Comments on: Design Review meeting 8 pm Thursday for Junction Flats project

By: WSB

WSB — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:41:12 +0000

Yes, it’s running late again. They passed EDG. There was an interesting bigger-picture theme at the meeting that will be the top to the story. – TR

By: wetone

wetone — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 17:33:50 +0000

Just curious if there was going to be an update on Junction Flats as said above ?
Brenda I understand what your saying just fine. If you got big money you can just about push anything through this city if it brings income in for them. It is just to bad that not having a proper infastructure to handle the impacts as in West Seattle is a factor.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 17:59:18 +0000

Wetone,

You missed my point completely. I did not say Zoning doesn’t change..I said the City can’t stop development and your right to build on your property…!

By: WSB

WSB — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:55:32 +0000

The project did pass Early Design Guidance last night; I am smoothing the story’s rough edges so I can get it up by noon barring breaking news.
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And the most interesting part of the night was a declaration from the audience that all the parcels to the west of there will be sold within a few years. The declaration came from a landowner who says they’re hoping to make a nice profit – their land is valued as if it had something more than what it does have, and they can’t go on paying those property taxes forever.
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I always want to gently remind people, while developers are vilified, rightly or wrongly, they wouldn’t have land to build on if the land owners hadn’t sold it to them, so the most creative steps to take right now for people who are truly concerned might be to talk to the land owners before they sell. (If anyone has, let me know. Would be a heck of a story.) – Tracy

By: wetone

wetone — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 17:43:18 +0000

Wrong, the the city has changed zoning on my properties. The planing department also makes a lot of exceptions on set backs of property lines and height retrictions and much more, if you have the time and money to play the game. If you think our government can’t change property zoning how did urban villages come about ? and the height restriction changes for the area and along California ave. Parking requirements for these areas. They have made many changes through the years and can do so if they want. Look at South Lake Union the property owners, and our great mayor and city counsel are working on raising the height restrictions right now. Who came up with allowing accessory dwellings on a single family zoned property. Very bad and misleading when you say property zoning and codes can’t be changed by the city.

By: Brenda

Brenda — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 03:40:21 +0000

The City can not stop development. If you own property it is zoned residential, commercial or industrial. The Land Use code defines what you are permitted to build. The codes defines permitted uses, heights, lot coverage, setbacks, etc. The City Planner is there to insure the project complies with the Land Use Code. The Design Review Board helps promote and guide good Design. No one..the Mayor, City Council, The Department of Planning and Development or the Design Review Board can stop you from building on your property…its called property rights. If you want to talk about mass transit…that is another subject.

By: wetone

wetone — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 20:02:10 +0000

Well maybe the city council should have some members show up for these types of meetings and participate in the morning commute 7-9 am for a few weeks. From what you say it looks to me the design review board is really there to take the heat off the city council and make recommendations to the developers to maybe look at. I did get a chuckle when I started reading the packet about Rapid Ride and parking. Thanks WSB for posting packet. 71+ units with some working spaces(retail)

Quote from packet.

(Although no parking is required, parking will be provided for
approximately 57 vehicles in a below-grade parking structure, and due to the
site’s proximity to the heart of the West Seattle Junction Hub Urban Village,
should help to reduce the possibility of street overcrowding)

There has not been spare parking on that street for 30yrs.

By: WSB

WSB — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:46:58 +0000

Just checked – the packet has been added to the website this morning, by the city.
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http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/AppDocs/GroupMeetings/DRProposal3013912AgendaID4217.pdf

By: WSB

WSB — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:44:14 +0000

From what I’ve since heard, this seems to be more like errors than conspiracy. The meeting IS indeed at 8 pm, I have since confirmed with the firm whose project this is. Also – the Design Review Board members (except for, I believe, one) ARE West Seattleites who DO commute. The board is a volunteer role one or two nights a month. Their work has nothing to do with whether projects should be built. That’s the zoning – and that’s the City Council, of which there is one West Seattleite (since we don’t elect by district, the council could be WS-person-free, no law requires representation). I’ve also just received a copy of the packet and will at least upload some graphics if the city hasn’t put it on the website yet. – Tracy

By: wetone

wetone — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 17:36:35 +0000

And you wonder why they don’t have people showing up for these meetings. More of the city antics to push these projects though the system. Maybe the city planners and members of the design board should be required to participate in the morning commute for a few weeks out of West Seattle between 7am-9am. By car or Rapid Ride and see what they have to say. 35th to I-5 right now is one of the slowest sections of roads in seattle, just wait and see what it’s like in five yrs.