Southwest District Council toplines: Parking, park, P-patches …

February 5, 2009 11:59 pm
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 |   Gardening | Junction parking review | Junction Plaza Park | Southwest District Council | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Updates constituted most of the highlights from Wednesday night’s Southwest District Council meeting — representatives from neighborhood groups and other key organizations dealing with the section of West Seattle that the city calls the SW District (map). In the photo above is Dante Taylor, who’s traveling the West Seattle meeting circuit to remind everyone that the city’s Junction parking review is getting under way (all our coverage is archived here). Regarding the big question, whether pay stations will be the result, Taylor stressed nothing is settled – the study is supposed to determine whether they would be needed anywhere to keep cars moving and create a steady flow of people through the business district. One of his previous appearances (WSB coverage here) was at the January meeting of the Junction Neighborhood Organization, whose president Erica Karlovits is co-chair of the SWDC; she reiterated concerns her group wants to keep on the front burner – “park and hiders,” who drive to Junction neighborhoods and leave their cars while catching buses to downtown, and construction workers parking in neighborhoods. Ahead, another Junction item – the latest on the 42nd/Alaska park – and more SWDC notes:

In the public-comment period, West Seattle Junction Association executive director Susan Melrose provided an update on Junction Plaza Park: $350,000 is still needed to transform it from a grassy plot into an actual park. Here’s a drawing from the Seattle Parks Foundation‘s page about JP Park (we reported on the park-awareness SPF “PARKing Day” setup in The Junction last fall):

Melrose says that if $250,000 can be raised during this calendar year, $100,000 would be available from the recently approved parks levy. She’s hoping to get the greater West Seattle community involved, beyond just the Junction merchants, and is hoping that neighborhood groups will get it onto their radar, as part of the WS-wide effort.

Now, another kind of green space: Department of Neighborhoods director Stella Chao promised her department is working to keep P-Patch access open, especially in tough times when homegrown food can keep more people from going hungry. She says DON has done evaluations and focus groups to see how the program’s going; right now demand remains high and there’s a long waiting list for P-Patch space. She also mentioned the department’s taking on new projects this year, including an update to the inventory of historical properties around Seattle (to see the current inventory, start here).

Quick notes: You’ll see a postcard in April on behalf of the Bike Smart campaign, which will be run by the Cascade Bicycle Club, with public bike-safety classes in July and August, as well as how-to’s about getting around Seattle by bike … The May 31st “car-free day” (but not using that name this time) on Alki was mentioned, as first reported here last week (we’re expecting more information from the mayor’s office soon; reminder, today’s the last day to take an online survey about last year’s Car-Free Days) … And be on the lookout for a new round of community recognition awards, which the SWDC is supporting; we’ve been involved in some of the early planning efforts, in the spirit of a few rounds of similar awards we co-sponsored last year. More details to come!

The Southwest District Council meets the first Wednesday of the month, 7 pm, board room at South Seattle Community College, and you are always welcome.

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