Madison Street developments

• Jim Mueller's development (the Twilight Exit side) on the south side of Madison has DPD approval. 
• The Design Review Hearing for the north side (the Deano's side) will be this Thursday(WEDNESDAY, actually).  The appearance of the proposed project has changed drastically since Jim took over. This will be your (probably only) chance to comment on the project.
• The Stranger approves of both projects ( here AND here).
• Capitol Hill Seattle blog very much in favor of the Deano's project.
• CD development update summary from Scott.

Public Meeting: Design Review for Townhouses

Most of the redevelopment going on around here is townhouses, some wonderful, some [most?] rather coookie-cutter models ("Little Boxes", even).

DPD has been studying the issue, has made some recommendations and wants to hear from you at their upcoming meeting.

(in their words) The Department of Planning and Development (DPD) is developing a new Administrative Design Review process to apply to townhouse development. Currently, most townhouses do not undergo design review, unless the applicant volunteers for administrative review in order to seek departures from Land Use Code development standards. The goals of the project are to apply a streamlined Administrative Design Review process for a better fit with the small scale of townhouse projects, without adding significantly to development cost.

The Department of Planning and Development (DPD) invites you to attend a Public Meeting about Administrative Design Review for townhouses on Monday, May 4, 2009 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., in Seattle City Hall's Bertha Landes Room (600 4th Ave.).

The intent is to increase design quality and the variety of townhouses with a new Administrative Design Review process.

Draft recommendations will be presented by staff. Public comments on the draft proposal are welcomed.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. A presentation will begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by an opportunity for comments, questions and discussion. We hope you can join us

.

Design Review Hearing for Deano's Project

(pictures courtesy of JC Mueller LLC. CLICK on them for glorious large illustrations. Note all the hip, young  people in the pictures: nobody as old as me [or Jim?] visible anywhere. No dealers, either)

What is probably the final Design Review Hearing for the "Deano's" project on East Madison Street will be happening on May 6th.

The basic concept is pretty much what we saw in many previous meetings, but the appearance of the buildings has changed dramatically, so this probably be your only chance to make your views known to the Design Review Board.

Download the architect's presentation for the meeting  (warning: 36.6 MB)

See my Madison Street Redevelopment Google Map for links to older info about the project, and to other projects in the area.

Review Meeting: May 6, 8:00 PM
Seattle Central Community College
1701 Broadway, Room 3211
Review Phase: Recommendation

Link to DPD files  and to the older DPD files (Project Number: 3009856(formerly 2204305)) 
Planner: Scott Kemp

Capitol Hill Housing Annual Meeting

Residential Parking Zone Changes

The Seattle Department of Transportation is pleased to announce that the RPZ Revisions Ordinance and related resolution have been transmitted to City Council for their consideration. The proposed recommendations effectively update the program to incorporate transportation, land use and economic changes since the last policy review in 1994.  Thank you for your comments and on-going interest in the RPZ Policy Review Project.

 

SDOT will brief the Council Transportation Committee on Tuesday April 21, with a follow-up discussion on May 5. Public comments at the Committee meetings or via email are welcome.

 

The Final Recommendations and legislation are available at SDOT’s RPZ policy review page:www.seattle.gov/transportation/parking/rpz_policy_review.htm

 

After a year-long effort working with various community and business stakeholders, the RPZ legislative changes are proposed to:

 

--- Limit permits to eight per household address to reduce extreme abuse; consider other disincentives in the future to manage parking demand

 

--- Improve enforcement by adjusting permit design, adding fines and improving coordination with Seattle Police Department

 

--- Continue to issue one biennial guest permit per household address 

 

--- Develop single-day visitor permit as a second option to allow for multiple guests

 

--- Revise zone creation process to ensure more effective community process to include all community interests and address race and social justice barriers to community participation

 

--- Start pilot program to issue RPZ permits to businesses in the Southeast and South Downtown light rail station areas

 

--- Improve customer service with online permit system

  

 

Please note that the comment period for the SEPA Determination of Non-Significance has closed. Anyone may appeal the DNS by submitting a Notice of Appeal and a filing fee to the Office of the Hearing Examiner no later than 5:00 pm April 20, 2009. 

 

 

For questions about the proposed legislation, please contact Mary Catherine Snyder at rpzparking@seattle.gov or 206-684-8110.

 

 

Mary Catherine Snyder

Parking Strategic Advisor

Seattle Department of Transportation - Policy and Planning

PO Box 34996

Seattle WA 98124-4996

206-684-8110

 

County Council to vote on changes to Metro bus service

(Chance to comment at public hearing on Tuesday the 28th)

A neighbor notes: 

Even though this refers to service in the Southeast, some of these changes will have an effect on Central Area riders as well, I see at least two lines, the #8 and #48. CD News explains the changes: Route 8 increases service to every 15 minutes during peak hours, and extends further south to MLK and the new Mount Baker light rail station at McClellan and then onwards to Rainier Beach. Route 48 will discontinue service to Rainier Beach (replaced by the extended 8), and instead stops at Mount Baker light rail station.  Service increases to every 15 minutes in the evenings.  However, it maintains all of its northern route to UW and Loyal Heights.

County Council to vote on changes to Metro bus service in southeast Seattle   The Metropolitan King County Council is accepting public comment on proposed changes to Metro Transit bus service in the southeast Seattle area, including Skyway.  Information about the recommended service changes, the council’s review process, and how to comment is available on Metro Online at  http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/sc/plans/2009/042009-sesea.html.

April 15 Neighborhood Meeting with new School Principals

As you surely know, Seattle Schools are trying to save money by shutting, combining, moving schools (lawsuits permitting). The changes will affect our neighborhood:

• The Middle School Program at Meany School will be disbanded, and the students moved to Washington, Madrona and Alki Schools. (transition details here).
• Two programs will move to the Meany Building: Nova Alternative High School and the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Program (transition plans here).
• This week's Madison Park Times describes the changes.
• This CD News post describes an interesting "drug free schools" program and has comments from someone intimate with the problems of moving NOVA.

I have invited the principals of the two schools to visit us, meet their new neighborhood, and share concerns, visions and ideas. Basically a chance to chat and get acquainted. Please join your neighbors in welcoming the schools to our neighborhood:

Wednesday, April 15th, 7 - 9 PM, Miller Community Center multipurpose room,

 330 -19th Avenue East (Center #: 206-684-4753).

A few details of the two schools:

• Nova Alternative High School is moving from the Horace Mann building (near Garfield) where it has been since its inception.  The school website describes the program much better than I can. There's also an official school website and a PTSA website. We will be meeting with school principal Mark Perry.

• The Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center also has an official website, its own informative website and a Friends of SBOC website (which describes the program). We will be meeting with principal Martin O'Callaghan.

I hope you will be able to join us and welcome these schools to our neighborhood.  

It will also be an opportunity to meet the new staff at Miller Community Center: we recently welcomed Center Coordinator Jeremy Doane (pictured here, came to us

 from Magnolia) and Assistant Coordinator Klaus Goodrum (who came from Montlake, which is where our very capable former Assistant Coordinator, Zoom Piksa, may now be found). The volunteer Advisory Council for the Community Center (which YOU can join: ask a council

 member at the meeting)

 is co-sponsoring this meeting. They and the Center staff are eager to meet the new school at Meany and explore possibilities of collaborations.

I hope to also have updates on the state of the Miller Playfield renovation, East Madison Street redevelopment, and any other topics you think we should explore (E--mail Andrew).

Please help get the word out about this (very rare) Miller Park Neighborhood Association Meeting. Share this blog page, or print and share this meeting announcement.

Madison Street developments

Jim Mueller's "Deano's" Project on Madison (2026 E. Madison). Comments on the application due by March 11th (I just applied for for a 2 week extension, assuming that E-mail counts as "writing"). Jim's assistant notes: You might have noticed that we changed the posting dates again on the Deano’s MUP sign. This is a result of a miscommunication within the city.

She also noted: The MUP sign went up this week. We now expect that the DRB meeting will be held in late March. We will let you know when the date is set. (DRB: Design Review Board)
It's not yet on the list of upcoming Design Review hearings.

Jim had a public information meeting about the project in December: here's a CD News report with lots of pictures. More pictures on Mueller's website.

Your request has been granted, the new comment period end date is March 25, 2009. If you have any further questions regarding this project, you may contact the land use planner assigned to this application Scott Kemp. Scott can be reached at: Scott.Kemp@seattle.gov.

Thanks
PRC Staff

"Twilight Exit / Oscar's II" project (2051 E. Madison Street): Report from the final Design Review hearing is here, details are here, and a very complete Central District News report on the hearing is here. (Slide show from previous Design Review meeting is available).

As requested Madison sites update……

2051 (Twilight) –construction start pending financing

2026 ( Deano’s)- MUP expected summer ’09, construction start pending financing.

Lis Soldano
Director of Development
JC Mueller LLC

2305 East Madison Street: Joanna, on CD News alerted us to the comment period for the Master Use permit. Project still needs at least one more Design Review Hearing. Here are the applicants' slides from the April 2008 meeting, a CD News report and here's the permit status.

2320 East Madison Street is permitted for construction, but site was for sale last time I looked. Site was to be developed in parallel with the adjacent 2311 East John Street. Construction on the East John site started, but there's been no work there for many months.

Quick hints: to find archival details go here and search for "Madison". For upcoming meetings, browse here. For a visual overview of Madison Street developments try my Google Map of Madison.

Trees on John Street to go

Alas, the big old trees outside the new townhouses under construction at 1920 East John Street are flagged to be removed.

They're very old, clearly rotten and don't seem to have ever been pruned properly. Big chunks fell off them in the last windstorm (and in previous storms, as I recall). Hence they are tagged to be removed (and replaced).


View Larger Map

Looks like the City tried to make the builders keep them: access to the townhouse garages is via a steep driveway, off the alley to the west of the townhouses. The logical driveway cut is on John, but was blocked by one of the (now to be removed) trees. If the tree issue had been resolved earlier, access would have been easier and the condo owners to the north would have been spared a driveway right next to a couple of their units. So it goes: it seemed obvious that the old trees were on their last legs, but maybe DPD didn't see the obvious.

Oscar Night at the Bottleneck

Now that the Twilight Exit has moved to 25th/Cherry, the Bottleneck is our only neighborhood bar, so we'd better nurture it....