Not our headline – that’s how the city slugged its announcement of two forums called by Councilmember Sally Clark (who toured The Junction a month ago at the invitation of resident Sue Scharff; WSB coverage here). Our only question: Why isn’t either forum happening here in West Seattle, where so much townhome construction is under way? Anyway, here’s the announcement:
Town Homes-Can the Patient be Saved?
Councilmember Clark hosts events to encourage good design of
multi-family housingSEATTLE – Councilmember Sally J. Clark is hosting two events to
encourage good design of new town homes in Seattle neighborhoods.
Councilmember Clark, chair of the Planning, Land Use and
Neighborhoods Committee, said, “These meetings will be a great chance
to talk proactively about housing choices, affordability and
neighborhood-friendly design.”Up until the past dozen years or so Seattle didn’t have many town
homes. Seattle was mostly single-family homes with yards and apartment
buildings. Growth management, Seattle’s overall attractiveness as a
place to live, and cheap financing changed that. Now, Seattle has lots
of town homes-the City estimates that 8,000 town homes have been built
in the last eight years.While some new town homes blend into the neighborhood or, even better,
stand out as well-designed additions, others are reviled by the
neighbors for mediocrity, canyon-creating fences, asphalt wastelands,
and impossible to navigate garage entries. The fault lies not just with
imagination, but also with Seattle’s development rules. The City can
do better. These upcoming forums are the start of Councilmember
Clark’s effort to improve townhomes’ design.First Forum: Courtyard Housing in Portland, Oregon, Monday, June 2, 5
p.m., City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue in the Bertha Knight Landes Room on
the First Floor.Second Forum: Town Homes-Can the Patient be Saved?, Saturday, June 7,
10 a.m., Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th AveAll events are free and open to the public. No need to RSVP.
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