Nearby Building Under Consideration For Landmark Status

 

A neighbor would like to share that a University District building is under consideration for Landmark status.

Historic Seattle  wrote in a recent newsletter:

A Gem of a Bank Building in the U District

The former University National Bank building (most recently a Wells Fargo Bank), prominently situated at the northeast corner of University Way NE and NE 45th Street in the heart of the University District, will be considered for landmark nomination at the LPB’s May 19 meeting. The property is also being considered for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.  Notable for its white terra cotta-cladding, Neoclassical Revival style, and curved corner, the building was completed in 1913 and designed by the Beezer Brothers. We fully support the nomination and encourage you to do so as well. This architectural gem in the U District deserves formal recognition and protection. Learn more about its history and design in Larry Johnson’s landmark nomination report. Send public comments to Erin Doherty by May 17 (erin.doherty@seattle.gov).

Several University District Churches Set To Be Demolished

A neighbor would like to share this information from Historic Seattle:

University District Houses of Worship: An Endangered Species

The last few years have seen an uptick in the demolition or proposed demolition of historic places of worship in Seattle's University District. The City upzoned much of the neighborhood in 2017, opening the door to more development pressure. Many churches with dwindling congregations do not have the resources to maintain their historic buildings. Offers to purchase their property or co-develop the property are enticing. Because Washington State has a religious exemption for landmarking, there's no avenue for designation unless the church provides consent for landmarking or voluntarily seeks designation themselves. Unfortunately, there do not seem to be any loopholes in the case law. 

Last year, University Christian Church was demolished, and now there's just a massive hole on the southwest corner of 15th Avenue NE and NE 50th Street. 

Site of the demolished  University Christian Church

Also on 15th Avenue, there's a large land use sign for the proposed demolition of the University Temple United Methodist building (1415 NE 43rd Street) - to be replaced with two residential towers (the church will be located in one of the new buildings). Demolition is slated for 2021.

University Temple United Methodist

The latest threatened church building is the former Third Church of Christ, Scientist on 17th Avenue NE and NE 50th Street (4740 17th Avenue NE) near Greek Row. It's owned by Churchome (formerly City Church). The site is in a LR3 zone which allows for a five-story apartment building. Churchome recently filed for a demolition permit on May 29. They are marketing the property for sale and trying to clear the site. We plan to reach out to Churchome to see if they'll either work with us or allow us time to find a preservation-friendly buyer. This approach was successful back in the early 1990s when we helped save the Fourth Church of Christ, Scientist, better known now as Town Hall.

Former Third Church of Christ, Scientist building

If you have connections with Churchome, we'd love to speak with you. If you yourself, or maybe someone you know, is interested in an adaptive reuse project or represents another church looking for a new home, please contact Eugenia Woo, Director of Preservation Services, at eugeniaw@historicseattle.org.

A neighbor told the Laurelhurst Blog:

What a sadness this is. When I  came to Seattle in 1962 to attend the Univ of Wash, this wonderful row of beautiful gothic churches stretching down 15th Avenue NE, made this part of the city extraordinary. Now this avenue will be filled with ordinary flat-fronted apartment buildings, parking lots, and commercial stores to sell us things.  

Rezoning Impacts Arriving in U District

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) published this information recently in their newsletter:

Rezoning Impacts Arriving in U District

LCC supports the overarching concept of providing more affordable housing units in the recent Mandatory Housing Affordability legislation. The City also passed higher height and denser zoning allowances, which include much of the University District. As a result, two very tall development proposals were filed for approval in April.  

One project (#3033912) proposes to erect two residential towers on top of the University Temple United Methodist Church, located off NE 43rd Street primarily facing 15th Avenue NE, which borders the University of Washington campus. This will be a 23-story tower and a 15-story tower with 224 residential units, and 142 parking places below grade. Because of the change of use, the church-owned parcel will have a Master Use Permit.  

LCC has concerns about the potential construction impacts and delays on this heavily used bus corridor along 15th Avenue NE, as well as the safety of pedestrian routes. In addition, the US Post Office for 98105 is located in that same block where street access and parking for users is already next to impossible.  

The City must study the impacts of trip generation caused by an additional 142 vehicles on congested U District streets and slowed access to the I-5 corridor. With proposed heights to 105 feet, or 23 stories, views of both the Olympic and Cascade mountain ranges could soon disappear from all sides, creating darker pedestrian experiences at sidewalk levels. 

The second project proposal at 4214 Roosevelt Way NE is the site of the Hardwick Hardware store, serving the U District for 86 years. The owner and grandson of the founder stated that rising City property taxes made the business unfeasible. They sold the property to WeiBi of Bellevue to develop an 18-story, 200-unit residential and commercial building with, apparently, no dedicated parking on site.   

The project is located near the new Brooklyn Light Rail Station, but there are concerns about further congested access to the entrance of the I-5 Express lanes, as well as a lack of street parking for the building occupants and the UW Medical Center clinics on Roosevelt Way. Construction and street closures must be studied as Roosevelt Way has already sandwiched freight and transit traffic by reducing lane capacity for vehicles due to dedicated bike lanes and large bus islands. SDOT will need to study and require mitigation for any worsening conditions.

Give Input On UDistrict Station Area Mobility Plan

The U District Mobility Group, comprised of neighbors, stakeholders, public agencies and nonprofit organizations, is collecting community input on the University District station area mobility plan. 

The group said:

All the great feedback from our first two Community Workshops is shaping our approach, and we ask you now to prioritize these strategies. Please take a few minutes to complete our second online survey by May 1st.

Take the Survey

Your input will contribute to the conceptual designs and plans for consideration at our final community workshop, to which you are invited. Join us on May, 30th from 5-7:30pm at U Heights.

The final community workshop is being held on May 30th from 5-7:30pm at the University  Heights, The group will present draft conceptual designs and plans for the public to prioritize the three projects to complete around the opening of the light rail station in 2021.

Laurelhurst Community Club Collecting Dues And What The Funds Go Towards

The Laurelhurst Community Club is currently collecting annual dues which go towards supporting a variety of neighborhood projects and issues.

LCC invites neighbors to its monthly meeting on the second Monday of each month at 7pm at the Laurelhurst Community Center Fireside Room. 

This information was recently published in a recent LCC newsletter:

Dues Time And A Look Back on LCC’s Work in 2017

Neighbors recently received LCC’s 2018 membership brochure and dues statement in the mail. Your $65 dues payment supports proactive efforts on land-use matters, environmental and traffic issues, crime prevention, sidewalk safety, neighborhood improvements, community forums, earthquake/emergency preparedness, newsletters, email updates, website hosting, and more.  

An extra $20 contribution pays for landscape maintenance on the Mary Gates Way / NE 41st Street planted median. Additional contributions are always welcome to support special neighborhood projects.  

LCC appreciates your continued generosity and support. Pay dues on LCC’s secure website (preferred – laurelhurstcc.com, Clickand Pledge) or by mail to:

Laurelhurst Community Club

PMB #373

4616 25th Ave. NE

Seattle, WA 98105

2017 activity highlights of your all-volunteer LCC board:

• Along with other councils and organizations, appealed the Shoreline Permit Revision granted by the City to WSDOT for demolition and construction of the new SR520 due to potential contaminants. 
• Continued work with SPD on public safety and increased coverage.
• Joined LEAP (Laurelhurst Earthquake Action Preparedness) in efforts to educate and organize neighbors in the event of a major disturbance.
• Worked with WSDOT and community coalitions on SR520 Bridge issues concerning overlighting and noise from expansion joints, as well as nighttime noise variance.
• Continued involvement with Talaris and Seattle Landmark Preservation Board for a neighborhood-friendly Talaris redevelopment as well as more consistent property maintenance.
• Continued to address neighbors’ concerns regarding transportation     issues and gridlock through letters to City Council, Children’s Hospital, University Village, and the University of Washington.
• Challenged the City’s major U District Upzone through extensive comment letters in an effort to retain the character, affordability, and livability of the U District.
• Met with Seattle Children’s Hospital on monitoring helicopter landings, traffic, and parking issues as well as plans for the construction of Forest Building B.
• Succeeded in retaining connecting bus service between Laurelhurst and the Light Rail Station at Husky Stadium.
• Reviewed and commented on the University of Washington’s 10-year master plan including its impact on congestion and traffic.
• Provided input to the City of Seattle on affordable housing proposals and monitored land-use change issues such as DADUs and new row houses being built in Windermere Circle.
• Met with representatives from Aegis Living and provided extensive written comments to consider in their planning process.
• Invited the King County Assessor to LCC’s annual meeting for a lively presentation on property values and tax assessments.
• Provided the private security patrol subscription service.
• Surveyed the readership regarding the Laurelhurst Letter’s content, frequency, cost, relevance.

For more information go here. 

Take "Safe Montlake Passage" Survey For Direct, Safe Route Through Neighborhood To Light Rail Not Included In UW Master Plan, And Other Proposed Nearby Large Developments

Laurelhurst resident Katherin Burk, has started "Safe Montlake Passage" to advocate for modification of the proposed UW E1 parking lot (the lot between the driving range and the stadium) development plans, included in the UW Master Plan, into a redesign to create a well lit bike/pedestrian path to create a direct route from the neighborhood directly to LINK Light Rail.

The Safe Montlake Passage proposal also includes a bus/rider drop off/turnaround, carpool drop-offs and designated parking spots for rideshare parking such as Car2go, ReachNow and others, for improved NE Seattle ridership on LINK.

Katherin invites the NE Seattle community to take her survey, which includes data about the specifics of commuting scenarios and experiences, which she will present to UW and Sound Transit decision makers to show the consistent and frequent use of the variety of daily NE Seattle residents who need a safe and easily accessible route to access the UW Link station. The survey will also reflect the number of residents who want to take LINK, but currently the limited access to the station is hindering their efforts.  

Katherin told the Laurelhurst Blog:

Imagine if you could safely ride or walk through the current E1 lot? What if there were rideshare (Car2Go, ReachNow) Parking and a turnaround for public buses and passenger drop offs? So many more commuters, residents and families would use LINK. 

Safe Montlake Passage is a campaign to advocate for modification of finalized development plans for the E1 parking lot at the UW.  Currently on the UW Master Plan illustrations there is a design of the proposed development, just west of Montlake Boulevard.  

When Montlake  traffic is backed up, which is frequently, there is no easy way to pick up or drop off riders at the UW station. Buses, carpools and rideshares are caught up in Montlake traffic, and, there is no Car2Go, Reach or other rideshare parking.  Further, there is no safe and well lit pedestrian/bike path through the E1 parking lot to safely reach LINK.

The finalized plans to develop the E1 parking lot that the UW published in July does nothing to address Montlake congestion or access to the UW Link station.  

The development of E1 seems like an opportune time to add a well lit path for all pedestrians/bicycles, a turnaround for buses and carpool drop offs and designated parking spots for rideshare (car2go, ReachNow, etc.) so that more NE Seattle riders can use the LINK. 

Safe Montlake Passage is not a proposal to add single rider car parking. This is a proposal to ask UW to amend their plans to allow buses and carpool drop offs, rideshare parking, and to develop well lit and safe pathways for pedestrians and bicycles through what is currently the E1 parking area.  

Please take the survey as soon as possible especially for those commuters who can provide personal experiences that make the case of how much this would effect and improve commuters and citizen experiences.

Karen told the Laurelhurst Blog that the sometimes uneven sidewalk on Montlake Boulevard is narrow and unsafe for pedestrians with the heavy vehicular traffic.  It is especially dangerous for bicyclicsts.  The lot gates are so wide a cyclist can barely go around. The bicycle route advertised to east campus is an unpaved, dirty, gravel road and dangerous. 

She said it is also twice the distance to walk that route rather than going through the E1 parking lot or other routes near the sports facilities. Going through the parking lot is a direct route from Laurelhurst and cuts back on commuter time.

The 2018 10-year UW Master Plan "identifies 86 potential development sites and the need to build 6 million net new gross square feet of building space on the Seattle campus during the life of the Campus Master Plan. The additional space will accommodate anticipated growth of students, staff and faculty of 15 percent between 2018 and 2028."

LCC commented in a recent letter to the City regarding the impacts on potential development near Laurelhurst saying:

The massive square footage expansion requested by the University in this proposed Master Plan, and the planned 20% increase of students, faculty and staff is monumental in scale.

It is a very aggressive plan to expand the University's footprint out from down to Boat Street, upzone the U District with tall buildings, and expand along Montlake Boulevard with building structures on the E-1 parking lots which border Laurelhurst.  In addition, there are plans to increase buildings along Mary Gates Memorial Drive. 

The CMP 2018 shows that Buildings E80, E81, E82 are planned to be doubled in height. These are student housing units that border the single family Laurelhurst neighborhood.  The sf residential heights are capped at 30 feet.  The CMP 2018 should not increase the heights to be compatible with the underlying zoning. Not only is the CMP requesting to double the height, but also build out in the green space that the student families heavily use.  LCC requests that the 65 foot heights not be allowed in this part of the campus, and retain a more family friendly setting for both the students and nearby neighborhoods.  

Other growth in the area includes:

1. University District upzone upzone, which could increase building heights to up to 320 feet (32 stories), plus another 15' for mechanicals.  The affected area is the main University District core (15th  Avenue NE to the freeway and 41st to NE 50th Street) and potentially 240' buildings in other areas of the core area.
2. University Village's proposal for a seven story garage, 65 foot high West Parking Garage in the parking lot directly near the Anthropologie store, on 25th Avenue NE where currently there is surface parking.  In addition, four buildings would be constructed in the northwest part of the shopping center, which would include approximately 100,000 sq. ft. of commercial space and 915 parking spaces provide within one of the structures. A portion of an existing building would be demolished.
3. Union Bay Place NE developments , near Safeway, one already under construction
4. Aegis Assisted Living development, where the old Baskin-Robbins was located
5. Seattle Children's Hospital construction of Forest B, an 8 story building, to be located on the existing surface parking lot near the Emergency Room

For more information email SafeMontlakePassages@gmail.com, call 206-8494955 and check Twitter.

For more information about the 2018 Seattle Campus Master Plan (CMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) go here.

LCC's Statement On Impacts Of UW's Proposed 2018 Campus Master Plan

The UW shared recently that its 2018 Seattle Campus Master Plan (CMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), which also includes public comments, is available on-line.   

The press release said:

The final document responds to comments received on both the draft master plan and the environmental impact statement during the comment period held last fall.  The plan will ultimately be reviewed and adopted by both the Seattle City Council and the UW Board of Regents, likely in early 2018.

The next step in the CMP process includes a review this summer by the City University Community Advisory Committee (CUCAC) and the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection (SDCI) and then the Seattle Hearing Examiner review in the Fall. The Seattle City Council and the UW Board of Regents will consider the CMP in the Winter or Spring of 2018.

The 2018 Campus Master Plan identifies 86 potential development sites and the need to build 6 million net new gross square feet of building space on the Seattle campus during the life of the Campus Master Plan. The additional space will accommodate anticipated growth of students, staff and faculty of 15 percent between 2018 and 2028.

Many changes were made to the Campus Master Plan between the time the draft was issued in October 2016 and the issuance of the final version. These changes were made in response to comments from the campus community and greater public, including CUCAC. Other changes were made in response to suggestions from SDCI. More detailed development standards and design guidelines were included to minimize concerns about building height, bulk and scale. Some building heights were lowered in the West and South campus.

The University revised its proposed Transportation Management Plan to commit to a 15 percent single occupancy vehicle (drive alone) mode share by 2028 to minimize impact on traffic.

LCC commented in a recent letter to the City regarding the impacts on potential development near Laurelhurst saying:

The CMP 2018 shows that Buildings E80, E81, E82 are planned to be doubled in height. These are student housing units that border the single family Laurelhurst neighborhood.  The sf residential heights are capped at 30 feet.  The CMP 2018 should not increase the heights to be compatible with the underlying zoning. Not only is the CMP requesting to double the height, but also build out in the green space that the student families heavily use.  LCC requests that the 65 foot heights not be allowed in this part of the campus, and retain a more family friendly setting for both the students and nearby neighborhoods. 

Laurelhurst is also closely affected by the UW daily operations of classes, plus the football, basketball, tournaments and special events, at the East Campus, which directly impact the egress from the northeast residential neighborhoods. These impacts are anywhere south of NE 65th Street, or even allowing access to the grocery store at University Village. Thus, the transportation management and traffic circulation plans in the CMP 2018 are integral to the Laurelhurst neighborhood's ability to travel in and out of its island-like geography, as well as the Montlake, Madison Park, Wallingford, Fremont, Ravenna and Roosevelt neighborhoods.Assuming that the mode split generally continues for the CMP 2018 build out, a 20% increase in the Seattle campus will generate 20% more car traffic (20% of 80,000 future projected population is 16,000 total daily drivers to campus, and as such, is a 20% worsening in already gridlocked congestion.

LCC also said about the Master Plan last year:

It is a very aggressive plan to expand the University's footprint out from down to Boat Street, upzone the U District with tall buildings, and expand along Montlake Boulevard with building structures on the E-1 parking lots which border Laurelhurst.  In addition, there are plans to increase buildings along Mary Gates Memorial Drive. 

Here is LCC's recent comment letter (in part)regarding the proposed 2018 Master Plan:

The massive square footage expansion requested by the University in this proposed Master Plan, and the planned 20% increase of students, faculty and staff is monumental in scale. The proposed 12.9 million square feet of build out capacity, and 8 million in growth request square footage (gsf) is nearly three times the growth that was requested in the 2003 Master Plan which was for an additional 3 million growth square feet on the same basic footprint.  LCC's overarching comment is that the University has an important and unique task to educate the growing population, but also to ensure that their main campus, centrally located in densely populated areas, can function, and absorb reasonable growth. The campus is surrounded by dense, residential neighborhoods, with limited capacity to access to major highways. The university also has an extensive network of smaller campuses that integrate well into its educational mission.

The vast amount of the additions would not be for classrooms, or student's residences, but instead for "offices" equaling 1,912,000 gsf, and for research labs 727,000 gsf, and for study/library of 953,000 gsf.  This is 3.9 million gsf, or 65% of the requested growth allowance of the 6 million gsf.  The students would be designated 785,000 gsf for the basics of residences and classrooms (13%).  If they are allocate 589,000 gsf for sports and student life, and another +10 % for support amenities, and a little more than half of the library/study gsf, that yields another +10%.  The total is then around 33% of the CMP 2018 gsf requested, which is dedicated to just educating the students.

Thus, it would appear that most of the new gsf requested is dedicated not to the education of students, but to provide extra space for faculty, and general use offices.  The need for any expense of future build-out should be more data driven, and based upon the mission to educate the students, as well as perform public benefit research. Spaces inside the campus should be student driven. The office and research development outside the MIO should be included in any request for additional square footage on the Main Campus. The why and how will the new square footage proposed be needed, and used by whom? 

In analyzing the supposed deficit of office space versus peers, the University of Washington has supplemented this need for office space with the half million in square footage in the Safeco Tower that was purchased in September 2006.  It is a few blocks outside the Major Institution Overlay, and it should be counted when using comparisons with other institutions on Table 2, (page 34 in the Executive Summary). In addition, the University has research buildings all over Seattle, especially in South Lake Union where the UW has over 1200 scientists and staff working on biomedical cutting edge research within two miles of the main campus. They are already under construction in 2016 for five buildings to house this important work for the university. This large and new research facility is not counted on the Main Campus analysis on Table 2, and once again, must be included in any "deficit" calculations being used to calculate the real need for greater research gsf.

The West Campus Green should be a requirement for the addition of any new square footage added along Brooklyn Avenue NE, and 11th and 12th Avenue NE.  There has already been much more structure density added by the University with the building of the West Campus dormitories.  

South Campus Green is an essential element of the new growth at the medical center.  South Campus should not replicate a downtown urban environment for students and faculty.  Bike and vehicle parking should be provided to allow this South Campus Green to be used by the public, as well as to connecting sidewalks and the shoreline. 

The East Campus CMP is proposed to build on much of the University's true open space. Adding tall buildings along State Highway 513 (Montlake Boulevard) creates a spilt from the main campus facilities, and would require a connector path to be built. This proposed "Land Bridge" walkway offered to replace the loss of so much open space which hold views of Lake Washington, the Cascade Mountains, Mt Rainier and Union Bay, is not at all adequate mitigation for the loss of open space on East Campus.  Rather, it is simply a steep slope walkway from the main campus to the lower one across a freeway that has bumper to bumper traffic.  It is not the same as a providing level waterfront green (park) such as is planned on the West or South Campus options.  Thus, LCC rejects this Land Bridge as an adequate replacement for the lost open space. It is just a sloped pedestrian path that connects the East Campus to the Central Campus, and is not a functioning amenity for students, faculty or the public. The CMP2018 should require real waterfront park access (green), so that its students, faculty and the public can use to replace any built structures on the East Campus. Currently, most of the East Campus waterfront is restricted to the crew and sports teams, and does not offer true open access.

LCC strongly supports the inclusion of a continuous Waterfront Trail. The CMP2018 should be required to have this trail built as a priority in all approved plans.

LCC supports the adherence to the City's tree ordinances in its 2018 CMP. In the past development projects, the university has claimed an exemption to any tree protection ordinances, despite having its campus in the heart of the City of Seattle.  Trees provide the oxygen and habitats for the urban ecosystem.  If the trees are not specifically protected, the university, as in the past, cut down many exceptional and rare trees to instead of working around them.

2018 CMP relies upon much higher building heights in the West, South and East campuses which border neighboring communities while adding very little to the Central Campus to add 6 million of new net gross square feet, from the 86 new development sites in an identified development of 12.9 mil new net gsf.  

In the Central Campus the maximum height of 105 feet represents the right approach to transitioning from the old and newly added buildings.  This limit on new heights helps to retain a more human scale on its Central Campus (Table 14, page 160-161) and promotes the experience with walking, biking and connecting with the natural environment.  

West Campus in the CMP, however, gets dramatically transformed from the 50-70 foot campus to a proposed 240 height average building along Pacific Avenue and to 130 feet at the shoreline. These buildings are listed as academic, but the scale and character are very unusual in supporting an academic environment. Heights of 125 feet should be the maximum allowed in the West Campus master plan, which can then be reduced to no greater than 50 feet nearer the shoreline and the Portage Bay Park.

South Campus in the CMP 2018 proposal would create a wall of 240 foot high rises along Pacific Avenue straight up from sea level. This part of campus would be transformed from a shoreline oriented campus, to one with tightly spaced tall office towers.  Once again, the student atmosphere of academic buildings is not consistent with this density and tall building heights.  The mass they create in front of the shoreline creates a barrier to the water access, and students, staff and the faculty (who do not get the fancy new view offices), will lose the sense of the natural environment, and the orientation to Portage Bay, one of the greatest assets of the university.  LCC does not support this massing of development near the shoreline at South Campus.  

East Campus plans in the CMP 2018 represent an entire new campus addition for "academic" use. The land itself is poor, and is of uneven building quality. More importantly, the land has underlying history of being the City of Seattle's primary garbage dump from 1926 through 1966, called the Montlake Landfill.  Unrestricted waste from humans, animals and industrial were dumped into this area for 40 years before it was closed.  The potential environmental impacts from digging up the old hazardous waste from the prior garbage dump use in the East Campus, makes the whole site a very poor choice for development. There are pockets of methane gas as well as some contained buried medical hazardous waste that could be highly toxic to the surrounding campus and communities. This area should be left alone or expensively and safely, remediated before considering the site buildable. In addition, this section of the campus is disconnected with the campus life and other needed facilities (e.g. food services) to make new gsf workable for academic purposes.

The LOS (levels of service) at intersections through the University District to I-5 already operates at a D or E or F-failure levels. The Montlake Intersection, now made worse by the removal of the Lake Washington Boulevard ramps, and tolling, operates at a failing level, with minimal relief planned for the future.   

To help mitigate the increase pressure on the limited transportation options, LCC also requests that the University of Washington: 1) Build out the shoreline trail to be used for pedestrians to safely walk all parts of campus 2) Extend its own shuttle service to the Link Light Rail stations to reduce mobility challenges for potential users, as well as provide safe connections for students, faculty and staff who work or study late at night, and must carry heavy materials to class or the workplace 3) The RPZ plan to discourage non-campus parking "for free" in adjacent neighborhoods is a good program.  LCC supports this effort, especially expanding into both primary and secondary zones 4) Extend its own shuttle service to the Link Light Rail stations to reduce mobility challenges for potential users, as well as provide safe connections for students, faculty and staff who work or study late at night, and must carry heavy materials to class or the workplace 5) Finish and better light the sections of the Burke Gilman Trail for safe and easy bike connectivity, as well as provide secure locations for bike storage throughout any newly built gsf development 5) Work with WSDOT, SDOT and their own campus to improve the sidewalks along Montlake Boulevard. They flood easily, the curbs are too low, and they do not drain. This creates a deterrent for pedestrian use, and a hazard for vehicles, swerving in and out of the west lane on rainy days and 6) Prepare a lighting plan to ensure that pedestrians are well lit -especially with increased building heights. Safety is critical to encourage walking on campus.

In February, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to adopt the University District upzone, which could increase building heights to up to 320 feet (32 stories), plus another 15' for mechanicals. The affected area is the main University District core (15th  Avenue NE to the freeway and 41st to NE 50th Street) and potentially 240' buildings in other areas of the core area.

LCC commented about this as well saying:

The University District Upzone plans--The City of Seattle has changed it existing zoning to allow for greater heights in the University District in the 2035 Comp Plan. With no added infrastructure, except for the University stop for Light Rail Station to Northgate, it can add also triple the population when built out in the next 20 years.

The concurrency of planned growth in northeast Seattle is without any plans for adding more rapid transit, bike paths and actually has been reducing road capacity  implementing road diets will increase the gridlocked traffic congestion.

For more information go here.



(photo courtesy of UW)

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