November 18, 2009. 6:30-8:30
Rainier Community Center

Meeting called to order
Introductions
Review and Approval of October Meeting Minutes
Report from the representative to the NPAC
Report of the Membership and Outreach Committee
• New Member Recommendation
• Vote on Admittance of New Member- Genesee Park Neighbors
Discussion with SDOT on the King County Metro Electric Trolley Bus System and other transit issues
• Presentation
• Q&A
Discussion on 2010 SEDC meetings
Nomination of 2010 SEDC Executive Committee positions
Briefing from the Bridging the Gap Large Transportation Committee- Christie C (30
Announcements
Adjourn

Last-minute voter? That's OK. You've got until 8pm tonight to drop your ballot at any of King County's drop box locations. Our closest one is at the Southeast Neighborhood Service Center, 3815 S Othello St, about a block to the west of the light rail station.

“This meeting is an opportunity for you to get involved,” said Councilmember Larry Gossett, who represents the Central District, Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill on the County Council. “We need to hear from you about how these changes impact your lives.”

Gosestt said he hosted the Town Hall to hear from residents concerned about recent service changes made by Metro in order to coordinate with new light rail service. He said many of the neighborhoods he represents are urban communities for whom public transit is their primary source of transportation.

The meeting gave residents direct access to the officials at Sound Transit and Metro Transit responsible for the service changes that have occurred in the Rainier Valley.

Ron Tober, Deputy CEO of Sound Transit spoke to the audience about the agency’s effort to mesh Link light rail, the train running through the heart of the Rainier Valley, with the transit service that also travels along Martin Luther King, Jr. Way S. In response to concerns raised about the noise of the trains as they run, Tober said Sound Transit has begun using a new lubricant to reduce the noise of the wheels on the track around the Mt Baker rail stop.

With the arrival of light rail there was also a shift in transit service along the rail corridor. Victor Obeso, Metro Transit’s Manager for Service Development, stressed that with the start of Link, Metro’s focus was to “complement, not duplicate” light rail service. He said the changes were made in conjunction with a community outreach program in which Metro contacted more than 50,000 households in the area.

Obeso acknowledged that trip patterns would change for some bus riders as a result of service changes, but he said Metro remains committed to providing reliable bus service along MLK Way. He said many of the passengers served by the old Route 42 still have service available through the expansion of Metro Routes 8 and 107 into their neighborhoods.

Obeso also told the audience Metro will be adding more bus service along the MLK corridor in February, after Sound Transit starts connecting directly to SeaTac Airport. Obeso said that Metro expects to add 35,000 additional hours of transit service to Southeast King County when the light rail transition is complete.

Gossett said that while the County Executive’s budget proposal calls for a 9 percent reduction of bus service countywide over the next two years, he feels reducing service should be Metro’s last resort and made it clear that he wants Metro officials to look at all options before coming to the council with service cuts.

The Council has just started its deliberations on the 2010 county budget. There will be four public hearings on the budget proposal, which the Council traditionally adopts the Monday before Thanksgiving. For more information on the meeting and the 2010 King County Budget, go to the Council’s Budget Web site at: www.kingcounty.gov/council/budget.

The evening town-hall style meeting will be held at Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club located at 4520 Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. It begins at 6:30 p.m. and is slated to end at 8:30 p.m. C.R. Douglas, host of Seattle Channel’s City Inside/Out and Ask the Mayor will moderate the event.

Attendees will have the option of writing their questions down when they arrive if they prefer not to speak at the microphone. Also, for those unable to attend, questions may be submitted in advance to vog.elttaes|llahnwotlicnuoC#vog.elttaes|llahnwotlicnuoC.

For information or questions, call 206-684-8805. Accommodations for a disability or translation services can be made in advance by calling Nancy Roberts at 206-684-8146.

Who: Q & A With Council

What: Seattle City Councilmembers invite the public for an informative of evening questions and answers

When: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Where: Rainier Vista Boys & Girls Club, 4520 MLK Jr. Way S.

Council meetings are cablecast live on Seattle Channel 21 and Webcast live on the City Council’s website at www.seattle.gov/council. Copies of legislation, archives of previous meetings, and news releases are available on www.seattle.gov/council. Follow the City Council on Twitter at Twitter.com/SeattleCouncil.

Info/comments from The Stranger:

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2009/08/21/shooting-in-columbia-city

Columbia Plaza, Empire Coffee, Sushi and Thai, all in one place!

This Friday 8/21, our neighborhood Landmark District review committee will consider four different items.

• Demolition and Preliminary Design: Proposed demolition and preliminary design of the Columbia Plaza site. The proposed redevelopment consists of six interconnected mixed-use buildings, including ground floor retail, live/work units and upper level residential units.
• followed by review of signage and minor alterations to Empire Espresso, Wabi Sabi, and The Spice Room.

The agenda says they start at 4pm. They meet in the basement of the library.

Seattle Planning Commission is updating our plans to acknowledge the changing world and our changing community.

http://www.cityofseattle.net/planningcommission/

What do you want to see in your future? How should we help plan for generations to come? What is our responsibility to the global environment, to the health of Lake Washington and Puget Sound? What can we do to make our streets safer for children, seniors, and the alternately abled? How can our neighborhood plans make it easier grow and strengthen our community? How can we make it easier to buy/rent a house or find a job?

While zoning and infrastructure sound like dry subjects, they are at the core of all the questions above, so please go check out the video, look at the existing plans, and look at the status update. Most importantly, fill out the survey and make your views matter: http://www.cityofseattle.net/planningcommission/

Thanks
Japhet

1. Notice of Decision for the Columbia Plaza site. This came out today. DPD's decision comes in advance of the Landmarks Board's approval — maybe that's normal.
   • No conditioning for morning shadows on Columbia Park.
   • No conditioning for height, bulk and scale impacts.
   • Some conditioning to maintain open sidewalks along the west side of Rainier during construction.
   • Discussion of construction noise, and an intent to condition, but no follow-through. I guess that's a slip-up.
2. Revised notice of application for the St Gobain site, in two separate notices: MUP 3007279 and MUP 3010062
   • I haven't yet figured out how these differ from the most recent notices.
   • Last I heard, Harbor Properties (developer) was trying to modify their purchase & sale agreement to acquire the property in phases — neighborhood gossip. Sounds like all parties are in an economic bind.
3. An interpretation about allowed uses for Columbia School, discussed here.
4. Another Notice of Application, this one for the Iglesia Ni Cristo, south of Hillman City.

Would make for an interesting entrance to Columbia City as one rides north on Link.

Any details on how far down the pipeline this project is?

If you've walked past Juneau and 46th recently you've probably noticed the big sign announcing a new park. Wondering what kind of park will be going in? You get to choose! Join us Wednesday, June 17th, at 7:00 pm to give your input about what kind of park you'd like as well as to meet those involved in the process. Want a playground for kids? A p-patch? A sculpture garden? A windmill? A frog pond? This is a great opportunity to make sure the park meets the needs of our community. We want to hear from you!

Jim Diers, who used to head the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, will preside, along with John Barker, who, as a landscape architect, was instrumental in the development of Bradner Gardens, Magnussen Garden, Meridian Playground, and other fun public spaces. We'll start a process that we hope and expect will culminate in a really neat park. We'll meet for about 1 1/2 hours and then we'll mingle and enjoy great food!

Make sure to RSVP so we know how much food to order. To RSVP or for more information, contact Nikola Davidson at moc.liamg|nosdivad.alokin#moc.liamg|nosdivad.alokin or 206.948.5326.

For more information, go to www.juneaustreetcommunity.net

What: Juneau Street Park Neighborhood Meeting

When: Wednesday, June 17th at 7:00 pm

Where: Location to be determined, check back for details

Free food and refreshments! RSVP to moc.liamg|nosdivad.alokin#moc.liamg|nosdivad.alokin or 206.948.5326

Senator Kline's Town Hall is March 28 at 3 PM at the Columbia City Library.

Separately, State Reps. Pettigrew & Santos will have their Town Hall meeting at Garfield Community Center at 1 PM on Saturday March 15.

Revised proposals for changes to bus routes in the southeast Seattle area have recently been released. You may get more information and complete an online questionnaire at

http://metro.kingcounty.gov/up/sc/plans/2009/012009-sesea.html

Email comments to vog.ytnuocgnik|es-kcabdeef-ortem#vog.ytnuocgnik|es-kcabdeef-ortem. Or call Metro's message line, 206-684-1146.

Deadline for receiving comments, questionnaires, and messages in February 6th.

Public meeting dates:

Thursday, January 22nd
Tuesday, February 24th
Tuesday, April 7th

To ensure that on-street parking spaces used by businesses and residents are not filled by commuters, SDOT and Sound Transit started working with neighborhoods in April 2008 to design parking regulations, such as time limits, restricted parking zones, and load zones around each station.

We need your help. SDOT and Sound Transit are asking for your input to make sure that effective parking plans are in place before light rail trains begin carrying passengers next year, July 2009. Please begin by looking at the parking management proposal for your neighborhood station area (attached pdf) and either respond to this email with comments / questions / approval, complete the short questionnaire, attend one of three open houses, or call 206.684.8186 to leave a message about the proposal.

Open house information:

• Saturday, January 10th - Centro de la Raza, 2524 16th Ave S from 11 am - 1 pm.
• Thursday January 15th - NewHolly Campus, Gathering Hall, 7054 32nd Ave S from 6 pm - 8 pm.
• Thursday, January 22nd - Mezza Cafe, Starbucks Corporate Building, Floor 3, 2401 S Utah St/S Lander St from 10 am - 12 pm.

All of the above information (plus more!) can be found at http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/parking/lightrailparking.htm

link to the questionnaire

Thank you for your participation and your interest in making your community a better place to live, work, and visit.

Happy Holidays.

Sara Robertson

Here's a map of the proposed restricted parking zones:

For immediate release October 22, 2008
Contact: Karen O’Connor, 233-7929
e-mail: karen.o’vog.elttaes|ronnoc#vog.elttaes|ronnoc

SEATTLE PARKS TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING ON
RAINIER PLAYFIELD LIGHTING REPLACEMENT

Seattle Parks and Recreation will host a community meeting to discuss the replacement of the existing lighting system at Rainier Playfield. The meeting will take place Wednesday, November 12, 2008 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. at Rainier Community Center, 4600 38th Ave. S, Seattle, WA 98118.

This project provides for demolition of the existing outmoded lighting system and replacement with a state-of-the-art system. The funding provides for planning, design, and construction of the park improvements. Parks is working with an expert in the field of ballfield lighting who has extensive knowledge of the latest technology. The goal of the project is to eliminate as much objectionable glare and light spill into the neighborhood as possible while providing safe and efficient lighting for the field users.

For further information please visit: www.seattle.gov/parks/maintenance/ballfieldlighting.htm or contact Kelly Davidson at vog.elttaes|nosdivad.yllek#vog.elttaes|nosdivad.yllek or 206-684-0998.

###

TRANSIT TRANSFORMATION
The City of Seattle is launching updates to the neighborhood plans, and three light rail stations are at the top of the list: Beacon Hill, Mount Baker and Othello. Come to a community-sponsored event to learn about the planning process and to discuss how to create vibrant, successful neighborhoods at these stations.
When: Saturday, October 25
12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Where: New Holly Gathering Hall
7054 32nd Ave South

Food, beverages, and child care will be provided.

Hosted by Southeast District Council and Greater Duwamish District Council.

Now is the time! We need your personal email or phone call to the
City Council to build Council support for funding a Comprehensive
Aquatics Plan for Seattle. Thank you….you will make a difference.
The Council gathers budget input during the month of October 2008
and makes its final budget vote in November. The Council needs your
input TODAY.

Please email each Councilmember individually to show your support.
Sending each email separately has a greater impact than sending a
single email to all Councilmembers at once. Tips:
Tell them you support funding a Comprehensive Aquatics Plan — a
forward-looking vision for modernizing and enhancing Seattle’s
system of public pools.

Tell them what enhancing our pool system means to you personally.
Thank Councilmember Rasmussen for his leadership on this issue.

Seattle City Council: P.O. Box 34025, Seattle, WA 98124-4025

vog.elttaes|nessumsar.mot#vog.elttaes|nessumsar.mot 684-8808
vog.elttaes|nilnoc.drahcir#vog.elttaes|nilnoc.drahcir 684-8805
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vog.elttaes|llerrah.ecurb#vog.elttaes|llerrah.ecurb 684-8804
vog.elttaes|atacil.kcin#vog.elttaes|atacil.kcin 684-8803
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vog.elttaes|revicm.drahcir#vog.elttaes|revicm.drahcir 684-8800

If funded, the Comprehensive Aquatics Plan will answer important
questions, such as: How will the City fund long-term maintenance of
new facilities? How can we modernize our existing facilities? Does
our current programming meeting the needs of citizens? What new
programs and facilities are required? Where can they be located?

What are our top priorities?

Such a plan provides the necessary research and community process to
allow individual groups to later spearhead and raise funds for
individual projects, such as a pool renovation to include a warm-
water therapy pool or a new outdoor pool east of I-5. We need to
begin planning now in order to be ready for consideration in the
next levy – pools were not addressed in this levy because they
lacked sufficient planning. So let’s fund a plan!

Additional tips for contacting Councilmembers can be found here. A
Word version of this alert that you can hand out to friends is
available here.

Thank you for your support!
The Project Seattle Pools Team
www.seattlepools.org

For the area around Columbia City, it looks like the main idea is a reroute of the 39/34. The 7 express might go away, and they might extend the 9.

More details are here.