Tag Archives: 2015

November Meeting: Pedestrian Issues

Pedestrian Issues in Greenwood 

November Membership Meeting
Tuesday November 17, 7:00 – 8:30
Greenwood Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N
SIdewalk pic
 
Join the Greenwood Community Council to hear from guest speakers and engage in discussion of pedestrian and safety issues including sidewalks, safe routes to schools, dedicated facilities for non-motorized transport (e.g. the Interurban Trail), Seattle’s update to the Pedestrian Master Plan, and more.
 
The recent passage of the Move Seattle Transportation levy will see new investments in Seattle’s pedestrian infrastructure; and Greenwood and North Seattle are sure to see many new pedestrian-focused projects in the coming years. Come out to hear from representatives from the Seattle Department of Transportation, as well as community members engaged in various pedestrian issues.
 
This will be a great opportunity to hear about projects that are going on right now, chime in on your issues and priorities, and find out how to be engaged. We hope to see you there!
 
Agenda
 
  1. Welcome/overview of meeting agenda (7:00 PM)
    • Overview of upcoming GCC meeting topics
    • Overview of committees and Board
  2. Committee Report Outs – Committee Chairs
    • Land use 
    • Health and Safety
    • Transportation
    • Outreach – call for interested volunteers
  3. Guest Speakers, Pedestrian Issues
    • Pedestrian Master plan – SDOT
    • Greenwood/Phinney Greenways – Lee Bruch
    • Update on Interurban Improvement Project – Keith Bates
  4. Audience Q&A
    • Poll areas of interest
    • How to stay involved
  5. Meeting Close (8:30 PM) 

 

Please note that the Library’s garage closes at 8PM, so if you park in the library you will need to move your car before then.

Candidate Forum Monday

Meet the candidates who would represent our neighborhood on the new district-based city council.  Please help get the word out!

Candidates for City Council districts 5 and 6 will face off This Monday at the Taproot

7:00 – District 5 candidates
Debora Juarez and
Sandy Brown
Juarez   sandy-brown-v3-681x1024

7:45 – District 6 candidates
Catherine Weatbrook and Mike O’Brien
Watson_150301_0636   o'brien

The Taproot Theatre is located at 212 N. 85th Street in Greenwood.  Sponsored by the Greenwood Community Council.

September Meeting: Seattle’s 2035 Comp Plan

September Membership Meeting
Tuesday September 15, 7:00 – 8:30
Greenwood Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N
 
Seattle 2035 – Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan is out – 
What Comments Should Greenwood Send In?
 
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The City (DPD) released the Draft Comprehensive Plan on July 8th for public review and comment.  It’s 159 pages + appendices and maps is intended to provide “long-term guidance that will help the City make decisions about managing growth over the next 20 years and providing services to make the growth for all of the city.”  Comments on the plan are due this month (though there are rumors the comment period will be extended).  
 
The Comprehensive Plan is required under the state’s growth management act to identify where growth should occur and ensure that schools, streets, parks and other city investments will be in place to accommodate it.  The comp plan provides broad policies about growth and investment, including the future zoning plan.  Seattle policy is to concentrate development in designated “urban villages” to encourage walking and healthy business districts.  Over the past couple of years battles have been raging over rapid growth, how Seattle can remain affordable, and transportation, parking, school and public space impacts.
 
At our membership meeting this week Joel Darnell, our Land Use Committee Chair, will:

 

  • Provide an overview of the Comprehensive plan history for context, overall themes, and schedule for review and adoption.
  • Summarize the proposed Draft Plan relative to the Draft Environmental Assessment Alternatives from earlier this summer
  • Outline key points of the 2035 Draft Plan and related land issues
  • Discussion of goals for Greenwood neighborhood for review of Comprehensive Plan policies
If you’d like background on the Comp Plan prior to the meeting, follow this link to the comp plan website.
 
Proposed Agenda
 

7:00 Introductions and Agenda Review

7:05 Speaker: Joel Darnell, GCC Land Use Chair
             – Overview of the Comprehensive plan history for context,
                    overall themes, and schedule for review and adoption.
             – Summary of the proposed Draft Plan relative to the Draft
                    Environmental
Assessment Alternatives from earlier
                    this summer

             – Outline of key points of the 2035 Draft Plan and related
                     land issues

7:45 Open Discussion: Goals for Greenwood neighborhood for
            review of
Comprehensive Plan policies

8:15 Update on Community Council Committees
             – Land use
             – Transportation,
             – Outreach/website,
             – Safety/health

8:30 Adjourn

 
Please note that the Library’s garage closes at 8PM, so if you park in the library you will need to move your car before then.

July Meeting: Public Art, Capacity Building, Design Review

July Membership Meeting
Tuesday July 21, 7:00 – 8:30
Greenwood Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N
 
Public Art, CGG Capacity Building, 
Design Review Process and Updates
 
This month we are taking a break from single-topic meetings discuss several items.  Note that we will be asking the membership for a decision approving a letter on the design review process (see below).
 
To see the agenda and meeting minutes, click to 

Continue reading July Meeting: Public Art, Capacity Building, Design Review

June Meeting: Social Service Needs

Greenwood Community Council
June Membership Meeting
Tuesday June 16, 7:00 – 8:30
Greenwood Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N
Social Service Needs and Responses
in Greenwood
homeless01
 
The economy has turned around in Greenwood.  Businesses are filling storefronts that sat empty two years ago, cranes are on 85th St., million dollar houses are going in. Amid this prosperity though, there are many in need. The picture above isn’t from Greenwood, but it looks a lot like my alley lately – people in need are more visible in the neighborhood, and there are many others who are out of sight.
 
So who is attending to the social service needs in our neighborhood?  What trends are they seeing, and how well are public, non-profit and police working together to address the needs?  And what are gaps that aren’t being attended to?  This month’s membership meeting will address health and safety issues in the neighborhood and steps needed to do better.  
 
To see the agenda and meeting minutes click to 

Continue reading June Meeting: Social Service Needs

May Meeting: Seattle 2035

Seattle 2035 ImageMay Membership Meeting
Tuesday May 19, 7:00 – 8:30
Greenwood Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N

Seattle 2035 – Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan
The Draft EIS is Finally Available —
What’s Seattle’s Plan for Greenwood – and What’s Ours?

 

Almost a year ago a lot of people in Greenwood responded to a call to develop a Greenwood 2035 vision and follow Seattle’s comprehensive plan update process Seattle 2035. We formed study groups and got set – but then the process got started more slowly than expected. Now the city has produced an environmental impact statement (EIS) examining the impacts of four alternative distributions of new residential and business growth over the next 30 years. Comments are due in June, so now is the time to pay attention and chime in.

The EIS examines what the impacts would be if development could be directed in different ways, with different levels of density occurring in urban villages, urban centers or around transit. It’s an interesting thought experiment, because other than the zoning code (which has capacity for any of these options) there are few levers the city can pull to implement one alternative over another. In the end, debates over the comp plan will probably focus more on the policies and measures to implement one of these alternatives, and those actions are not yet clearly known.

Some of your fellow community council members are beginning to pore through the EIS document, so this will be a good opportunity to get an overview of what’s at issue. But we’ll also want to think through the policies and improvements needed in Greenwood over the next 30 years to make sure a neighborhood vision will be reflected in the final plan. At this meeting we’ll start that discussion – hope you can make it!

For agenda and minutes,  Continue reading May Meeting: Seattle 2035

April Meeting: How Will City Council Districts Affect  Neighborhoods?

Council DistrictsApril Membership Meeting
Tuesday April 21, 7:00 – 8:30
Greenwood Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N
 
How Will City Council Districts Affect 
Neighborhoods and Community Councils?
 
Sorry for the late notice for this month’s Greenwood Community Council meeting, which is tomorrow – or maybe today by the time you get this.  
 
Last year voters approved a new method of selecting city council candidates, with seven members elected by district and two city-wide.  District council elections will change Seattle politics dramatically.  Three current city council incumbents have announced they will not run again, and everyone is wondering whether neighborhoods will have a stronger voice in budgeting, planning or policy, and (conversely) whether city-wide priorities will be neglected.  Greenwood is bisected by the 5th and 6th city council districts, and over the next several months we will be meeting candidates hoping to represent us.
 
For community councils, city council districts raise all sorts of questions:
  • How should we be involved in vetting the candidates?  
  • How should we work with other community councils and other neighborhood groups?
  • Does is make sense to realign the city’s district councils with city council districts?
  • Should we focus equal attention on the at-large council member races?
  • What key Greenwood issues do we want candidates to focus attention on?
We will have a general discussion about how the community council needs to change and react to the new district council context.  We will also hear from a group interested in promoting campaign finance reform in the city, and get an update on activities taking place on our committees and around the neighborhood.  Hope you can make it.
 
Proposed Agenda
 

7:00  Introductions and Agenda Review

7:10  Regan McBride, New Honest Elections Seattle Campaign
           
– Presentation on a proposal to create a public finance

              system for Seattle city elections
            – Q&A, Discussion

7:30  How should GCC adapt to new City Council Districts?
         Open Discussion

8:10  Updates and announcements – around the table
            – GCC committee activities

            – Other announcements

8:30  Adjourn


Please note that the Library’s garage closes at 8PM, so if you park in the library you will need to move your car before then.
 

[See Meeting Notes below the fold] Continue reading April Meeting: How Will City Council Districts Affect  Neighborhoods?

March Meeting: Elections and Mayor McGinn Retrospective

Reminder – the March Greenwood Community Council meeting is tomorrow (Tuesday) with former Mayor McGinn.  
(See the meeting notice in previous post.)  Our former community council president will reflect on how his perspectives have evolved over his time as mayor.  Whatever your views of his administration, he’s had a unique view of Seattle and its government that will be interesting to hear.
 
We will also have community council elections.  
I hope some of you reading this will think about running for our board or getting involved in some other way that fits your interests and availability.  This year the community council has expanded its activities and members, and there’s a lot to be done.  We now have three active committees – land use, transportation and outreach – and we’re working on a fourth to address health and public safety.  Change seems to be accelerating in Seattle, and district city council elections next fall will change neighborhoods’ relations with the city.  It’s an interesting and important time to be active in the neighborhood.
 
We’re recruiting for eight elected board positions as described in our bylaws.  The board positions are defined, but are also flexible. Board members are expected to attend membership meetings when possible and a board meeting every so often (probably every other month) that is usually over beer or coffee.  The ideal board member will make it a priority to answer emails when meetings need to be set up or decisions need to be made.  Any balance or diversity you bring will be valued.  While these positions are for two years, a one-year commitment is requested.  There will be a sign-in when you arrive at the meeting where you can indicate your interest in a position, then after former Mayor McGinn is done we will begin the election and you will have another chance to nominate or to shift to a different position.  The board will meet soon after selected to figure out how to organize itself. 
 
The President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary roles are all indicators of roles, but details can be negotiated.  
  • The president has been setting up and running the membership meetings, but would probably be happy to let others do some of that; former presidents spent more time representing the council outside the neighborhood.  
  • The VP is a totally definable role; the current VP attends district council meetings among other things and fills in for the president as needed.  
  • The secretary is responsible for getting meeting minutes written and onto the website, but could also take on other meeting logistics or website duties for example.  
  • The treasurer is like the Maytag repairman of old; we have no money, but he or she could be managing grants like the one we just received to improve our website, finding other grants, and/or maintaining our membership list.
  • And the four committee chairs are just that – we have a land use, transportation, outreach and (soon) a health and safety committee. Committee chairs are board members, and responsible for organizing and leading a committee and making sure someone keeps the committee’s section of the website up to date.
Board positions are not the only way to be involved!  If you don’t want to commit to a board position, we also need volunteers to help maintain the website, research land use and transportation activities, and monitor or organize specific projects.  At Tuesday’s meeting there will be a sign-in list where you can indicate your interest in either a board position or another volunteer activity that would fit your interests and availability.  
 
If you have any questions about any of this please don’t hesitate to contact me by clicking here.
 
Rob Fellows
Greenwood Community Council President

February Meeting: Parking Requirements

February Membership Meeting
Tuesday February 17, 7:00 – 8:30
Greenwood Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N
 
How Much Parking Should Be Required 
in New Apartment Buildings?
 
i want to go shopping 017
 
A few years ago Seattle changed its development regulations to eliminate the requirement to provide parking in new multi-family buildings in areas defined as urban villages, or places with accessible and frequent transit service.  Almost all of Greenwood fits that definition, and several micro-housing buildings are being built that will take advantage of that change by not including parking as part of the development.
 
There are advocates and strong feelings on both sides of this issue.  Seattle’s previous parking requirements often required developers to include more parking than needed, raising the cost of living in new buildings and requiring residents who don’t own cars to help pay for their storage.  Providing no parking at all takes advantage of unused public street space at no cost to the developer or tenant.  When parking is scarce though, neighbors and their visitors have a harder time finding a place to park and need to walk farther to get groceries and kids to the car.  
 
So what is the right amount of parking, and what should guide the city in deciding how much developers need to provide as part of their projects?  The City Council has requested a review of parking requirement policies, and the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) is preparing its analysis.  Gordon Clowers is leading the team that will respond to the council, and at our February meeting he will discuss some of the factors DPD will consider in forming their analysis.
 
Agenda
 
7:00 Introductions and Agenda Review
 
7:10 Gordon Clowers, Department of Planning and Development
                  – Parking Requirement Policies for New Development
                  – Q&A, Discussion
 
7:55 Land Use Committee Report/Proposed Action
                  – Pedestrian zones on Greenwood Avenue
                  – Potential Action
 
8:20 Community Council Business and Announcements
                  – Nominations open for Community Council elections in March
                  – Other announcements
 
8:30 Adjourn
 

Please note that the Library’s garage closes at 8PM, so if you park in the library you will need to move your car before then.

January Meeting: Developing a Vision for a New Library Park


January Membership Meeting
Tuesday January 20, 7:00 – 8:30
Greenwood Library

8016 Greenwood Ave. N

Developing a Neighborhood Vision for the New Park North of the Library

Librarby Park


Our January meeting will kick off the process to develop a community vision for the new park that will be developed on the lot north of the library, where the minimart used to be.  Bill Farmer will speak on the history of this site as a proposed park through inclusion for funding in the park district ballot measure that Seattle citizens passed last year and the implementation process.  Bill was a member of the 2008 Parks & Green Spaces Levy Committee that resulted in acquisition of the site, and the Parks Legacy committee that helped develop the park funding ballot measure.  He has followed this process over the years.

The majority of the meeting will be for brainstorming – what are the things a park could bring to the neighborhood?  What uses should (and shouldn’t) it accommodate?  What matters about how it’s designed?  What should it be called?

The objective is to begin the neighborhood discussion, that will ultimately need to involve many others in the broader Greenwood-Phinney area that this park will serve.  Being proactive to develop a community vision will help designers develop a park we will use and feel ownership and pride in.  The ideal outcome of this meeting will be to get discussion going and identify a core group to broaden the discussion to the wider community.

Agenda

7:00 Introductions and Agenda Review
7:10 Update on Greenwood 2035 Study Groups
7:15 Bill Farmer: History, context, and the park development process
7:25 Brainstorm: What does the community desire for this site?
8:10 Summary – points of agreement
8:15 Next steps to advance the conversation and the project
8:30 Adjourn

Hope you can make it!