VRCC
POB 15218
Seattle, WA 98115-0218

The View Ridger
Vol. 58, No. 1
For the Community and by the Community
January 2000

HAPPY NEW YEAR & NEW MILLENNIUM

As we move into a New Year and Millennium we can look back on a year of successes and some setbacks. It looks as though the efforts of our citizens with regard to the Sand Point Park have been mixed. A great deal of time and effort has been dedicated to this project, and our thanks go out to Jeannette Williams and all those whose efforts go unnamed.

There has been a positive movement for the Friends of View Ridge Playfield. Coincidentally with their activity, the FVRP found out that the Seattle Parks Department had it on their agenda to rework the playground. This will help tremendously in outfitting the area with swings, slides, and other improvements. The needed funds should be easier to gain, and the work will be coordinated with Seattle Parks. The View Ridge Playfield Committee will be contacting View Ridge households and businesses to ask for their support with dollars and labor. Since your View Ridge Community Club is its fiduciary sponsoring this effort, you will need to make your checks out to View Ridge Community Club with a note in the corner that it is for this project.

We tackled the problem of questionable housing construction, and the Department of Design, Construction and Land Use answered with an investigation, which resulted in some structural changes. Representatives of the DCLU attended our Annual meeting and reviewed the new rules governing code violations as well as regulations covering poorly kept property.

Our Candidates Night was well attended and offered a fair insight into the various City Council, School Board, Assessors Office, and Port of Seattle candidates. We also heard the pros and cons of Initiative 695. And it is with us now.

Future items of interest include work parties at Promontory Point, replacing electrical cables in some areas of View Ridge, tree and underbrush clearing along Burke Gillman Trail, and other items you may want to bring to the attention of your trustees.

We look forward to future enhancements of our neighborhood. We have come a long way over the past 50 plus years. Let's do it again in the next 50 for our children and grandchildren.

My best wishes to all, and I welcome your calls.

Bob Lucas, President, View Ridge Community Club.

Please see the February meeting notice at the end of the ViewRidger... Representatives from City Light will be making a presentation regarding the re-occurring outages in View Ridge.

 

2000 Membership Drive

It is time once again to renew membership in the View Ridge Community Club. Each year we ask that you help your club treasury in order to bring you our neighborhood news and fund some ongoing projects. The dues are $5.00 per family, however, many families donate more. Your donations are needed.

A pre-addressed envelope is enclosed for your convenience. Please do not send cash; it could get lost. Remember our major source of income is from View Ridge residents.

It has been said that membership in every organization is made up of four kinds of bones:

We hope that you find that your one of the "back" bones and will support your chosen organization.

 

Thanks to King County Council member Cynthia Sullivan

We have been blessed again this year with a grant of $750 from Ms. Sullivan's office to assist us in the cost of producing the View Ridger. Our cost for the publication is $1,000 to $1,200 per issue, and we try to put out four issues each year. This grant is a huge boost for this effort.

 

Treasurer's Report
12 months as of 12/31/99

Beginning Balance $3,261.35
Income from Dues 3,779.00
Miscellaneous 7.45
Total Income $3,786.45
Expenses
View Ridger $3,155.38
Flyer 34.75
Telephone 34.69
Rent 140.00
PO Box Rent 114.00
Sec. Of State 20.00
Grant to SPLC 500.00
Total Expenses $3,998.82
Ending Balance $3,048.98

 

Promontory Point Urban Habitat Restoration Project

This is a collaborative effort of Seattle Parks and Recreation Division of Sand Point Magnuson Park, The Seattle Audubon Society, and the Magnuson Park Environmental Stewardship Committee.

The needs are many, such as removing invasive plants, planting native plants and trees, installing paths and nature walk surfaces, and installing interpretive signage.

The Volunteer Coordinator is Lauren Braden. She would love to hear that you would like to assist in this project. Please call her at (206) 523-8243, Ext. 14, or you can e-mail her at laurenb@seattleaudubon.org.

 

Sand Point / Magnuson Park Activities Have Begun

Arts, exercise, gardening, sailing, reading, bridge and more are beginning to flourish at Sand Point / Magnuson Park. Many organized groups are establishing regular programs at the park and others are using the facilities on a temporary event basis.

For the past two summers art and drama productions have appeared at Magnuson. The HorseHead and Seattle Arts Commission installed art objects around the park. There is a map of the art objects’ locations at the gate and you tour the park as if on a scavenger hunt searching for them. The projects were large public art showing a lot of imagination, humor, and in some cases beauty. The Sand Point Arts and Cultural Exchange sponsored drama performances, e.g., the imaginatively staged Millennium Circus, which drew lots of people.

Some regular programs include children’s summer day camps, the Base after-school program, Youth Sailing Program, the Senior Activity Program, and the Promontory point restoration gardening Saturdays. The children’s camp activities will be sponsored in the summer by Seahawks, East Madison, University, Shoreline YWCA, the Audubon, and Schmetzer Pro-soccer. For the Youth Sailing program call Dick Rose at 525-2588.

The Senior Activities program has a going MWF 8:30-9:30 aerobics class, a 10:00-12:00 Beginning Bridge class, a Memory Enhancement class on January 28th, an Environmental Drawing class Wed. 11:30 to 1:30, and a Book Group that needs more members to get going. Call Vickie at Senior Adult Programs 386-9106.

For gardening work with the environmental Promontory point group call Lauren Bradden 523-8243 ext. 14.

Regularly scheduled soccer, softball, skateboarding, Ultimate Frisbee, windsurfing, sailing and many other sports such as kite flying and model airplane flying all use this great park. It’s fun to come down and watch even if you aren’t participating.

Some coming special events: in April Arboretum Plant Sale and Friends of the Library: May 2 to July 7 House of Dames in Bldg 2S, and a Book sale also in May; Children's Garden, Pre-school Auction, and NW Schools 20th Anniversary celebration in June; the Seattle Foundation for Public Arts and Broadcasting event in July; an Antique Car Rally and Tree Planting Workshop in August; a Rugby Tournament, Women’s Triathlon, and Skateboarding Championship in September.

 

Sand Point Community Liaison Committee

Jeannette Williams, Chair of the SPCLC advises we read the latest The Sand Pointer with caution. It is written by the staff at the Sand Point Park, and does not always reflect changes as they relate to the plans that were recommended by the City Council and Mayor.

The SPCLC newsletter is on the website and no longer being sent out by mail. The website is www.magnusonpark.org. It has been developed and is maintained by a professional, and promises to be informative. If you want to make comments, e-mail the Committee at csppa@magnusonpark.org.

 

Seahawks at Husky Stadium

Laurelhurst, Ravenna-Bryant, and Northeast District Council (NEDC) have been negotiating with the Seahawks about funding a project to offset some of the impact of the Husky Stadium games. A resolution designating Blakeley Crescent Park as the preferred project has been endorsed by the NEDC, and several community clubs. View Ridge has chosen to withhold approval because this project does nothing to mitigate the affects of the Seahawks at Husky Stadium. This is a site at the crossing of NE 25th and Burke Gillman Trail, a small piece of property northward between the Trail and Blakeley Ave.

If you have opinions that would contradict the VRCC Trustees, please call Bob Lucas or Neale Weaver.

 

Is your view changing or disappearing?
What can we do?

Everything changes. We in View Ridge live in a comfortable environment and change is usually difficult. Trees are growing, houses too. The character of the area is changing, but the complaints heard around VR are all too familiar. For nearly 30 years, the main complaint in VR remains the same. Considering our name, the lament is obvious, ‘What is happening to our view?’ It is often vanishing.

In VR we can pay more than $100,000 in increased valuation taxes because we have such a nice view from our property. Yet all too often you might look out one day and notice that you no longer have that expensive view. This has been true as long as trees have been growing.

Lately, it is often true because the house in front of us growing. It is true for a majority of us because the trees along the lake are growing huge.

Your neighbor loves his trees, and is not that fond of you. The remodeling neighbor is concerned only with his own view and square footage. The Park department likes trees and doesn’t think about your views. What can we do?

There is little legal address except for height and setback limits. The City can’t forbid the inappropriately large, out-of-character, view-blocking house being built in the neighborhood. The tree that blocks your view or your sunshine in the winter is a beautiful asset to its owner and would be valuable to everyone in most settings. It’s going to be a trade-off. In the interest of keeping View Ridge a Community rather than a refuge for troglodytes, we feel that we should offer some service to these threats to a congenial neighborhood.

This was suggested and passed as a resolution of intent by VRCC more than a decade ago. Knowledge and peer-pressure are our only tools. A small grievance committee to hear complaints should be formed that can present a balanced picture. This group could collect pertinent laws, before-and-after pictures, and precedent-setting solutions. From my experience then, it is a large task and needs lots of volunteers. Anyone who agrees with this letter should contact Pres. Bob Lucas and offer to help. Just a day a month would do it.

 

Community Planning

The Seattle Department of Neighbor-hoods tells us that a complaint by a resident caused inspectors at the City Department of Construction & Land Use to review the existence of the METRO Park & Ride lot on 80th, the small red building on Hunters Tree Lot, and the recycling station on the Church Property. They found that both the Park and Ride lot and the small buildings are not properly permitted and not in compliance with zoning requirements. Therefore, by February 2000, the Park & Ride lot will be closed, and the small buildings will have to be demolished.

Those who use the Park and Ride lot are complying with public transportation policy. We are concerned that METRO users will simply start parking on neighborhood streets, or worse drive into town contributing to the already choked freeways.

Also, The Hunters will suffer a loss that raises questions about the need to remove those colorful little buildings and if removal really improves the appearance of the lot.

The situation here is the same as in the Design Plan Review Policy. How do we balance legitimate interests and legal Ordinance?

 

View Ridge Welcomes QFC

Wedgwood QFC quickly became a good neighbor to Wedgwood and View Ridge after a fussy beginning. Parking there is already hard to find.

Credit for the success of the new store goes to both the Wedgwood Community Council and to QFC for working out the best solution for the neighborhood.

Jack Robinson, President of Wedgwood Community Council said, "Frankly, I have never seen or heard a better, more productive, thoughtful, or interactive design review process with a commercial developer than we had with QFC."

QFC agreed with the Community Council that a 24-hour operation would negatively impact the neighborhood. It adopted the 6:00AM to 11:00PM schedule suggested by the Community Council. They also agreed to make the new store the same size as the existing building. In this era of mega stores, this was a major item. QFC also agreed to install sound deadening fencing between the store and its immediate neighbors and to establish a community bulletin board and community table.

Oscar Blaser Wedgwood QFC Manager says that he is very pleased with the reception of the new store. View Ridge welcomes the Wedgwood QFC to the neighborhood and looks forward to years of enjoyable association. We like the newness of the store and the spirit of the employees there.

 

Children's Hospital News

On Wednesday, January 19th, a contractor hired by Children's Hospital began annual tree maintenance activities on their Sand Point Way and NE 70th property. Trees greater than 30' in height are removed annually.

Along the Burke-Gilman trail in this location, Children's Hospital is responsible for trees that are 50 feet or more from the center line of the trail, while City of Seattle Parks manages property within 50 feet of the trail center line.

 

Friends of View Ridge Playfield

Please note our next meeting will be 7:00 PM, February 2. Please put it on your calendar (first Wed. of each month) and join us at the Sand Point Community Church on 70th Street near 46th Ave.

I took on the assignment of keeping all the committees coordinated. At this time, that means getting those of you who did not attend the 1/5 meeting, but who are interested in helping on particular tasks, connected with those who volunteered for work. We divided the tasks into groups listed below. I will list a contact for that group so you can call to get involved. Please don't hesitate. We are all busy and understand you are too.

We will welcome any small piece you can contribute. A lot of people doing small pieces will make this park project happen.

Contact Design and Equipment officer Doug Lane 525-0944 to get involved in researching equipment and work with Eric Gold, the City's Department of Parks landscape architect. Eric will soon be initiating the city's public process to determine the design of the project, so this is one of the groups that will be meeting soon. The City is already spending money on basic park renovation (e.g. new surfaces, drainage, ADA compliance) and Eric is able to help us with design of the additional playground equipment we hope to buy.

Fundraising: Becky Pharr, 523-2533, is the initial contact for this group but will need lots of help. If you are interested fundraising ideas, please call or email Becky.

Volunteers: Lisa Domke, 729-5744, is the contact for this group, which will keep track of people who have pledged to donate time or special skills.

Dick Phillips agreed to be our bookkeeper and timekeeper. In the meantime, keep track of all money and time you spend on this project.

Thanks to all who attended the meeting Wednesday.

 

Meeting February 15, 2000

The February meeting will include a presentation by representatives from Seattle City Light. They will be discussing the continued problems some areas of View Ridge are experiencing with power outages.

Many of you have had these problems following the installation of the underground wiring system that was installed in View Ridge in the early 1970’s. There are plans in the works to rectify these problems and some will be under way by the time of our meeting; however, in order to find out what the future holds, we have asked for this presentation.

Make plans now to attend this meeting. It will be held at the Community Church, 4710 NE 70th Street, at 7:00PM. See you there.

 

View Ridge Community Club Officers

President, Bob Lucas, 7416 52nd Ave. NE, 526-0575
Vice President, Dick Hillmann, 6549 43rd Ave. NE, 526-1944
Secretary, Jo McKinley, 6512 Parkpoint Lane, 527-0372
Treasurer, Duane LaViolette, 7011 47th Ave. NE, 522-6949

View Ridger Editor
Carol Veatch, 6834 51st Ave. NE, 523-8673

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