Citizen Initiated Amendments to the Comprehensive Plan - which ones do you like?
Who knows how many of these 21 (well, 20 if you take out the placeholder for the Planning Commission) amendments may be DOA already due to Planning Commission feedback, but heck, state law requires cities to solicit citizen-initiated amendments to the city’s comprehensive plan, so at the very least they’re going to get discussed.
Which ones do you think make sense? I’ve got my ideas (and the Seattle Community Council Federation has theirs), and if you want to get yours off to your city councilmember (even though I’m not sure if just one counts or you need to hit up all 9) make sure you do it by the end of March 31st.
And if you want to discuss this in person with the city council, they’ll be holding an open hearing tomorrow at 4:30pm in Council Chambers.
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Amend. # |
Summary of Proposed Amendments |
Proponent |
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1 |
Lids Over I-5 to Connect First Hill and Capitol Hill to Downtown Add a policy to the Neighborhood Planning Element related to constructing lids over I-5 to connect First Hill and Capitol Hill to Downtown. |
DPD |
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2 |
Sand Point Policies Remove the Sand Point policies from the Comprehensive Plan. Policy language would be incorporated into another planning document. |
DPD |
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3 |
Redesignation of Areas within the Livable South Downtown Study Aarea Amend the FLUM to redesignate areas within the Livable South Downtown study area from Industrial to Commercial / Mixed Use and remove some areas from the Duwamish / Manufacturing Industrial Center (MIC). |
DPD |
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4 |
Redesignation of the South Lake Union Urban Center Amend the FLUM to redesignate a portion of the South Lake Union Urban Center from Industrial to Commercial / Mixed Use. |
DPD |
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5 |
Redesignation of a One Block Area, Bounded by 15th Av. NW, NW 50th St., 17th Av. NW, and NW 49th St. Amend the FLUM to redesignate a one block area, bounded by 15th Av. NW to the east, NW 50th St. to the north, 17th Av. NW to the west and NW 49th St. to the south, from Industrial to Commercial / Mixed Use. |
Urban Commercial Properties, L.L.C., represented by Ronald Sudderth |
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6 |
Harbor Avenue Corridor Property Amend the FLUM to redesignate an area east of Harbor Av. SW and North of SW Spokane St., known as the Harbor Avenue Corridor Property, from Industrial to Commercial / Mixed Use and remove the area from the Duwamish MIC. |
John C. McCullough |
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7 |
Redesignation of the Stadium East Property Amend the FLUM to redesignate an area bounded by Airport Way S. to the north and east and interstate access ramps to the south and west, known as the Stadium East Property, from Industrial to a downtown designation. |
Urban Visions, L.L.C., represented by John C. McCullough |
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8 |
Solar Energy Infrastructure Goals Add new goals and policies to the Utilities Element related to development of solar energy infrastructure. |
Kurt Zumdiek |
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9 |
Preservation of Existing Trees and Increasing Seattle’s Tree Canopy Add new goals and policies and consider adding a new element to the Comprehensive Plan related to preservation of existing trees and increasing Seattle’s tree canopy. |
Kit O’Neil, Cheryl Trivison and Ilze Jones |
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10 |
Prohibition of Bicycle Trails Within 100’ of an Existing Short Line Railroad Add a new policy prohibiting location of bicycle trails within 100’ of an existing short line railroad within the Ballard Interbay Northend MIC. |
North Seattle Industrial Assn., represented by Eugene Wasserman |
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11 |
Designation change to property on the east side of Nesbit Ave. N and south of N 90th St. Change the designation of approximately 2500 Square feet of property on the east side of Nesbit Ave. N, adjacent to and south of N 90th St. from multifamily to Commercial/Mixed use. |
Richard Min |
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12 |
Prohibition of New Surface Parking Prohibit new surface parking in the Downtown Mixed Residential zone with both a comprehensive plan amendment and implementing code amendment. |
Belltown Housing & Land Use Subcommittee (contact Thomas Eanes ) |
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13 |
Signaled Crosswalks at Transit Stops - Definition Expansion Add the following wording: “Expand the definition of accessible transit stops to include the design and engineering of crosswalks at transit stops. Insure that all transit stops have signaled crosswalks (ped signal or full signal, whichever is appropriate), when located on a roadway with vehicles traveling on more than one lane in any particular direction.” |
Kate Martin |
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14 |
Open and Participatory Government Create a new element of the Comprehensive Plan entitled “Open and Participatory Government.” |
Chris Leman |
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15 |
Neighborhood Planning Policy N-3 Amend neighborhood planning policy N-3 to include the statement: For those neighborhoods that wish to, the City is receptive to continuing the model of the 1990s under which it funds neighborhoods to conduct their neighborhood planning process under City contract and according to City guidelines. |
Chris Leman |
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16 |
Neighborhood Planning Goal NG-3 Amend neighborhood planning goal NG-3 to call for neighborhood planning for all areas of the City, not just those that are expected to take significant amounts of growth. |
Chris Leman |
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17 |
Shoreline Policies - Aerial Viaduct Replacement Structure Amend Shoreline Policies in the Land Use Element to be more favorable to consideration of an aerial structure for replacement of the viaduct. |
Elizabeth A. Campbell |
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18 |
Interbay Area Z proposal to remove land in the Interbay area from the BINMIC (north of Dravis to Emerson, approximately between 15th on the East, and west of 17th on the West). |
Interbay Neighborhood Association (contact: Jessica Vets) |
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19 |
Discouraging Extra-Heavy Transit Buses and Solid Waste Trucks Add a policy discouraging extra-heavy transit buses and solid waste trucks that unacceptably damage Seattle’s roads and bridges. |
Chris Leman (Sponsored for docket consideration by Councilmembers Clark and Drago) |
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20 |
Reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled Add a goal requiring a reduction in vehicle miles raveled in and through the city, and a policy favoring highway projects that produce little or no such increase. |
Chris Leman (Sponsored for docket consideration by Councilmember Rasmussen) |
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21 |
Placeholder for Consideration of Comprehensive Plan Amendments Proposed by the Seattle Planning Commission Establish a placeholder for consideration of Comprehensive Plan amendments proposed by the Seattle Planning Commission from its Affordable Housing Action Agenda (February 2008), to the extent they become ready for action in 2008. |
Councilmember Clark |
3 comments
1) I-5 lid. A mix of open space and development sounds good but I’d curious as to what kind of buildings they would be planning to build on a lid over the interstate. I’m not even sure if relatively “light” mid-rise wood-framed construction would be feasible. However, better pedestrian access and noise reduction would be welcome.
9) Preservation/Addition of Trees and 12) Prohibition of New Surface Parking sound great. For the former, I’d love to see a reduction of traffic lanes with trees added in the medians (a la Pioneer Square). For the latter, reduced parking requirements for garages would be great as well (I’ve heard this discussed but don’t what’s come out that discussion).
20) Reduction of Vehicle Miles Traveled always sounds good. Congestion pricing and tolling makes sense to me since people tend to respond when hit in the pocketbook.
I hope #10 doesn’t go anywhere. Summary: let’s not let bicycles anywhere near Interbay so that they don’t slow down my trucks.
“The net benefit to the community would be a healthy and growing maritime industry and many bicycle riders who are not dead or injured…”
(I’ve actually ridden through there quite a bit, and I’d feel much more safe on a bike path rather than on the road)
I agree with stopping #10 in its tracks…it’s such a bitter amendment to make…now…that said…if they were to instead suggest banning spandex pants from being worn without shorts over them I might have some support that one.
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