The NE 45th Avenue viaduct project is almost done. Huzzah! Construction is due to be completed on September 10th, just in time for the first Husky football game the next day.

There are a few more viaduct projects to finish in October and November — lighting installation, finalizing the line striping and pedestrian markings, and replanting the surrounding area — but the detour will be no more, and life will return to normal…

…until January of next year, when two new construction projects are headed our way.

The Big One: 15th Avenue NE Reconstruction – NE Pacific Street to NE 55th Street

I’m sure we can all agree that the surface of 15th Avenue NE is a pothole-riddled disaster, and the increased traffic from the viaduct detour route isn’t doing it any favors.

Happily for us, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has plans in the works to reconstruct most of 15th Avenue between NE Pacific Street and NE 55th Street between January and October of 2011.

Project area for the 15th Ave NE reconstruction, courtesy SDOT

This popular arterial will be FULLY RECONSTRUCTED between NE Pacific Street and NE 50th Street between January and September, while the stretch between NE 50th Street and NE 55th Street will just get a repaving. Intersections at NE Pacific Street, NE 45th Street, and NE 50th Street will not be repaved as this was done more recently.

And there’s more!  From the SDOT’s 15th Avenue Reconstruction Project website:

Other improvements include:

• New curb ramps and curb bulbs to improve pedestrian mobility
• Sidewalk widening at bus zones (bus bulbs)
• Drainage upgrades
• Installation of a new marked crosswalk at NE 41st St
• New northbound left turn lane at NE 42nd St
• Upgraded street lighting system
• New electrical infrastructure for future transit improvements
• Transit improvements including
  • North to west turn restriction from 15th NE to NE 45th during some or all of the day
  • Expanded bus stop waiting areas (bus bulbs) at two locations
  • Bus stop consolidation where stops are too close together

All great stuff. But the area is going to be a general mess during the construction. Trolley wires will be turned off on weekends to accommodate construction needs. This means diesel buses will be traveling through the area instead. There will always be access to residences and businesses for pedestrians, but rerouting and/or detours could spring up. Vehicles will definitely be affected: No street = no street parking, and access to parking lots and garages will be affected as well.

The Wee One: The 22nd/Ravenna Ave/Ravenna Pl/54th/55th “Scramble”

Just like with the viaduct and the 22nd avenue NE repaving project, it seems as though the SDOT can fund another, smaller, nearby project through the bidding process for the 15th Avenue NE project. And this one should make pedestrians breathe a sigh of relief.

Here’s what the area in question looks like now:

The "Scramble," with street names

Street names removed, pedestrian "no-man's land" highlighted

And here are the current construction plans for the area (click image to open a larger version in a separate window):

Current "Scramble" construction project plans, courtesy SDOT

Two items of particular note in this graphic:

1. The BIG NEW CURB on the south side: To me, this piece is the key to the whole project. Pedestrians will now have a solid place to stand and be seen as they prepare to cross the intersection.  Cars will have a very distinct turn to and from Ravenna Pl NE. This is SO MUCH SAFER than the microscopic gravel no-man’s land that sits at that spot right now.
2. The “Pending Funding” area on the north side: Project Manager Jessica Murphy did not have high hopes that the funding would come through on this part, unfortunately.

________________________

I am very excited about both of these projects, but speaking both as a pedestrian and a driver, I really look forward to unscrambling the “Scramble.”

For More Information

For more information on these projects, visit the main 15th Avenue NE Reconstruction page and the accompanying FAQ page.

An open house thrown by the SDOT detailing these projects and their effects on the community will happen sometime this November or December.

Funding for these projects comes from the Bridging the Gap levy passed by Seattle voters in 2006.

You can see a specially-crafted Google Map of the “Scramble,” and scroll around all you please, right here.

Many thanks to Project Manager Jessica Murphy at the Seattle Department of Transportation and Kristine Edens from EnviroIssues for stopping by the August Ravenna-Bryant Community Association meeting and sharing this information.

UPDATE: Email update from the SDOT says that the projects will be advertised for competitive bids this month (September). Schedule remains unchanged.

NOW is the time to send in your thoughts about the proposed rezoning of the properties around 15th Ave NE and NE 65th St, if you haven’t already.  The deadline for public comments about the Environmental Impact Survey for the Roosevelt Development Group’s proposed zoning changes is next Wednesday, September 1.

If you feel well-informed on the issue, feel free to skip down to the “How should I send in my input?” part of this blog post and start there.

For the rest of us (myself included), I’ve hunted down answers to some common questions about the scoping process AND what the content and form of our comments should be.

What is the scoping process?

I found the following description of the scoping process in the Enviromental Scoping Information Report (EIS) for the East Link Project (applies to our situation as well; emphasis mine):

The purpose of scoping is to determine the range of alternatives and identify the potentially significant issues to be analyzed in depth in the EIS. The scoping process is also intended to eliminate detailed study of those issues that are not significant and those issues that have been addressed by prior studies. This scoping process includes public meetings at which anyone may have their oral comments recorded and/or provide written comments. Written comments are encouraged throughout the scoping period.

In other words: Developers want to make big changes in your area. Here are their plans. What do you think?

There have been two public meetings on the Roosevelt/Ravenna rezone issue where public comments were recorded (sort of; DPD tries to explain what happened here, Glenn Roberts gives his impression here). Now the comment collection window is closing. It’s time to let the city know what YOU think about these rezone plans!

Why should I send in my input?

Again: Developers want to make big changes in your area. Here are their plans. What do you think?

It’s in OUR neighborhood where these proposed changes may take place, OUR backyards. It doesn’t matter whether you support the rezones or not: You should let your City know what you think, either way.

What should my input look like?

The Roosevelt Neighborhood Association has an excellent list of comment suggestions (MSWord doc) that will help you organize your thoughts in writing (no matter what side of the issue you’re on):

• Briefly explain who you are and why you are interested in the project.
• Comment only on issues relevant to the decision being made.
• State informed opinions and, where possible, include data to support your opinion.
• Keep focused on your objective.  You want DPD to hear your concerns and be compelled enough to investigate further.
• Ask for studies that you think are important but have not been provided.
• Ask to be added to the project mailing list and request a copy of the notice of decision. (You must give your mailing address, because notices are only sent through US Mail.)

The DPD has already identified six key elements for discussion in the Environmental Impact Survey for the Sisley properties (DPD Notice of Determination of Significance):

• Height, bulk and scale
• Land use
• Parking
• Housing
• Shadows on open spaces
• Traffic and Transportation

Now, the Roosevelt Development Group has outlined six different proposals for the EIS which were on display at the last scoping meeting on July 21st.  You may want to address specific plans in your comments (for instance, the plan that rezones the area for 160-foot-tall buildings). You can find a description of those alternatives here. Graphics of the six alternatives are also online (pdf, 5.6 MB file).

If you want to be a Thorough Theodore, you may want to apply ALL SIX key elements (Height, bulk and scale; Land use; etc.) to ALL SIX of the RDG’s six proposals.  Yeah, that’s a lot of work, but that’s what happens when a developer throws six different proposals out all at once.

If you like some direction on which of the six proposals you should spend your time on, Glenn Roberts (Roosevelt-Ravenna Zoning Issues) has the following to say (emphasis mine):

I agree with almost every remark made [in the scoping meeting transcripts]. And strongly agree that only Options #1, 2, and 6 be studied in the EIS. #1 is no change, #2 is the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association rezoning plan, and #6 (because it is so patently ridiculous) the 160′ RDG proposal.

How should I send in my input?

• By email: You may send along your comments to Shelley Bolser (shelley.bolser@seattle.gov) at the Department of Planning and Development.
• By fax: (206) 233-7902
• By mail: Here is a Blank RDG EIS Scoping Comment Form (pdf) you can mail in, also to Shelley. This comment form includes the list of six key elements for discussion mentioned above.  The address is:

City of Seattle
Department of Planning and Development, Attn: Shelley Bolser
700 5th Avenue, Suite 2000
PO BOX 34019
Seattle, WA 98124-4019

However you choose to send your comments in, INCLUDE THE PROJECT NUMBER: 3010100.

TO SUM UP:

1. Print out this page. Read the top.
2. Read about the proposed rezoning alternatives (all six).
3. Look at these comment-making suggestions.
4. Think.
5. Write.
6. Send it to the DPD by September 1.

_____________________

References

• An update on the proposed Roosevelt/Ravenna rezone scoping meeting saga is available on the DPD’s Bridging Connections news and events site.
• The Roosevelt Neighborhood Association‘s Land Use Committee has a page on the website devoted to the Roosevelt Development Group and its properties. There is a LOT here, including transcripts of the two scoping meetings (June 9, 2009 and July 21, 2010).
• Chapter 25.05 of the Seattle Municipal Code is all about the environmental policies and procedures of the city. If you have more questions about EISs or scoping, it should be in there.
• Glenn Roberts is a real estate agent in Seattle and a resident of Ravenna. He has been following the RDG/Sisleyville saga since 2005. His Roosevelt-Ravenna Zoning Issues blog is a mix of insights from both real estate and a community member standpoints. Ravenna Blog and The Roosevelt Neighborhood Blog also interviewed Glenn in July.

What would you like your neighborhood to look like?

Probably NOT like this:

Photo courtesy www.glennaroberts.com/ravenna-park-north

Would you rather see 160-foot-tall buildings? Or perhaps a big box store? Or BOTH?

Ravenna Blog and The Roosevelt Neighborhood Blog (Roosie Hood) have teamed up to try and shed some light on these concerns by interviewing Glenn Roberts, author and administrator of the blog Roosevelt-Ravenna Zoning Issues.

Glenn does not claim to be an expert on all things Sisely property-related, but he’s been following the saga of neighborhood vs. property owner/developer vs. city ever since he moved into the neighborhood (and started talking to neighbors about it in 2005, when then property manager Keith Gilbert was arrested on felony weapons charges). Glenn’s been in the real estate business for 25 years, spending the last 22 with the same brokerage here in Seattle. He and his Realtor wife have been residents of the Ravenna Park area for almost two decades, and his son attended Roosevelt High School.

Ravenna Blog/Roosie Hood: To start off in a place we can all relate to, what the %&$#! are all those boarded up buildings along NE 65th Street and 15th Avenue NE? Do you have an elevator speech answer to that question?

Glenn Roberts: About two years ago, Hugh Sisley offered to lease his properties for a term of 99 years. Another stipulation that the leasee has disclosed is that Sisley can disapprove of the development if the design isn’t to his specifications. What his specifications are has not been disclosed.
You don’t get an elevator speech here.
The buildings are boarded up because the leasee paid off the tenants to leave and then secured the property with the fence. They say they can’t tear them down because if the terms of the lease aren’t met, they will give up their option and return the properties to the landowner as they were when they got them.
I don’t believe them. It costs real money to properly tear down a building and if they were to pay for it, Sisley would surely (IMO) let them. But they both may want them to stay up so that public opinion from Seattle at large will say, “Anything will be better than those buildings.”
The landowner has a bad rep, and he will still be the landowner if any buildings are completed. Our main focus is A) To see that Sisley or anyone else does not own huge multi-unit buildings at this location and B) To allow the neighborhood to develop as needed according to the zoning currently in place.

RB/RH:  So, Hugh Sisley owns most of the properties in question, and the Roosevelt Development Group (RDG) is the lease holder.  Current tenants at the time got paid to leave, and the buildings are boarded up (“secured”).  I’m also seeing this spelled out in a Seattle P-I article from 2007 entitied, “Run-down Roosevelt buildings are goners.”

One would assume the next phase would be planning. What does the current zoning for the area look like, and what would the developers like to see there instead?

GR: Most sensible city zoning including the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association (RNA) plan call for the tallest buildings to be in the commercial core and taper down to the single family neighborhoods. The Roosevelt core is between Roosevelt Way NE and 12th Ave NE. It’s a small urban village. What RDG is proposing is Urban Sprawl in the village. This kind of development would wipe out the concept of village here.
As for the tapering effect, putting 160 foot buildings up against 27 1/2 foot zoning of single family is ridiculous, ludicrous and inane. Yet that’s what the RDG plan calls for on the Sisely lots. The current zoning has 40 foot limits.
They also want to up the zoning from Commercial 2 to Commercial 3. That would allow for a Costco, Walmart or other monstrosity here in the neighborhood.

RB/RH: And to go back to that first question, it feels as though there are two sides to that %&$#! coin: Why have those properties been boarded-up eye sores for so long, and what does the owner plan to do with them?

Map of the Sisley/RDG properties (from 2009; shown to highlight properties being discussed) Courtesy www.glennaroberts.com/ravenna-park-north

GR: They have been boarded up because of several issues that have to do with city regulations.

1. For a long time now there has been a regulation that you cannot tear down a home on a property unless you have permits in place to build a new on. This was the city’s way of preserving taxes. They reasoned that it was cheaper to remodel an existing house than build a new one, but I think the assessed value of the deteriorated house was always more than that of vacant land. This law changed last year, but the tearing down or not is up to the owner, not the city or the neighborhood.

2. When you have existing low income housing (which Sisley can certainly say his were) and you accommodate the renters losing their homes for rebuilding by giving them money to relocate (RDG did that) you get credit to build more units or to build higher buildings, as long as you replace the buildings within a certain amount of time. So, they want to keep them up until they have permits or they could lose those credits.

RB/RH: Have any of the local neighborhood associations weighed in on the issue? Roosevelt Neighborhood Association? Roosevelt Neighbors’ Alliance? Ravenna-Bryant Community Association?

GR: The RNA has spent years developing a growth plan and it has been accepted by the city and should be sufficient for the next 40 years, light rail or no light rail. It is a good plan. The Ravenna-Bryant Community Association leadership has expressed support for the RNA Plan and opposition to the RDG Comp plan change. I belong to a small group of Ravenna neighbors who oppose the RDG plan and publicize everything we can.

RB/RH: You’ve been following the Sisley/Roosevelt Development Group saga for a while now, most notably at your blog, Roosevelt-Ravenna Zoning Issues. Can you provide us with a general timeline of Sisley’s/RDG’s purchases?

GR: About 30 or more years ago, Hugh Sisley was the janitor at Roosevelt High School. He managed to buy some properties back when Boeing went bust in the early 70s, I imagine. Possibly he learned then that a run down property diminishes the value of the property next door. Eventually his empire grew. RDG has purchased four properties that Sisely did not already own in the zone, in the last two years.

RB/RH: Sisley himself was a member of the neighborhood (perhaps in vocation only), purchased the properties over time, and then left them to rot, essentially, bringing down the value of the entire area?  Has the neighborhood or the City of Seattle tried to do anything about this?

GR: The recent City ordinance concerning registration of landlords and inspection of rentals is in part a means to enforce clean up of properties like Sisley’s. You also might notice that three or four of Sisley’s properties were torn down last year. I wish I knew the mechanism that forced that so I could try to make it happen on the others. Neighbors should write to the city council and to the mayor and insist that those unused, never to be used again buildings be removed. There are a haven for vermin, a fire hazard, a location inviting graffiti, and an eyesore. They have no place in the community.

RB/RH: At this time, what would you advise a concerned citizen to do?

GR: Oppose everything Sisley and RDG want to do until they meet the design of the RNA plan. Citizens should go to meetings and let their voice be heard. They should write to the city council and express themselves. They should be involved.

RB/RH: You yourself are a real estate agent and live in the Ravenna neighborhood.  What do you say to those who may cry NIMBY over your stand (or others’) on the rezoning issue?

GR: If you own, anywhere, NIMBYism is an important part of making neighborhoods better all across the country. If you are a short term renter, you probably don’t have stake in how towns and cities grow and thrive, or how they fall into ruin.
For my part, I’ll continue to be proactive in the future of my neighborhood and be proud of doing so.

________________

Glenn Roberts is a Seattle residential Realtor residing in the Ravenna neighborhood. He writes and administrates a number of blogs, including Ravenna Park – North and Roosevelt-Ravenna Zoning Issues. You can read much more about the Sisley properties, zoning, Environmental Impact Studies and much much more at both of those sites.

@ThomasField and I both spotted some SPD officers directing traffic today.  He was nice enough to tweet us a photo of his:

Traffic directing at Ravenna Blvd/22nd/54th/55th, Courtesy Thomas Field

Snapped at a rather infamous intersection: Where Ravenna Blvd, NE 22nd Avenue, NE 54th Street AND NE 55th Street ALL swirl together like suds going down a drain, just south of the southeast part of Ravenna Park.

I suspect that most of the new traffic here is due to Official NE 45th Street Viaduct Detour Cheaters who are trying to sneak up and down the hill by using 54th/55th instead of 65th. Cheaters!

Yours truly found herself a traffic director where 15th Avenue NE, Cowen Pl NE and Ravenna Blvd all meet, on the west side of the park.  Northbound Cowen Pl NE traffic turning left has no light; I imagine that’s a reason for the extra help.

Both of these locations have been added to the NE 45th Street Viaduct Detour Issues Google Map.

Do YOU have any to share? Let us know!

I’ll start.

I don’t commute to and fro work like I imagine many of you do, so my observations on what the NE 45th Street Viaduct Detour has meant to me will likely be different from some of yours.  Nor have I taken a tour of the entire detour route.

But here are some detour issues I’ve noticed (click on the map to open it in Google Maps):

Click me to open in Google Maps

1. I’ve actually been remembering that the viaduct is CLOSED, and taken alternate routes! [This was a triumph. I'm making a note here: HUGE SUCCESS.]
2. Just yesterday I saw workers putting up “NO PARKING from 4-7pm” signs along the east side of 25th Ave NE. That side of the street is already marked as “NO PARKING from 3-6pm.” Why the different times?
3. The backup to turn left onto westbound NE 65th St from northbound 25th Ave NE is worse more times of day than it used to be. So glad for that green arrow.
4. The parking spots on the south side of NE 65th St through Downtown Ravenna (and further to the west) have “NO PARKING from 4-7pm” signs posted on them, too.
5. Turning left onto 15th Ave NE from westbound NE 65th Ave was hard before. And now it’s worse!
6. Driving to the View Ridge PCC I noticed two orange detour signs pointing EAST on the EASTBOUND side of the street! That can’t be right. I checked the opposite direction today and there are none across the street, so that’s probably where they’re supposed to be.

So, those are my observations. Have any to add? Let me know in the comments, or email me (rebecca [at] ravennablog.com).

It’s June 1, which means we’ve got less than two weeks left until the NE 45st Street viaduct closes until mid-September.

And while you may not use the viaduct much in your own travels, the detours and bonus repaving project may have you feeling the effects where you may not have expected them.

NE 45th viaduct detour route map, SDOT

The Detours

There are two designated Seattle Deparment of Transportation (SDOT) traffic detours during the closure time:

• A southerly route including 15th Ave. NE, NE Pacific St. and Montlake Blvd
• A northerly route including 15th Ave. NE, NE 65th St., and 25th Ave. NE

This northerly route will be sending viaduct detourees up and over Ravenna Park, essentially, sending them right through “downtown” Ravenna.

Unofficial northerly detour routes I can anticipate divers trying could include using Ravenna Blvd and/or NE 55th Street to travel from east to west, instead of continuing north to NE 65th Street.  If things get too crazy on those routes, we could ask Maple Leaf where they got their NIMBY-esque “NO THRU TRAFFIC” signage.

The Bonus Project

As a part of the viaduct project, and also starting in June, 22nd Avenue NE (between NE 45th and NE 54th) is getting repaved! Turns out, anticipated construction bids for the viaduct were low enough that the cost savings will be spread out over 22nd Avenue NE in the form of hot, gooey asphalt.

SDOT claims the coordination of these two construction projects will help “minimize impacts to residents.”  That may be, but it’s also going to make it even tougher on those of trying to sneak down NE 54th Street.

For More Information

SDOT has an official NE 45th Street Viaduct Project – West Approach Replacement page, which includes more maps and resources than you could shake a traffic cone at.

There’s a FAQ for you to read as well.

Lastly, if you’re more of a face-to-face learner, SDOT is hosting an open house on June 9, from 4-7 pm, at the University Heights Community Center (5301 University Way NE).

Consider yourselves warned.