Blogging about land use is easy - doing something about it is hard.

Boy, do I know the difference between writing blog posts about land use and actually doing something about it. Things are easy online, I find something interesting (or somebody sends me some information) and in just a few minutes I publish a generally accurate and somewhat gramatically correct post.

However, the hard part is actually getting something done in this town. If you’re serious about it, you will be going to evening meetings after work, communicating your updates to your neighborhood, and then taking heat from others who don’t agree with your decisions.

And in Seattle, compromise generally means prioritizing projects against a certain pool of available funds. Tons of research, compromise, paperwork and discussion went into determining the 40 really critical Neighborhood Street Fund projects proposed by the North Seattle. And the North District Council put in even more work to determine which are their top 8 projects - and at the end of the day - guess how many of these they think will get funded? Probably just 1.  

So…when you hear about neighborhoods talking about how they want infrastructure investments to go along with new development in their neighborhoods - think about the fact that they have alot of outstanding infrastructure needs that aren’t being met. In addition to the North District’s top project’s below here’s a nice starting point to understand the kind of projects being proposed by other neighborhoods.

North District Council’s top Neighborhood Street Fund projects

Lake City (including Cedar Park)
#1 - 117 feet of sidewalk to be added to NE 137th between 30th Ave NE & 32nd Ave NE
It was noted that many seniors use this street to get back and forth from the Remington Senior apartments complex to the nearby park, bus stop, and to core shopping areas.
 
#2 - Crosswalk and pedestrian activated signalization on 35th Ave NE at NE 130th
It was noted that the METRO Bus Stop has been moved back from the intersection and that this project was waiting for resolution of the conflict with the bus stop.
                
Maple Leaf
#1 - 2008-356: This is the 8th Avenue NE walkway project between NE 92nd & NE 95th St.  The design is complete and the request is for construction funding. 

#2 - 2007-346: 20th Avenue NE near Sacajawea.  ‘A sidewalk up and over the hill south of Sacajawea would significantly increase the safety of students and their families.
 
Meadowbrook
#1 - 2008-352.  It is for the installation of a badly needed “missing link” block of sidewalk on the south side of the arterial NE 110th street on the Seattle School District “Safe Routes to Schools” designated walking route for three nearby public schools.  Students and residents presently have to walk in the single eastbound traffic lane of the arterial.  Supporters had petitions signed by 36 local residents and the votes of the people present greatly outnumbered the votes for other projects.
 
#2 - 2007-207 for a new one block sidewalk and crosswalk on NE 98th Street between Ravenna Ave NE and Lake City Way NE.
 
Pinehurst
#1 - 2008-318 - Sidewalks on NE 125th Street between 5th Ave NE and Roosevelt Ave NE
Project: Add new sidewalks on two blocks of NE 125th Street between 5th Ave NE and Roosevelt Ave NE.
Location: NE 125th street between 5th Ave NE and Roosevelt Way
Reason: Need to improve access to transit services (#41) in the Northgate Urban Center. These sidewalks would make it easier to access three bus stops on NE 125th which would increase ridership to and from the high density area, particularly for those with disabilities. Currently this stretch is not safe, particularly for people with disabilities. There is uneven gravel and the parking strip is blocked and wheelchairs and strollers must travel in the street.  There is also a Jewish school on 125th.

#2 - 2008-357 - ADA accessible pedestrian crosswalk with traffic signal at 12th and 125th
Project: Addition of an ADA accessible pedestrian crosswalk with traffic signal
Location: 12th Ave NE meets NE 125th Street, near St. Matthews School
Reason: NE 125th Street is a very busy four-lane street running through the Pinehurst neighborhood. It connects I-5 to Lake City Way and Northgate, there is heavy traffic and transit alongside pedestrians.