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Development 1976 results

Update on West Seattle’s OTHER ex-Schuck’s site
July 29, 2008 11:13 am
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

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As demolition proceeds on the 39th/Alaska/Fauntleroy ex-Schuck’s (etc.), the project on the site of the ex-Schuck’s that was knocked down seven months ago at California/Charlestown (WSB coverage, with video, here) is close to completion. It’s been six weeks since our last update, so we just checked back this morning with the leasing agent for Charlestown Center, Joe Beynon, who says he can reveal two of the businesses that are going in — Anytime Fitness is leasing two-thirds of the top floor, a hair salon called Budget Cuts is leasing part of the first floor. Who else is moving in? Beynon says he’s “not at liberty to disclose that” just yet. The spaces will be turned over to tenants on August 7th.

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Fauntleroy Place site demolition update: Facade still standing
July 28, 2008 6:19 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Development | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

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At day’s end, when the heavy-equipment operators parked their rigs for the night, that’s what was still left at the future site of Fauntleroy Place — a massive mountain of debris, and the shell of the ex-Schuck’s/Hancock Fabrics building’s east-facing facade. Crews started tearing into the building around 10:40 this morning, as we showed you here; we checked back around mid-afternoon for another video clip — the progress here was coming from inside the building (keep an eye on the background for chunks falling down, especially one pulled from up top about a minute into the clip):

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So there’s more work to do tomorrow. And as mentioned before, the newest Fauntleroy Place design gets a public hearing before the Southwest Design Review Board at 8 pm August 14th (two weeks from Thursday), at High Point Community Center.

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Final phase of demolition at Fauntleroy Place site under way now
July 28, 2008 10:55 am
|    Comments Off on Final phase of demolition at Fauntleroy Place site under way now
 |   Development | West Seattle news

(video no longer available due to Blip.tv shutdown)

WSB was there about 10 minutes ago as the backhoes finally started tearing up the former Hancock Fabrics/Schuck’s building at Alaska/Fauntleroy/39th that will be the site of Fauntleroy Place (Whole Foods, a new Hancock store, and almost 200 apartments). Demolition work at the site started last week and has proceeded relatively slowly because crews have cleared a lot of recyclable material from the interior. (Video added 11:43 am.)

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Look who has a bird’s-eye view of Junction construction
July 25, 2008 11:32 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Just out of the WSB inbox from “d“:

I wish I had had a camera with me this AM –

About 9, I was leaving the vet clinic across the street from the [Mural, ex-Petco parking lot] construction crane area and heard a baby eagle SCREAMING! It was perched at the end of the huge yellow crane – no mom in sight. I was so distracted by it as I drove by peering through my open roof that a construction guy yelled down to me to watch where I was driving! When I stopped and told him what I was looking at a few of the other construction guys gave me the impression that the eaglet has been hanging out there. Seems odd, but actually the crane has the same rough configuration of bare snags that eagles like to hunt from. I don’t know if the little guy (not so little actually) will be there again, but maybe folks could keep an eye out for it.

It was a VERY loud baby bird – probably calling on mom, as usual. :)

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Friday morning followups: Alki fire, Fauntleroy Place demolition
July 25, 2008 10:24 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

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That’s what the burned 56th/Alki duplex looks like this morning from 56th, looking northeast. We just checked with the Fire Department again; still no official information on what investigators believe started the fire. (We published two multiple-update reports last night – with incredible contributions from witnesses, neighbors, many others, thank you again! – #1 is here, #2 is here.) AFTERNOON UPDATE: The Fire Department still isn’t announcing a cause; spokesperson Helen Fitzpatrick told us they need to talk to the owner first (and as we reported last night, she’s out of town). MEANWHILE: Also this morning, the newest information on the Fauntleroy Place (future Whole Foods etc.) demolition:

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Project manager Easton Craft from BlueStar tells WSB the final major demolition work – actually bringing down the building – is now scheduled for Monday, because clearing out the interior contents (see the piles in the photo) turned out to be a really big job. Craft says “… they have found more recyclable material (metal/steel, masonry, wood) than they anticipated.” The demolition work started Tuesday (previous WSB coverage here and here; the latest on the FP development, including the design that will be reviewed at a public meeting on August 14th, is here).

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West Seattle scenes, Thursday morning edition: 3 followups
July 24, 2008 10:44 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Development | How to help | Transportation

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At 35th/Raymond, this is one of two SDOT crews onscene right now to work on the signal upgrade – as we reported last month, the city is turning this into a full-service traffic signal. Now, on to the Junction/Triangle area:

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Here’s what the Fauntleroy Place (future Whole Foods, ex-Schuck’s/Hancock) demolition site looks like as of moments ago. On this third day of teardown work, the building itself is still standing while crews continue clearing debris out of its interior (note the huge piles), much of it to be recycled; also note the orange-vested woman in the left-hand foreground – a city worker putting up signs about the revised permit application that’s just been filed (here’s the notice) Design Review Board hearing on the newest FP design (see it in this WSB story) coming up August 14th (8 pm, High Point Community Center). Side note, a small group of little kids and their adult chaperone (day-care, perhaps) have been strolling the perimeter, excitedly watching all the heavy equipment in action. Speaking of little kids, that brings us to what’s happening less than a block away at a future development site:

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As promised, the bus that First Student is loaning WestSide Baby (WSB sponsor) for this Sunday’s “Stuff the Bus” diaper drive is in place at the old Huling Buick showroom site (which the same developer that’s handling Fauntleroy Place, BlueStar, plans to turn into Gateway Center). The bus is just there till Saturday as a billboard of sorts – the bus will be at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market (44th at Alaska) on Sunday, 10 am-2 pm, ready for “stuffing” with disposable diapers for local families in need – WestSide Baby hands out hundreds of thousands a year (they’re not covered by food stamps) — go get some and bring ’em down that day.

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Pre-demolition days now truly numbered for 6053 California
July 24, 2008 8:30 am
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

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(2007 photo by WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli)
The demolition of the ex-Schuck’s/Hancock building at Fauntleroy/Alaska/39th (continuing today) isn’t drawing many tears but other buildings can be a different story. As we wrote here in April 2007 when development plans for 6053 California (above) were first announced, we’ll be sad to see it go. It’s nothing fancy but its unique “Mission Revival” facade has been a semi-landmark of sorts at that California/Graham corner (across from the shuttered Chuck and Sally’s – nothing new on that, by the way – in one direction, the up-for-sale Strata in another). The demolition permit has just been issued. Here’s the project that will replace it, with “live/work” units and townhouses:

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The West Seattle architect whose firm designed it, Brandon Nicholson, showed that rendering at the June “can townhouse design be saved?” forum as an example of non-cookie-cutter-architecture alternatives (it’s not a solid block of building – there’s a courtyard among other things). And the city ruled the old building didn’t warrant landmark consideration, despite some unique-for-its-time (1924) features. Nonetheless, we and others have memories, and some wistfulness will linger after the backhoes depart.

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Fauntleroy Place site demolition update: Interior focus today
July 23, 2008 9:51 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

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From the sidewalk on the SW Alaska side of the building that’s coming down to make way for Whole Foods and the rest of Fauntleroy Place, you can still see into the ex-storefront, and beyond to the former parking lot. We’re just back from another visit to the demolition site, where Fauntleroy Place project manager Easton Craft from BlueStar told WSB that the crews are not expected to tear down the actual structural shell before tomorrow. They’ve been assessing as the work proceeds, he says, and there’s more clearing out to do inside the old Hancock Fabrics (which will have a new store in the new building) and Schuck’s (which won’t) building; if you go by the site, you’ll see the debris in almost-neat piles:

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It’s being arranged this way because much of the debris will be taken away for recycling. As previously mentioned, demolition (to be followed by excavation) is proceeding even though a final design for the mixed-use building (including almost 200 apartments) hasn’t been approved yet — the most recent version will go before the Southwest Design Review Board three weeks from tomorrow, on August 14th; the site for that meeting now has been set — High Point Community Center. Fauntleroy Place will be reviewed at 8 pm, after the design for the 35th/Graham project is reviewed at 6:30 pm.

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Demolition work starts at Fauntleroy Place (Whole Foods)
July 22, 2008 9:50 am
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

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Those are two of the three backhoes working on the ex-Hancock/Schuck’s building. We talked with BlueStar‘s project manager for Fauntleroy Place, Easton Craft, at the scene a few minutes ago – he said the crews aren’t expected to take the entire building down today — just the facade and some internal work — though the plan could change. Though the official “groundbreaking” ceremony was more than a month ago, the building couldn’t come down until asbestos-abatement work was done; Craft tells WSB that went uneventfully, without anything unusual turning up in the building beyond some of the tile/ceiling asbestos routinely used back when buildings like this went up. He also says City Light crews are in the area today doing some preparation work for the utility undergrounding that BlueStar plans to do (including the poles along 39th). While we were talking with Craft, a woman came up to ask what’s going to happen to the old Hancock/Schuck’s sign:

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Well, he began, we think it’s going to the dump. No! she said, alarmed, identifying herself as a longtime West Seattleite who wants to see the sign preserved as history – at least, the Hancock’s part. Craft said he’d see what he could do, though he’s worried the sign might be welded to its metal poles and hard to separate. We’ll let you know how it turns out. ADDED 10:39 AM: Demolition video:

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We’ll check back on the progress a bit later. As for the project itself, its new design will be considered by the Design Review Board next month, but as BlueStar told JuNO two weeks ago, they planned to proceed with demolition and excavation work in the meantime.

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Mural restaurant revealed
July 18, 2008 11:55 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

The Weekly’s food blog Voracious says Mural, the Harbor Properties project in the ex-Petco parking lot, will include a restaurant called Fresh, involving folks from Herban Feast, which recently moved HQ from West Seattle to Sodo.

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Townhouses, again: An approval, and a viewpoint
July 17, 2008 12:52 pm
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

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The semiweekly city Land Use Information Bulletin has just arrived, and the site shown above — 4103 SW Edmunds, proposed for teardown-to-five-townhomes (as first reported here in February) kitty-corner from the south side of Jefferson Square — is the only West Seattle project on it; the city has ruled that its land-use permit application doesn’t require environmental review even though it’s technically in an “Environmentally Critical Area” because of the steep slope. Its construction and demolition permits are still pending. Nothing unusual given that it’s in the densifying area around The Junction, but it comes at a time when the city is about to start reviewing “multifamily zoning” (as reported here). Related to that issue, a West Seattle resident just cc’d us on her letter to a councilmember expressing opposition to the changes – we’ve had some glowing reviews of them already, so we’re sharing this counterpoint – read on:Read More

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“Micropermitting” critic says zoning proposal doesn’t go far enough
July 9, 2008 11:57 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

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(photo shows the California/Spokane townhouses mentioned in third-to-last paragraph below)
After the mayor’s proposed changes in “multifamily zoning” came out yesterday afternoon (WSB coverage here and here; city infopage here), with a particular focus on townhouse design, we wondered how one high-profile expert would react to the proposal — West Seattle architect David Foster, current chair of the Southwest Design Review Board, gained citywide attention earlier this year after this WSB report, in which he lashed out at “micropermitting” — large townhouse developments escaping design review by applying for permits as separate small developments. We e-mailed Foster to ask for his comments on the new zoning proposal, and he says it’s a mixed bag:

I am very happy to see the City finally recognizing the importance of requiring Design Review for all townhouse projects. It would fix the micropermitting issue because it removes the thresholds that allowed
builders to dodge the process. Every neighborhood deserves good design. Since townhouse builders have consistently failed to deliver good design, it’s time to require it as a condition of permitting.

As for the other proposed amendments to the code, I support them, but feel that many don’t go far enough – or will have little effect. The 4′ max fence height restriction for example is a no brainer: better would be to require real landscaping and no fence at all. (Look at the NW corner of Spokane and California for a 4′ fence that is still UGLY.) I don’t think that a ‘proscriptive’ code can be relied upon to ensure good design, which is why
the Design Review requirement is so important.

I’m very disappointed to see that the mayor removed the height increases in L2 zones and lower. Obviously he is feeling the heat by the NIMBY crowd. Any good designer will tell you how is hard to do decent architecture with a 25′ height limit. The fact that most lowrise zones will continue to have a lower height limit than single family zones is sort of absurd. And, height limits will remain ‘non-departable’, which means Design Review won’t be able to offer that flexibility either. So, we’ll be stuck with more low-ceilinged, faux-craftsman designs in the years to come.

Next step in the “multifamily zoning” proposal will be various opportunities for review and comment as the City Council reviews it – we’ll keep you updated when dates are set.

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BlueStar explains to JuNO why Fauntleroy Place changed
July 9, 2008 12:08 pm
|      30 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

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On the day BlueStar Management ceremonially broke ground last month for the Fauntleroy Place project – future home to Whole Foods, Hancock Fabrics, and nearly 200 apartments, on the northwestern side of the multicorner Fauntleroy/Alaska intersection – executive Eric Radovich sent out the new rendering you see above. Many were startled – it had little in common with the design that even that very day had been on the BlueStar website, and had been shown at previous Design Review meetings:

And in fact, the new rendering resembled the one that neighbors had brought to a previous Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting – one that BlueStar told us the next day was just for “massing.” Memories of this were still fresh when the new design abruptly emerged last month; last night, BlueStar sent a team back to JuNO to explain the changes, and listen to neighbors’ thoughts in advance of an August 14th Design Review Board meeting now set for the project. Here’s our full article:Read More

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Multi-family zoning proposal: More key points
July 8, 2008 6:46 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news | West Seattle video

As mentioned earlier, the long-awaited “multifamily code (zoning) update/changes” proposal by Mayor Nickels just went public this afternoon. Next step is City Council review, starting with the Planning, Land Use, and Neighborhoods Committee led by Councilmember Sally Clark, who was cautiously optimistic (and also reiterating no one’s saying townhouses themselves are “bad”):

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For full details of the proposal, the right side of this page has links you can check; the full ordinance is 271 pages. We’re still going through them. Here’s what West Seattle architect and Design Review Board member Brandon Nicholson, who appeared with the mayor and Clark at the announcement this afternoon outside a Capitol Hill townhouse cluster (here’s our first report), said he considers most promising:

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Regarding townhouses in particular, there are also some design specifics mandated, such as: “Limit the height of fences in a street facing setback to four feet (4’) in height .. Limit building overhangs over driveways and aisles to 3’.”

Another topic of intense interest ahead of time: Height. It’s not changing as much as once feared. In the mayor’s ordinance, it’s addressed starting on page 101, and here’s all the summary says:

1. Maintain the current overall scale and density of zones, including the 25’ height limit in certain Lowrise zones (LDT, L1 and L2).
…
4. Use an incentive program in the Lowrise 3 (L3), Midrise (MR) and Highrise (HR) zones to encourage affordable housing in exchange for additional height and floor area.

As mentioned in our previous report, “affordable housing” will be defined two ways – for purchasable units, affordable by those making 100% of the state-defined median income; for rental units, affordable by thosemaking 80% of the median.

So how high can you build, if you merit the incentives? That’s what we asked Department of Planning and Development director Diane Sugimura after the news conference. She and assistants say L3 is the West Seattle zone most affected – it’s a 30′ zone but a developer who merits the incentives could go up to 37′. Then there could be an additional 5′ in L3 for a pitched roof, and more height beyond that in this instance:”Additional height is permitted for sloped lots, at the rate of one foot (1’) for each six percent (6%) of slope, to a maximum of five feet (5’). The additional height is permitted on the down-slope side of the structure only …” And two more feet could be allowed as part of a “green roof.” But then there’s a later clause about “additional height and floor area” that says it does NOT apply to L3 in Admiral and Morgan Junction “urban villages” (but does not rule out the West Seattle Junction and Westwood UVs). What does that all really add up to? We’re at the JuNO meeting right now, and expecting to hear some further expert analysis that we’ll include in our report later tonight. 10:55 PM UPDATE: Nicholson was pre-scheduled to speak at tonight’s JuNO meeting, and while the focus of his presentation was townhouse-design-improvement advocacy on behalf of the Congress of Residential Architects, he also wove in some points about the zoning proposal, particularly what had changed from reports/expectations in recent months – including the fact it will not change height limits in most of West Seattle’s zones after all, and does not drop parking requirements below 1 space per unit (except in a certain type of area that doesn’t exist in West Seattle) – he also noted the design-review mandate for townhouse projects was a last-minute addition.

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West Seattle architect centerstage at mayor’s zoning event
July 8, 2008 2:11 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

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At the podium is Brandon Nicholson of Junction-based Nicholson Kovalchick Architects, who was asked to join Mayor Nickels and Councilmember Sally Clark as the long-awaited proposed changes in the Multi-Family Code — aka zoning for townhouses and other multi-family units — went public a short time ago on Capitol Hill. Nicholson also is a member of the Southwest Design Review Board, and a strong advocate of the design-review process, as he explained during his presentation at Clark’s recent townhouse-design forum (WSB coverage here) — and more design review (mandatory “administrative design review” for townhouse projects) is a component of what the mayor unveiled today, along with a proposal to allow developers more height and density in exchange for reserving a percentage of the project for “workforce housing” (those earning 100% of the state-set median income for ownership, 80% of that number for rentals). We’ll add more details shortly – three documents including the full text of the proposal have just been linked from the right side of this page; many reviews and public hearings are ahead, and whatever emerges at the end will not be finalized till sometime next year. (By the way, Nicholson coincidentally is scheduled to speak about townhouse design at tonight’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting, 6:30 pm at Ginomai, 42nd/Genesee.) 2:53 PM ADDITION: Here’s the official city news release toplining today’s announcement. We will be working on a “what’s in it for WS”-specific breakdown when we get home shortly. Note that the “urban centers” mentioned in the news release are NOT synonymous with “urban villages” – West Seattle has u-villages but not u-centers. (Here’s a map of UVs and UCs citywide.)Read More

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Mayor to unveil proposed “multifamily code” changes tomorrow
July 7, 2008 6:28 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

How will city leaders change the “multifamily code” (zoning for townhouses, apartments, etc.)? The long-awaited proposal from the mayor’s office goes public tomorrow afternoon — first step in the next stage of the process, which then will involve public comment including City Council hearings. We’ll be there to cover the announcement. (Some of what it might include was previewed during a city Planning Commission member’s presentation in the “Townhouses: Can the Patient Be Saved?” forum we covered here a month ago.) City background on the issue can be found here.

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What’s big, between now and Friday
July 7, 2008 5:58 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Development | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

CLOSURES: Southwest Community Center, all week (maybe a little longer), related to the renovations at adjacent Southwest Pool … West Seattle Driver Licensing office, reopening Wednesday.

NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP MEETINGS: Big night on Tuesday, highlighted by Junction Neighborhood Association with guests including BlueStar reps to discuss the latest design for Fauntleroy Place (received and published here hours before the June 12 groundbreaking ceremony), 6:30 pm @ Ginomai; also Tuesday, Westwood Neighborhood Council gets a Denny/Sealth update and discusses the neighborhood vision for the Denny site’s future, 7 pm @ Southwest Precinct (location changed because of SWCC closure); Admiral Neighborhood Association meets @ 7 pm Tuesday, Admiral UCC Church, and Fauntleroy Community Association meets @ 7 pm at the schoolhouse.

EVENTS: The BizJam Seattle entrepreneur/small-business conference takes over Youngstown Arts Center on Wednesday and Thursday (your editor here is among the presenters, 2:30 pm Wednesday); it’s the West Seattle Second Thursday Art Walk 6-9 pm Thursday; and Friday is the first of 3 days/nights for West Seattle Summer Fest in The Junction (come see us at the Information Booth!).

NOT IN WEST SEATTLE BUT IT’LL AFFECT YOU: The City Council‘s public hearing on the proposed foam ban and bag tax is 7 pm Tuesday at City Hall downtown.

TONS MORE GOING ON … check the WSB West Seattle Events calendar page for the full list.

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Two meetings of note: Delridge skatepark; 5020 California
July 4, 2008 12:38 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Development | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Before we shift into Total 4th of July Coverage Mode, a quick note about two meetings just announced regarding projects you might be following: DELRIDGE SKATEPARK – Word from city Parks Board vice chair Jackie Ramels of Alki is that the first meeting about the proposed Delridge skatepark (reported here when seattleskateparks.org broke the news last month) is 7:30 pm July 30th, Delridge Community Center. SPRING HILL (the mixed-use building, not the restaurant) – The next Southwest Design Review Board meeting for this project at 5020 California is now on the “Design Review Upcoming” website for August 28, time/place TBA. (WSB coverage of its last SWDRB meeting is here.) UPDATE: The Spring Hill Design Review meeting has been moved to September 11th.

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Fauntleroy Place updates: Dates with Design Review, JuNO
June 30, 2008 5:11 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

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Though its groundbreaking ceremony is already two-plus weeks in the rear-view mirror, Fauntleroy Place (aka “the Whole Foods project,” city page here) still has some important audiences ahead: The new design shown above (made public the day of the groundbreaking) will go before the Southwest Design Review Board at 8 pm August 14 (same night as the High Point mixed-use development review mentioned here Friday), according to an update posted today on the city’s Design Review/Upcoming page (which likely means official notice will go out in Thursday’s Land Use Information Bulletin). In the meantime, work on the site will continue — Eric Radovich from BlueStar says that once Hancock Fabrics closes after this Saturday, the next step is asbestos abatement for the building, before it can be demolished. BlueStar, by the way, will be at the next Junction Neighborhood Organization (JuNO) meeting July 8 (6:30 pm @ Ginomai) to talk about the revised FP design and answer questions. (Also on the JuNO agenda that night, a presentation about the CORA [Congress of Residential Architecture] NW townhouse-design initiatives, featuring West Seattle architect Brandon Nicholson, who presented design ideas on behalf of CORA at Councilmember Sally Clark‘s recent townhouse forum (WSB coverage here).

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Design Review meeting set for High Point mixed-use megaproject
June 27, 2008 4:57 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Development | High Point | West Seattle news

Just added to the city webpage for upcoming Design Review Board meetings: 3420 SW Graham, aka the shopping/residential complex to be built at 35th/Graham. 6:30 pm August 14, location TBA. Project page here (13k sf of retail, 300 parking spaces, 220 residential units, in three 4-story buildings).

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From the permit files: Station confirmation; townhouses
June 23, 2008 12:44 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

STATION CONFIRMATION: Yesterday, we showed you the long-closed Roxbury 76 station getting fueled. Today, the state liquor-license-application site shows “Roxbury Gasoline” at that location applying for a store license to sell beer/wine. So a mini-mart’s on the way too.

FUTURE TOWNHOUSES: The city’s latest Land Use Information Bulletin includes the decision approving a five-lot “subdivision” at 4009 California, currently home to this:

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A permit to build five townhouses here was issued earlier this month.

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Happening tonight: Councilmember Sally Clark in West Seattle
June 18, 2008 10:59 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Development | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Want to hear from/meet the city councilmember whose committee has a stack of development/neighborhood issues on its plate — issues that could affect the livability of our neighborhoods for decades to come? Councilmember Sally Clark speaks at the Delridge District Council‘s monthly meeting tonight, 7 pm, Southwest Precinct community room, all welcome, agenda here. (WSB coverage of her recent townhouse-design forum is here; we also covered her recent Junction walking tour.)

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California Ave upzoning: “Recommendation” now being written
June 17, 2008 4:22 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   California Ave upzoning | Development | West Seattle news

Seven months after we first reported the proposal to “upzone” California SW upzonescreengrab.jpgbetween Hanford and Hinds (map at left) and a bit beyond on the west side — more than three months after our last update — and more than six months after the big public meeting about it — the city Department of Planning and Development‘s recommendation about the California Ave “upzoning” proposal is finally close to completion. We just talked with Malli Anderson, the city planner working on it, and she says she is “writing the recommendation this week.” She says it’s a complicated multi-page decision and can’t commit to exactly when it will be done – but everyone who is a “party of record” will get notification by mail (if you don’t hear about it sooner) — that includes everyone who has sent the city comments about the proposal, as well as everyone who put their names on the sign-up sheet at that official meeting last November (WSB coverage here). Here’s how the process will go, according to Anderson: DPD issues its recommendation to the city Hearing Examiner, who then schedules a hearing. That recommendation can also be appealed. About two weeks after the hearing, the HE makes a recommendation to a City Council committee, which then in turn makes a recommendation to the full Council (which has to approve any zoning change such as this). The recommendation will not be public the moment Anderson finishes drafting it – it first must go through various stages of internal review at the DPD before it’s released. We’ll keep watch and let you know as soon as we know. (To catch up on this proposal, you can check our coverage archive here; that includes our December interview with area property owners/rezone backers Mike Gain and Roger Cayce.

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