Rezoning, parks, roads, parking, more at city’s 2-location Wednesday ‘open house’ in West Seattle

We’ve been talking about this for weeks – and now it’s one day away. Here are the final toplines for tomorrow night’s big city open house – offering info and taking comments on several major initiatives.

WHEN
5:30-7:30 pm Wednesday, December 7th

WHERE
Two locations that the city tells us will BOTH have the same departments, initiatives, programs represented, so you can choose either one:

Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW in North Delridge)
Shelby’s Bistro and Ice Creamery (4752 California SW in The Junction)

FORMAT
Drop in when you can, for two minutes or two hours. No presentations – you’ll find maps, screens, easels, city employees

WHAT TOPICS YOU’LL BE ABLE TO ASK ABOUT/COMMENT ON
*The marquee project – the draft rezoning proposals for the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda‘s Mandatory Housing Affordability component (here’s our coverage of last week’s community-organized workshop) ADDED: Here are “simplified” versions of the rezoning maps for this area, showing only what’s being proposed

Also, as reported here previously (the links go either to recent WSB stories or city webpages):

*The “re-initiated” Fauntleroy Boulevard project
*City parking policy
*Seattle Parks Development Plan, Gap Analysis (is there enough park space near your home?), acquisition strategy
*Greenways, including the future West Seattle Greenway with planning tied to 35th Avenue SW Phase II
*RapidRide – Delridge is scheduled to get the next one in West Seattle

This is as close to an all-inclusive list as we’ve been able to get, but there could be more, so we highly encourage you to go or at least send a representative of your neighborhood to share comments and report back. Many of these programs also have ways to comment online but nothing says you care like showing up in person.

susie December 6, 2016 (3:09 pm)

Here is what we have been advertising for the SW Neighborhoods Open House. These can be seen on our calendar, as well:

City efforts present are:

Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda: DRAFT Neighborhood proposals to create more affordable housing. See a city-wide map HERE.
Parks and Recreation: Come and learn about using walkability and other transportation metrics to map how new parks and green spaces will be chosen in the future. 2017 Development Plan and Gap Analysis.
Transportation: Learn about how Move Seattle is shaping transportation projects and programs in your neighborhood. Also, shape your Greenway by telling us where you want to see new connections and safer crossings for people walking and biking.
Construction and Inspections: Rapid Ride and Parking Reform are in the works. Learn more about flexibility and sharing off-street parking, on-street parking, carshare and bicycle travel choices and frequent transit service.

WSB December 6, 2016 (3:20 pm)

Thanks, we’ve already featured that summary (and it’s linked multiple times again in our item above), but it is not as specific as it needs to be for West Seattle and South Park residents to be able to come with enough information and context to comment and/or ask questions effectively. That’s why we’ve done as many breakout stories as possible, dating back to the October launch of the HALA rezoning maps without a major city announcement about them (it was an aside in a mayoral news release), and it’s why community advocates here actually had a workshop last week to prep people. The postcard that some – not all – people received also was confusing, folding in initiatives that aren’t even being featured ($15 minimum wage, for example), and omitting the word “rezoning.” Thank you. – Tracy

wetone December 7, 2016 (9:45 am)

Where is everyone for Junction open house supposed to park ? If city really wanted good turnout of all W/S people, a common sense thought would be having open house where adequate parking is available for those coming home from work or those that drive to location due to distance they live. What little parking available is paid parking lots. If one plans parking on street or free parking lots good luck, be ready to walk a few blocks……

WSB December 7, 2016 (10:26 am)

135 people managed to make it to the Highland Park open house without much of a parking lot there. Youngstown has a lot plus some street parking (my favorite space for meetings there is the one just north of the bus stop on the south side of the building on Delridge, plus the Community Center across the street has a lot). For Shelby’s, there’s the free Junction lot through the breezeway north of NW Art and Frame, several pay lots (I don’t know what their evening rate is, I often see “$2” signs) on the block – across by the former bank drivethru, also along Edmunds to the south, across from US Bank – and on the street along 42nd, among other side streets. The concerns voiced by neighborhood advocates had more to do with the size of the venue. The Junction alone has multiple large venues (ETA: Senior Center, WS Christian Church Event Center, Dakota Place Park, and then in the Triangle, Legion and VFW halls) but none is attached to its own large parking lot. The Masonic Center is the only venue in the area that has one of those! – TR
- John December 7, 2016 (2:44 pm)
  
  Thank you Editor WSB.
  
  Amongst the many complaints about these meetings, Wetone’s carry the least water.
  
  I think we are experiencing the ‘Seattle Process’ from both sides on this incendiary proposal.
  
  No matter the turnout, many will criticize the ‘outreach’.

Fairmount Springs Mom December 7, 2016 (11:28 am)

1) The HALA.consider.it site is difficult to use; 2) the City hasn’t notified the 5%-6% of property owners, who the City expects to shoulder the entire burden of this affordable housing agenda, that their property is being changed from SF to multi-family (a colorful mailer inviting people to snacks and discussion about affordable housing at an ice cream parlor is a joke); and 3) they have chosen venues for this “open house” that are too small and in 2 separate locations

Mickymse December 7, 2016 (1:32 pm)

No… A) The entire city just passed a Housing Levy in August in support of affordable housing, and significant amounts of taxpayer dollars are being spent in support of those experiencing homelessness. Property owners affected by HALA are not being expected “to shoulder the entire burden of this…” B) The only way property owners are “burdened” if their neighborhood is being upzoned is that their property values are going to go up because you live nearby an “Urban Village” which will see all sorts of increased amenities including better transit. While I sympathize with those older and fixed income folks who cannot afford the fancy new stores and restaurants or the higher property taxes, one does have to at least acknowledge that there’s a whole lot of added monetary value being put into your home investment in exchange.
- Fairmount Springs Mom December 7, 2016 (2:34 pm)
  
  The Seattle Housing Levy affects all property tax payers, those being rezoned and the other 94% who are not being changed from SF under this HALA. As far as burden of HALA on 6%, we have asked the City and there is no imposition for this HALA agenda such as taxes or building restrictions on most (94%) of SF property owners. I don’t know where you are getting your statistics that neighborhoods being “upzoned” will increase in property value. I have asked, and the City has provided no data to me or my neighbors about properties in neighborhoods that have been changed from SF to multi-family holding their property value. My property value, like many of my neighbors, is assessed at about 50% land and 50% structure. Developers will only be interested in the land, 50% of the value of my property. There is a reason that other neighborhoods around Seattle are not clamoring to be changed from SF to multi-family zoned property.
  - John December 7, 2016 (2:55 pm)
    
    Fairmont Springs Mom,
    
    You are wrong in claiming that the property value is halved when sold for development.
    
    Developers are infamous on this blog for spending far more than the assessed value of the property land and house together.
    
    Developers are blamed for bidding up the sales price of developable lots past the point of single family buyers. One such example is the controversy over the lot with the pine tree.
    
    King County Assessor’s sales data easily confirms that future enhanced development zoning increases property value beyond that of restricted properties.
    - Fairmount Springs Mom December 7, 2016 (3:52 pm)
      
      This is a program that has not been tried in other cities. Under this HALA program, developers have to build “affordable housing” or pay a tax/fee to the City. They are not going to pay top dollar for properties.
    - KM December 7, 2016 (5:03 pm)
      
      Fairmont Springs Mom: upzoning and developer fees have been tried in other areas. Information shouldn’t be that hard to find, maybe City Observatory is a good start. Most cities don’t replicate other cities, as no two are the same, but they have the basic principals.
      
      If there is financial incentive, the builders will continue to buy and develop properties. Developers are often given a property tax break for an extended period of time, or allowed to go an additional floor over zoned height for example, both of which are incentives. You can learn more about the MFTE here: http://www.seattle.gov/housing/housing-developers/multifamily-tax-exemption. Even if they are tearing down the structure, they are not going to only pay the value of the land. Otherwise another buyer, non-developing, would be paying for both, and the seller would choose the highest bid (presumably).

John December 7, 2016 (3:31 pm)

@FSM…. (Hey FSM…funny) Anyway…I agree with you. I see the value of my property dropping. My home and DADU will be worth zero to a contractor and a residential buyer won’t want it knowing an 8-unit apartment could be constructed next door. I feel I may lose hundreds of thousands dollars.

Oh…but it’s for a good cause…… I get my life ruined to provide for the less fortunate…wonderful. :-(

Fairmount Springs Mom December 8, 2016 (9:32 am)

KM: You are not right. This HALA affordable housing plan has not been tried in other cities. I talked to a Senior Planner from HALA in November, and he told me directly that this affordable housing plan has not been tried before in other cities. Seattle is the first. The City does not know if properties will hold their value once changed from SF zoning to multi-family, and they are offering no data or support to property owners affected.

Sorry, comment time is over.