Newsreal 98105

In 1999, the City Council finished the approval process for 38 neighborhood plans.  And the City Council said the plans were ”created by nearly 20,000 citizens.”  I guess developers,  UW officials, and city policy makers are in near physical proximity to the 20,000 citizens.  But look at the plans yourself, and see how much input District residents had on the for their neighborhood as it “continues to thrive and improve…in the ways that meet *our* commitment under the State’s Growth Management Act.” 

See if you can find your input on plans for housing, parks, schools, parking, affordable housing,  deals, double-deals and more at   U District Plan, and Updates   or if it’s all just deals and double-deals between the University of Washington, developers, and the City.  For  comparison, check the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association’s community planning website

Excerpt from the U District Plan:

One of the more important points in the agreement is the significant commitment by the University to use its influence to encourage the development of housing and to assist the City and the merchants in the area in developing and implementing a revitalization program.

The Council and the City are committed to seeing the University District neighborhood revitalized. In addition to lifting the lease lid [Ed.Note, the leasee lid on the UW], the Council passed two additional resolutions that the Mayor is committed to following: the first will deal specifically with housing development in the U-District and the second will lay the groundwork for revitalization efforts.

This Resolution on housing directs the Executive to look at some very specific types of strategies that could be used in the University District to spur the development of market rate rental and homeownership housing.

Some of the strategies to be looked at include: modifying parking requirements for residential developments, looking at height increases for mixed use projects that include a residential component, and improving the permit review process to minimize the uncertainty and time developers spend preparing projects for development.

…This agreement represents a fair balance and allows the University of Washington, the City of Seattle’s largest employer, to remain competitive and to provide a catalyst for revitalization efforts in the community.

To see plans and implentation updates for all Seattle neighborhoods, Click here.