Full Council vote on the Roosevelt Rezone (LIVE COVERAGE)

January 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

On Monday, January 30, at 2 PM, the Seattle City Council will vote on Council Bill 117379, better known as the Roosevelt Residential Urban Village rezone.

We will be watching the live stream (via the Seattle Channel) from Ravenna Blog HQ and covering the action in the space below. Readers may follow along (and make comments) during the live event, or come back later to read our notes. We will also embed the video of the meeting here once it is available.

SPOILER ALERT: The Full Council meeting agenda already includes eight of the nine Councilmembers’ votes (then Council President Conlin was absent from the December 14, 2011 Committee on the Built Environment meeting due to illness).

Filed Under: City Council, Live Coverage, Roosevelt, Roosevelt Rezone Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

North Link Light Rail Update includes Roosevelt Station redesigns, more QFC time

December 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Sound Transit’s December North Link Light Rail Project Update arrived our inbox today, and included a few early goodies for our stockings this holiday season.

First, the Roosevelt neighborhood QFC (6600 Roosevelt Way NE) will NOT be closing in January 2012. Due to changes in design and construction plans, Sound Transit was able to extend QFC’s lease to the end of May 2012.

The Project Update email said “[e]xtending the QFC lease will not affect the North Link project schedule,” and we have an updated construction schedule to look forward to in early 2012.

Second, a few changes in the Roosevelt Station design were revealed at the Sound Transit Board’s Capital Committee meeting on December 8. These “recent refinements” include:

  • Reducing the height and footprint of the north and south entrance facilities.
  • Expanding the public plazas bordering Northeast 66th Street to create a sense of place and reinforce opportunities for view corridors and the City of Seattle’s ‘”Green Street” program, which gives priority to pedestrian circulation and open space.
  • Moving and reducing the height of a vent structure at the south entrance to reduce view conflicts with adjacent condominium windows and balconies.

You can view these changes in the station design presentation to the Capital Committee (6.4 MB PDF).

Check out the changes in the design of the North Entrance (in this composite image we put together this afternoon):

North Entrance Design Comparison. The latest station design reveals a much smaller lobby due to overlap with the escalators/stairs, in exchange for a larger outdoor plaza area facing NE 66th Street. Plans from Sound Transit presentations, borders and dates added by Ravenna Blog.

The 60% Design Review Open House will be held sometime in Spring 2012.

Filed Under: Construction, Everything counts in large amounts, Light Rail, Roosevelt Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Committee vote on the Roosevelt Rezone likely this Wednesday (LIVE COVERAGE)

December 13, 2011 By 1 Comment

UPDATE (1:57 PM): Today’s Committee on the Built Environment meeting footage has now been archived by the Seattle Channel, and we include it here.

UPDATE (12:18 PM): The Councilmembers present at today’s meeting of the Committee on the Built Environment have voted to move the Roosevelt Rezone (with the 65-foot-heights on the blocks just south of Roosevelt High School) forward to a full council vote. Full council vote likely to take place on January 17, 2012.

For more details about the vote and today’s COBE meeting in general, read our archived coverage of the meeting below.

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Tomorrow, Wednesday, December 14, the Seattle City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment meets to discuss and possibly vote on the Roosevelt Neighborhood Rezone (Council Bill 117379).

The meeting starts at 10:30 AM in the Council Chambers of City Hall (600 Fourth Avenue) with the Chair’s Report, then moves into 10 minutes* of public comment before the briefing on the bill begins.

We will be covering the event LIVE, right here, starting around 10:30 AM. Our notes will be archived here after the meeting, as well.

Recent Background Information

Just last week at another COBE meeting, the Committee discussed four different rough design options for the three blocks south of Roosevelt High School, before showing a preference (five of the eight councilmembers in attendance) for Option 2: A zoning designation of NC2-65 with over 25,000-square-feet of open space at street level.

You can download the entire design presentation by GGLO, “Development Standards for the High School Blocks,” in PDF format (5.03 MB) here.

An image of Option 2 from the GGLO design presentation. The view is from NE 65th Street, facing north toward the high school.

The next day, COBE Chair, Councilmember Sally Clark, summed up the rezone process so far and clarified her position on it on her blog.

Councilmember Bruce Harrell weighed in as well, on his personal blog. While he states his prefererence for design Option 2 at 65-feet, it was his “understanding that throughout the long process of neighborhood planning, the surrounding communities consistently made it clear that these three blocks should be protected from 65 foot heights.” Councilmember Harrell did not state specifically how he would vote, he did say that “[W]hat matters most to me…is that communities are ensured that their local government is truly listening to them when deciding how this city should look in the future.”

Then, today, a curve ball

Only yesterday, Publicola teased that Councilmember Nick Licata would be adding an amendment to the Roosevelt Neighborhood Rezone bill which would leave the three most contested blocks out of the rezone altogether. Today, Licata shared his position on the rezone on his Urban Politics blog.

____________________

*Ha!

Filed Under: City Council, Live Coverage, Meeting, Roosevelt, Roosevelt Rezone, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

Occupy-related vandalism sits Roosevelt U.S. Bank branch

November 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The U.S. Bank branch in the Roosevelt neighborhood (1023 NE 63rd St) was the target of Occupy movement-related vandalism in the early morning of Saturday, November 26.

Photo by Dominick DiGregorio/Roosevelt Neighborhood Blog. Used with permission.


Our friends over at Roosiehood have the story (and more pictures).

Should you need to access another U.S. Bank branch in our area, there are four others in Northeast Seattle. Click on the map for location information.






Filed Under: Crime, Roosevelt Tagged With: , , ,

Ravenna-Bryant Community Association Meeting, this Wednesday

September 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Ravenna-Bryant Community Association is holding their monthly meeting this Wednesday, September 15th. It will once again be held at the Northeast Library (6801 35th Ave NE) from 6-7:45pm.

I don’t know the precise agenda at this time, BUT I know that the big community meeting in October will be discussed.

And if you need further reason to attend, I’ll be bringing HOMEMADE COOKIES. And they are VERY TASTY.

Filed Under: Bryant, Civic Envolvement, Meeting, Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, Roosevelt Tagged With: , , ,

Sisleyville Scoping Comments Deadline TOMORROW

August 31, 2010 By 1 Comment

If you’ve been putting off telling the city how you feel about potential development in your neighborhood, you’re OUT OF TIME!

The deadline for public comments about the Environmental Impact Survey for the Roosevelt Development Group’s proposed zoning changes is this Wednesday, September 1.

That’s TOMORROW.

Here’s the Quick and Dirty version of what to do (as posted in the Tremendously Long and Thorough version of a few days ago):

  1. Look at this page. Read the top.
  2. Read about the proposed rezoning alternatives (all six).
  3. Look at these comment-making suggestions.
  4. Think.
  5. Type.
  6. Email your comments to Shelley Bolser (shelley.bolser@seattle.gov) at the Department of Planning and Development.

This is OUR neighborhood, this is OUR conversation. Make your voice heard.

Filed Under: Civic Envolvement, Ravenna, Real Estate, Roosevelt Tagged With: , , , , , ,

15th Ave NE and the Scramble – Local Road Work for 2011

August 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

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.

Filed Under: Construction, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Traffic, University District, Updates Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Your Busy Weekend for August 28-29

August 27, 2010 By 1 Comment

You could clean your garage this weekend, like you’ve been meaning to do for MONTHS. But here are some other options for your weekend that you might enjoy a little more than that:

SATURDAY

  • Make an oven powered by the sun.
    • Solar Cooker class, University Heights Center, 5031 University Way NE; 10am-2pm; $10, register by calling 527-4278
  • Go to a winery open house in Roosevelt.
    • Eight Bells Winery open house, 6213B Roosevelt Way NE; 11am-5pm; please RVSP to rsvp [at] 8bellswindery.com
  • And/Or stay in Ravenna and taste wine.
  • Go play, eat, run, dance, paddle, bounce and more, all at the same place.

SUNDAY

  • Go to story time, no matter how old you are.
    • Adult Storytime, Ravenna Third Place Books, 6504 20th Ave. NE; bring a short work from your favorite author or poet to read aloud

BOTH

Anything else to add? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll edit the post!

Filed Under: Events, Food, Kids, Maple Leaf, Ravenna, Roosevelt, Seattle Parks and Recreation, Seattle Public Library Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Sisleyville EIS Scoping Comments Deadline Nears

August 26, 2010 By 2 Comments

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

Filed Under: Civic Envolvement, Construction, Ravenna, Roosevelt Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Peaks Custard Coupon at Groupon TODAY

August 26, 2010 By 3 Comments

I usually don’t post such time-sensitive information on the blog (usually save it for the twitter feed), but a deal on local frozen custard is a beautiful thing!

TODAY ONLY at daily deal maker Groupon, $5 will get you a $10 to spend at Peaks Frozen Custard (1026 NE 65th Street).

The link to the Groupon site for this deal is here.

If you haven’t been in to Peaks yet, and aren’t sure what flavors they have, here’s a link to their Flavor Forecast so you can see what you’ve been missing.

____________________

THANKS to Laura (LASdesigns ceramics on Etsy) and Deb for the tasty tips!

Filed Under: Food, Roosevelt Tagged With: , ,
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