Page 16

From Seattle Parks Department:

Bitter Lake Play Area and Comfort Station Renovation Presentation and Survey Online

July 19, 2021 by OConnoK

Please Participate!

Seattle Parks and Recreation(SPR) encourages the community to participate in designing the new play area for Bitter Lake. SPR posted the recording of the Bitter Lake Play Area and Comfort Station Renovation Online Open House from July 15 on the project website along with a short survey. We invite all to participate in the survey and help shape the future play area. Bitter Lake Playfield is located at 13035 Linden Ave. N.

The design team from Hoshide Wanzer Architects and Berger Partnership incorporated community input into two conceptual designs for the play area and the comfort station. These concept designs were shared during the Online Open House and the team gathered community feedback for the final design. We are excited to share this presentation and play area equipment options with other community members who were unable to participate on July 15.

The project will provide a modern, all-gender comfort station/restroom facility, new play equipment that provides play opportunities for all abilities. In addition, the project will make safety and accessibility improvements that meet the standards from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

For more information please visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/bitter-lake-playfield-play-area-and-comfort-station-renovation

or contact Kevin Bergsrud at kevin.bergsrud@seattle.gov or 206-684-5831.

School District unveils plan to clear homeless camp near Broadview-Thomson School

by Dale Johnson

Posted: July 16, 2021

From KOMO News:

After a year of complaints about a homeless camp near a school, parents and neighbors finally heard a plan about how district officials plan to clear out the tents.

About 56 people are camped out behind Broadview Thomson K-8 and students are set to return in six weeks. Seattle Public Schools has teamed up with a one-man agency to encourage the campers to leave.

However, some parents worry it will be the status quo when the fall semester starts.

“I’m not confident,” said Zach Rozga, whose daughter is in 5th grade at Broadview Thomson. “I’ll put it that way.”

Neighbors near the school also shared their misgivings during a community meeting with district officials on Thursday night.

“I think they’re very optimistic on their plan,” said Bill Steele, who lives just a few houses away from the encampment. “I think they should have started this a lot longer ago.”lume 90%

Seattle Public Schools has contracted with Mike Mathias of Anything Helps. He is assessing the needs of the campers and then trying to connect them with individualized help and housing.

The task is likely to have many challenges because neighbors said the list of troubles at the encampment is long.

“There’s been a lot of drug use, drug dealing,” Steele said, who has lived in the neighborhood for decades. “I’ve seen more police, more fire trucks and more ambulances on my street this year than i have in all the previous 34 years.”

The district is spending $5,000 for Mathias to begin his work but more resources may be necessary.

“If it comes to it, the district has identified some dollars that can go toward supporting this effort a little bit more,” said Liza Rankin, the school board director whose district includes Broadview Thomson.

The district plans to better secure the property to prevent future encampments. During the meeting, people asked if that means more fencing or overnight security. District officials said they were still working on those details, which raised even more skepticism.

“We’ll have to wait and see,” said Jen Oxley, another neighbor.

If campers are still living next to the school by the Sept. 1 deadline, there is a backup plan.

Mathias said he secured agreements from two nearby shelters who will make room for people if the school district has nowhere else to turn.

Mathias said he’s already making early progress. He began working on Monday and has completed needs assessments on 46 of the 56 homeless people. He said three people have already left the encampment and six more said they are ready to go as soon as shelter space is open.

Seattle Parks and Recreation needs input on concept designs for Bitter Lake Play Area and Comfort Station Renovation

by Dale Johnson

Posted: July 10, 2021

July 9, 2021 by OConnoK

Seattle Parks and Recreation invites the community to participate in an Online Open House on Thursday, July 15 from 6 to 7 p.m. for the Bitter Lake Play Area and Comfort Station Renovation.

Please register in advance for this event at https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Y09CPAIrS5C1rA8uc6EycA (Please note this weblink is a corrected updated link).

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information and directions on how to participate in the webinar. Please visit the park, 13035 Linden Ave. N, and join us online to meet the design team and provide input on two options for playground equipment.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the public process for this project. The design from Hoshide Wanzer Architects and Berger Partnership incorporated your input into two conceptual designs for the play area and the comfort station. The design team is eager to share these concept designs with the community and gather feedback for the final design.

For more information please visit https://www.seattle.gov/parks/about-us/current-projects/bitter-lake-playfield-play-area-and-comfort-station-renovation or contact Kevin Bergsrud at kevin.bergsrud@seattle.gov or 206-684-5831.

12th Ave NW Basin Drainage Improvement

by Susan George

Posted: July 6, 2021

Project updates

Earlier in the year, we reached out to neighbors between 2^nd and 3^rd Avenues NW on NW 127^th St and between 1^st and 3^rd Avenues NW on NW 130^th St about the project’s natural drainage systems element. Now we’re reaching out to the broader community with an update on the overall 12^th Ave NW Basin Drainage Improvement project.

We are still finalizing the natural drainage systems design. You can see the approximate location of the new walkways and natural drainage systems on our project website. Please note that construction of the natural drainage systems on NW 127^th and 130^th Streets has been rescheduled to incorporate walkways in the design. It will occur separately from the underground pipe construction work described below.

The underground detention pipe and conveyance project elements have reached 90% design. This portion of the project is located mostly along 10th Ave NW and 11th Ave NW between NW 120th and NW 125th streets and along NW 125th St to 6th Ave NW (shown on map). Construction of the pipe and conveyance elements is expected to start January 2022. Once we have a contractor on board, we will have more details about anticipated construction sequence, staging areas, impacts, and schedule.

Looking ahead

If you live along the side of the streets shown in the work area (see map) and have private encroachments in the right of way, like a planter, retaining system, or bollards, you may need to remove them prior to construction.

Additionally, if you have an improvement on the property line, like a fence, we may need to work with you to temporarily re-locate it during construction. If you are unsure about the property line location or whether you have encroachment in the work area, please reach out to us as soon as possible at SPU_BroadviewProjects@seattle.gov.

Direct replies to GovDelivery email messages will not be received by the project team. As always, if you have a question about the project, please feel free to contact us directly by emailing SPU_BroadviewProjects@seattle.gov.

Best,

Broadview Project Team

Map showing underground pipe and conveyance work area

The push to make Seattle’s Aurora Avenue safer for all

by Dale Johnson

Posted: July 5, 2021

An article in Today’s Seattle Times describes the problems along Aurora Avenue North and the efforts of people in the nearby communities to improve safety and livability.

Aurora Avenue North has consistently been one of Seattle’s most dangerous roads for drivers and pedestrians.

The Aurora Reimagined Coalition, which includes members from Greenwood, Phinney Ridge, Licton Springs, Haller Lake, Bitter Lake, Green Lake and Fremont, began meeting in January. The group also has invited small business owners to share their perspectives.

“We’re trying to be very open and inclusive of all sorts of people and all sorts of viewpoints, trying to make sure that the voice of all the neighborhoods along Aurora get heard,” Lang said.

A look back: Bootlegging in Broadview 1916-1933

by Dale Johnson

Posted: June 15, 2021

by William Murray

Longtime Broadview residents share old stories of tunnels leading to secret underground rooms, midnight rendezvous at beaches north of town and houses on Greenwood burnt to the ground. These are the stories of bootlegging days in Broadview during prohibition. On January 1st 1916 a state law was passed that prohibited sales of alcohol in Washington. On the very next day Rumrunner boats outfitted with oversized engines and large fuel tanks began making trips from Canada, flying through the dead of night heavily loaded with cases of whiskey. The distance between Canadian gulf islands and northern puget sound beaches is roughly 60 nautical miles and was covered in a little over an hour, in good weather, by the rumrunners.

“Lazy-S” [a 28’ Baby Gar] was used to illegally smuggle liquor down the Pacific Coast from Canada. Powered by a big 1414 Cubic Inch 300 HP V-12 Kermath Sea-Raider engine and 310 gallon fuel capacity which made her fast and hard to catch in 1928. “Lazy-S” is fully restored and still cruises the waters of Puget Sound

Broadview’s bootlegging past has been documented in the Broadview/Bitterlake Community history. Several bootleggers reputedly lived along Greenwood Avenue north of 130th street. The rumrunners’ boats ran from Canada to the Highlands area north of Seattle, from which point the ‘loot’ was surreptitiously trekked through Broadview woods. One local house, rented by bootleggers burned down when a basement still blew up. When prohibition ended in 1933, a Greenwood Avenue bootlegger, Mr Melby, opened Melby’s tavern near Echo Lake.

Melby’s tavern is still in business today above Echo Lake as Woody’s tavern.

Bootlegging was big business during the height of national Prohibition, a well-organized operation working at times in Broadview was delivering 200 cases of Canadian liquor to Seattle every day, and grossing $200,000 a month. Today’s craft cocktail movement owes some of its cachet to Prohibition era bartenders who learned to make libations from homemade alcohol.

Travel Advisory | June 12-13 and June 19-20

by Dale Johnson

Posted: June 11, 2021

Below is from Seattle Department of Transportation:

Travel Advisory | We’re installing the Northgate Pedestrian & Bicycle Bridge spans the weekends of June 12-13 and June 19-20; expect short overnight I-5 closures.

We are installing the two Northgate Pedestrian & Bicycle Bridge spans!
Early Sunday morning closures are planned on Sunday, June 13 and Sunday, June 20.
- Northbound I-5 will be closed between Lake City Way and Northgate Way from 11:59 PM on Saturday, June 12 to 4 AM on Sunday, June 13. The northbound on ramp at NE 85th St will also be closed, with traffic there being detoured to Aurora Ave.
- Southbound I-5 will be closed between Northgate Way and NE 85^th St from 11:59 PM on Saturday, June 19 to 4 AM on Sunday, June 20.
We look forward to welcoming you to walk, roll, and bike over the bridge this fall!

Plan ahead for lane reductions on State Route 99 Aurora Bridge overnight on June 4 and June 11

by Dale Johnson

Posted: June 4, 2021

By Seattle Department of Transportation

Over the next two weekends, Seattle Department of Transportation will install vertical posts in the middle of the State Route 99 Aurora Bridge. All work will happen overnight.

The posts help make the center line, which separates the northbound and southbound lanes, more visible. Installing the posts is a near-term safety improvement while we work with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to plan a larger, long-term corridor safety project. People driving are encouraged to take alternate routes and to maintain a safe speed if driving through the work zone.

From 10:00 p.m. on Friday, June 4 to 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 5, We’ll close the two middle lanes of the SR 99 Aurora Bridge to mark where the vertical posts will be installed on the bridge the following weekend. People driving are advised to maintain a safe speed if driving through the work zone.
From 10:00 p.m. on Friday, June 11 to 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 12, We’ll close the four middle lanes of the bridge to install the vertical posts. This will leave a single lane open in both directions. To minimize impacts, this closure is scheduled to coincide with a planned closure of the SR 99 Tunnel in downtown Seattle for routine maintenance.
Details here.https://sdotblog.seattle.gov/2021/06/03/travel-advisory-plan-ahead-for-lane-reductions-on-state-route-99-aurora-bridge-overnight-on-june-4-and-june-11/

Give feedback on curbspace & parking changes near the new Northgate Station

by Dale Johnson

Posted: May 27, 2021

In preparation for new travel patterns around the new Northgate, Roosevelt, and the University District (U District) stations, Seattle Department of Transportation is proposing updates to on-street parking near each of the stations.

Northgate: Add two-hour time limits to nearby blocks where parking is currently unrestricted.

Map of proposed curbspace changes around the new light rail station in Northgate

Time-limited parking helps increase access to businesses by ensuring turnover of parked cars. We’re proposing adding two-hour time-limited parking on 3rd Ave NE, 4th Ave NE, and NE 97th St.

Proposed changes in both U District and Northgate areas:

Changes will be made to bus stops that will affect on-street parking.
Existing loading zones will be reviewed to ensure they are located along the block for efficient maneuvering for drivers.
We’re able to install new 5 minute load zones for food priority if interested. If you would like to request a new loading zone, please contact northgatelinkparking@seattle.gov.  
Survey:  Fill out a brief online survey by June 7, 2021  
- U District Survey
- Northgate Survey
Email: Email us at northgatelinkparking@seattle.gov 
Phone: Call us at (206) 305-8029

Legislation to Preserve Mobile Home Parks

by Dale Johnson

Posted: May 13, 2021

Councilmembers Strauss and Juarez Announce Legislation to Preserve Mobile Home Parks, Save Senior Housing

SEATTLE – Councilmember Dan Strauss (District 6 – Northwest Seattle), Chair of the Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee, and Councilmember Debora Juarez (District 5 – North Seattle) unveiled a proposal on Wednesday that would preserve mobile home parks in Seattle and save this affordable housing option for our seniors.

In 2019, the City Council heard from residents of Halcyon Mobile Home Park who were concerned that development pressures could displace this community of low-income seniors. In response, the City Council adopted an emergency moratorium on the redevelopment of mobile home parks. The legislation also called on City departments to develop long-term regulations by late 2019.

Since 2019, the City Council has extended the moratorium three times while awaiting a proposal for long-term regulations. The current moratorium will expire on July 10^th. The legislation announced Wednesday by Councilmembers Juarez and Strauss would implement long-term regulations and replace the current moratorium.

The legislation would establish a new mobile home park overlay district to preserve the last two mobile home parks left in Seattle. The overlay district would impose new development standards, including:

Limit residential uses to mobile homes and mobile home parks;
Establish height and setback limitations consistent with the current mobile home parks;
Require the provision of residential amenity areas, such as outdoor or indoor recreational areas, when 25% or more of a site is redeveloped;
Establish minimum and maximum residential densities of at least 1 unit per 5,000 square feet and no more than 1 unit per 2,400 square feet; and,
Allow some commercial uses but limit the size of those uses to a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 2 and a maximum size of 5,000 square feet.

This new overlay would expire after thirty years, allowing for the long-term preservation of these homes and creating predictability for future residents. Additionally, the legislation adds this area to the Office of Housing’s affirmative marketing and community preference policy, which provides opportunities for displaced residents to return to affordable housing in the neighborhood.

There are currently only two mobile home parks left in Seattle: the Halcyon and the Bella Bee, located next to each other in the Haller Lake neighborhood. The loss of these mobile home parks could mean the permanent end of a long-time affordable housing option in our community.

“This legislation aims to protect basic human dignity”, says Councilmember Debora Juarez. “Without Council action, potentially 80 seniors could be displaced, many of whom are recovering from an illness or living with a disability. Tumwater, Bothell and Kenmore, among other jurisdictions, have all passed similar protections because it’s clear cities have a vested interest in preserving mobile home parks as some of the last affordable housing available. We must act when there is an opportunity to keep our seniors housed because everyone should have access to a safe, healthy, and affordable home.”

“When I was growing up, you could get a job at the Sunset Bowl in Ballard and afford to buy a house and spend the rest of your life in Seattle,” Strauss said. “Today, it is increasingly hard for middle-class families to afford to live here. There are only two mobile home parks left in Seattle, and they provide rare affordable housing for seniors in a vibrant, close-knit community. If we want Seattle to remain a city that all ages and incomes can call home, it is important that we preserve these mobile home parks.”

Strauss continued: “My grandmother lived in a 55+ mobile home park and it allowed her to age in place in a community she knew. These communities allow people to purchase affordable homes, even if they don’t own the land under them and this legislation ensures land won’t be sold out from underneath our seniors. I am glad to be working with Councilmember Juarez to finally bring a long-term solution after many years of discussion.”

The Halcyon MHPark Home Owners’ Association Board of Directors released the following statement in response to the legislation:

“The proposed Land Use Overlay regarding the property on which the last two Mobile Home Parks in Seattle sit is welcomed with great enthusiasm by the Home Owners Association of Halcyon Manufactured Housing Community. We have been working on this for 2 ½ years, amidst so many crises that our City government has faced, especially the past year and a half. We want to thankCouncilmembers Juarez and Strauss …who have helped shepherd this much-needed protection of this affordable housing for Seattle’s Seniors and working families. Bringing a little bit more balance between the rights and needs of lower income homeowners and the rights and needs of land owner-investors is a BIG step forward in protecting existing housing and the people who live here.”

The Land Use and Neighborhoods Committee received an initial briefing on the proposal on Wednesday morning. The Committee will hold a public hearing and possible vote on Wednesday, May 26^th at 9:30am. The Full City Council is expected to consider the legislation on Tuesday, June 1^st.