2 notes from tonight’s Southwest District Council meeting

As Southwest District Council co-chair Sharonn Meeks said toward the start of tonight’s SWDC meeting, its agenda didn’t have one central guest or topic because “we just need to talk.” Rather than rattle off a mega-list of bullet points from the ensuing talk, we’ll be following up on a few things for separate stories, and making note right now of two things:

LAND USE SUBCOMMITTEE: Other neighborhoods have land-use committees that often look at projects of note outside official government processes such as design reviews, and SWDC announced a few months back that it intended to get one going as a subcommittee. The first meeting is finally set – 6:30 pm Wednesday, August 27th. Location TBD, agenda TBD, but if you’re interested in West Seattle development and land use and want to be part of a citizen-led group looking at it, set the date aside.

PARK DISTRICT BALLOT-MEASURE FORUM: Admiral Neighborhood Association president David Whiting announced that ANA’s meeting next Tuesday will include guests from both sides of the August 5th ballot measure proposing creation of a Seattle Park District with permanent taxing authority, instead of sending levies/bond measures to voters every several years to raise extra money for parks. The ANA meeting is at 7 pm Tuesday (July 8th) at The Sanctuary at Admiral, 42nd/Lander. (The Delridge District Council had a forum on the proposal in May; we recorded video.)

pov July 3, 2014 (8:32 am)

land use committee is about 20 years too late.

my $.02

WSB July 3, 2014 (8:45 am)

20-ish years ago, there *was* a committee (or something resembling that) involved in what led to the turn-of-millennium neighborhood plans. Right now, there is far more potential redevelopment ahead (for example, the rest of the 65-/85-foot-zoned Junction, the majority of The Triangle, just for starters) than what’s already been built/planned/proposed, so anyone who cares would be wise to jump in. Intensive community involvement already has made a different in some of the policy changes on the docket today … TR

pov July 3, 2014 (11:57 am)

what i really meant was lawyers and commercial realtors need to be on a “land use” team. Experts. Credentialed and ready to litigate. It takes money. Lots of it.

that’s why it is too late. all else may be true TR but was that “something resembling…a committe” land use litigators and commercial realtors who live in the Southwest District? Probably not. That is what Queen Anne District Council has had for decades.

imho.

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