The Greenwood Community Council is conducting a survey about the most important issues in Greenwood to help shape our agenda and priorities for 2017.

You can weigh in by following this link. What issues are on your mind, and which should the Community Council focus on over the coming year? 

We will tally the surveys received through Sunday night (April 16) and display the results at our annual meeting and elections next Tuesday April 18 at the Greenwood Library. Announcements and agenda for that meeting will go out this weekend, but please mark it on your calendar now. We will elect new board members and establish priorities for the coming year. 

Reminder of two opportunities this week to get involved in Greenwood:

• Tuesday 3/28 (Tomorrow), 7pm at the Couth Buzzard:
  Discuss potential interest in joining the Greenwood Community Council board before elections in April
   
• Wednesday 3/29, 7pm at the Couth Buzzard:
  Attend the initial meeting of the GCC Engagement and Outreach volunteers to help increase community and participation in Greenwood

I want to add a personal note about why I’ve been involved in the community council off and on over the last few years. I have long believed that being involved in one’s neighborhood is a good thing in itself, because it builds community. But as I’ve become more concerned about politics getting more polarized (yes, even here in Seattle!) and people self-selecting the information they’re exposed to, I’ve become more convinced than ever that face-to-face community engagement can help find middle ground win-win solutions, and promote understanding between people who have different backgrounds and values. When we talk about diversity, the first step is to listen, and understand that neighborhoods are where diverse interests come together and need to be reflected.

In Greenwood we’ve had a positive effect on development. Ten years ago GCC worked with businesses and the city to develop a town center plan for Greenwood that has promoted a positive vision for development that would be consistent with preserving the things we all like about living and working here. Now we are seeing a sudden surge in development, and many of the developers have come to the community council to discuss their development proposals early in the design process.

For transportation we have seen some progress, including some new sidewalks on Greenwood last year. But we have a long way to go to complete the sidewalk system even along arterials and in the urban villages. With new schools and light rail stations opening, pedestrian and bicycle pathways need to be made safe or available at all. And of course getting around in a bus or car is getting more difficult every day.  Every neighborhood needs to speak up to be heard downtown, not just for transportation, but for parks, playfields, community centers, drainage, libraries.

And there is also a lot to be done for safety and health issues – from responding to neighbors in need, to preparing for disasters and earthquakes. GCC has been active previously in these areas, but need new interest to get these efforts restarted and to partner with other community organizations. There is a growing interest and need to focus community and city resources on Aurora Avenue, where new encampments and shelters are planned.

Finally Seattle has challenged all of us to help voices be heard who are not always part of city debate. The community council can play an important role bringing decision-makers to Greenwood to meet with neighbors directly, to educate on how the city works and how to be most effective, and to reach out to constituencies in Greenwood who are not prone to or able to go to evening meetings.

These are the things we’re involved in as volunteers. We hope you’ll consider joining in.

Rob Fellows, President
Greenwood Community Council

85th & Phinney Project
Early Design Input

Land Use Committee Meeting
  Monday, February 13, 2017,  7:00 pm
Meeting Location: Brumbaugh & Associates, 600 North 85^th Street, #102

Owner Shea Properties and Architect Runberg Architecture Group hope to gain input/feedback from the Greenwood Community Council’s Land Use Committee on a proposed new multifamily building located at the intersection North 85th Street and Phinney Avenue North. The site is currently occupied by a building hosting “All That Dance”, previously the DOL, and also a large surface parking lot. The project team is currently evaluating early massing options, including a contract rezone ahead of, and adopting, planned city rezone requirements for the area.

This design option calls for a contract rezone from NC2-40 and NC2P-40 to NC2-65 and NC2P-65. This massing option provides retail along N 85th Street with residential units set back above N. 85th St. Residential units and a lobby are planned along Phinney Avenue North providing approximately 210 – 220 units.   Parking for approximately 150-160 cars will be provided below grade. Current gross square footage is approximately 220,000 – 230,000 square feet resulting in an FAR of 4.10- 4.25 on this site. The project will provide open space at grade and improved streetscapes which is important for continuing the character of Greenwood. The project owner/designer would like to meet and gain further insight from the GCC regarding Greenwood history, its character, the neighborhood design guidelines, and how all these guiding principles can inform design. The project owner/designer thinks it is important to have this feedback from the neighborhood ahead of our more formal city design review process.

Greenwood Phinney Library Park Design
Last Public Meeting on the Park Design

Please attend the last public meeting to hear
about and comment on the developing plan and
construction schedule 

Hosted by: Seattle Parks Department

This Wednesday, February 1st
Greenwood Senior Center
525 N. 85th Street
Time: 6:00 – 7:30 pm

• Plans are nearing final approval, and the project is expected to be underway by Early Spring
   
• There will also be an opportunity to discuss ideas and involvement with the Friends of the Library Group (FOLP),  along with programming for the site during demolition, construction, and into the future ~ 

Look forward to seeing you there !

-Friends of the Library Park (FOLP)
 Greenwood/Phinney Neighborhood

Our usual third-Tuesday GCC meeting for Tuesday January 17 is canceled, so please enjoy the night off. Our next meeting will be on February 21, 7PM at the Greenwood Library – hope to see you then.

The Greenwood Community Council will take a  breather this month, so there will be no general  membership meeting this Tuesday. Please enjoy the holidays and we’ll be back in January for another year of fun. We hope you have a safe and restful holiday.

Two Projects in Greenwood Town Center
Looking for Early Design Feedback

Greenwood Community Council
Land Use Committee Meeting
Tuesday December 13, 7:00 pm
Greenwood Library, 8016 Greenwood Ave. N.

The Greenwood Shopping Center is beginning development of the next phase of their master plan, the first phase of which created Morrow Lane and the Sedges apartments and businesses between Greenwood Avenue and Fred Meyer. They would like to briefly introduce their next project to the committee and hear our concerns and thoughts early in the design stage.  The permit says they plan to construct 156,000 sq. ft. of mixed use building with 154 units and 105 parking stalls at 8612 Palatine Ave. N. This is a great opportunity to talk with the developer early in the design process while there is still time to shape their proposal.  Greenwood Shopping Center participated with GCC and Fred Meyer on the Greenwood Town Center Plan about nine years ago.

Another project in the Town Center will have its early design hearing on January 9th for a six story mixed use building at 8403 Greenwood Ave. N., the site of the gas explosion last year.  The design review board will hold a meeting on early design guidance for this project on January 9. (See the early design guidance proposal here.)  The developer has discussed this project with the community council previously. The developer will not be present, but we will have an opportunity to compare notes in advance of the design review board meeting. Early design guidance focuses on project scale and massing, while later design review will address more defined design details.  Their preferred massing proposal is pictured below.

It’s been a stressful election – but now here’s something happy to talk about!

Last week Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) had a public meeting about the new park planned just north of the Greenwood Library. A group of your neighbors helped get the word out, and over 100 people participated – more than the Parks Department has seen before! The SPR meeting got people thinking and gathered lots of individual input.

To follow up, Friends of The Library Park (until there’s a real park name) invites you to a community discussion. The SPR showed three concepts that were different arrangements of the same set of functions. Where there activities or functions they didn’t consider? Is there a community character we’d like the park to convey? Are there design factors that will especially matter to you? 

Our meeting is planned for next Wednesday, 7pm at the Greenwood Senior Center. This is the time to weigh in. SPR is on a very fast track to complete design and get this project underway. This will be our only chance to discuss this as a community prior to the final SPR input meeting planned for January. You can also fill out SPR’s survey or learn more about the project by visiting the project website.

Now (this Wednesday) is the time to shape the new park at the Greenwood Library. In November the Seattle Parks Department will begin removing the Bleachers’ Tavern and Minimart buildings next to the Greenwood Library, clearing the space for a new park that will be constructed over the coming year.  The new park is on a fast track, and decisions about what it will include and feel like will be made over the next two months. 

If you are interested in affecting how the park turns out, the meeting announced below is your one best chance!  This Wednesday, 6pm at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, park designers will present three concepts at a public meeting and take your comments.

Also please hold November 16 on your calendar, when a “friends of the park” group organized recently by your neighbors will provide an opportunity to review Seattle Parks’ conceptual designs and discuss steps for promoting features of the park best supported. That meeting will be at the Senior Center at 7pm. More info soon!

Happy Summer! We have several announcements for you:

• WE STILL EXIST!  Many people got the impression this week that Mayor Murray had thrown out the entire idea of neighborhood involvement and disestablished community council across the city, but in fact he only eliminated staff support to district councils. Not many people have heard of district councils; there are thirteen across the city whose members are community councils, chambers of commerce and other groups. Community councils are voluntary associations that receive no ongoing city support. We will continue meeting to foster open face-to-face discussion of neighborhood issues, find win-win solutions, engage hard-to-reach neighbors, and advocate for changes to benefit Greenwood.
   
• WE WILL NOT HAVE A MEMBERSHIP MEETING IN JULY.  Our usual meeting would be on Tuesday July 19 (the third Tuesday), which will probably be a beautiful day and you can now do something else to enjoy it.  We will not meet in August either, but may plan a social event.
   
• WE’VE INSTALLED A NEW MAILING PROGRAM – Please check to make sure you’ll get the mail you want to see.  You might have noticed we have a new logo too!  GCC maintains six different mailing lists, and you’ll want to check to make sure you’re on the ones you intend.  The lists are described further below.

  If you get an email from GCC, click on “update your preferences” at the bottom of this message (illustrated below) you can check whether you’re signed up for the lists you intended to sign up for.  

  

• JOIN US ON FACEBOOK.  Visit and “like” us at
  https://www.facebook.com/GreenwoodCommunityCouncil/ 

• Greenwood Community Council: Click on this to receive announcement about our membership meetings and general member communications like this one
   
• Land Use: for announcements about land use committee meetings and information about city planning and development proposals in Greenwood
   
• Transportation: announcements about transportation committee meetings and information about transportation projects and plans, including sidewalks, roads, greenways, transit, etc.
   
• Safety and Health: announcements about safety and health committee meetings, and information about crime and disaster prevention
   
• Engagement: announcements about opportunities to help GCC reach out to and engage people who are harder to reach through email and are less likely to attend evening meetings
   
• Library Park: this list is for people who want to stay informed and involved in planning for the new city park that will be designed and build just north of the Library next year.

Please stop by the Greenwood Community Council booth at two community events this weekend!  

We will have new cool swag thanks to a Small Sparks grant from Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods – including magnets with our new logo and contact information and tattoos with the “Give Greenwood Some Love” graphic that was designed by a parent at Greenwood Elementary School.  Please stop by and let us know what you’re thinking about the neighborhood.

We’ll be at both events this weekend:

• The Car Show on Saturday: We’ll be at the site of the new park just north of the Greenwood Library.  If you come between 11:00-1:00 you can also participate in the Parks Department’s open house to kickoff planning and design for the new park!
• Celebrate North Seattle on Sunday: This is a big fun event you may not have heard of that takes place in the Oak Tree parking lot. We’ll be sharing a tent with the newly-formed Aurora-Licton Urban Village (A-LUV) group and others.

If you’d like to join us at the table and meet your neighbors, send an email!