City of Seattle
Light Rail Station Area Planning
NE Pacific St./NE 45th St.
Station Area Advisory Committee
Tuesday, May 16, 2000 5:30-7:30 PM
University Heights Community Center
5031 University Way NE - Room 110Draft Agenda
Introductions/Review of Agenda.. 5:30
Station Area Planning
Review of Concept Level Recommendations.. 5:45
Review of Station Area Overlay District.. 6:15
Review of proposed P1 Overlay for NE 43rd.. 6:45
Schedule of Public Hearings.. 7:00During the next few months, you will be receiving a series of public hearing notice for the "overlay" and zoning changes we are proposing to City Council for the station areas Many of you have been involved in discussing what these recommendations would be..
In addition, we have submitted our "concept level" recommendations for the station areas to Council. These are less detailed than the "action packages" we have reviewed in past meetings. At this meeting, we want to make sure you are clear on the purpose of the "concept level" recommendations and how all the actions we've worked on together will get implemented.
Council has scheduled or will soon schedule public hearings on both of these issues - so public comment to Council will be welcome.
Questions/Follow Up?
David Goldberg ... 684-8414 ... <davidw.goldberg@ci.seattle.wa.us>
Ron Endlich ... 398-5141 ... <endlichr@soundtransit.org>
Roger Iwata ... 689-4904 ... <iwatar@soundtransit.org>
Upcoming Council Actions
CONCEPT-LEVEL STATION AREA PLANNING RECOMMENDATIONSBackground: Although Sound Transit will build and operate the light rail system itself, including the stations, it is the City of Seattle that regulates land use and owns the streets and sidewalks around the stations. To make light rail a success in Seattle, we need to plan carefully for the areas around the light rail stations to encourage transit-oriented development and to make access improvements to the light rail stations. Station Area Planning is a City of Seattle sponsored program to encourage lively mixed use development, housing, open space, and other community services within walking distance (approximately one-quarter mile) of Seattle's light rail stations. In December 1998, the City Council adopted Resolution 29867, establishing city-wide goals and strategies to promote transit-oriented development.
The City's Station Area Planning team has been at work for over a year, and has held numerous public meetings and workshops in neighborhoods all along the Link light rail line to ensure that the planning effort is responsive to the goals and ideas suggested by community members. "Station Area Advisory Committees" were established for most light rail station neighborhoods to allow interested individuals to guide the planning work. This work also built on the neighborhood plans that were developed in the past five years and adopted by the City Council.
Public Hearings: The Station Area Planning team has submitted to the City Council a resolution that would approve concept-level station area planning recommendations for each Link light rail station in Seattle. The Council's Neighborhoods, Sustainability, and Community Development Committee will hold two public hearings on this resolution:
Monday, May 22, at 6 p.m., at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center, 3515 S. Alaska Street; and
Wednesday, May 24, at 6 p.m., in room 239 of Savery Hall on the University of Washington campus.
The public hearings will begin with a half-hour presentation of the concept-level station area planning recommendations. The committee's review and vote on this legislation is scheduled to take place in late June.
For those who wish to testify, a sign-up sheet will be available at each public hearing one-half hour before the public hearing. Both of these locations are accessible. Print and communications access is provided on prior request. Please contact Councilmember Richard Conlin's office at 684-8805 as soon as possible to request accommodations for a disability.
Written Comments: For those unable to attend the public hearing, comments may be sent by May 24, 2000 to: Councilmember Richard Conlin, 1100 Municipal Building, 600 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.
Information Available: For general information about the City's station area planning work, visit the website at: http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/planning/HomeSAP.htm. The proposed resolution and its attachments are available on-line at http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~public/leghome.htm, by clicking "City Council Resolutions," and then entering Resolution 30165. Copies of the proposed resolution are available at the City Council's offices on the 11th floor of the Seattle Municipal Building, 600 Fourth Avenue; from the Strategic Planning Office (SPO) on the 3rd floor of the Municipal Building; or from DCLU's Public Resource Center, 710 Second Avenue, Suite 200 (Dexter Horton Building), in downtown Seattle. DCLU's Public Resource Center is open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. On Tuesday, hours are 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Questions concerning the proposed resolution may be directed to Jemae Pope of SPO at 684-8674 or via email at: jemae.pope@ci.seattle.wa.us, or to Martha Lester of the City Council's Central Staff at 684-8149 or via email at: martha.lester@ci.seattle.wa.us.
Questions concerning the public hearings on May 22 and 24 may be directed to Tye Ferrell in Councilmember Richard Conlin's office, by calling 684-8805 or via email at: tye.ferrell@ci.seattle.wa.us.
Station Area Rezones and Land Use Code Amendments
Background: Along with the concept-level station area planning recommendations described above, the Station Area Planning team will also submit to the City Council recommended rezones for some station areas, and Land Use Code amendments, both of which will help implement the station area planning recommendations.The schedule for Council review and actions is still tentative. The current schedule is that the proposed legislation will be submitted in stages to the Council. The first stage would be to extend the existing Interim Station Area Overlay District and to submit legislation enabling the establishment of permanent Station Area Overlay Districts (this would allow future designation of permanent Overlay Districts in station areas). This would be submitted to Council's Landlord/Tenant and Land Use Committee in late May, with hearings in July (probably one hearing in the Rainier Valley, and one hearing in the Capitol Hill/First Hill neighborhood ). Then, it is anticipated that legislation would be introduced in mid-July for specific rezones, Land Use Code amendments and the establishme nt of permanent Station Area Overlay Districts. For information on the rezones, contact John Shaw of DCLU at 684-5837 or via email at: john.shaw@ci.seattle.wa.us. For information on the Land Use Code amendments, contact Mike Podowski of DCLU at 386-1988 or via e-mail at: mike.podowski@ci.seattle.wa.us. For information on the review schedule, including specific dates, times, and places for the public hearings, contact Esther Wilson of SPO at 684-8542 or via email at: esther.wilson@ci.seattle.wa.us.
General Information About Sound Transit:
Visit the Sound Transit website at: www.soundtransit.org.