Summary From LCC's Recent Annual Meeting

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) published this information in a recent newsletter:

Neighbors Gather for Annual Meeting

 It was a full house as neighbors met at the Laurelhurst Community Center for the Annual Meeting to hear Spencer Howard, Historic Preservationist and LCC’s expert talk about Talaris preservation. 

As is obvious by overlaying Quadrant Homes proposed development of the site that includes 67 single-family residences, neither the landmarked landscape design nor all of the buildings would be preserved and protected as required. National standards are applied to landmarked properties and must be adhered to throughout any redevelopment. Mr. Howard provided a detailed analysis of the proposed impacts including removal of 37 to 63 percent of trees. 

Mr. Howard also noted that Quadrant does not yet own the property. There still has not been any official design review and the full Seattle Landmark Preservation Board has not weighed in. Quadrant reps have said each lot would be individually prepared and the entire property would not be bulldozed – actions inconsistent with landscape preservation. 

The second speaker was Queen Anne Community Council president Martin Henry Kaplan, who spoke briefly and passionately on the consequences of duplexing and triplexing of single-family zones. Seattle City Council voted unanimously to largely deregulate accessory dwelling units. No ownership will be required, opening up an array of concerns including land speculation. 

The third topic of the evening was a brief overview of LEAD – Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion. This relatively new approach allows law enforcement officers to redirect low-level offenders to community-based services instead of jail and prosecution. The program was developed and launched in Belltown in 2011. The initial successes have been very encouraging, and the program is expanding as funding becomes available. This is a project of the SPD North Precinct and UW. For more information contact LEAD Seattle, King Co. Project Director: Tara Moss, Tara.Moss@Defender.or, 206-392-0050. 

The meeting also included the election of trustees Katherine Burk, Emily Dexter, Colleen McAleer, Jim Rupp, Connie Sidles, Jan Sutter, and Stan Sorcher. Trustees Robin Chalmers and John Temple retired.