Monday Laurelhurst Community Club Annual Meeting

On Monday from 6:15-8pm, the Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) is holding its Annual Neighbors meeting, open to all neighbors, at the Laurelhurst Community Center in the Fireside Room. The social time with neighbors and LCC Trustees includes snacks beginning at 6:15pm, and the program will be from 6:30-8:00pm.


The program includes:

Talaris/Quadrant proposed development and historic preservation and Seattle Historic Landmark status LCC's historic expert, Spencer Howard, will discuss how that status affects potential development parameters. 

Seattle's team experts from the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program will discuss how they have successfully implemented this model to gradually reduce homelessness using its LEAD techniques.

LCC told the Laurelhurst Blog "The presentations are compelling presentations, and not to be missed. Please be there, and ask your neighbors to join us for refreshments, and an evening of interest!"

The 17.8 acre Talaris campus (4000 NE 41st Street) was sold to Quadrant Homes in last year, who, proposes to build 63 single-family homes on large lots that could sell for about $2 million each, according to a recent article in the Seattle Times and Daily Journal of Commerce.

The plan would keep some of the existing buildings and park space, including the existing conference center and four other buildings, and two ponds. Two other small buildings, including Building G, housing a lodge, would be demolished.

The site, built in 1967, was originally owned by Battelle Memorial Institute. In 1997 Era Care Communities purchased the property for $6,125,000 and it was developed into Talaris Institute which focused on infant and early learning research of the brain. In 2000, Bruce Mc Caw under the name 4000 Property LLC of Bellevue, purchased the property for $15,630,000. The county has assessed the property at $14 million and sold in 2000 for $15.6 million.

The property, when sold several decades ago, included an underlying Settlement Agreement in which Battelle Neighbors and the Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) are partnered together with the land owners of the parcel.  The Settlement Agreement specifically states that major institutions can't operate within this property (no hospitals, colleges, etc).  And the Settlement Agreement has specific restrictions attached which specifies the use of the property to protect the quality of life in the adjacent neighborhood.

The property was designated with landmark status in November 2013, which dictates that specific controls define certain features of the landmark to be preserved and a Certificate of Approval process is needed for changes to those features. Some incentives and controls included in the City's ruling are zoning variances, building code exceptions, and financial incentives, which are protected, as stated on the City's Landmark and Designation website.

For decades, neighbors were free to stroll the grounds, until 2013, when Talaris suddenly put up "No Trespassing" signs and installed a four feet chain link fencing in 2013, as well putting up a main driveway barricade, fence on northwest side and a surveillance camera.  Neighbors were no longer allowed to use the large grassy meadow area where generations of kids practiced soccer and the past few years the grounds facing NE 41st Street are often neglected and grass not consistently mowed. 

The Laurelhurst Community Club, has been involved with the site forover 30 years, working to ensure the property is well integrated with the neighborhood by closely monitoring proposed development.  LCC has also worked with current owners in lobbying for better property maintenance. 

LCC's other priorities in partnering with the owners are maintaining open space, the eagle's habitat and valuable mature trees, supporting and enhancing property values and character of the entire Laurelhurst neighborhood and minimizing traffic impacts on all neighborhood streets and access points.

 

Please join neighbors for social time before the program.