Planners Network - Seattle

Seattle Energy Policy is Announced and Approved!!! Siging Event - Community Action

2010-01-29T15:25:00.000-08:00

Subject: Green Jobs Legislation Passes City Council

As many of you are aware, and in partnership with many of your organizations, the City of Seattle has been working hard for the past two years to establish new policies and programs that will help us meet our ambitious goals to reduce the energy consumption of Seattle’s buildings by 20% by 2020, create new green jobs and save our residents and businesses money on energy bills.

On Earth Day 2009, we announced the Green Building Capital Initiative – a suite of policies developed in partnership with the Green Building Task Force. We're very pleased to announce that we've made great progress over the past year in implementing many of those recommendations, including passage by Seattle City Council, as of yesterday, January 25, 2010, of the non-residential and multifamily energy performance disclosure ordinance.

This ordinance requires annual reporting of energy performance for all non-residential buildings over 10,000 SF and all multi-family buildings over 5 units on an annual basis, as well as disclosure to potential residents, buyers and lenders upon request. We believe that providing this information to building owners and tenants is an important first step in encouraging greater energy efficiency in the market place. Our economic analysis shows that building energy retrofits inspired by this ordinance will create 130 jobs.

Please join us on February 1st, 2010 at 4 PM for a bill signing with Mayor Mike McGinn as well as updates on all Green Building Task Force recommendations.

When: February 1, 2010

Time: 4 – 5:30 PM

Location: 1301 Second Avenue, Executive Conference Room

Agenda: First Annual Update on Green Building Capital Initiative

Bill Signing

Refreshments

Many thanks again for your commitment and service to this important work, and for helping to maintain Seattle's leadership position in green building and climate protection policy and implementation. We look forward to seeing you on Monday. Please RSVP to Jeanie Boawn at jeanie.boawn@seattle.gov

Thanks,

Mike

Michael Mann

Acting Director

Office of Sustainability and Environment

City of Seattle

Property Rights Bill HB 1490 Back on the Table!!! Alert!!

2009-12-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

In 2006, the City of Seattle attempted to declare southeast Seattle "blighted". The designation of "blight" would have made home loans more difficult to obtain, raised insurance rates, and threatened property values. The city's intent was to use the "blight" designation in order to assert the power of eminent domain, as provided under the state's Community Renewal law. A coalition of non-profit housing developers led the effort to impose "blight" upon southeast Seattle. Both non-profit and for-profit housing developers stood to benefit from the implementation of the Community Renewal Act.

Had the city's efforts succeeded, private property rights would have been taken away from many thousands of residents. Those precious rights would have been transferred to city leaders who would have had the ability to condemn property, forcing the sale and displacement of residents and businesses ---but only in southeast Seattle. Residents, property owners, and business owners fought back and forced the city to shelve the plan to implement eminent domain.

Futurewise, Great City, Transit Choices Coalition, Cascade Land Conservancy, the Sierra Club, and a host of other similar groups will be lining up in Olympia in January 2010 to demonstrate broad support for resurrecting and passage of HB 1490 in the 2010 legislative session. This is the second attempt to pass this piece of legislation. The legislation died in committee last year due to strong opposition from residents of southeast Seattle. Undeterred, the proponents of HB 1490 are back for another try.

If HB 1490 is adopted, southeast Seattle will be ground zero for this terrible legislation. Thousands of privately owned properties will be subject to a different and lesser standard of property rights. This will stigmatize our community and have a detrimental impact on property values. As has occurred in other cities, the condemnation and large-scale redevelopment projects will forever alter organic growth and demographic patterns for the benefit of a handful of special-interest developers. Affordable housing will be demolished to make way for newer, more expensive housing. Every city and town in Washington State is potentially at risk, but the greatest impact will be felt around the light rail station in southeast Seattle.

The power of eminent domain should be reserved for public uses such as schools, highways, and libraries, and not to payback favors to influential friends and wealthy developers who are on the 'in' with our elected leaders.

I hope you will mark your calendar for January 14th. You are invited to attend the press conference in Olympia. We will be working to arrange carpools and other transportation.

Please share this with your sphere of influence.

The press conference is scheduled for January 14, 2010 at 10 a.m. in the Senate Rules Room located in the Legislative Buildingon Capitol Campus in Olympia. The Senate Rules Room is located inside the entrance to the Lt. Governor’s Office. Visitor parking closest to the Legislative Buildingis the South Diagonal and North Diagonal parking which costs $.50 per hour.

See designated parking areas on map http://www.ga.wa.gov/images/campus-map.pdf .
Driving directions are as follows:

- From I-5 Southbound:Bear right on ramp at sign reading "Exit 105A to State Capitol. Continue on 14th Ave SE through tunnel and onto the Capitol Campus. The Legislative Building is the domed building straight ahead.
From I-5 Northbound: Bear right on ramp at sign reading "Exit 105A to State Capitol". Take left lane of exit. Continue on 14th Ave SE through tunnel and onto the Capitol Campus. The Legislative Building is the domed building straight ahead

Small Org Development Grant Announcement!

2009-12-02T21:32:00.000-08:00

FYI

From: Barbara Fane
Sent: Wednesday, December 02, 2009 11:06 AM
Subject: FW: capacity building opportunity for small faith and community based organizations

Greetings:

Great news for capacity building for small faith and community-based organizations!

Please read below for information about Project Empower. A Request for Investment will be coming out in the next week or two. This is a great opportunity for small faith and community based organizations who have time to invest in capacity building. The RFI will be available through NAC and WCCDA and on their websites. This is all the information we have right now but NAC and WCCDA want to share information so folks will be prepared to respond to a RFI soon.

Please read carefully below to see if your organization is eligible and forward to those that may be.

Request for Investment (RFI) to Strengthen the Organizational Capacity of Small Grassroots Faith and Community based Nonprofits

Through Project Empower, the Nonprofit Assistance Center (NAC) in partnership with the National Community Development Institute and the White Center Community Development Association will be releasing a Request for Investment (RFI) targeting grassroots faith and community based organizations:

• With budgets of $500,000 or less

• Based and serving targeted low income communities in and bordering SE and SW Seattle (including White Center, Boulevard Park, Skyway, Renton, SeaTac, Tukwila, and Burien.)

• that provide services to assist:

a. Low income individuals gain greater access to state and federal benefits and tax credits.

b. Low income individuals find and retain employment, earn higher wages, and better quality jobs.

c. Low income individuals in need of financial assistance or credit counseling and help them access Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) and other asset building strategies.

d. The Homeless

e. Elders in need

f. At risk youth including Native American Youth; and/or

g. Families in transition from welfare to work.

The Request for Investment (RFI) will have more detail and specifics regarding eligibility and minimum requirements to participate.

Project Empower is a 12 month collaborative project designed to strengthen the infrastructure and program delivery capacity of 15 faith and community based organizations selected through a competitive process. Organizational selected will receive a package of on-site, individualized, culturally competent capacity building support that builds on existing assets while addressing the four core areas of 1) Leadership Development; 2) Organizational Development; 3) Program Development; and 4) Community Engagement.

NAC is planning to release the RFI between December 1 and 15, 2009. Fifteen faith and community based organizations selected through the RFI will receive an array of capacity building support and a grant of $10,000 - $15,000 to address specific capacity building needs. Each organization must designate staff and board members to participate in individual technical assistance as well as group training and peer-learning activities. The RFI will be posted on the NAC website at www.nacseattle.org. For an electronic copy, please email info@nacseattle.org and write in Project Empower RFI in the subject line.

Project Empower is funded by a Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) grant award from the US Department of Health and Human Services, Administration of Children and Families’ Office of Community Services.

Food Justice Alert!!

2009-11-21T14:10:00.000-08:00

Friends, please take 2 minutes of your time THIS WEEK-END to support food justice locally: we just got word that WSU Extension has been cut from the King County Council budget. This is an outrage. Please join me in sending a strong message TODAY to ensure they fund a solution to this!

& I will make this easy for you!
1. All Council members' emails: reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov, dow.constantine@kingcounty.gov, pete.vonreichbauer@kingcounty.gov, jane.hague@kingcounty.gov, julia.patterson@kingcounty.gov, larry.phillips@kingcounty.gov, kathy.lambert@kingcounty.gov, larry.gossett@kingcounty.gov, bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov

Phone etc below. Want to know who your council member is?
Enter your address here: http://www.kingcounty.gov/council/councilmembers.aspx

2. I include here an email I sent. Feel free to use or change!

& Find more background info below. Thank you for taking action for food security and food justice,
Heather
***********

Greetings,
I am very concerned to hear today that the budget for WSU Extension has been cut out of the County budget. This is particularly troublesome since they just received a sizable grant - $1.2 million - from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, to implement the Community Action Plan, that they will be unable to use if they are cut.

The Council must find a solution: Extension provides so many essential services to our region's farmers, low income families needing nutrition education, community members who need gardening education, and the invaluable Puget Sound Fresh Program of Cascade Harvest Coalition.

Did you know that this week the USDA announced a national trend of increased hunger in the US? In the face of this disturbing news, why is the Council cutting the budget for the very services that contribute to food security in the Northwest?

WSU Extension provides vital services that must not be cut from the budget.
I look forward to hearing about your solutions to this crisis.

Sincerely,
Heather Day
Director, Community Alliance for Global Justice

403 29th Ave E
Seattle WA 98112
206-405-4600
********************
Contact your councilmember:

Bob Ferguson
Council Vice Chair, District 1
206-296-1001
bob.ferguson@kingcounty.gov
Member since: 2004
Current term: 2006-2009

Larry Gossett
District 2
206-296-1002
larry.gossett@kingcounty.gov
Member since: 1994
Current term: 2008-2011

Kathy Lambert
District 3
206-296-1003
kathy.lambert@kingcounty.gov
Member since: 2002
Current term: 2006-2009

Larry Phillips
District 4
206-296-1004
larry.phillips@kingcounty.gov
Member since: 1992
Current term: 2008-2011

Julia Patterson
District 5
206-296-1005
julia.patterson@kingcounty.gov
Member since: 2001
Current term: 2006-2009

Jane Hague
Council Vice Chair, District 6
206-296-1006
jane.hague@kingcounty.gov
Member since: 1994
Current term: 2008-2011

Pete von Reichbauer
District 7
206-296-1007
pete.vonreichbauer@kingcounty.gov
Member since: 1994
Current term: 2006-2009

Dow Constantine
Council Chair, District 8
206-296-1008
dow.constantine@kingcounty.gov
Member since: 2002
Current term: 2008-2011

Reagan Dunn
District 9
206-296-1009
reagan.dunn@kingcounty.gov
Member since: 2005
Current term: 2006-2009
*********
BACKGROUND:
NOTE from Tammy Morales:
Folks it looks like the cuts may be permanent. Unbelievable. Please contact your council members and ask them to find a solution to this. Extension provides so many services to our regions farmers, low income families needing nutrition education, community members who need gardening education. It supports the Puget Sound Fresh Program of Cascade Harvest Coalition. AND it is the host for this $1.2 MILLION grant from the Kellogg Foundation. Is the council really going to walk away from this?
Make the calls! Send the emails! This is for real.

Note from W.K. Kellogg Foundation:
Yesterday afternoon we received word that WSU King County Extension was eliminated from the King County budget. The repercussions of this action means that WSU Extension will be forced to decline the recently awarded $1.2 million grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to implement our Community Action Plan.

At this time we do not have a 'plan b' for how to handle this situation - as the zero-ing out of Extension came as a surprise. Your support is vital as we face seemingly uncertain times.

ACTION REQUEST --> Please do what you can to educate your local council member that eliminating Extension also eliminates the opportunity to pursue this work. Extension Director, Brad Gaolach, is working with council staff to find a solution, but your support will be critical during these final days.

GREEN EXPO in Georgetown Seattle!!!!

2009-09-24T20:35:00.000-07:00

Save the Date!!!

Green Expo at Georgetown Campus
Friday, October 9

Greetings PSIEC Coalition Members -

Join OSPI Superintendent Randy Dorn, electric car owners, biofuel
experts, Cool Schools and your colleagues at the second annual Green
Industrial Business and Career Expo, Friday October 9, at South Seattle
Community College's Georgetown Campus.

To Register Click
Here<http://cmpgnr.com/r.html?c=1525202&r=1523861&t=1777315801&l=1&d=91206989&u=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eregonline%2ecom%2fCheckin%2easp%3fEventId%3d760139&g=0&f=-1>

Learn more: go to the Expo web site at www.greenexpo-wa.com

I look forward to seeing you at the event.

Joe Hauth
Director, Puget Sound Industrial Excellence Center

Georgetown Campus, South Seattle Community College
6737 Corson Avenue South
Seattle, WA 98108
(206) 764-5838
http://georgetown.southseattle.edu/

CCEJ ANNOUNCEMENT!! ACCESS THREATENED!

2009-09-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

BRING A PLAN! BRING YOUR VOICE!

Please consider attending King County's Public Transit Forum next Wednesday
evening at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club, 4520 Martin Luther King Jr
Way S, reception at 6 pm, program at 6:30. This video is the County's official
public invitation, with a fairly objective presentation of what they intend to
say. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuYavsoq90A

Environmental Justice organizations elsewhere, especially in Los Angeles and
Atlanta, have identified access to public transit as an issue of Environmental
Justice.

While CCEJ has focused on other issues here, the same questions arise
in this case:

How fairly will the cuts be distributed?
Will Metro try harder to retain the rich suburban riders from Redmond than they do the poor urban and suburban people from Seattle and South King County?
Will their slick new Light Rail train displace the neighborhood service that poor people need to get around?

Please attend this forum and voice your own questions and concerns.

Thanks!
Jonathan Betz-Zall, CCEJ Board Member

Last Minute Planning Action!!! Wednesday! Housing Levy Supporters!!

2009-09-22T22:46:00.000-07:00

A message to all members of Seattle Network (or those who would have been if they knew about them)

Hi Great City supporters,

I’m writing to let you know about an upcoming phone banking event on behalf of the Yes on Prop 1 campaign (aka the Housing Levy). The event runs from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm and is being hosted at GGLO on September 23rd at 5:00 (tomorrow evening). This is a great cause, so please help spread the word!

Event Details:
GGLO
1301 First Ave, Suite 301
GGLO Harbor Steps (enter through door located about ¼ of the way down the Harbor Steps)
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

If you can help out, please RSVP with Pricilla:
priscilla@yesforhomes.org
206.307.9252

Thanks,

Paul Chasan

Information about the Housing Levy follows:

VOTE YES! ON PROP 1 TO RENEW THE HOUSING LEVY!
For 28 years, the Seattle voters have provided a critical housing safety net for thousands of our city's most vulnerable through the Housing Levy. Your vote to renew the Housing Levy will:
Provide 1,850 affordable homes serving thousands of families and individuals over the next 50 years.
Continue to help our most vulnerable neighbors including seniors, people with disabilities, victims of domestic violence and working families.
Prevent over 3,000 families and individuals from becoming homeless and get them back on their feet for the long term.
Build on a successful investment that creates over 4,000 jobs and brings in additional funds to our community.

Visit Seattle Network at: http://seattlegreatcitynetwork.ning.com

--
To control which emails you receive on Seattle Network, go to:
http://seattlegreatcitynetwork.ning.com/profiles/profile/emailSettings

Youth Voters League Action Alert

2009-07-23T17:43:00.000-07:00

YOUNG VOTERS LEAGUE TAKES ISSUE WITH PARTISAN FORUM OF

SEATTLE TIMES AND SEATTLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,

CALLS FOR PUBLIC PROTEST

The Seattle Times is promoting and hosting a Mayoral candidate forum tonight at City Club in Rainier Square, 1333 Fifth Avenue, which being advertised as a non-partisan forum. The City Club maintains that they are a fiercely non-partisan organization.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines "non-partisan" as "not partisan ; especially : free from party affiliation, bias, or designation". The problem with this forum is that it is partisan, as opposed to non-partisan. Eight candidates are running for mayor of Seattle. This forum designates only six as worthy of inclusion. Specifically, it excludes Elizabeth Campbell and K. Wyking Garrett. A non-partisan forum (i.e. one free from bias or designation) would include all eight Mayoral candidates.

The Young Voters League has invited ALL the Mayoral candidates to our non-partisan Mayoral candidates forum at the Umojafest Peace Center (2314 E. Spring Street) from 3 to 5 pm on Sunday, July 26th. The City Club has responded to Young Voters League's criticism by stating that their exclusion of Elizabeth and Wyking was entirely based on these two candidates having not raised enough money to be considered "viable" by City Club. They claim that since money, and not party affiliation, was the basis of this exclusion, that we are wrong to identify their forum as partisan.

In fact, this proves our point. Partisanship in favor of wealthy candidates and against poor ones is often veiled behind charades of party affiliation, but not in this case. We appreciate the clarity and upfrontness of this blatantness. However, we will continue to point out that this forum is partisan, and to take issue with that fact.We are therefore calling upon the young voters of Seattle, (young adults, youth, and supporters) as well as the two excluded Mayoral candidates and their supporters, to join us in excercising our first amendment rights in a peaceful and public protest outside of the City Club forum tonight.

Young Voters League Protest:

Outside City Club

1333 Fifth Avenue

Rainier Square, Seattle, WA 98101

Hip-Hop in Seattle Goes Green this Saturday

2009-04-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release:

Green Organizers Mixer & Spring Hip-Hop Fest Saturday, April 18th at the UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center

The Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center's Green Light Initiative and the Race, Justice and Sustainability Project of Sustainable Central District and Sustainable South Seattle invite you and your organization to:

Justice Brunch! Green Organizers Mixer & Spring Hip-Hop Fest Saturday April 18th at the UmojaFest P.E.A.C.E. Center at 24th & Spring in Seattle.

The brunch will take place from 10am – Noon followed by a community celebration of Earth Week featuring live performances, speakers and community organization tables and vendors from Noon – 6PM.

Scheduled performers include Yirim Seck, KHMET, Razpy & The Vigilantes, Ayron Jones the Bluesman, Geneiva Arunga, Suntonio Bandanas, Korvus Blackbird, Jamil Suleman, M. Famous, Garlandn Green, and other guest performers with music provided by DJ Kuhnex and Zecheriah the Barber and hosted by Wyking & G. Prez.

In celebration of Earth Week, this event is a networking opportunity for groups involved in environmental, sustainability, and justice work to meet, build relationships, and thereby expand the reach of our projects. All brunch participants will be provided tables to stay and share information about their programs.

Confirmed participants include: Seattle Pea Patch, Got Green, Clean Greens Project, Pursuit Of A Green Planet, African American Longshoremans Coalition, Life Enrichment Group, Hip-Hop Congress, Mothers Outreach Movement, Block Teamsters Union, Presidential Media Group, Mint Factory Clothing, The Nia Center, United For Youth Coalition, Association for Africentric Development, Feed The Body Teach The Soul and more.

Saturday, April 18th
10AM – 6pm
Umojafest P.E.A.C.E Center
2314 E. Spring St. (24th Ave & Spring St.)
Seattle, WA 98122

Potluck BBQ (No pork or soda please!).

PLEASE RSVP if you are able to bring something, volunteer or just coming to green@umojafestpeacecenter.com. The brunch has limited space. We look forward to seeing you!

The Green Light Initiative at the Umojafest PEACE Center focuses on the sustainability concerns that offer opportunities for our community to thrive. The group strives to make the resources of the green movement accessible and applicable while reclaiming our historical legacy of healthy and environmentally conscious living. Chair: Amber Croyle, green@umojafestpeacecenter.com.

The Race, Justice and Sustainability Project is an effort by Sustainable Central District and Sustainable South Seattle to build an action agenda at the intersection of justice and sustainability. Please click this link to fill out our brief questionnaire to share your experience and knowledge. Sustainable South Seattle and Sustainable Central District are volunteer-run community groups working to promote sustainability in our neighborhoods through project-based community engagement. For more information contact: Deric Gruen, Deric.Gruen@gmail.com.

--
wyking411.wordpress.com

Remix Marketing & Communications, LLC
206-941-2527 (Seattle)
646-241-9122 (New York)
866-846-0106 (Toll Free)

-----Inline Attachment Follows-----

Message from YPN

2009-04-15T19:05:00.000-07:00

Check this out!
There are some great articles here, and information about work going on nationally.
http://www.movementstrategy.org/resources
AK

-- Alissa Kronovet, MCPProgram Director
California Center for Civic Participation
2140 Shattuck Avenue, Suite 603
Berkeley, CA 94704
p (510) 665-1558
f (510) 665-1648
akronovet@californiacenter.org

2009-03-25T11:10:00.000-07:00

As you know, the 3/14, five-hour-long, City-run workshop was the first of the first round of neighborhood update planning workshops in Seattle.Of course there was the usual litany of red flags present to indicate lack of thoroughness, planning and resources available.

There was no agenda available until the day of the meeting, the din of the room from 100 people whispering and talking all at once and within a confined large meeting room made it impossible to hear anyone, the outreach results were very poor (the ratio of residents:city:non-residents were 1:1:1) and worse, they ran out of 1/2 and 1/2 halfway through the meeting. I'm not kidding folks.

Another "note-to-self" was that the grassroots organizations were barely mentioned and certainly did not play any role in the meeting; either as a introductory asset or asked to follow through with anything with their membership/attendees in their subsequent meetings. We all came, then left. *POOF*, and onto our lives until we hear about the next workshop (the day before).

I know the City really believes that inclusiveness is the key to "keeping the peace" and making all their efforts go smoothly and with as little underbelly exposed as possible, however what it ends up achieving is a marginalized neighborhood with "stakeholders" (non-residents who show up out of interest) having an equal say in our neighborhood.

But why is it politically-incorrect to use the existing neighborhood groups to be another tier of coordination and leadership, rather than placing them as yet another face showing up at the workshop?There was a 2:1 ratio of non-residents to residents on Saturday, and a quick show of hands at tonight's Othello Neighborhood Association (ONA) meeting showed that 4 people attended (out of 25) and that besides them, only 3 others knew about it. And these are the English-speaking ones next to the light rail. I know, I know, you're wondering why I didn't get the ONA membership out there more myself?

Well, I did promote it on my own, but the City needs to promote the purpose better throughout the neighborhood. Think like an advertiser or something. Instead, they present themselves to the community as another meeting to go to on a Saturday. People's eyes glaze over. I'm not surprised they didn't differentiate much between regular ONA meetings and this.

But a big irony here is something we recognized in the Futurewise/Transportation Choices HB 1490 legislation: we recognized that on behalf of us (the community), Futurewise et. al did not deem to have our input or say in the bill. This attitude is partly what got them initially in the hot seat and it wasn't until they realized it was dying on the vine that they sought our feedback. By then, it was too late to salvage.

It is an ironic, self-appointed perspective.The City of Seattle, in the name of Neighborhood Planning, an inclusive community-driven process, is taking the same approach; they do not deem to have resident's input or say in any of these workshops. The agenda was not only not available to us until the day before, but the agenda was set internally; sans transparency and collaboration with the community. They want to "listen" and collaborate with us. They are spending all this money so that we have our say, but they're not going to listen to how we have our say. This is interesting to me.

I have some agenda ideas that would be valuable to the entire process but am not sure if they will be taken seriously, or even considered. As chair of the MLK@Holly plan steward group, that's not a good sign. At tonight's ONA meeting, attendees got the word and got excited for the next workshop.

Now that the process has commenced, it will surely be highlighted more and people will step up. I realize that this is the first workshop since the 90's, and the City is a bit rusty. However, I'm not sure we're being taken seriously, or that community assets will be utilized properly.

All for now...
Jenna Egusa Walden
Othello Neighborhood Association - Chair

The First Lady Goes Urban Gardening

2009-03-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON – The White House is getting a new garden.

First lady Michelle Obama is scheduled to break ground Friday on a new garden near the fountain on the South Lawn that will supply the White House kitchen.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/white_house_garden

Environmental Racism from the Top

2009-03-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson -- Lisa Jackson, the first African American administrator of the EPA, will appear today on the Tavis Smiley broadcast and explain her views on environmental racism.

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200903/20090317.html (Link for more information)

http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/broadcast/ (Link to check for
local listing schedule)

Upcoming Events

2009-03-12T13:50:00.000-07:00

Come share YOUR IDEAS about change, transportation and quality of life. Please join us at the meeting in your neighborhood — where light rail service will begin this year:

MLK at Holly (Othello)
7100-42nd Avenue S.*
*Please note the address correction
Saturday, March 14, 20099 a.m. — 2 p.m.
Miracle Temple of God

N. Rainier (Mt. Baker)
Saturday March 21, 20099 a.m. — 2 p.m.
Franklin High School
3013 S. Mount Baker Blvd.

N. Beacon (Beacon Hill)
Saturday March 289 a.m. — 2 p.m.
El Centro de la Raza
2524-16th Avenue S.

Childcare and refreshments provided.

Interpreters will be available in the following languages: Oromifa, Amharic, Vietnamese, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Tigrinya, Somali, Tagalog and Khmer.

These venues are accessible, please contact us as soon as possible for special accommodations.

Can’t come to the meeting? Log on, learn more and leave comments.www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/Neighborhood_Planning

For additional information on how you can be involved please contact: Kerry Wade at the Department of Neighborhoods 206.733.9088 or mailto:kerry.wade@seattle.gov

Please view the full list of planning outreach liaisons including multiple languages in the attachment.

Displacement Coalition ANNOUNCEMENT: Mercer Mess!!

2009-03-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

On March 3rd, the State Supreme Court agreed to hear the Mercer Corridor "Condemnation" Case (Heglund Vs. City of Seattle) which means the City cannot proceed with acquisition of the West Marine Property along Mercer needed to make way for the Mayor/Vulcan 2-Way Plan.

And that means this project is not "shovel ready" and must be taken off the PSRC's list of potential projects for stimulus funding! Even though the State Legislature denied stimulus funds for Mercer, Our Mayor and Vulcan Inc. continue to lobby the Puget Sound Regional Council for stimulus funds they control!

"You must call or email the PSRC today and tell them to deny stimulus funding for the Mercer Corridor Project"(hearing to take public testimony and decision by Board Thurs March 12th - see below for email address where you can write and address for hearing)

- tell them that it doesn't serve regional transportation needs and is simply a beautification project designed to divert traffic away from Paul Allen's properties along Mercer!
- And of special importance, this project cannot be deemed shovel ready - not when a lawsuit is pending and condemnation cannot proceed. Federal funds also could not be released for Mercer until this case is resolved which will take no less that four months to resolve or possibly as long as 16 months. (projects must be prioritized that are ready to go within 90 days)
- Insist that the PSRC direct these stimulus funds to truly worthy projects addressing a long backlog regional and/or local needs

Earlier this week, the State Supreme Court (See "NO. 82192-5 - CITY OF SEATTLE V. ALBERT HEGLUND ET UX ET AL") agreed to hear the case of Heglund and Marine West Vs. the City of Seattle which means that the City cannot proceed with the condemnation and acquisition of property along the Mercer Corridor needed for the city to proceed with Mayor's Mercer 2-Way Expansion Plan.

The Heglund Marine West Property is located smack in the right of way and the federal government never would release federal dollars when a court case is pending that could deny the city the right to proceed at all. The court will not hear the case at least until May or more likely June. Decisions from the court may follow anywhere from a week to one year after hearing these oral arguments. This means that Mercer could never be deemed "shovel ready" (ie ready to go within 90 days) and on that basis alone should be disqualified from access to federal stimulus funds.

But that isn't stopping the Mayor and Councilmember Jan Drago from seeking PSRC controlled stimulus funding - both of whom sit on the PSRC Board (along with a host of other offices from the region - see full list below). Just last week, Drago and the Mayor withheld critical information from the City Council, suggesting that the Legislature would be providing federal stimulus funds for Mercer in order to ensure a vote by the council giving the go-ahead for the project. Several days before the vote however, they had already been informed that Mercer would not be receiving these funds.

We urge you today to call or write/email the PSRC board - see contacts below - and tell them to say NO to stimulus funding for Mercer! Come to the hearing too on the 12th if you can (but please email or call today one way or another since they vote on the 12th what projects will get this funding).

Current list of projects given priority to receive PSRC stimulus fundshttp://www.psrc.org/RPEC_ARRA_FinalRecommendations_022709.pdf Even though Mercer isn't now on this list, it could be placed on it at the last minute. The board votes on the 12th. We know the City is lobbying to get funds for the project back into the package. Councilmember Drago and the Mayor are on the board of PSRC and will be doing their level best to get it on the list so you much email/call ASAP.

Who to contact to oppose funding for MercerE-mail here but also contact individual boardmembers listed below: krichter@psrc.orgMail:Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC)ATTN: Karen Richter1011 Western Avenue, Suite 500Seattle, Washington 98104-1035 Phone: 206-971-3289 In Person: 9:30 AM, ThursdayMarch 12, 2009 at PSRC (Boardroom)Board Room, 5th Floor 1011 Western Avenue Seattle, Washington

List of transportation policy boardmembers to contact directly who will be making the recommendations on the 12th right after public hearing: Mayor Katrina Asay, City of Milton - Other Cities in Pierce County Deputy Mayor Claudia Balducci, City of Bellevue Shiv Batra, Bellevue Chamber of Commerce - Business/Labor Clifford Benson, Freight Mobility Strategic Investment Board Mayor Cary Bozeman, City of Bremerton Councilmember Kim Brackett, City of Bainbridge Island - Other Cities in Kitsap County Don Briscoe, IFPTE Local 17 - Business/Labor Commissioner Josh Brown, Kitsap County/Kitsap Transit Councilmember Jeanne Burbidge, City of Federal Way - Other Cities in King County Councilmember Mike Cooper, Snohomish County Commissioner John Creighton, Port of Seattle Aubrey Davis, Community Representative - Community/Environment Councilmember Jan Drago, City of Seattle Councilmember Reagan Dunn, King County Representative Deborah Eddy, Washington State House Transportation Committee Mayor Dave Enslow, City of Sumner - Sound Transit Councilmember Pat Ewing, City of Bothell - Other Cities in King County Councilmember Tim Farrell, Pierce County Councilmember Jake Fey, City of Tacoma Commissioner Richard Ford, Washington State Transportation Commission Steve Gorcester, Washington State Transportation Improvement Board Lynne Griffith - Pierce Transit Councilmember Bruce Harrell, City of Seattle Senator Mary Margaret Haugen, Washington State Senate Transportation Committee Rob Johnson, Transportation Choices Coalition - Community/Environment Mayor Joe Marine, City of Mukilteo - Community Transit Senator Cheryl Pflug, Washington State Senate Transportation Committee Councilmember Paul Roberts, City of Everett - Puget Sound Clean Air Agency Mayor Graeme Sackrison, City of Lacey - Thurston Regional Planning Council Brian Smith, Washington State Department of Transportation Chip Vincent, City of Renton - PSRC Regional Staff Committee Mayor Donnetta Walser, City of Monroe - Other Cities in Snohomish County Elizabeth Warman, The Boeing Company - Business/Labor Mark Weed, Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce - Business/Labor Luella Wells, League of Women Voters of Washington - Community/Environment Randy Witt, City of Bainbridge Island - PSRC Regional Project Evaluation Committee

Executive Board at noon on the 12th will make final decisions - here is a list of those folks:

Councilmember Carol Arends, City of Bremerton Mayor Linda Bird, City of University Place - Other Cities in Pierce County Commissioner Josh Brown, Kitsap County Commissioner Bill Bryant, Port of Seattle Councilmember Shawn Bunney, Pierce County Councilmember Mary-Alyce Burleigh, City of Kirkland - Other Cities in King County Councilmember Richard Cole, City of Redmond - Other Cities in King County Mayor Suzette Cooke, City of Kent Mayor Grant Degginger, City of Bellevue Councilmember Jan Drago, City of Seattle Secretary Paula Hammond, Washington State Department of Transportation Councilmember Bruce Harrell, City of Seattle Councilmember Linda Kochmar, City of Federal Way Mayor Darlene Kordonowy, City of Bainbridge Island - Other Cities in Kitsap County Mayor Denis Law, City of Renton Councilmember Mike Lonergan, City of Tacoma Commissioner Bill Mahan, Port of Bremerton Mayor Joe Marine, City of Mukilteo - Other Cities in Snohomish County Commissioner Richard P. Marzano, Port of Tacoma Executive Pat McCarthy, Pierce County Councilmember Richard McIver, City of Seattle Councilmember Sally Nelson, City of Burien - Other Cities in King County Mayor Greg Nickels, City of Seattle Commissioner Connie Niva, Port of Everett Commissioner Dan O'Neal, Washington State Transportation Commission Councilmember Julia Patterson, King County Councilmember Sonny Putter, City of Newcastle - Other Cities in King County Executive Aaron Reardon, Snohomish County Executive Ron Sims, King County Councilmember Dave Somers, Snohomish County

Planetizen Top 10 for 2009 "Websites"

2009-03-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

"Top 10 Websites - 2009"

Planetizen has released its annual list of the top 10 websites coveringthe fields of urban planning, design and development.

This year's list includes mapping tools, blogs, and some of the mostinnovative ideas emerging in the broad world of urban planning.

Planetizen's Top 10 Website for 2009:

Architect's Newspaper - http://www.archpaper.com/
Arounder - http://www.arounder.com/
dc BIKES - http://www.outsideindc.com/bikes
Design With Intent - http://architectures.danlockton.co.uk/
Digital Urban - http://digitalurban.blogspot.com/
Gapminder World - http://www.gapminder.org/
Infranet Lab - http://infranetlab.org/blog/
On The Commons - http://www.onthecommons.org/
Plan Philly - http://www.planphilly.com/
Zoom Prospector - http://www.zoomprospector.com/

Read more about this year's top sites:http://www.planetizen.com/websites/2009

Green Seattle - Biking Like Copenhagen

2009-02-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

The City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development
city green building

Invites you to:

Bicycling: A Sustainable Choice

Niels TÃ¸rslÃ¸v, City of Copenhagen

More than 36 percent of all Copenhagen commuters arrive on bikes, and cycling has become a significant part of urban life there. Now the city has even more ambitious goals -- service improvements aim to increase bicycling commute trips to 50 percent by 2015. Copenhagen's use of cycling to improve public health and reduce the city's carbon footprint inspires cities around the world. Please join us for a brown bag lunch with city of Copenhagen Traffic Director Niels TÃ¸rslÃ¸v, who is visiting a number of North American cities to share his knowledge and experience.

Sponsored by:
Seattle Department of Transportation, Cascade Bicycling Club,
& International Sustainability Institute
Bicycling: A Sustainable Choice Niels TÃ¸rslÃ¸v

Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 Noon - 1 p.m.
Seattle Central Library's Microsoft Auditorium
1000 Fourth Ave.
Seattle, WA 98104

Community Action - Las Vegas

2009-02-25T10:06:00.000-08:00

A MESSAGE FROM LAS VEGAS Hip-Hop Congress

Dear Partner Organizations,

The Stop the “F” Street Closure LLC is a non-profit organization made up of residents of the historic Westside community, concerned Southern Nevadans, and civil rights activists. Our main cause is to oppose the closing of two major streets, “D” & “F”, which was decided and approved without proper outreach to the community. Legal representation was sought and once it was confirmed that this action was a gross violation of the community’s civil rights, on December 24, 2008, a lawsuit was filed against the City of Las Vegas and NDOT.

In October 2008, we were made aware of the permanent closure of “F” Street as well as “D”. After receiving unfulfilling explanations from key city and state officials for the closures, we then decided to form this coalition. Although our persistent opposing was rewarded by the city’s approval to reopen “D” Street in February 2009, the symbol of the closures is still the underlying issue, and “F” Street, the only through access to the city’s “new downtown” remain a serious concern.

Presently, we are planning a protest march down the Las Vegas Strip on Saturday April 18, 2009, the weekend the National Broadcastors Association convention will be in town. We feel it’s important for oppressed community and representatives of oppressed communities across the globe to stand up and be heard.

We would like your support in this time-sensitive cause. Please join us in our march and together let’s reclaim communities that are in dire need of outside help. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated.

For further information, I can be reached at 702.379.8966.

For your perusal, please visit our website: http://www.westlv.org/ or http://www.westlv.org/, which houses informative links and an online petition. We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
Trish Geran,

Chairwoman

Brandon Greene,

Outreach Coordinator

Changes Coming in the ID: EVENT

2009-02-24T14:02:00.001-08:00

Anticipating significant zoning changes to South Downtown the International District community produced a plan to guide and shape growth, ID Vision 2030.

Please join us at GGLO on March 12 for a brownbag lunch presentation on ID Vision 2030 by Tom Im, hosted by Seattle Great City Initiative.

Tom Im has been a community organizer and planner for InterIm Community Development Association in the ID for the last 11 years.

----------------------------
Find details here
Time: March 12, 2009 from 12pm to 1:30pm
Location: GGLO Harbor Steps
Street: 1301 First Ave – Enter at GGLO Level A-off of the steps.
Event Type: brown, bag, lunch

Event: Olympia, WA Feb 19th!

2009-02-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

Hearing Feb 19th Thurs Set on Senate Version SB 5687 of Futurewise TOD (transit oriented development) Bill in Government Operations Committee

TIME: 330 PM
PLACE: Olympia Senate Hearing Room to be determined (stay tuned)

The hearing on this bill that will do so much damage to our urban environment is being held on "Environmental Lobby" Day! You can see below that the other side on this issue is mobilizing so please call, testify, email today your opposition to this bill (see emails of Senators to call listed below) **

Don't forget to attend Sally Clark's forum next Wed. the 18th on this bill - the other side is organizing for it I know! (6:00pm to 7:30 at Langston Hughes that day 104 17th Ave. S.) for more information contact 206-799-6082) or go to our website for a lot of good information on how it will impact your nabe! http://www.zipcon.net/~jvf4119/

See flyer below from Coalition of Environmental Groups & how they've disregarded Our Neighborhood Concerns - They say we are spreading "misinformation" Note below that a coalition of environmental groups are coordinating support for this bill in its current form without any consideration to the issues neighborhoods and low income housing advocates have been raising in our city. Last week over 120 residents at the Mt Baker Clubhouse from all over the city roundly condemned the bill in its current form. Three weeks ago, the Federation of Community Councils with over 20 groups present unanimously voted to oppose the bill. Two days ago, the 37th District Dem's covering areas directly affected by the bill voted 4-1 to oppose this bill Yet these environmental organizations to date have paid no heed to these concerns and accuse us of spreading misinformation. Its a darn shame that so many of these enviro groups in this coalition, including organizations many of us have supported for years with our dollars and memberships, have chosen to give blind support to the Futurewise bill.

In its current form, the 50 acre mandates within one half mile of at least nine Seattle transit stations in our nabe's would require Seattle to upzone for 17000-20000 units in each of these nine areas. Many of them now are at 4-9 units per acre (2000-4000 units) and house literally thousands of low income, multi-racial, and working people (this includes half the developable land in SE Seattle - the low income, multi-racial, and working class half). There is no doubt it would set off massive levels of displacement and gentrification not to mention dramatic loss of trees and open space in our inner-city communities. Contrary to Futurewise and the claims of the Low Income Housing Alliance, the housing mitigation measures in the bill are not adequate by a long shot to stem these losses that would result if this bill is passed in its present form.

Call or write members of the Senate Government Operations Committee whose names are listed below to oppose SB 5687. Sponsors of this Senate version include Senators Kline, Kohl-Welles, Kauffman, McAuliffe, and Jacobsen.

You might also email/call them too and your Senator. (go to State Senate website for their phone #'s) -
D's:Senator Darlene Fairley mailto:fairley.darlene@leg.wa.gov
Senator Eric Oemig mailto:oemig.eric@leg.wa.gov
Senator Joe McDermott mailto:mcdermott.joe@leg.wa.gov
Senator Craig Pridemore mailto:pridemore.craig@leg.wa.gov
Senator Pam Roach (R) mailto:roach.pam@leg.wa.gov
Senator Don Benton (R) mailto:benton.don@leg.wa.gov
Senator Dan Swecker (R) mailto:swecker.dan@leg.wa.gov

We have supported (and some of us are members) of the organizations listed on the alert below. They work on important causes we care a lot about. Many of us worked with some of these long standing groups to get growth management passed in the first place. But we cannot countenance such blind support like this for a bill destructive to our neighborhoods. They do a disservice to their important goals and to our "urban" increasingly threatened communities. The logic that environmental values within our urban neighborhoods (especially predominately low income and multi-racial areas) must be sacrificed to preserve these environmental values out there - somewhere else - is completely unacceptable. A 50 unit per acre one-size fits all mandate with no regard or even analysis of how it affects our communities, with not even an attempt to take input from these affected communities, and across large areas of our city is completely unacceptable

Ron Simms Leaving King County for HUD

2009-02-02T10:17:00.000-08:00

Ron Sims to leave Seattle for HUD
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

King County Executive Ron Sims is taking a post in President Obama's administration as deputy secretary at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

A source in Washington's congressional delegation confirmed the appointment, which requires Senate confirmation, to The Associated Press on Monday, requesting anonymity because the news had not yet been announced.

Sims, who has been the top elected official in the state's most populous county since 1996, scheduled a Monday morning news conference. His office declined to comment.
Sims was first elected to the King County Council in 1985 and appointed executive after Gary Locke was elected governor. Sims won election the next year and was re-elected in 2001 and 2005.

He is a Central Washington University graduate who worked on consumer protection issues at the state attorney general's office and the Federal Trade Commission. He ran Seattle's juvenile offender program and worked as a legislative aide in the state Senate before he was elected to the King County Council.

King County, which includes Seattle, is the 13th largest county in the nation with a population of 1.8 million. The county accounts for more than 40 percent of the state's jobs. The county government has a work force of over 13,000 and an annual budget of $4.4 billion.

Chicago Lessons: Affordable Housing in Woodlawn

2009-01-28T10:05:00.000-08:00

IL – CHICAGO -- Affordable Housing Win in Woodlawn
Chicago Public Radio – 1/28/2009 --The fate of an affordable housing complex in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood is closer to a resolution. For years the subsidized Grove Parc Apartments sat in limbo. It failed a federal inspection and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development wanted to foreclose on the buildings and move the low-income tenants elsewhere. Now the agency has approved letting the Boston-based Preservation of Affordable housing, or POAH, own the apartments. The plan means current tenants can stay. Laura Lane is a community organizer in Woodlawn and worked for the former Grove Parc owner. LANE: One of the biggest things in terms of the overall affordable housing picture in Chicago is that we did not lose one dime of this subsidy. So we’ll be able to help 504 families who need the help. Tenants and activists had organized to preserve the apartments, which were built in the 1960s just south of the University of Chicago. POAH is planning upgrades of dilapidated units.

Alternate Views from Royer FYI

2009-01-27T22:02:00.000-08:00

Note that Seattle writer Josh Feit has started a new blog, Publicola, focusing on Olympia and Washington, DC. Hope you all are weathering the recession and looking forward to a new administration and better times ahead. We will be monitoring the Legislature as it takes up issues we identified in the Workforce Housing Action Workshop last year.

http://publicola.horsesass.org

by Josh Feit, 01/20/2009, 2:23 PM
Rep. Sharon Nelson (D-34, West Seattle, Vashon) is introducing a bill in the Local Government Committee today that would require transit oriented development around mass transit hubs.

TOD rules include not holding developers to a minimum parking space requirement, upping net densities for allowable units per acre, and mandating mixed use development with affordability requirements.

This last requirement about affordable housing has reportedly turned Speaker of the House Rep. Frank Chopp (D-43, Wallingford , Capitol Hill, U-District) into a fan of Nelson’s bill. Chopp is strong supporter of low-income housing. His support this year is a win for environmentalists who are pushing the bill. When they pushed a similar bill last year, Chopp helped kill it (follow the tortured saga here) because his supporters in the Building Idustry Association of Washington (BIAW) didn’t like it (too many building regulations.) With Chopp potentially in their corner this time around, the bill has a much better chance.

Ironically, affordable housing issues may also doom the bill. Vocal low-income housing advocate John Fox of the Seattle Displacement Coalition doesn’t like the bill because he believes the density requirements lead directly to gentrification.

The local urban policy blog, HugeAssCity, strongly disagrees with Fox and pointed out that Fox overstated the impact of the proposed upzone by confusing net density (which measures units on developable land only) with gross density (which measures units over an entire area). By subbing in the higher net density number for a typically much-lower gross density number, Fox made it seem as if Seattle would become Brooklyn .

Rep. Nelson has three co-sponsors: Reps. Jamie Pedersen (D-43, Capitol Hill, Wallingford , U-District), Roger Goodman (D-45, Seattle Eastside Suburbs), and last year’s prime sponsor Geoff Simpson (D-47, Covington , Black Diamond). Sen. Chris Marr (D-6, Spokane ) is sponsoring a Senate version.

New Density Bill Coming to Vote!!!!

2009-01-27T21:58:00.000-08:00

New density bill could force overcrowding in city

By John V. Fox and Carolee Colter
Outside City Hall

Although Seattle residents don't know it yet, a bill will be introduced in our state Legislature in January that could have a massive impact on the affordability and livability of our neighborhoods.

Proposed by the statewide land-use and environmental planning group Futurewise (formerly called 1,000 Friends of Washington), this bill would essentially force cities in the Puget Sound region to create Transit Oriented Development (TOD) areas at every transit station along a rail or bus rapid-transit route and upzone all the land within a half-mile radius of those stations.

Within these areas, cities would be required to accommodate densities greater than what now exists in our downtown (or anywhere else between here and San Francisco for that matter).

The Futurewise bill would have the most immediate impact on Southeast Seattle, especially along Martin Luther King Jr. Way, where several thousand low-income and minority households now live.

But over the long term, it also affects Capitol Hill, the University District, Roosevelt and Northgate, where rail extensions are planned.

WELL ABOVE MINIMUM DENSITY

In principle, adding some level of additional density around transit stations makes very good environmental sense. If not managed, urban sprawl eats up farmland, forests and other open space. Planning housing around public transit gives people realistic options to using cars for all their transportation needs.

However, upzones that encourage still more market-rate development in already built-up communities threaten hundreds, if not thousands, of existing lower-priced housing units within those areas.

Such densities also threaten what remains of the tree canopy. Single-family neighborhoods contain far more trees than our public parks. But single-family housing and low-cost rentals within these TOD areas would become endangered species.

Currently, all of Southeast Seattle is at a density of about four units per acre. The Rainier Vista HOPE VI community located next to the Edmunds Street transit station is planned to contain 1,000 or so units on 65 acres; that's about 15 units per acre. Seattle's Belltown (the densest neighborhood in the state) contains about 25 units per acre.

Now consider that Futurewise's TOD bill would require cities to plan for a minimum density of 50 units per acre within a half-mile of the Othello, McClellan and Edmunds rail stations. Given that a circle with a half-mile radius contains 502 acres, at least 25,000 housing units would be required in each of those station areas.

At most, these areas now hold 3,000 units of lower-density apartments and single-family homes, most occupied by lower-income and minority households. Imagine multiplying densities in these areas by eight!

This bill is a bull in a china shop. It would lay waste to whole communities in the name of "sustainability." Futurewise wrote it as if the Rainier Valley were a tabla rasa - a blank slate for planners and wide-eyed naive enviros to play out what they just learned in class or at a conference on global warming.

ASSURANCES NEEDED

What could be done by urban counties and cities around the Puget Sound to reasonably plan for added densities, including along transit routes, and not jeopardize whole communities, the remaining green spaces and affordability?

If the state advances pro-density programs that jurisdictions are encouraged (or required) to use - such as incentive zoning, bonus programs, multi-family tax exemptions or creation of TOD areas - urban counties and cities must meet the following conditions:

•Create an inventory of existing rental-housing stock in the affected area that is still affordable to low-income renters - If upzones, transit overlays or other land-use measures are planned, they must be accompanied by a low-cost housing vulnerability assessment and tools to mitigate the losses that may result.

•Require one-for-one replacement - Developers who tear down existing low-cost housing to build within TOD areas and who take advantage of such programs must replace the low-cost rental units and at a comparable price.

•Plan for and require a mix of units tailored to the income needs and affordability levels of those communities where these added densities are encouraged - Define the required percentages of units priced at or below 30 percent of AMI (area median income), between 30 to 50 percent of AMI and between 50 and 80 percent of AMI.

•Establish a low-cost housing notification requirement - When rental properties containing low-cost rental units are put up for sale, the owners must notify the local jurisdiction. Nonprofit housing developers and housing authorities from that jurisdiction should be given a reasonable amount of time in which to bid on the property and match or exceed other offers - at least 120 days.

Often notification and time are all that is needed for housing authorities and nonprofits to assemble the resources they need to outbid speculators and preserve such housing.

•Add more state funding into the current "rapid response" fund and possibly into a homeowner equity fund, to facilitate acquisition of low-cost rental and homeowner units that may be vulnerable to redevelopment in these high growth areas, and to facilitate the notification measure we've proposed above.

•Add language to the bill to mitigate the effects of such growth on open space and trees within these TOD areas.

BEING AT THE TABLE

Above all, every plan to push more density in existing areas must begin by making sure that the voice of affected residents is heard and "at the table" when this bill or any other pro-density measure is drafted. It cannot be just a bunch of planners, developers and gung-ho enviros caucusing behind closed doors with no understanding of (or seemingly any care for) the existing social and physical fabric of our communities.

To its credit, Futurewise has voiced a willingness to sit down with affected communities and low-income housing advocates and discuss these concerns.

But it's too early to tell if they will scale back required densities within these TOD areas, or add the housing measures we and others have proposed. If these issues are not addressed, their bill can only be described as social engineering at its worst.

John V. Fox and Carolee Colter lead the Seattle Displacement Coalition. They can be reached at needitor@nwlink.com.

Seattle Planners Network Activation Time

2009-01-27T21:50:00.000-08:00

Good Evening Folks! I know it has been a while since we last spoke, however the time has come to rally and develop a PLAN. There are a few of us who are sitting this quarter out and attending to things on the "street", the next few days will be busy in terms of information traffic and announcements of upcoming meetings and legislative sessions will be coming quickly. I hope that the momentum of the elections, swearing -in, and getting to work by the new administration is stimulating your interest again in the PN Seattle.

So.....let's get to it!

In a series of articles and announcements on State and local legislation the Planners Network - Seattle Chapter will begin to discuss and interact (through presentations, testimony, etc.) with the community.

I am currently sitting on the Neighborhood Planning Advisory Committee (NPAC) representing the Southeast District of Seattle as an Ad Hoc member. I am also, as many of you know working at Yesler Terrace and with SHA (Seattle Housing Authority) on their site development programs.

With that there is HOT news running and issues of social and economic justice are hitting the table. I am calling on folks to jump in when you are ready, willing, and able.

With that, I know that there are other issues to deal with in the region and locally, so bring it on! Let's talk about them and develop a game plan!

Peace

Eddie

Othello Neighborhood Association Mtg. Jan. 27th

2009-01-19T16:19:00.002-08:00

Hello, At this on Tuesday (January 27th, 2009) meeting we will:

Learn about design plans for Rainier Avenue to implement smooth traffic flow. They would like suggestions and feedback from residents.
Review and make suggestions for parking restriction plans around the Othello station (last chance for feedback!)
Hear about newly proposed state legislation that mandates high density in neighborhoods like ours (light rail = average 50 units/acre min!!)
Discuss the impact of Safeway selling their property and restricting the deed of trust to not allow any replacement grocery, pharmacy or fuel stores.
Get a new executive committee for the 2009 year (Jan-Dec, w/ 10 months of meetings)

We will have coffee and cookies...hope to see you there! Agenda is attached.

AGENDA

Welcome, introductions and review and approval of November minutes – 5 mins.

Neighborhood News & Announcements – 5 mins.
ONA Executive Committee Elections

	Nominations
	Chair – Jenna Walden
	Vice-Chair – Nancy Wagner
	Secretary / Treasurer – Patricia Pascha

4. Rainier Avenue Transit Speed and Reliability Project; Briefing & Q/A – Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), Jonathon Dong – 20 mins.

Project is currently designing improvements for Rainier Avenue between Jackson and Henderson to improve the travel time and reliability of transit on Rainier Avenue. This includes transit traffic signal on certain intersections, implementing "bus bulbs" at selected stops, and other suggestions to improve bus timeliness and driver irritation!

Residential Parking Zones for Othello Station; Briefing & Q/A – Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), Sara Robertson – 20 mins.

Effective parking plans around Othello Station can only be made with the input from residents of the neighborhood. Learn about parking regulations, permits, time restrictions and load zones around our neighborhood and commercial streets

Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) Legislation: Briefing & Q/A – Ron Momoda – 20 mins. This is a proposed state bill which requires neighborhoods with a major transit station (light rail or rapid-bus station) to have average 50-unit/acre density requirements. This legislation puts property rights in question and quality of life questions. It also raises questions about appropriate policy and policy execution of worthy environmental and sustainable objectives.

7. Discuss & Votes; ONA membership and attendees summarize and make conclusions on topics presented:

i. TOC legislation feedback and positions

ii. RPZ plan feedback and positions

iii. Rainier transit/reliability project feedback and positions

New Business; attendees bring matters up they'd like to discuss

i. Safeway leaving Othello neighborhood; Safeway is putting a deed restriction on the property and will not allow another grocery, pharmacy or fuel station store to replace it.

i. SEDC membership. Revisit earlier position.

ii. City Auditor re: District Councils; ONA has not presented its position on district council problems seen her in our community. What points should be included?

Community Events: Urban Wilderness Project

2009-01-19T16:19:00.001-08:00

Urban Wilderness Project presents

R U An Endangered
Species?™: Find Out Attend the R U an Endangered Species?™ 4- Part Series
©,
2008, Jourdan I Keith
PART ONE
Human Estuaries: Our Polluted Streams
Thursday, January 8, 2009, 5:00 pm to 8 pm

PART TWO: Strange Fruit: Race, Violence, and Environment
Thursday, February 12, 2009, 5:00 pm to 8 pm

PART THREE: Saving Limbs: Green Spaces and Women’s Lives
Thursday, March 12, 2009, 5:00 pm to 8 pm

PART FOUR: Does Homophobia Have a Carbon Count?: Gender Perception and Safety
Thursday, April 9, 2009,5:00 pm to 8 pm

Pritchard Beach Bathhouse,
8400 55th Avenue S., Seattle , WA

ABOUT URBAN WILDERNESS PROJECT

Mission
The Urban Wilderness Project works to restore and encourage positive
communities by providing culturally and environmentally based service-learning
projects for youth and adult participants.

Vision
To empower and mobilize individuals in their communities to remove the
psychological, social, racial, gender, disabilities, and sexual orientation
barriers associated with current land and water use attitudes, practices and
policies. To provide programs and trainings which reveal acknowledge and
address the global, historical and persistent traumas associated with
environmentalism as defined by dominant culture.

URBAN WILDERNESS PROJECT
"Restoring communities, culture, and the environment." TM

Jourdan Imani Keith
Founder and Director
P.O. Box 18874
Seattle, WA 98118
206-579-5848
www.urbanwildernessproject.org

URBAN WILDERNESS PROJECT
"Restoring communities, culture, and the environment." TM

Jourdan Imani Keith
Founder and Director
P.O. Box 18874
Seattle, WA 98118
206-579-5848
www.urbanwildernessproject.org

Youth Planning Programs Nationwide

2009-01-06T12:20:00.000-08:00

Connections for the programs around youth and planning:

Stuart Foundation
Planners Network
Center for Cities & Schools at UC Berkeley
Brooklyn Center for the Urban Environment
Academy of Urban Planning
DUMBO Improvement District
Communities in Schools - New Orleans (CISNO)
Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP)
Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership
PLANetizen

Is New Urbanism a Post-Communist Plot?

2008-11-11T21:32:00.000-08:00

Found an article discussing the similarities between Soviet-era/Eastern Bloc community design, communist retoric and the New Urbanists influences on late 20th Century urban and suburban redevelopment. It isn't that deep, but the photos are cool and their are some "global" similarities that have little to do with "communism" as a poltical structure and more incommon with the influence of smart design and thoughtful planning.

Vanishing Automobile update #53
Smart Growth and the Ideal City
or
http://www.ti.org/vaupdate53.html

Seattle Moves on Neighborhood Update Plan

2008-10-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

The City of Seattle is coming up on its 10-Year Neighborhood Plan and the University of Washington Evans School ( http://evans.washington.edu/ ) and the Urban Design & Planning Department ( http://www.caup.washington.edu/udp/ ) of the College of Architecture & Planning came together last spring (2008) to review data, conduct surveys and community meetings, and hold forums.

The city council in collaboration with the mayor's office have made their choices and moved to implement the review process. The following links give some insight into the review process and their findings: http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/pubs/cfr042208.pdf

http://www.cityofseattle.gov/council/newsdetail.asp?ID=8936

Take a look at the most recent press release:

"COUNCIL SETS IN MOTION UPDATE OF NEIGHBORHOOD PLANS
One-year assessment kicks off city-wide work while three high-priority areas jump immediately into planning

SEATTLE — City Council today authorized an update of neighborhood plans across the city. Councilmember Sally J. Clark, the chair of the Planning, Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee, said, “Ultimately, updating the neighborhood plans is an opportunity for us all to recommit to the vision of safe, affordable, sustainable neighborhoods for today and tomorrow.”

In 1999, nearly 20,000 citizens collaborated with city staff and consultants to produce 38 neighborhood plans for urban villages and urban centers in Seattle. The plans identify actions needed to ensure that each neighborhood thrives as Seattle grows over time. The original plans had 20-year horizons. The update process approved today provides the chance for a mid-life tune-up.

The process to update neighborhood plans will begin this fall in three changing neighborhoods and with a planning area status review throughout the city. City staff will work with neighborhood residents and business people to gather information to create snapshots of each neighborhood compared to 10 years ago, including demographic shifts, zoning, housing units and affordability, transportation upgrades in the past 10 years, new parks, and a neighborhood plan implementation report. The status reports will help neighborhood advocates and the city recognize gaps and inform decisions about whether or how to update particular plans. A Neighborhood Planning Advisory Committee, made of citizens appointed by the Mayor, Council and Neighborhood District Councils, will provide guidance to the updating process.

While the triage and reporting phase proceeds through 2009, light rail will start rolling through Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill to Downtown. Three neighborhoods in Southeast Seattle with light rail stations and significant multi-family and commercial area around them are about to become very popular, very fast -- Beacon Hill, McClellan and Othello. Updates of the plans for these three areas would get under way immediately.

Councilmember Clark said, “My goal is to ensure an update process that carries forward the best elements of citizen engagement and partnership from the city-wide, national model planning effort of 10 years ago while bringing new voices into the mix. This is a great opportunity for neighborhoods to look at where they are and what they want to be in the future.”

Local Housing Advocates Secure Changes!!

2008-10-08T16:03:00.000-07:00

Community Benefits Agreement at the Dearborn project

Sage is proud to announce the Northwest’s first Community Benefits Agreement! After almost two years of negotiations, an agreement has been struck between the Dearborn Street Coalition for Livable Neighborhoods and Dearborn Street Developers LLC on a $300-million project, slated to be built on a 10-acre site at the crossroads of Seattle’s most economic and ethnically diverse communities – including Little Saigon, the Central District, the International District and North Rainier Valley. “This project has come a long way toward ensuring that neighborhood families will benefit from the economic growth this project will bring. More workers will now earn a livable wage and live in affordable housing and the development will better meet the needs of the people who work and live here,” said David West, executive director of Puget Sound Sage. Sage was joined by neighborhood groups and Little Saigon small business leaders in negotiating key sections of the agreement.

The Dearborn coalition is comprised of business, neighborhood, labor, faith, housing, environmental, ethnic and other community organizations, all deeply concerned with how growth and change shape Seattle’s neighborhoods. “This CBA – the first in the Pacific Northwest – gives community groups like Jackson Place and others a voice in shaping their neighborhoods,” said Maura Deering, a member of the Jackson Place Community Council Board of Directors. “We are glad to have played a role in setting this type of precedent.” Another coalition member, Jermaine Smiley of Laborers Local 242 commented, “Making sure this project provided living wage jobs and benefits was a key issue for us.” “This agreement is a step in the right direction for neighborhoods such as Little Saigon where development pressure is high. The agreement helps balance development interests and neighborhood interests,” said Quang H. Nguyen, executive director of the Washington Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce.

Community Benefits won:

The Dearborn project, with 600,000-square feet of retail and 500 units of housing, is located between South Dearborn and Weller streets at Rainier Ave. Among the items in this unprecedented agreement, Dearborn Street Developers LLC have agreed to:
Follow fair labor standards by hiring construction contractors that pay prevailing wages and provide health and retirement benefits; and by ensuring that 15% of all work hours are performed by apprentices. The contractors will also participate in minority/women-owned business programs and strive to hire local residents through pre-apprentice programs;
Ensure grocery and drug stores agree to stay neutral if employees decide to unionize. Janitors, security officers and other employees of the development will be covered by the same labor standards;

Build 200 units of low-income housing in the project;
Contribute $200,000 to mitigate traffic impacts in the Little Saigon and Jackson place neighborhoods in addition to the street improvements that the developer will pay for as traffic mitigation immediately around the project;
Offer below-market rents on 5,000 square feet of space in the project to community nonprofits at a cost of $1 million;
Contribute $200,000 for the design of a community center in Little Saigon, and $600,000 over 12 years to support the Little Saigon commercial district;
Use environmentally sustainable building practices.

The project, to be anchored by a Target store, still needs the approval of the Seattle City Council, which must approve a site rezone and street vacations. The developer will have to pay the city for the street vacations and the coalition and developer will ask that the city invest those funds, in neighborhoods around the project. These street vacation funds, expected to be $4-8 million, will be applied toward capitol costs of a Vietnamese community center or marketplace, traffic calming improvements, and other community development projects.

Under the agreement, 200 of the 500 units of housing in the project will be low-income units. Of these units, 120 will be affordable to families making no more than 50% of the city’s median income, which is $32,550 for a two-person household. The other 80 units will be affordable to families making no more than 80% of the median income. The Seattle Housing Authority will build the affordable units. Precedent-Setting Agreement The Dearborn CBA is a first for the Northwest region and sets precedents in many areas. The affordable housing and family housing guarantees are the largest of their kind for a commercial project on private land.

The agreement’s ban on predatory lending is unprecedented. The project’s urban location will reduce urban residents’ trips to suburban malls, and the project will feature the largest combination of green roofs and green walls in the northwest. The Vietnamese Cultural Center or Marketplace is a step toward preserving the neighborhood’s unique small business community in the midst of urban growth and rising rents.

The Dearborn Project is the first major development where local unions have joined with community groups to win common objectives, such as affordable housing for low-wage service workers. The result is a fully-enforceable agreement which benefits the community, the developer, and Goodwill Industries.