Subscribe Now To Laurelhurst Private Security Patrol

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC), recently sent out a newsletterto all neighbors regarding  subscription to the Private Security Patrol, which covers the entire neighborhood area south of Sand Point Way from Mary Gates Way to NE 55th Street for $200 per year.

LCC told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff that the success of the patrol, now in its fourteenth year,  "depends on neighbor participation - the more families that subscribe, the more coverage the patrol can offer."

A uniformed, off-duty Seattle Police officers patrol the neighborhood approximately six nights/days a week for five hours each shift.  Nights and hours will vary depending on funding received. The officer carries a police radio and police firearms and drives an unmarked personal vehicle. The officer monitors incoming 911 calls and responds to neighborhood calls, vacation checks, while on patrol as well as working with the official response from the on-duty police officers.

To participate, neighbors can use LCC’s secure on-line payment option (preferred) at www.laurel­hurstcc.com, or send a $200 check payable to LCC Laurelhurst Community Club, PMB #373, 4616 25th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98105.  When paying by check, include name, address, email, and emergency contact information.   

The Stranger posted an article about neighborhood private security patrols.

In 2015, KIRO TV published a report on the Laurelhurst Neighborhood Security Patrol (below) and the Security Patrol was also mentioned in an article in the Seattle Times in November.

For more information or for questions email crimeprevention@laurelhurstcc.com. 

Neighbor's Interesting History On Sand Point Way, Still a State Highway

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

Sand Point Way and State Route 513 

Written by Jim Rupp, LCC trustee and historian 

If you are using a navigation app when you leave Laurelhurst on Mary Gates Drive, the voice will direct you to turn onto NE 45th Street, and some apps will also refer to “State Route 513.” What’s that all about? 

Well, the 3.35-mile stretch starting at the 520 Interchange, proceeding over the Montlake Bridge and along Montlake Boulevard, then on Sand Point Way up to the entrance to Magnuson Park at Northeast 65th Street, is still a state highway. It is a remnant of a longer highway whose origins can be traced way back to 1864 and at one time it extended from downtown Seattle to the city limits at NE 145th Street. 

Much of State Route 513 was created in preparation for the AlaskaYukon-Pacific exposition, Seattle’s first world’s fair, held on the UW campus in 1909. At that time, the eastern edge of Montlake Boulevard, where the UW parking lot is now located, was marshland full of cattails. 

It was still true in 1934, when my father and his UW fraternity brothers gathered cattails to decorate for a fraternity party. In 1971 the highway’s southern terminus was shortened to begin at Highway 520, then in 1991 the north end was terminated at Magnuson Park. Our odd little stretch of highway is part of the National Highway System, which identifies it as an asset of importance to the national economy, defense, and mobility. 

The state still has jurisdiction over State Route 513, which is why, until 2021, its 35 mph speed limit was higher than that of surrounding streets. That higher limit was authorized by the Washington State Highway Commission in the 1970s, when my dad was a member of the Commission. About a week after that change was implemented, my mother was driving home about 11:30 p.m., from a bridge game in Washington Park, when she was pulled over near Hec Edmundson Pavilion for speeding. “Well officer,” she said, “I’m quite sure I wasn’t speeding because my husband is on the State Highway Commission and I know they changed the speed limit here to 35.” The officer told her she was wrong and gave her a ticket, BUT along about midnight our doorbell rang and there was the officer. He apologized to my mother and took back the ticket. Mom was right again. 

Last year the state agreed with the city that a 30 mph speed limit would be safer, so new speed limit signs were installed in March of 2021. This was part of the city’s ongoing efforts help end traffic deaths and serious injuries by lowering speed limits here and there. 

Comment On Proposed Tree Ordinance

 

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) shared this information:

Proposed Tree Ordinance Lacks Protections Please email your comments no later than April 4. The March issue of the Laurelhurst Letter detailed LCC's concerns regarding the City's attempt to protect the tree canopy through revised legislation. Open the link here. “This new tree ordinance, if passed, will impact our quality of life for decades to come. By allowing large trees to be cut down in favor of increasing the heat islands of Seattle, we are dooming ourselves, our children, and our grandchildren to a life devoid of much of our tree canopy. This will mean worse heat waves, worse air, more polluted runoff, likely more landslides, fewer wild birds, and a serious loss of all the mental health benefits that tree canopies provide.” — LCC trustee Connie Sidles  What You Can Do • Write, email, or call your City Council representatives. • Write, email, or call Mayor Harrell. • Write, email, or call Gordon Clowers, SDCI Urban Planner, Cell: 206-679-8030 • Ask everyone on your own contact list who lives in Seattle to write/email/call. • Ask your kids and grandkids to send a letter, maybe with a picture. After all, it is our kids who will suffer most from this proposal. Click here to review the SDCI Tree Protection Project Documents. The proposed tree ordinance is open for public comment until 4 p.m. April 4. Specific support and objections to the proposal should be sent to: Gordon.Clowers@Seattle.gov.   SDCI’s Determination of Non-significance (DNS) states that the proposed tree code does not have a significant impact on the City’s tree canopy. An excerpt from The Seattle Audubon Society comment letter regarding disagrees writing: “… a major part of our tree code is how and when tree removal may occur. This is true for current code and the proposed update. Yet, there is little discussion in the DNS of anticipated effects on tree removal rates, tree replacement rates, or how the update attempts to minimize harm to communities from tree removal and maximize mitigation through replacement. This makes the degree to which the proposed update will serve as an effective tool to help meet the City’s stated canopy and environmental justice goals difficult to ascertain. To read the entire letter, click here.

Update On Aging Sprinklers on NE 41st Street Median

 The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) published an update about the long-time faulty irrigation system on the NE 41st Street median. The irrigation has had ongoing leaks and problems for many years. 

In 2014, residents living near the Center for Urban Horticulture reported major irrigation leaks in the strip between the Center for Urban Horticulture east entrance and Surber Drive NE. One resident said that there were "several curbside busted sprinkler heads that are gushing water" and that there was a " river of water running along the curb."

The UW Botanic Gardens said, at the time, that the leaks were coming from the seven non-operational valves and broken sprinklers.  He added that "the public probably thinks this is UW jurisdiction and wondering why it has not been repaired. It does not reflect a good public image to our organization as it relates to water conservation either."

The UW Irrigation Maintenance Mechanic Lead was able to turn down the valves and said that "it looked like they had not been serviced for years. There were broken sprinklers, plugged sprinklers, malfunctioning sprinklers, and possible broken piping. I turned down the valves themselves so that no water will run for now. They should not be run until significant repairs are made."

After conducting a survey of the immediate area to see if he could locate the water source or the controller he said that "Someone is turning it on and off as it does not run all year long. But it is not the UW. It is entirely possible that the water and the controls are coming from a neighboring house."  After more investigation by UW that that the actual irrigation controller is located in one of the adjacent homes.

The particular strip of landscaping belongs to the Laurelhurst Community and the City pays for the water.   

LCC published this information in a recent newsletter:

LCC Working With City On NE 41st Street Sprinklers 

Several LCC trustees have been working with the City of Seattle over the past year to develop a solution to address the aging sprinkler system problems on the NE 41st Street medians.

The seven medians were a collaboration in the 1980s between the City of Seattle (SDOT), the University of Washington, the Battelle Memorial Institute, and the Laurelhurst Community Club. The irrigation system was originally installed and operated by SDOT. 

Over the years, maintenance was neglected by SDOT and UW, leaving LCC to bear the entire expense of keeping the sprinkler system functional at a cost of several thousand dollars. 

Last fall, the SDOT irrigation team came out to assess the situation and determine the best course of action to update the system to reduce water waste.

In early February, SDOT installed new sprinkler controls, upgraded many of the sprinkler heads and installed an RF transmitter to remotely monitor the system for efficiency. They also re-routed a control box that had been located in a private garage back into the median. 

With SDOT upgrading its maintenance of the sprinkler system, LCC will be able to utilize the NE 41st Street median funds to improve the condition of the plants and landscape. These funds are raised through neighborhood donations during LCC’s annual dues drive. Occasional work parties organized by neighbors also contribute to median vegetation maintenance. 

The City recognizes Laurelhurst’s consistent efforts to maintain the trees, shrubs, and vegetation on these public medians, as well as those on the Boulevard (43rd Avenue NE). Because of our community’s participation and donations to keep up these City properties, SDOT was receptive to finding a solution to repair and upgrade the sprinkler system. 

LCC Urges Support of New Bill To Require Tree Providers To Register Before Conducting Work

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) would like to urge neighbors to support City Council CB120207, sponsored by District 4 Councilmember Alex Pedersen, that requires registration of tree care providers within the City of Seattle.

To support this bill, LCC advises to email City Council members at Council@seattle.gov  by Friday at 5pm. 

The City websites says:

This is an ordinance relating to land use and urban forestry; adding a tree service provider registration procedure and requirement. The proposed legislation also requires that public notice be posted before any major tree removal occurs. 25.11.095 Tree service provider registration Establish a public registration system for tree service providers operating within Seattle. Starting 10 November 10, 2022, after the Director has established the application process and public 11 registry, no tree service provider may conduct commercial tree work unless it is listed on the 12 City’s tree service provider public registry. Any commercial tree work must be done by a registered tree service provider who must be registered by the Director before it may conduct commercial tree work unless otherwise provided in subsection 25.11.095.A. Registered tree service providers are required to renew annually which require submittal to the Director. Registration shall be issued by the Director to each applicant meeting the following requirements: 1) Possesses a current and valid Seattle business license 2) Has at least one employee or a person on retainer who is a currently credentialed International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) certified arborist trained and knowledgeable to conduct work in compliance with American National Standards Institute 3) Acknowledges in writing knowledge of City codes applicable to commercial tree work 4) Is not currently under suspension from registration under Section 25.11.100 and does not have any outstanding fines or penalties related to commercial tree work activities owed The City of Seattle 5) Possesses a current and valid Washington State contractor registration and a current certificate of insurance with an amount of insurance coverage determined by the Director. Tree service provider activities: Provide the registered tree service provider’s hiring entity with a notice at least three business days in advance of 4 the commercial tree work to include brief description of the commercial tree work, registered tree service provider, maintenance or that involves removal of any trees 6 inches or greater diameter at breast height and identifies whether said tree meets the City’s definition of exceptional, provide a copy of the tree service provider’s registration; and indicate whether a permit is required for the commercial tree and provide if so. A registered tree service provider is responsible for complying with best 14 practices applicable to the particular commercial tree work for which they are retained - including: determination of the commercial tree work needed to justify removal or pruning outside of the routine pruning operations and maintenance, maintaining adequate supervisory control over workers conducting commercial tree work, apply for the hazardous tree removal permit must either have an employee who is currently credentialed with an ISA Tree Risk Assessment Qualification, submit documents including a brief report that summarizes the factors contributing to the tree’s risk rating, including overall health of the tree, dimensions and structure of the tree, and analysis of potential targets should it or major parts of it fall. If the tree does not meet the City’s definition of exceptional, the registered tree service provider that submits the hazardous tree removal permit application may also perform the removal or major pruning of the tree. If the tree meets the City’s definition of exceptional, the registered tree service provider shall engage another registered tree service provider to independently assess the tree and submit the application for its removal.

For more information go here. 

Tonight Neighborhood Monthly Meeting

 

Tonight at 6:30pm, the Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) is holding its monthly Board meeting via Zoom.

Colleen, LCC President told the Laurelhurst Blog " All are invited as always."

Here is the agenda:

6:30  Welcome 

Administration

• Public Comments
• Calls/Concerns from neighbors
• November minutes
• Website Upgrades
• Treasurer's Report
• Sock Drive till 12/17

6:45 

• Crime/ Security Patrol/SPD North Precinct updates

7:00

• Parks and Recreation-programming plans

7:15

• Fees for dues/median maintenance 2022

7:20

• Talaris 
• Seattle Children and SAC
• Hospital new building access

7:40

• Tree retention vs rezone to rowhouses

7:50

• State redistricting 43/46

8:00

• Adjourn

For more information about LCC go here.

Wednesday Give Input On Potential Closing of Laurelhurst Community Center

 

On Wednesday at 5:30pm, neighbors can give a 2 minute speech at the City Budget Public Hearing to give comments on thee fate of the Laurelhurst Community Center.

The public can sign up two hours in advance using this link. After registering, a confirmation email with instructions, the approximate number speakers and the order.  Each speaker must dial into the assigned phone number within about 30 minutes of the assigned time slot and wait to speak, which is done by pressing *6.  After a 10-second warning, the call will drop.

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) sent out this information to the community:

Take this opportunity to speak or write an email to each City Councilmember (email addresses listed below) at the City's Budget Public Hearing requesting Seattle Parks and Recreation retain programming and keep the doors open at Laurelhurst Community Center in 2022. 

The community can also request that City Councilmembers support Councilmember Pedersen's amendment to retain $190,000 for programming which invests in the public health of people of all ages and needs throughout the City. 

Seattle Parks and Recreation has proposed a 24.8 percent total increase in funding, while proposing to completely close the Laurelhurst Community Center to “balance” its $287 million budget. This community center costs a mere $190,000 to operate. Pre-Covid, it offered more than 39 classes of programming from tots to seniors, after-school classes, provided open play for young children, and fee-based meeting spaces for organizations and nonprofits such as emergency preparedness. It also hosts the Spring Egg Hunt and Salmon Bake. This community center is used by many nearby Northeast neighborhood residents including Hawthorne Hills, Bryant, View Ridge, and Windermere, as well as families who have siblings at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and UW student families. The center’s operation budget is .0067 of the total SPR budget. Its expenses could be supplemented by weekend rental fees. 

The community center is walkable for recreation, centrally located, and serves at least 2,800 existing residents with 1,303 new rental units within a mile, including many affordable housing units, to be occupied next year. This center is also adjacent to the public elementary school whose students are 45 percent of color and 31 percent are low-income families. SPR runs its after-hours gym programs for the elementary age youth. The new 31/32 Metro bus is stop is only two blocks away for City-wide access. 

Magnuson Park and Green Lake community centers, north of the Ship Canal, will be under construction over the next two years, drastically reducing public affordable programs and meeting space. 

Seattle Parks and Recreation should not cut programming and close ANY of its community centers for budget reasons.

The Laurelhurst Community Club learned that "buried in the 2022 Mayor's budget is the closure of one of the City's 26 community centers. Ours." as they wrote in a recent newsletter.


The LCC newsletter also included this information:

In the budget, Parks and Recreation unilaterally changed the center's purpose from a facility that serves the community to that of a "premium rental facility” to generate revenue in support of pop-up activities around the City. This is a complete shut down of community programming at the center. 

The process of the proposed closure was not transparent. There was no outreach from Parks and Recreation to LCC or to its Laurelhurst Advisory Committee, no public meetings, no disclosure to our District 4 City Councilmember. It is just buried on page 103 in the City's Budget book. 

All City community centers should remain public facilities, not exclusive private rentals for the Department of Parks and Recreation. Closing ANY of the City's community centers to convert them to exclusive private rental facilities sets the wrong precedent that Parks and Recreation can make unilateral decisions about the use and future of the City's public facilities. Closing a center in the community it was established to serve is not just. 

Surrounding neighbors donated the original land and community center building to the City by in 1927 as a "recreational" facility for the entire public. For 94 consecutive years, Parks and Recreation has operated center programming.

Councilmember Pedersen told the Laurelhurst Blog:

Hi, Laurelhurst Blog,

Thanks for alerting neighbors about Mayor Durkan’s unfortunate decision to try to close the Laurelhurst Community Center! 

I wanted to make sure you saw the amendment I introduced and pitched at our Council’s Budget Committee meeting this week in hopes of restoring the funds to keep the center open. 

It might be helpful to ask readers to ask Councilmembers to support my amendment specifically. Also, they can reach all 9 Councilmembers using the following email address: Council@seattle.gov. Here is the Mayor's email address: Jenny.Durkan@seattle.gov .

The amendment states:

This Council Budget Amendment would add $190,000 GF ongoing to Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) to sustain the current use of the Laurelhurst Community Center. 

The 2022 Proposed Budget ends this facility’s use by the public and its programming and regular staffing by SPR employees and converts it instead to availability for rental.

The Laurelhurst Community Center is connected by a bridge to the adjacent elementary school, where 45 percent of students are Black, indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) and 31 percent of students’ families are low income. These demographics are consistent with those of typical users of the community center.

Neighbors were sent this information from Laurie Dunlap Superintendent’s Office, Seattle Parks and Recreation, when sending in comments:

Dear community member,
Thank you for writing about changes for Laurelhurst Community Center in the proposed budget for 2022. We appreciate what an asset Laurelhurst Community Center has long been for the Laurelhurst neighborhood, with its programs for seniors, youth, and others, and with its signature events like the Salmon Bake.
For 2022, we made the difficult decision to transition Laurelhurst from a full-service community center to a rental and event space. Some of its historic programming will take place at nearby centers, but it will no longer function as a Seattle Parks and Recreation community center. 

We do anticipate programs and events continuing to be offered at Laurelhurst through the outside organizations that rent the facility. We made this decision in order to prioritize our limited resources toward the goal of EQUITABLE SERVICE DELIVER. 

The funds that had paid for recreation staffing at Laurelhurst are proposed to create a pilot program that provides free, pop-up recreation programming in streets, parking lots, and parks in low-income neighborhoods as an ongoing Seattle Parks and Recreation program.   

Here is more information about the City Council budget process currently considering this change, including information on how to participate in the upcoming public hearings on November 10 and November 18.

For more information go here.


Councilmembers email addresses:
council@seattle.gov
Teresa.Mosqueda@seattle.gov
Dan.Strauss@seattle.gov
Andrew.Lewis@seattle.gov
Alex.Pedersen@seattle.gov
Tammy.Morales@seattle.gov
Lorena.Gonzalez@seattle.gov
Lisa.Herbold@seattle.gov
Kshama.Sawant@seattle.gov
Debora.Juarez@seattle.gov
Jesus.Aguirre@seattle.gov
Jenny.Durkan@seattle.gov

Talaris Development Update

The Laurelhurst Blog has received numerous email asking about the status of the Talaris redevelopment.

The Laurehurst Community Club (LCC) recently told the Laurelhurst Blog that Talaris, managed by Pistol Creek is still in the SDCI permitting process, which has been going on for over a year now, as well as the Historic Landmark Preservation approval process. 

LCC added "Nothing has changed from last year as of yet, except for the recent big clean up which was long overdue." Very tall weeds covered one of the roads making undrivable. Recently the main road used for years to enter the property has been closed and the secondary one that was covered in weeds is open during the day.

The large grassy area on Mary Gates Drive was also finally mowed.

LCC said they have not heard anything specific from the owners, except they received approval for removing about 11 dead trees that fell over in mid August, 2021.

LCC's published this information in their September newsletter:

The 18 acre Talaris campus  has been unoccupied since October of 2019 when Quadrant Homes unexpectedly  pulled out of an contingent deal with site's owner to buy and develop the property.

For the past two years the site has not had any active use and the landscaping has been neglected with fallen trees, and  with  grass overgrown to a fire hazard level. In addition, an additional cyclone style temporary "security " fence was installed in violation of the historic landscape requirements. 

On August 11th, LCC noted the arrival of numerous chipper trucks on the site, and contacted the owner for information. The response was that the site was undergoing a big clean up as a good faith gesture to the neighborhood, and in preparation for potential lease/sale opportunities.  The dead trees were removed, the interior of the site was cleaned out, the perimeter along NE 41st Street was mowed, and the pond that had dried out was cleared out, and scraped down to the pond's clay bottom. The intent in future plans is to re-fill with water this fall after it was cleaned of debris. 

The temporary galvanized fence was finally removed on August 18th, leaving the black one that was installed on  September 12, 2013, the day before the site and buildings were designated by the City as historic landmarks. 

LCC continues to meet with the site's owners about potential development plans, as well as participate in the public comment processes of the City's land use and its historic preservation board.

LCC's July/August LCC newsletter said:

Talaris Update

On June 16, the owner of the landmarked Talaris site requested approval from the Seattle Landmark Preservation Board for a 12- or six-month extension on their current permit for development. The Board approved only six months, with several members expressing concern about the current conditions on the site and the need for more frequent updates. The owner also is pressing the Board to approve more temporary fencing, which is not part of the original site design. 

In September 2020, the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection (SDCI) determined that the owner’s proposed plans warranted an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement), requiring the study of the potential impacts from implementation of various development alternatives. Historic preservation, retention of exceptional trees, water, waste, and traffic impacts are examples of impacts that must be evaluated before any permit is issued. The EIS is in process.

 

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.

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.

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 for over 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. 

The Laurelhurst Blog posted about the owners of Talaris violating the landmarks agreement with the City, by installing a chain link fence last month at the 7.8 acre Talaris campus (4000 NE 41st Street).  Shortly after, the Landmarks Preservation Board listed on their meeting agenda for Talaris: "proposed perimeter fencing- retroactive."

In 2018, Talaris removed a large oak tree with proper approval from the Landmarks Preservation Board and asked for retroactive Certificate of Approval from the City, violating the Landmarks agreement.

And in April 2016, Talaris again cut down trees without proper approval from the City Landmarks Board and after the trees were cut down, then requested a retroactive Certificate of Approval from the City.

And again, in November 2013, Talaris also cut down another tree with approval from the Landmarks Board and then suddenly got a retroactive certificate in place after the trees were cut down.  

In February of this year, neighbors reported a homeless man living on the property. The site manager, living on the property had to use pepper spray to provide some distance between himself and the male,  It was reported that the male left when Seattle Police asked him to leave or be under arrest. Neighbors have reported he is still on the property from time to time leaving traces of needles.  

Affordable Talaris, made up of individuals, want to turn the large property into affordable housing, which would require an upzone of the Talaris property.. Their most recent update says: "We have expanded the scope of our efforts to advocate for a new urban village in the area around the Talaris parcel in the next Comprehensive Plan update."

It has been reported that the group has never reached out to the Laurelhurst Community Club, though they put LCC on their documents, which was not authorized.  It is also reported that they won't  respond to LCC.

Neighbors believe that is not a good fit for the property.  One neighbor commented that it's private property, not City, so can't be deemed as affordable and it's also not near to Transit usually where affordable housing is usually located.  And the massive development at Blakely is all have affordable housing that was required. 

It has been reported that several groups have come forward interested in buying the property. However, nothing has moved forward.  Several are Jeff Granville, with a non-profit called Mindful Presents , who expressed interest in developing the site as wellness center.   Another group, Harmony Hill, that work with cancer survival patients were interested. 

The once beautiful campus is now covered in overgrown weeds, enormous blackberry bushes, trees fallen across once were roads around the campus, most of the buildings in disrepair, the beautiful pond is filled with brown water and the grass on the entire campus is overgrown and very tall.  

In August the Business Journal published this information:

Quadrant's plan for Battelle/Talaris campus heads into city SEPA review

Rendering by Bassenian Lagoni 

The basic plan is for 65 houses on the 18-acre campus in Laurelhurst. Two of the original nine landmarked buildings would be removed.

 

A nearby neighbor said:

This is a precious piece of land and to destroy it due to greed would be a travesty. It is said that the owners deserve a return on their money but not at the expense of a natural resource which is irreplaceable.  And they maybe should have done due diligence BEFORE buying.

Details on the proposed land use action, EIS scoping, and public meeting can be found in this notice issued by SDCI.  

Wednesday Important Hospital Development Meeting To Impact North Laurelhurst and Ongoing Inaccuracies With Hospital's MIMP Report

 

On Wednesday, the 22nd, from 6-8pm, the community is invited to attend the 27th meeting in the series of Children Hospital Meetings with the SAC (Standing Advisory Committee) to hear about specific plans for the next phase of development, "Copper Project" - a surgery pavilion and parking garage at the north end of Laurelhurst, in the area of 45th Avenue NE and NE 50th Streets.

The two new proposed 37 foot tall buildings, connected by a bridge span, will be viewable by those living in that area, according to images prepared by the Hospital's contracted design firm. Parking for 1,138 vehicles is also proposed.

The buildings and a new road will be situated close to the perimeter of the Hospital and residential boundaries. As neighbors have expressed in over 100 pages of comments submitted to the City, there will be significant  and permanent impacts affecting the livability of the neighborhood.

The public is invited to give comments at 6:50pm on Wednesday. Sign-up here up until 2 hours before the start of the meeting.  Written comments can be submitted anytime, but in ample time to give the SAC adequate time to review. Send comments to nelson.pesigan@seattle.gov.

Here are the meeting materials:

• WebEx Meeting Link.  Dial-in/Access Code: 408-418-9388 / 2496 477 2633
• Here is where public comments are posted
• Here is the 2020 Annual Report
• MUP Public Comment (submitted 2/2/21 according to DON (Dept of Neighborhoods)
• SAC Meeting Notice/Agenda
• Seattle Children's Annual Report Presentation

Here is the agenda:

• Welcome /Introductions of SAC members 
• Committee Update/ 
• 2020 Annual Report Presentation
• 6:50 - Public Comment 
• Committee Deliberation 
• Adjournment and scheduling of next meeting 

DON (Department of Neighborhoods) was accepting applications through August for new members to fill open positions on the Committee which  is composed of 15 representatives, and  alternates, including a non-management representative from Seattle Children’s Hospital. (See below for duties and membership rules.)

A full SAC committee is comprised of 15 regular members from across various neighborhoods and 4 alternates (SAC bylaws, Article II, Section 1)

Nelson said that alternates may participate in meetings and may vote in the absence of a voting member (SAC Bylaws, Article II, Section 1 and Article IV, Section 7). Alternate members can choose to remain as alternates).

According to Nelson Pesigan, Administrative Staff Analyst with Major Institutions & Schools Program for DON, there are currently 11 regular members and 1 alternate member.

There are 4 open positions of which applications were taken from residents residing in Laurelhurst, Montlake, and Ravenna/Bryant, 

"The SAC By-laws do not indicate membership percentage requirements by neighborhood," Nelson told the Laurelhurst Blog.

He added that according to the (SAC bylaws Article IV, Section 3) upon resignation or removal of a member, replacements will be appointed from the list of alternate members that has been established.

A Laurelhurst resident, also serving as Chairperson, recently stepped down. Nelson said that 

"Committee members can submit nominations and vote for a new chair at the meeting. Since the chairperson is vacant, Karen Wolf is acting as the chairperson on an interim basis." (SAC bylaws, Article III, Sections 2 and 3)

He added that "the vacant position is for the chairperson. Committee members can choose and decide to vote for a chairperson."

For tonight' meeting Nelson said that 10 SAC members accepted the meeting. The quorum is 7. 

The Children's Hospital SAC meeting that was supposed to take place on July 13th was  postponed, as was the December 2020 one, for similar reasons.. 

The meeting reportedly ran into several difficulties and a motion was made to stop the meeting immediately. First, the City's Department of Neighborhoods did not send out the presentation slide deck until the morning of the meeting, giving SAC members very little time to review the slides to be prepared for the meeting. The general timeframe is supposed to be at least one week.

Second, SAC members communicated that the 2020 MIMP Annual Report had many inconsistencies and inaccuracies and it was requested that they be corrected for the next meeting.

However, it has been reported that many of the inconsistencies have still not been corrected in the MIMP report, for the Wednesday meeting. 

Nelson told the Laurelhurst Blog "The Annual Report that is posted is the document that DON received from Children’s on 2/2/2021."

It is also a concern that the slide show presentation and MIMP report will not match and the MIMP is what is on file for the public to view. 

Neighbors have communicated that it is mandatory that the Hospital prove that the MIMP Report has been amended so that it is consistent with the slides.

The SAC expressed in prior meetings that it cannot accurately review the ongoing progress made in meeting the conditions of the Master Plan and approving it if the 2020 MIMP Report is inaccurate and the Hospital falsely claiming that they have met the Conditions.  

Reported inaccuracies of 2020 MIMP:

• Condition 15 not met as stated: “Children’s Complied with [City Council Condition 15].” (2020 MIMP Report, paragraph 15, PDF page 13):

Children’s shall create and maintain a Standing Advisory Committee (SAC) to review and comment on all proposed and potential projects prior to submission of their respective Master Use Permit applications. The SAC shall use the Design Guidance Guidelines for their evaluation.

• The SAC is to review and comment and advise the City and Children’s Hospital on the development that is occurring under the provisions of the Children’s Hospital Major Institution Master Plan before Children’s submits its MUP application to the City.
• Children’s submitted its Master Use Permit for Project Copper on July 7, 2020. Since the first SAC meeting for Project Copper was held on August 31, 2020, the Hospital did not meet with the SAC prior to submitting its Master Use Permit.
• The MUP states: “Seattle Children's submitted a Master Use Permit application for SDCI review on July 7, 2020" – this should be removed as it seems there is no pending application at the City. [2020 MIMP Report, PDF page 3]
• The Hospital withdrew its July 2020 Master Use Permit application and was to start and submit a new permit. However the MIMP report states (page 3): “Seattle Children's submitted a Master Use Permit application for SDCI review on July 7, 2020" which is reportedly not accurate and appears as if it needs to be removed from the report, as at this time there is no pending application.
• The report incorrectly states that the next phase of construction was presented to the SAC on June 25 of last year, including showing a design presentation. However the SAC did not meet on that date. Maureen Sheehan, with DON, sent email with a YouTube link with the design presentation, however that is not the same as a formal SAC meeting. Maureen did not state that the YouTube was to be a substitute for the meeting or notify the SAC of the short response timeframe.
• There was no notice in the email or video that the Hospital was going to submit Project Copper to SDCI before a SAC meeting took place. And the SAC was given very short notice in which to review the document.
• No notice was given to the SAC that the Youtube video was supposed to take the place of a SAC meeting. To the contrary, the July 1 email states “We are planning to hold the first in a series of on-line Standing Advisory Committee meetings to receive a detailed project presentation and review and comment on Project Copper later this Summer.”
• The meeting presentations states “Surgical Capacity Expansion: Project Copper – MUP paused.” However, the 2020 MIMP Report describes the project in detail and suggest that Project Copper is ongoing. [2020 MIMP Report, PDF page 3]
• It is not clear when Children’s issued its 2020 Annual Report. The Report indicates that Project Copper is going forward when, in fact, Children’s had withdrawn its MUP application. There needs an additional update to the MIMP report that in fact, Children’s has withdrawn its MUP application for Project Copper.

    

Neighbors, in addition, expresses these concerns:

• The Hospital is not following the correct sequence, in which the major institution formulates the proposed plan, then presents them, including the designs to the SAC, who review and make changes and then send it to Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI ) who review it and send it back again to the SAC for any additioal changes.
• Hospital's process was out of order: In July, Children's Hospital went directly to SDCI and submitted their  permit which was  different than what was approved in the Major Institution Master Plan. Then the Hospital scheduled an  August meeting. However, during this time, SDCI  begun to work on the project. The City put up the notification boards up around the perimeter of the property which included the comment deadline. However neighbors reported that the documents regarding the proposed development were not even on-line yet in time to be able review and submit comments
• Neighbors also submitted comments on the Hospital's non-compliance stating that the Hospital is not following the approved standard process and that that the Hospital was trying to get approval from the City when they were supposed to first have the SAC's input whose role it is to review the development plans and makes changes. 
• One neighbor, David Yuan, sent a letter to the Director of the Department of Construction and Inspection, Nathan Torgelson, which stated, in part, that the process appeared to be faulty because the SAC had not been given the opportunity to review and comment on Children’s potential project before Children’s submitted its Major Institution Master Plan. (MUP) application to the City. This is the legal requirement of Condition 15 of the Seattle City Council decision that has not been followed.
• Concern that the Hospital's proposed development different is very different that what was approved in 2010 in the MIMP, in which the Seattle City Council approved the 20-year growth Master Plan for Children’s Hospital. The process to come to the approval included several years of Citizen Advisory Committee Meetings, multiple meetings between the hospital and LCC (Laurelhurst Community Club.) The City Council adopted the two parties Settlement Agreement some of which include: reduced square footage, no expansion of Hospital boundaries across Sand Point Way, 50 year restriction on expansion into residential areas,  height restrictions of no more than 20 percent of the campus land area over 90 feet and no more than 10 percent over 125 feet and no structure above 140 feet in height. The full Settlement Agreement is here.

The SAC duties include: 

• reviewing the annual report from Seattle Children’s Hospital on its development
• reviewing and commenting on progress under its transportation management plan
• reviewing Master Use Permit submittals and requests for amendments to Seattle Children’s Hospital’s Major Institution Master Plan, and make recommendations based on established design criteria
• providing comments on projects under development.

According to the DON website, membership is comprised of representatives from these categories: 

• A representative of an area community group or council. 
• A resident who is within 600 feet of the campus boundary. 
• A neighborhood resident defined as a resident within the boundaries of the adjacent community council areas. 
• A property owner. 
• A business person. 
• A consumer group using the services of the institution. 
• A person participating in neighborhood planning. 
• A general community or citywide representative. 

Go here for more information or contact Nelson.Pesigan@seattle.gov.