DPD links: REZONE, APPLICATION)

Supplemental Early Design Guidance Meeting: 305 24th Ave E

The Director of DPD is convening the Design Review Board for a 2nd early design guidance meeting.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007, 8:00 p.m.
Seattle Central Community College, 1701 Broadway, Room 3211

Link to details of the meeting.

Link to a copy of the report from the February 7th meeting.

The developer has requested to change the property's zoning from single family (SF5000) to multifamily (L1 and L3 zoned) zoning, via a "contract rezone" which is being vigorously opposed by many of its neighbors.

I surveyed the Miller neighborhood's views (and gave some background & links) on the project back in February, and then reported a summary, and the details, of the survey (many people supported the project), as well as neighbors views on the process. BTW here's the developer's website.

At the initial Design Review, the volunteer board members had numerous concerns about the project: presumably the applicant will be addressing these at this (unusual) second Early Design Guidance meeting.

As described at length in the meeting notes, the Design Review and rezone issues are handled entirely separately, and so there will be ample time to comment on the actual rezoning in due course: it all ends up at the City Council, which will surely have a Public Hearing for your your comments!

Video of Sally Clark's Committee Meeting at Miller

Streaming Video of Councilmember Sally Clark's Economic Development and Neighborhood Committee meeting held on 3/15/2007 in the Miller neighborhood is now available on the the SeattleChannel website:

http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=2180705

You'll need RealPlayer (or most web browsers) to play it. You can stop, start, rewind and FAST FORWARD!

The first 6 minutes are a very animated introduction from Sally.

From 6 minutes to about 23 minutes, members of the public gave testimony about the Mayor's proposed nightlife ordinance (see the bottom of Sally's webpage), including some very poignant testimony from the Barclay Court community (Seattle Times article). Andrew's testimony (also quoted in the Seattle Times article) is at ~ 15 minutes.

The last 25 minutes of the meeting (2:03:00 to the end) feature a presentation from the Miller Park/MaDCAP community, featuring Andrew Taylor, Jon Vandemoortel and Heidi Ob'bayi talking about present and future issues in the Miller area, Chuck Weinstock from Capitol Hill Housing (talking about affordable housing) and Ellen O'Neill-Stephens, a King County Prosecutor, whose neighborhood taskforce is helping to address the public safety issues along Madison (and now 23rd & Union).

Thursday Council Committee Meeting at Miller

Reminder that Councilmember Sally Clark's Economic Development and Neighborhoods City Council committee meets at Miller Community Center this Thursday (3/15/07, 6 PM).

The Committee's agenda is pretty full: you'll have a chance to talk to the committee at the start of the meeting ( and then a chance to comment on the appointment of Stella Chao as Director, Department of Neighborhoods). The meeting will feature a briefing on the Mayor's Nightlife Ordinance, so expect lots of people coming to comment on it.

The Miller neighborhood gets its 15 minutes of fame at the end of the meeting (nominally 7:45 PM, probably later, Center closes at 9 PM). I (Andrew) was asked to submit a panel of names (but you're welcome to join us). Here's who I nominated and what they may talk about:

Andrew Taylor (MPNA) - Brief history of neighborhood and its issues. Effects of bar closure. GOTS program. Madison Street redevelopment: time to revisit the Neighborhood Plan?

Jon Vandemoortel, Chair, MaDCAP (Madison and Denny Community Action Program ) - Challenges of living near Madison. Cleanup efforts.

Heidi Ob'bayi, MPNA & MaDCAP: Continuing challenges and street issues in the area.

Chuck Weinstock, Executive Director, Capitol Hill Housing (CHHIP); Affordable housing in the area. Challenges and possibilities of including affordable and workforce housing in East Madison Street development projects.

Ellen O'Neill-Stephen, Deputy King County Prosecuting Attorney will describe her Madison Street taskforce, a coalition of neighbors, businesses and organizations dedicated to the improvement of the Madison Street area.

Feel free to offer suggestions for other topics we should cover: Click on "Comments" or "Post a Comment" below or E-mail Andrew.

Design Review Hearing: 2320 E. Madison Street

(from official notice, with additions)

The Director of DPD is convening the Design Review Board

for an early design guidance hearing, at which the basic concepts of the plan will be explained: more detailed plans will be discussed at one or more subsequent meetings.

The proposal is for a three-story, mixed-use building with five apartrments over 1,245 sq. ft. of retail. Parking for five vehicles will be located within the structure.

MEETING

Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 8 PM

Seattle Central Community College
1701 Broadway, Room 3211

The Design Review process is an excellent opportunity for you to learn about upcoming projects, and to offer your advice to the architects and the Design Review Board.

Details of the process are at the City website

There was an old (vacant?) house on this site, which burnt down a year or more ago. The site is just uphill from Philadelphia Fevre and the Bottleneck Lounge and across the street from Crush.

PS: Here's where to find notices of upcoming developments in our area.

Council Committee to Review Nightlife Proposal

(Press release from City Council: also see recent post here)

Councilmember Sally Clark

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 28, 2006

CONTACTS: Molly Neitzel, Clark Office, (206) 684-8802; George Howland, Jr., Council
Communications, (206) 684-8159

Council Committee to Review Nightlife Proposal

The Seattle City Council's Economic Development & Neighborhoods committee will receive a briefing, Thursday, March 1, from the mayor's office on a proposal to regulate nightlife establishments in the city of Seattle. The briefing will be the first of several presentations the committee will hear on the proposed ordinance.

"Seattle enjoys a reputation for great music and terrific neighborhoods," said Economic Development and Neighborhoods Committee Chair Sally J. Clark. "We're looking for reasonable ways to prevent and resolve the clashes that come up when residential areas and clubs cohabitate."

The proposed legislation defines "nightlife premises" as businesses that serve liquor between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., have more than 500 square feet, and are used at a density of one person per seven square feet or less. The ordinance would require each premise that meets the definition to obtain a Nightlife Premise License from the City. Nightlife Premise Licenses would be subject to suspension or revocation for violations of operating standards proposed in the Mayor's ordinance. Proposed operating standards address noise, litter, occupancy, crime prevention and alcohol sales.

Over the next several months, presentations will include the Mayor's Nightlife Task Force, the Seattle Nightlife and Music Association, Washington State Liquor Control Board, and the Seattle Attorney's office.

The Economic Development & Neighborhoods committee meets every first and third Thursday of the month. The nightlife issue will be on the EDN committee's agenda for meetings through May of this year.

For information on the Economic Development and Neighborhoods Committee schedule or for a copy of the proposed ordinance, go to: http://www.seattle.gov/council/clark/


Next meeting: March 15 6:00 p.m. Miller Park Community Center:

Central Staff report on: Comparable Cities Regulation of Nightlife Premises and Current City Codes Applicable to Nightlife Premises.

Tom Carr and Member or Representative of the Liquor Control Board report on: Liquor Control Board’s Role in Licensing and Enforcing State Liquor Laws and the City Attorney’s Function (Civil Enforcement, Good Neighbor Agreements and Interface with Liquor License Renewals)

Miller Greens project in Frazier Park: your thoughts?

The neighborhood just to the east of Miller Park (the Prentis Frazier neighborhood, around Frazier Park) is very upset by a developer's plans to develop several adjacent overgrown empty lots: see his website for his view, and the Stranger's blog for a quick summary. (and don't forget the CHS: Capitol Hill Seattle blog post)

They are seeking our support for their position: I have prepared an online survey (based on the Madison Valley neighborhood resolution, below) and invite you to use it, so that MPNA can give them a reasoned reply.

Survey location: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=392783251968

Some details:

John Potter from their group writes (edited from several messages):

We are in the process of forming a neighborhood association on the other side of 23rd, Frazier Park Neighborhood Assn. that will include the area from 23rd Ave to the Arboretum, north of E. Madison to E. Helen St.

We also mentioned the proposed condominium development in our neighborhood (proposed rezone from SF5000 to L-1/L-3) and wondered if we could get support from the Miller Park Neighborhood Assn. Below is a resolution that was approved by the Madison Valley Community Council.

The rezone represents a significant precedent setting boundary change from the Comprehensive Plan. We are hoping to get a large turnout at the Early Design Guidance Meeting that will educate all the neighbors about the 11 condominiums going into 3 vacant lots. The DPD meeting we encourage people to attend is:
Wed Feb 7 6:30 pm Seattle Central Community College Room 3211, Project: 3004806 - EDG Address: 305 24th Ave E Planner: Michael Dorcy
We will be taking a petition around after the meeting and would like to get support from both sides of the village boundary. If you identify anyone interested in helping, please refer them to me, John Potter, johnrpotter@qwest.net

(Explanatory links added by Andrew)
At its regularly scheduled meeting on January 17, 2007, the Greater Madison Valley Community Council adopted the following resolution:

Be It Resolved That:

1. We fully support the City's comprehensive Plan, the need for densification, and the Concept of Urban Villages

2. We embrace Green Building concepts and designs

3. Existing zoning intentionally constructs a high-density corridor along E. Madison Street, which we support.

4. The long-standing boundary between this high-density corridor and the surrounding residential zoning should be respected.

5. 24th Ave is a great "family friendly" neighborhood with lots of long term residents.

6. The proposed development at E. Thomas and 24th Ave. will degrade the long-term family oriented quality of the neighborhood.

7. We believe there are sites for this project available within the Urban Village boundary.

In conclusion, we feel the development is inappropriate and the requested zoning change of the proposed Miller Greens Re-Zone at 305 24th Avenue East (DPD Project #3004806) should be denied.

Notes by Andrew:

The neighbors are trying to protect the single-family nature of their neighborhood, while our City is trying to increase the density of housing in Seattle. All the new, higher density, housing is going into the multifamily zoned areas, but most of Seattle's area is tied up in single-family zoned area


Look at this zoning map of Seattle: click on it for a bigger view.
Blue is industrial: little or no housing

Light tan is single family housing.

Other colors are neighborhood commercial ( expect housing above stores), or multifamily housing (apartments, condos, townhouses, interspersed with older housing).

NOTE how little area is available for the desired increased housing density: most of it is set aside for single family housing- the light tan areas.

Seattle has tried several ways to increase the density of single-family zones, which have been vigorously opposed by single-family neighborhoods in some parts of the city (but supported by others). So the question, in my mind, is whether we can afford to continue to protect single family housing against all intrusions?

Thanks for listening, now please VOTE

Public Meeting - Renewal of Millennium Cable Company Contract 1/30/07

(ALL the details)

The Citizen's Telecommunications and Technology Advisory Board (CTTAB), in cooperation with the Department of Information Technology (DoIT), will conduct a public meeting regarding the services provided by Millennium Digital Media, one of two cable service providers in Seattle. Millennium¹s cable franchise agreement is up for renewal in March of 2008. The purpose of the hearing is to take public testimony from residents in the community regarding issues related to Millennium¹s provision of cable services in Seattle. Public comments received during the meeting will assist DoIT in developing priorities for franchise negotiations.

The public meeting will be held at the Yesler Community Center located at
917 E Yesler Way in Seattle's Central Area on Tuesday, January 30, 2007, beginning at 5:30 PM. and will end after all public comments have been heard. If you wish to testify, you may sign up in-person outside the meeting room beginning at 5:00 p.m. Questions regarding the public meeting should be directed to Janet Jensen by calling 206-386-0031 or via e-mail at janet.jensen@seattle.gov. Written comments may be submitted to Janet Jensen or by filling out a comment form on-line at http://www.seattle.gov/cable/comments.htm. All comments received prior to the City Council passing an ordinance granting a renewed franchise will be reviewed and considered.