Category Archives: Greenwood Community Council

Greenwood Community Council

Greenwood Community Updates – August 28, 2025

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Here are some community announcements affecting Greenwood this month. Topics in this email include:

Upcoming Greenwood Community Council Meetings

The Greenwood Community Council meets on most third Tuesdays of the month. The tentative schedule/topics for the remainder of the 2025 calendar year are listed below. More details will be sent to this email list when we get closer to these meetings.

September:

  • Outdoor Gathering (Location to be determined)
  • Possible: One Seattle Plan Update and Amendment Review (virtual – date TBD)

October: Election Candidate Forum (date to be determined)

November: By-laws and Officer Elections

December: No Meeting

Take the City Council District 6 Neighborhood Center Survey by Tuesday, September 2*

The Seattle City Council is getting ready to take final votes on the Comprehensive Plan and legislation to comply with House Bill 1110 (the “middle housing” bill). For each proposed neighborhood center, Councilmember Dan Strauss (District 6) is putting forward three options, alongside the Office of Planning and Community Development’s proposal for feedback. Ultimately only one amendment for each neighborhood center will move forward to committee in September.

Which ones do you prefer? Help Councilmember Strauss decide which version to submit for a final Council vote by taking the District 6 Neighborhood Center Survey. The deadline to submit your feedback is September 2. This deadline is to give Councilmember Strauss’ office enough time to review feedback and incorporate it into final amendments.

*The text above is from an Aug 11th e-newsletter from Councilmember Strauss.

Greenwood Community Litter Pick-up – Friday, September 26 at 6pm

On Friday, September 26, part of the Greenwood Community Council Community Building Committee will host another litter pick-up for an hour or two. We will meet at 6pm in front of Coffeeholic on Greenwood – 8525 Greenwood Ave N. Pick-up supplies (grabbers, high-viz vests, trash bags, gloves) will be provided. Please join us!

Greenwood Art Collective ArtWalk – Friday, September 12, 6-10pm

The Greenwood Art Collective has been hosting monthly ArtWalk events, the Second Friday of each Month. Mark your calendar for the upcoming ArtWalk event, Friday, September 12th 6-10p.  For more information and to access a map of each location hosting local works of art and social gatherings, please reference the Greenwood Art Collective’s website.

Bite of Phinneywood – Sunday, September 14, 1:00-4:30pm 

Spend the afternoon exploring tastes from a wide variety of participating restaurants at this community-wide event, held at the PNA (Lower Parking Lot). Tickets for admission are necessary, General admission and VIP tickets are both available. For more information, go to the event webpage.

In Case You Missed It

Seattle City Council appoints Debora Juarez as New Councilmember for District 5. The Seattle City Council voted on July 28 to appoint Debora Juarez to fill the vacant position representing City Council District 5 (north of 85th St). The appointment is effective immediately and will last until November 2026. Find out more on the Seattle City Council’s blog. Click here for Councilmember Juarez’s website.

Phinney Neighborhood Association Creates ‘Walkable Gallery’ a Signal Box Art. Project title: ‘Wander PhinneyWood.’  This summer, the Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA) unveiled a project to bring a splash of color to the neighborhood, called “Wander Phinneywood”. This community-led initiative turned the stale signal boxes into permanent public art installations. Visit thePNA website for details, a map, and a printable Signal Box Passport walking tour.

Greenwood Community Council

Resources to Help You Prepare for November’s Election

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This year’s general election is on November 2 and ballots will arrive soon. In years past, the Greenwood Community Council has hosted an election forum at the Taproot Theatre. We had hoped to hold a forum this fall, but given the ongoing uncertainty around COVID-19, we have decided not to host an election forum this year.

Instead, we are sharing useful election resources including campaign information and links to candidate forums others have recently held. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to learn about the candidates before voting.

Where to Find info on Races, Candidates and Campaigns
This year’s election includes races for Mayor, two at-large council members, City Attorney, County Executive, port commissioners, and school board members. You can find out what races will be on your ballot by visiting the county’s Virtual Voters’ Pamphlet. There you will find links to the candidate’s statements and links to their websites if you’d like to explore further. 

Where to Find Debates
Several groups have held debates that you can watch on YouTube without even putting on a mask! Below are links to some that you might find interesting and relevant. You can find more through simple searches on YouTube. 

The Greenwood Community Council is disappointed that we’re unable to continue our tradition of an in-person candidate forum this year, but encourage you to learn about the candidates and vote on or before November 2.

Greenwood Community Council

October 2020 – Candidate Forum: 36th District Pos. 2

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GCC CANDIDATE FORUM:
36th District Representative
Position 2 Candidates

 
                            Liz Berry                                                  Sarah Reyneveld

Next Tuesday October 13, 7:00 pm
Join by clicking this Zoom link

Ballots are coming soon for a momentous national election in November – Please VOTE! – But remember that the president is not the only important race on the ballot. One of the two State Representative positions in the 36th District is an open seat with a competitive race between Sarah Reyneveld and Liz Berry. The GCC Candidate Forum will be a great opportunity to ask them your questions and hear directly from the candidates.

Do you have questions for the candidates? If so, send us an email, along with your name if you want your question attribute it to you. All questions will come from the audience, and questions you send in advance will be prioritized. We might edit for length and clarity. If we receive more questions than we are able to ask in the allotted time, we will prioritize those relevant to the state legislature and to avoid repetition.

Greenwood Community Council, Transportation, Uncategorized

Feb. GCC Meeting on Transportation: Bus Routes and 83rd St. Greenway

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Greenwood Transportation:

Big Changes Proposed for Bus Routes,
and Creating a Greenway on  N 83rd St.

Greenwood Community Council February Meeting
Tuesday February 18, 7:00 pm
Greenwood Library, 8016 Greenwood Ave. N

We have two great transportation topics this month – great because (1) they are important, and (2) because they are at a point in their processes where your input can make a difference. 

Agenda:
7:00: Intro and Announcements
7:05: North Link Connections Mobility Project: Metro will present their preliminary proposals to reconfigure the north end bus network once Link light rail opens to Northgate in 2021. Routes 355 and 45 would be changed, and a new route would connect Greenwood to Northgate and Lake City. (More information later in this email, or on Metro’s website, which includes maps and route descriptions).
7:50: N 83rd St. Greenway and Safety Improvements: Seattle SDOT staff will describe work underway to design and construct a greenway on N 83rd St. connecting Greenwood to Green Lake by bicycle for those who prefer riding on streets with less traffic. A new crosswalk signal would be installed at 83rd and Greenwood. Safety improvements in the area will also be described. (More information below, or on the SDOT website).
8:25: Next Steps?
8:30: Adjourn

GCC needs your help!
We would be a lot more useful and effective with your participation. We’re looking for active board members, issue leaders and website writers. If you might be interested, check out our website volunteer page. 

More on Proposed Metro Changes:
Metro is using the introduction of light rail as a catalyst for major network changes throughout their service area to promote high frequency routes and relying on transferring to reach more destinations. Metro’s proposed changes affecting Greenwood include:

  • Starting route 45 in Greenwood rather that in Loyal Heights, and using 80th instead of 85th east of Greenwood Ave. Route 45 buses would begin and end on 3rd W where the 5X ends now. Route 45 riders headed to Loyal Heights would need to transfer, and there are concerns about long waits to cross Aurora on 80th.
  • Eliminating route 355 and route 5 express, replacing both with new route 16, that runs the current 5X route but extended north to N 130th St. The 355 would no longer serve 85th St. or Roosevelt Way in the University District; those riders would take route 45. Route 355 riders to Shoreline CC would take local route 5.
  • Adding a new cross-town route 61 beginning in Loyal Heights and connecting to Northgate and Lake City. This route would follow the 45 route on 85th, but then turn north to serve North Seattle College, connect to Link at Northgate, then continue to Lake City – connecting Greenwood to new destinations across north Seattle. 

Please give some thought to whether you would use buses more frequently if they went to the places you need to go, and how these changes would affect you. Greenwood has chimed in previously hoping for direct connections to proximate destinations in Ballard and Fremont.

Here is Metro’s letter to community groups describing this process:
– – – – –

Dear Community Leaders and Partners,

We’re excited to announce the next phase of the North Link Connections Mobility Project! We thank you for your continued interest, great feedback and input into the plan, and for the great work your organizations are doing to support and improve transit in King County.
 
As part of Sound Transit’s light rail extension to Northgate, including three new stations, Metro and Sound Transit are considering changes to over 30 routes that serve North King County. This phase of the North Link Connections Mobility Project represents the first draft of service concepts based on ideas from the community. These ideas were also shaped in collaboration with the project’s Mobility Boardmembers (people who live, work, or travel in the area and represent diverse communities, who worked alongside Metro to provide guidance and feedback based on the priorities identified by the community.
 
Over the next two months, Metro and Sound Transit will be out in the community, having conversations and gathering feedback on the proposed service concepts. We’d like to encourage you to share the proposal with your community so that we can use this valuable input to help shape further refinements that will be shared again with the public in late summer 2020.

The details of the proposal and a survey to gather opinions on it are available in six languages (Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Arabic, Korean, and English), and can be viewed here: Metro’s North Link Connections Mobility Project page and Sound Transit’s Northgate Link Extension page for the latest project information.
 
Ultimately, changes will need to be approved by the King County Council. Final recommended changes will be shared with the Council in early spring of 2021. The approved set of changes would take effect during Metro’s September 2021 service change.
 
If you would like to discuss the proposal in detail, or have community events that you would like to have Metro attend to share more information, we would be happy to work with you. We thank you for your continued partnership and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the proposal.
 
Sincerely,
North Link Connections Mobility Project Team

More on 83rd St. Greenway:
Seattle’s Bicycle Master Plan includes improvements to N 83rd St. to make it a greenway bike and pedestrian connection between the existing greenway on 1st W across 83rd St. to Green Lake. Greenways attempt to provide a fast and safe riding experience off the main car routes by adding stop signs to crossing streets, and speed bumps or other methods to keep car through-trips from using the greenway.

Seattle is proposing to add a signalized crossing on 83rd at Greenwood Avenue, one block north of the new park, and one block south of an existing crosswalk at N 84th St. A crossing improvement is also proposed on 83rd at Linden. SDOT is making safety improvements elsewhere in Greenwood, and we are likely to hear about some of them.

Here is a map of the proposed greenway:

Greenwood Community Council

Next Tuesday GCC Meeting: Preserving Historical Buildings and Landmarks

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A Brief Review of Buildings in Greenwood
and Strategies for Landmark Designation
  

Greenwood Community Council January Meeting
7PM, Tuesday January 15
Greenwood Library, 8016 Greenwood Ave. N.
 

The Greenwood Community Council’s January meeting will focus on historical buildings in the neighborhood and examine how the landmark status process works. In November, the environmental review of HALA found that more research was needed to analyze how the rezoning will affect historic sites. Since 1973, the city of Seattle has designated over 400 landmarks, but Greenwood’s only representation is the Greenwood Jewelers street clock at 129 N 85th St N. No Greenwood sites are currently listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

– – – A G E N D A – – –
  1. Welcome, introductions, announcements
     
  2. A Brief History of Greenwood and Its Buildings: Beginning in 2000 the Department of Neighborhoods began conducting the Historic Resources Survey, an informal inventory of potentially historic landmarks. Information for buildings within Greenwood can be found here and here. The GCC will present a brief history of Greenwood and its architecture, with spotlights on significant buildings in the neighborhood. 
     
  3. Historic Seattle: Historic Seattle will be holding a series of workshops focused on Advocacy, Landmarks and Research in February, March and April, but are giving us a short sneak peak of that program. Join Historic Seattle staff members Eugenia Woo, Director of Preservation Services, and Jeff Murdock, Preservation Advocacy Coordinator, for a presentation and discussion of preservation advocacy strategies related to local landmark designation and the National Register of Historic Places.

Note: our meetings end at 8:30 p.m., but the Greenwood Library’s parking garage closes at 8pm.

Greenwood Community Council

December Meeting: Winter Social at Naked City’s Tap Room

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Please join us at the Greenwood Community Council’s
WINTER SOCIAL

You’re invited!
7-9 pm on Tuesday, December 18 
Naked City’s Taproom
8564 Greenwood Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103

 
Meet other Greenwood neighbors who care about our community and learn about opportunities to get involved with the Greenwood Community Council.
 
In addition, learn about local organizations and their role in our northwest Seattle community. This informal social will allow you to ask questions directly of representatives from the following organizations and more not yet confirmed! 

  • Friends of Library Park
  • Bureau of Fearless Ideas
  • Salvation Army
  • Greenwood Collective 
  • Washington Wild
  • Kate Martin, candidate for 2019 City Council – District 6

Drinks and food are available for purchase.
Please invite your neighbors to join us as well–the more, the merrier!

Greenwood Community Council

Greenwood Election Forum Next Monday Evening at the Taproot

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2018 Greenwood Election Forum

Monday October 15, 7:00 – 9:00
at the Taproot’s Jewell Theatre

204 N 85th St., in the Greenwood business district
(and on the set of BASKERVILLE)

This Monday the Greenwood Community Council invites you to hear from both sides of 3 important initiatives on the November ballot. In this critical midterm election, these initiatives could have profound effect on Greenwood residents and there is a lot to understand from all perspectives.

Each initiative will feature a speaker from the Yes and No campaigns, who will make opening and closing statements, but the rest of the time is devoted to answering your questions. As with last year’s election forum, the discussion will be moderated by local blogger Steve Scher.   

—  A G E N D A  —

7:00 – Initiative 1631:
              Fee on Carbon Emissions
                Resources: Yes campaign – No campaign – Ballotpedia

7:40 – Initiative 940:
              Police Training and Criminal Liability
              in Cases of Deadly Force
                Resources: Yes campaign – No campaign – Ballotpedia

8:20 – Initiative 1634:
              Ban on New Taxes or Fees on Groceries
                Resources: Yes campaign – No campaign – Ballotpedia

9:00 – Adjourn

Click here to see the Voter’s Guide for these races.
Hope to see you Monday night at the Taproot!
Please help get the word out by forwarding this message to others you think would be interested.

Greenwood Community Council

September Meeting: Design Review and Preserving Downtown Businesses

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How the New Design Review Process Works
and Potential Displacement of
Downtown Greenwood Businesses  

Greenwood Community Council September Meeting
7PM, Tuesday September 18, 2018
Greenwood Library, 8016 Greenwood Ave. N.

The Community Council has settled on three projects to focus on this fall. One is our annual Election Forum in October. The other two are the subject of this month’s membership meeting (below, after the video)…

  1. The New Design Review Process: Seattle has implemented a revised Design Review process that now requires developers to conduct early community outreach before they can schedule design guidance meetings with City staff. The Greenwood Community Council is well positioned to add value and quality to this new outreach requirement but also requires volunteers to track, host, coordinate, participate, and respond to community outreach request from developers. We will take a quick look at the overall design review process and identify volunteer opportunities to help us prepare for more engagement with developers. (You can see Greenwood/Phinney Neighborhood Design Guidelines here.)
     
  2. How Will New Development Affect Downtown Businesses? Proposed rezoning in Greenwood’s Business Core will allow the redevelopment of existing buildings to up to seven stories, leaving many of our local businesses wondering about their place in the neighborhood. The GCC Board is seeking volunteers to examine existing programs, studies and proposals, such as the 2017 Seattle Legacy Business Study Report and the 2017 University District Small Business Vulnerability Study by Steinbrueck Urban Strategies,and volunteers to create and conduct a survey of local businesses that would be useful to city government agencies in helping our local businesses. 
Greenwood Community Council

June Meeting: A Visit with Councilmember Mike O’Brien

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A Conversation with Councilmember Mike O’Brien

Greenwood Community Council June Meeting
7:00 PM, Tuesday June 19, 2018
Greenwood Public Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N


Our June meeting is devoted to having a conversation with Councilmember Mike O’Brien, a meeting scheduled months ago, not due to any recent events. Mike O’Brien represents the Sixth City Council district, which generally includes the portion of Greenwood south of 85th St. We expect he’ll want to discuss current issues he’s working on and answer questions.

If he’s willing, we have a twist to throw in: We’d like to give a few people a chance to pitch a great idea, a win-win solution for Greenwood or Seattle. If you’d like to propose an idea, please send them to us by the end of the weekend. Please send us an email explaining (briefly):

  • What’s your issue?
  • What’s your idea?
  • What’s could the City Council do about that?
  • What’s the best way to contact you? 
  • What is your Greenwood basis? (optional)
    (Employee, business owner, resident, land owner, multiple of the above, none of the above.)

We’ll be in touch. But even if you don’t submit an idea in advance, please bring your ideas and your questions on Tuesday for a productive exchange with Councilmember O’Brien.

Greenwood Community Council, Outreach and Engagement

Get Involved in Greenwood and the Greenwood Community Council!

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Have you ever thought about getting more involved in your neighborhood?

 

May is Get Involved Month

Every year, the Greenwood Community Council looks for new board members and volunteers, and we could use your help now! There is a lot going on in Seattle and it’s hard to keep up. We are an all-volunteer group focused on helping Greenwood residents and businesses get involved in the neighborhood, and to make sure the Greenwood community has a vision and a voice. 

We provide:
  – Face to face dialogue to counter divisiveness and find compromises
  – Opportunities to talk directly with people shaping Greenwood
  – An open forum for all perspectives
  – Information and resources to get involved in the community

And most of the time we have a good time doing it – join us!
We are looking for people interested in chipping in:
  – Monitoring key issues affecting the neighborhood
  – Creating a better website, with news, information and resources
  – Writing for the new opinion blog we’re thinking about
  – Helping plan meetings on current topics
  – Joining our board, where we have openings now

If you’re at all interested, please check out our volunteer page to see some of the things we’d like help with and learn how to get involved.  While you’re there, take a look around our newly redesigned website and you’ll see there are many pages and resources missing – another example of something you could help with. And if you have any interest in joining our board we’d particularly like to hear from you. We’ll schedule a time to meet and discuss your thoughts and interests over a beverage of your choice. Please give it some thought – there’s a lot going on!

Greenwood Community Council

May Meeting on Public Safety

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Greenwood Community Council May Meeting
Tuesday May 15, 7:00 pm
Greenwood Public Library, 8014 Greenwood Ave. N
 
The Community Council meeting for May will focus on crime and public safety in Greenwood and near Greenwood. 

 

  • Seattle Police Department Sgt. Sean Whitcomb will provide information and answer questions about crime and public safety in Seattle, in the Greenwood neighborhood, and related to the Licton Springs Tiny House Village (the low-barrier homeless encampment on Aurora Avenue). He will also share crime prevention tips.  
  • Charlie Johnson of SHARE/WHEEL and Josh Castle of LIHI will present an overview of the Licton Springs Tiny House village, address neighborhood concerns and share their own assessment of safety in the area.

There will be time for your thoughts and questions. More information and complete agenda will be provided in a separate email this weekend.

 
Greenwood Community Council

Notes and Presentations from April Meeting

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Here are the presentations shown at the last GCC meeting. For best viewing, click on the “full screen” icon () at the bottom of the viewing area.

Note that a vote was taken at the meeting supporting Greenwood’s participation in a coalition effort to improve Aurora Avenue. Interest was expressed in a potential weekend teach-in on proposed changes to city land use. There was no presentation given on the Boys and Girls Club proposal to change zoning to support a redeveloped club co-developed with new public housing. Attendees were generally supportive of the idea, but some have concerns and want to learn more before weighing in.

Lee Bruch: Aurora – Opportunity Lost, Again ; Opportunity to be Regained

Download [3.23 MB]

Rob Fellows: Summary of Proposed Zoning and Height Limits in Downtown Greenwood

Download [4.94 MB]

Greenwood Community Council

April Meeting on Aurora, Zoning and the Boys and Girl’s Club

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A Vision for Aurora,
the Zoning Plan for Downtown Greenwood, and the Future of the Boys and Girls Club

Tuesday April 17, 7:00pm
 Greenwood Public Library
8016 Greenwood Avenue N
  • 7:00 – Welcome, Introductions, Brief Announcements  
  • 7:10 – Re-imagining Aurora’s Streetscape and Environment
    Aurora remains unsafe and a barrier between neighborhoods.  In 2017 on Aurora there were 280 collisions causing 2 deaths and injuring 181 people. Lee Bruch will present slides of the opportunities that have been lost and the opportunities that can be regained. GCC may vote on whether to join a coalition to push hard for some attention to Aurora.  
  • 7:40 – Update on Town Center Zoning and Building Height Limits
    After three years of discussion and amidst ongoing lawsuits, Seattle has issued a 370-page city-wide zoning ordinance planned for passage next fall, including some unexpected height increases proposed in downtown Greenwood. Rob Fellows will provide a brief update.  
  • 8:00 – The Future of the Greenwood Boys and Girls Club
    Boys & Girls Clubs of King County recently entered into a partnership with Bellwether Housing to redevelop their Greenwood property. The goals of the partnership are to provide youth program services to local kids, teens, and families and provide affordable housing options for Greenwood residents for years to come.  To proceed with a new development that would include both affordable housing and a Boys & Girls Clubs facility, the site must be rezoned.  Bellwether Housing and Boys & Girls Clubs will join us on to talk more about their plans and their hopes to change the zoning of the site. GCC will be asked to support the rezone request. Please forward to those living nearby, and anyone interested in the future of the Boys and Girls Club.  
  • 8:30 – Adjourn
Greenwood Community Council

March GCC Meeting Next Tuesday: The High Cost of Living, and Leg Session Report

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The High Cost of Living,
and Leg. Session Report-out

Greenwood Community Council
March 2018 Meeting
Tuesday March 20, 7:00pm
Greenwood Public Library

 

Feeling sticker shock when you open bills these days? As Seattle residents, you may have noticed significant changes in costs associated with your homes. At this meeting, guest speakers will provide insight and answer questions, to help elucidate some of the uncertainty behind changing residency costs. Also, our neighbor and state legislator Noel Frame will give a summary of this year’s legislative session.

7:00 Greenwood Community Council Board welcome

7:05 Legislative Session Report
Representative Noel Frame (D-36th district) will provide a brief report on the legislative session that ended last week.

7:25 Panel: Understanding Increasing Costs of Living Here —
        From Taxes to Utilities

  • Representative Frame will discuss recent activity and debate in the state legislature about property taxes and other current costs of living in Seattle. (Some notable recent news can be found here and here.) 
  • Seattle City Light representative Scott Thomsen will describe the new Advanced Metering initiative (resulting in new meters on your homes) and how it affects your light bills.
  • Seattle Public Utilities Project Manager Alexander Mockos will describe Combined Sewer Overflow efforts and how they affect your utility bills.

8:00 Questions and Answers

8:30 Adjourn

Greenwood Community Council

February Meeting: Talk with Developers, Learn about Street Tree Maintenance, and the Future of the Senior Center [Updated]

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Late addition: We have been participants in a coalition to support a new pedestrian bridge connecting the North Seattle College and 100th St. corridor to the Northgate light rail station across I-5. The last hurdle is for North Seattle College to grant an easement on their property. We've been asked to add our name to a letter reaffirming support for the bridge, urging its implementation before rail opens, and sticking with a compromise design that will not raise costs, impact environmentally sensitive areas, or risk delay to implementation. You can see it here. We will have a vote whether to add our name to the letter early in the meeting, but will not have time to debate it so if you have questions, come early to discuss or feel free to vote no. UPDATE: The meeting approved signing the coalition letter for GCC.

Tuesday, February 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Greenwood Public Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N

This month the Community Council meeting has a full agenda, and we will plan to start right on time. Here’s the agenda:

  • 7:00 (sharp!) – 320 N 85th St.
    The developers and designers of a proposed new six-story, 220-unit apartment building at 85th and Phinney will present their preferred design to the neighborhood. This is the site of the old Department of Licensing building now housing All That Dance. They would like to hear comments before their early design guidance meeting a week later, on 2/26 before the Design Review Board. Click here for more information about the project and design review board meeting.
  • 7:45 – Maintenance of Street Trees
    If you look up while you walk along Greenwood you’ll see that City Light has taken a maximalist approach to pruning our street trees. (See photo below.) Is that necessary? Lance Young will discuss best practices for maintaining trees along public rights of ways.
  • 8:10 – Transfer of Ownership of the Senior Center
    The City of Seattle is considering transferring the Greenwood Senior Center property to the Phinney Neighborhood Association (PNA). Lee Harper will talk about the history, likely future options, and answer questions
  • 8:30 – Adjourn

Here’s an example of the pruning City Light did recently.   

Greenwood Community Council

Making our Website More Useful We Hope

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If you’ve stumbled onto our site lately you’ll see that it’s changing. In fact it is being totally re-constructed to make it more interesting and useful. But there’s a *lot* left to do – and if you’d like to help please let us know!   

On the front page you’ll find the featured articles and buttons to get quickly to a variety of content areas. You’ll also find links in the sidebar to community council documents, presentations and correspondence, as well as our bylaws, officers and volunteer links.

When you click on the Correspondence box, for example, it’ll open up and you’ll see some of the letters GCC has written over the years on neighborhood issues. 

If you go to the back pages, most of the content is still being written – but you will find a few interesting things. Each of the back pages has interesting articles we’ve come across (and a link for you to send others), and resources relevant to the topic. The resources section under Transportation is complete, but is still being developed for the other back pages. 

On the Transportation page you’ll find quick links to current road conditions, and the next bus leaving 85th and Greenwood. Under resources, you’ll find direct links to transportation providers and projects, and to answer your “how-to” questions. 

On the land use page you’ll find a link that brings up a map of all of the building projects in our neighborhood going through the design review process, and links to information about them. These are provided by a site called Seattle in Progress that does a fantastic job.

Check it out and let us know what you think, or better, whether there are pages you’d like to help write! 

Greenwood Community Council, Transportation

Presentations from January’s Meeting on Transportation

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The GCC membership meeting on January 16, 2018 featured a panel discussion of transportation issues in Greenwood. Here are the presentations:

First, Rob Fellows gave a survey overview of transportation issues in the neighborhood. Rob is the GCC President and a member of the board of Feet First.

[pdf-embedder url=”https://greenwoodcommunitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Transportation-in-Greenwood-Jan-2018-GCC-Meeting.pdf” title=”Transportation in Greenwood, January 2018″]

 

Justin Martin and Robin Randels presented on what the local neigborhood greenways group and Seattle Neighborhood Greenways is working on in Greenwood and elsewhere

[pdf-embedder url=”https://greenwoodcommunitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/GPG-and-Home-Zones-presentation.pdf” title=”Greenwood Phinney Greenways, and Home Zones Concept”]

Finally, Doug MacDonald, a Greenwood resident and former State Transportation Secretary, commented on a variety of pedestrian issues in Greenwood and across Seattle.

[pdf-embedder url=”https://greenwoodcommunitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Dougs-Slides-1.pdf” title=”Transportation in Greenwood, January 2018″]

Doug also handed out some useful handouts (Unfortunately more investigation is needed to make the links work): 

[pdf-embedder url=”https://greenwoodcommunitycouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Walking-Update-Doug-MacDonald.pdf” title=”Transportation in Greenwood, January 2018″]

and also this handy handout from SDOT:
Client Assistance Memo 2208: Sidewalk Maintenance and Repair

 

Greenwood Community Council, Transportation

January Meeting: Transportation in Greenwood [Updated]

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NOTE: This post has been updated to include links to presentations and handouts used during the meeting

7:00 Tuesday January 16, 2018
Greenwood Library
8016 Greenwood Ave. N

The pace of growth in Seattle leads to crowded streets, crowded buses and crowded sidewalks; meanwhile Seattle is making changes to respond. Tuesday’s GCC meeting will survey the many issues and changes to transportation in Greenwood, and discuss strategies for mobility, safety and maintaining and improving walkability in the neighborhood. After short presentations, we’ll open the floor for your observations and thoughts.

Panelists:

  • Rob Fellows (GCC president and Feet First) will provide an overview of transportation changes and issues in Greenwood
  • Justin Martin (Phinney-Greenwood Greenways) will discuss what Seattle Greenways is working on in Greenwood and elsewhere
  • Douglas MacDonald (former State Transportation Secretary and Greenwood resident) will discuss sidewalk maintenance and safety

Presentations and Handouts

Greenwood Community Council

Save the Date: Port Candidates Forum October 24

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PORT CANDIDATES FORUM –
Tuesday October 24

 

In addition to the Greenwood election forum coming up this Saturday, the Greenwood Community Council is also co-sponsoring a Broadview-Bitter Lake candidate forum for port candidates on Tuesday October 24:

Please join Broadview-Bitter Lake and Greenwood Community Councils for an important  candidate forum!

Date: October 24th, 2017
Time: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm
Location: Broadview United Church of Christ, 325 North 125th St.

Join us on October 24th for a candidate forum to hear directly from candidates for Port of Seattle Commissioner: 

  – Seat 1: Ryan Calkins

  – Seat 3: Ahmed Abdi and Stephanie Bowman 

  – Seat 4: Preeti Shridhar and Peter Steinbruek

The Port of Seattle is a special purpose government entity with an annual operating of budget of $620 million, partially funded by King County property taxes. A major driver of growth and development, it is estimated that the Port generates over 200,000 jobs and $20 billion in business revenue for the region each year.

Three of the Port’s seats will be on your ballot this November.  This means your votes will set the direction of the Port for the next several years. The Port is managed by an elected board of five commissioners. There are three seats on the ballot this November, so the outcome will have considerable impact on the direction the Port takes in the next several years. 

Please join us to learn more about the candidates and how they will address pressing issues of our region including:

  – Ensuring the Port of Seattle remains competitive
  – Promoting transparent and accountable government
  – Addressing climate change, air pollution and traffic congestion
  – And much more!

Greenwood Community Council

Survey Results are In

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Results of the GCC Survey
Last week the Greenwood Community Council published a survey about the most important issues in Greenwood to help shape our agenda and priorities for 2017. The questions in this survey were posed to be provocative, but hopefully not one-sided.  As of today we received 87 responses, which is far from enough to represent Greenwood statistically, but a very good sample of the people who follow neighborhood issues and the community council. If you’re interested in the responses, read on! 

Continue reading Survey Results are In →

Greenwood Community Council

Why Get Involved in the Greenwood Community Council (GCC)?

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GCC is a volunteer group that seeks to:

  • Help get Greenwood residents involved in the neighborhood
  • Provide an open forum where everyone is heard
  • End polarization to find points of agreement and win-win solutions
  • Help inform and empower Greenwood residents to be effective 

We are not an advocacy group for a particular perspective or ideology, and we don’t claim to represent the diverse populations and points of view in Greenwood. But we recognize that when we succeed in engaging and voicing agreement among broad and diverse opinions and perspectives, we can help Greenwood’s voice be stronger and more productive.

If that’s the kind of group you’d like to be part of, please attend our annual meeting tomorrow (Tuesday – see the meeting announcement below) and consider joining our board. To see more about our board positions, see this message, and if you have questions or comments send them to this email address.

Greenwood Community Council

April Meeting: Set 2017 Priorities for GCC and Elect a New Board

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ProgramAgendaMinutes
Greenwood Community Council  
Annual Meeting is this Tuesday!

Help Set our 2017 Priorities, and
Elect a New Board

 

Tuesday April 18, 7pm
Greenwood Public Library (Yes, it’s Open Again!)
8016 Greenwood Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103

There’s a lot going on in Greenwood this year:

  • At least four six-to-seven story buildings are moving through the city’s process, including the site of last year’s gas explosion, the old DOL building, and the grassy area in the Greenwood Shopping Center east of Palatine,
  • Seattle’s changing its land use code to allow taller buildings everywhere in return for developers contributing towards affordable housing,
  • New schools will open next fall near Aurora, and safe pathways for kids to get there are still a concern,
  • Homelessness and opiate addiction is increasing with hundreds of unplanned encampments in Seattle, while Seattle has just opened a new sanctioned encampment site nearby,
  • Seattle’s changing how it engages the public to get more voices to the table, and
  • Meanwhile sidewalks and better bus connections are still needed.

–  What should the Greenwood Community Council focus its attention on over the next year? 
–  What issues would you like to learn more about, or find out what your neighbors think?
–  How could we do a better job building community in Greenwood?

Please join us Tuesday to weigh in on the most important issues facing Greenwood, and set priorities over the coming year. You can also weigh in on issues and priorities by filling our our survey before Tuesday, whether you plan to attend or not. The survey results will be shared at the meeting to stimulate discussion. We have received 60 responses so far, and the free version of SurveyMonkey will accept another 40 more.

Please also consider joining our board. If you’ve ever thought about getting involved in the neighborhood, joining our board is a great way to do it. 
 

Meeting agenda:

7:00  Introductions and agenda review
7:10  Survey results, and discussion of GCC priorities for 2017
8:00  Describe GCC board positions and hold election
8:20  Adjourn (new board sticks around to touch base)

Not every meeting will have minutes, but if minutes are published they will be posted here after the event occurs.

Greenwood Community Council

What are the most important issues facing Greenwood in 2017?

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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. 

Greenwood Community Council

Reminder – Opportunities to Get Involved in Greenwood

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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

Greenwood Community Council, Health and Safety

March Meeting: Greenwood Explosion – Review and Reflection

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ProgramAgendaMinutes
MARCH 2016 GREENWOOD EXPLOSION:
REVIEW & REFLECTION

What’s happened in the past year? Are we any safer?
Please join the Greenwood Community Council for a recap of the recovery efforts and incident assessments from the year following the March 9, 2016 explosion on Greenwood Ave; and a discussion of lingering concerns. ***We will also hold our election of officers. We are looking for new board members and welcome your participation!***
Special Location & Time
Woodland Park United Methodist Church – Fellowship Hall
302 North 78th St, Seattle, WA 98103

Tuesday, March 21, 2017
7:00 pm – 8:45 pm

ANTICIPATED AGENDA
7:00 Welcome & Committee Reports (GCC Board)
7:15 Review of Board Roles & Election of Officers

Review
7:30 Recap of blast-related news over past year (GCC Board)

Rebuilding
7:45 Results of relief fundraiser and current art show (Phinney Neighborhood Association)
7:55 Recovery of businesses (Chaco Canyon owner Chris Maykut)

Safety
8:05 Are we safer now? (Puget Sound Energy)
8:20 Q&A

The agenda for this event has not yet been finalized.

Not every meeting will have minutes, but if minutes are published they will be posted here after the event occurs.

Greenwood Community Council

Special Forum on Homelessness

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GCC February Meeting Moved to Wed. March 1
Special Forum on Homelessness  

 

7pm, Wednesday March 1
Greenwood Senior Center
525 N 85th St.

Hundreds of people are living on the streets in Seattle today, with more arriving all the time. There have been several local meetings on new encampment plans, but this one has a different focus: Who are the homeless, why is homelessness growing, what would one-term solutions look like, and how can communities help?

Our three speakers on the front lines responding:

  • The Mayor’s Director of Homelessness George Scarola
  • The Executive Director of Aurora Commons Elizabeth Dahl
  • A representative from Speak Out Seattle!

Mark your calendar now – and watch for more information early next week.

Greenwood Community Council, Transportation

GCC Transportation Committee – 2017 Transportation Issues

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Help Decide Transportation Areas of Advocacy and Action for 2017

Transportation Committee Meeting
Monday, February 20, 7:00 pm 

 

Flying Bike Brewery

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on the Greenwood Community Council’s website with your suggestions for issues to focus on in 2017. The feedback was great, and please feel free to add your thoughts ahead of our next GCC Transportation Committee Meeting on Feb. 20 at Flying Bike Brewery. 

In our meeting on Feb. 20 we’ll look at the list of suggested items, drill into specifics, and decide on actions or advocacy we might take on in the year ahead. Please dave the date, I hope to see you there!

Greenwood Community Council

GCC Land Use Committee – 85th & Phinney Project Design Input

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85th & Phinney Project
Early Design Input

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