March 20, 2012                                                                                               

Artist Sought For Seattle Design Commission

SEATTLE — Mayor Mike McGinn is looking for an artist to serve on the Seattle Design Commission.

The artist would provide advice, as a member of the commission, on plans for new public projects such as fire stations, parks, and streetscapes, and on major projects that affect the whole city, such as the waterfront and light rail stations. The artist would also serve as the Design Commission’s liaison on the Public Art Advisory Committee.

The ten member commission includes architects, urban designers, environmental designers, urban planners, landscape architects, engineers, an artist, a member‐at‐large, and one member from Get Engaged, the YMCA Young Civic Leaders Program.

Established in 1968, the Seattle Design Commission advises city officials on design and environmental aspects of capital improvement projects. Members also help select consultants for City projects. The Commission meets all day on the first and third Thursdays of each month. In addition, members serve on project subcommittees and represent the commission on other advisory boards. Members volunteer an average of 20 to 25 hours a month.

For more information on the Design Commission please visit: www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/Design_Commission  

To be considered, please send a letter of interest and resume by April 9, 2012, to Mayor Mike McGinn c/o:

Valerie Kinast, Coordinator
Seattle Design Commission
Department of Planning and Development
City of Seattle
700 – Fifth Ave., Ste. 2000
P.O. Box 34019
Seattle, WA  98124-4019

The McGinn Administration is committed to promoting diversity on the city’s boards and commissions. Women, people with disabilities, sexual minorities, and people of color are encouraged to apply.

For more information, please contact Valerie Kinast, Design Commission Coordinator, at 206-233-7911 or via e-mail at valerie.kinast@seattle.gov.

The Seattle Design Commission Chair Julie Bassuk today announced the winners of the Commission’s 2010-2011 Design Excellence Awards. The five winning projects were selected from the many public buildings, parks, open spaces, and vision plans completed in Seattle in the past two years. They were chosen because they promote the mission and exemplify the values of the Design Commission: inspired design, contextual integration, innovative sustainability, social inclusion, exemplary partnerships, effective investment, and impeccable execution. For the first time an “In the Works” award will be given to a project that hasn’t been constructed, but has had an exemplary design process and holds outstanding potential.

“These projects enhance our neighborhoods,” said Chair Julie Bassuk. “We’d like to acknowledge the work of City staff, private developers, designers, and community members that go the extra mile in making Seattle’s built environment great.”

Each year, the Design Commission, made up of ten appointed professionals from design-related fields, spends over a thousand hours reviewing capital projects in Seattle totaling a value of over $1.1 billion.

Winners will be recognized at an awards ceremony on January 13, 2011.

Fire Station 30 – Mount Baker
Project Management: Department of Finance and Administrative Services
Designers: Schacht Aslani Architects; Nakano Associates, Landscape Architects

Completed in April of 2011, the Mount Baker Fire Station is located off of Rainier Ave S close to Franklin High School. Starting with a clear functional plan, the design team capitalized on an opportunity to connect with the nearby school and organized the plan to include a balcony where fire personnel could interact with students passing by – breaking down a common institutional separation and creating a stronger connection to the neighborhood. The project deserves recognition for its clear planning concept, innovative use of materials, and comprehensive sustainable design strategy – exceeding the City’s requirements by achieving LEED Gold Certification. We believe it will serve as a model for future Fire Station design through its thoughtful use of a modest budget to produce an elegant civic building that fits into a neighborhood context.
www.seattle.gov/fleetsfacilities/firelevy/facilities/fs30/30.htm

Summit Slope Park
Project Management: Seattle Parks and Recreation
Designers: Mithun
Other Partners: Department of Neighborhoods, P-Patch Community Gardening Program; Unpaving Paradise

Summit Slope Park is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood at the intersection of E John Street and Summit Avenue E. The project reclaims the edge of the urban block creating an inviting infill park that responds to the complex scale, texture and flow of the surrounding neighborhood. A difficult location
and small site is enhanced by a simple yet elegant design concept. Un-manicured community gardens, formal lawn spaces, gathering places, and seating elements are artfully integrated in the small park, to create a place that fosters a sense of community, while engaging the public in thoughtful and meaningful ways. The juxtaposition of formal lawns and un-manicured gardens brings out the character of the park and the individual expression of the users. Contemporary details and material use are well executed and enhance the integration into the neighborhood. The space provides a “backyard” feel while opening up to the larger community. Neighborhood pride in the park is evident in the use and stewardship of the community. The park is a clear example of how simple design and detailing can become a backdrop to the neighborhood, enhance our experience of the city and create a well used and loved space for the community.
www.seattle.gov/parks/proparks/projects/johnsummitparkdevelopment.htm

Block 101 Alley Vacation Public Benefits
Project Management: Vulcan Inc.
Designers and Construction: Callison, Architects; Walker Macy, Landscape Architects; GLY Construction, General Contractor.

The alley vacation and associated redesign of Block 101 (Amazon.com) is a stellar example of how public and private sectors can collaborate to elevate the ground-level urban experience for the public amidst a mixed-used commercial project. The corporate sponsor clearly benefits from an increase in overall building flexibility but their ambitions need not run at odds with public benefit. Block 101 is both a well-integrated civic amenity and an urban campus courtyard. The scales vary from intimate to impressive as one walks from the improved street past the rehabilitated historic structure and into the well detailed plaza. Integration of diverse program, including retail, provides an open invitation for more than just the tenant company employees. And the overall circulation and quality of landscape, material and execution creates an active and attractive experience in lieu of what could have been a cold, introverted private office tower. Block 101 raises the bar and expectation of what private developers can do in the name of civic benefit when the public sector provides the opportunity. Alley vacation for private development is an exception, not a given, and the return must be palpable to diverse users as it is here with this project.
www.vulcanrealestate.com/TemplatePropertyPortfolio.aspx?contentId=143

King Street Station Transit Hub Strategy
Project Management: Seattle Department of Transportation

This multi‐modal hub strategy is centered around the King Street Station and includes nearly every mode of transportation from pedestrians to heavy rail, and all the transportation agencies operating in the city. Conceived and developed in-house, the strategy benefitted from input by many people whose insight, vision and knowledge of the area supported new ways of thinking. It provides strategic tools and ways to accomplish projects of varying sizes and types along several different timelines and in conjunction with other improvements, developments and projects as they occur. Along with transportation ideas, it addresses the social realm, art and culture, providing integrated urban strategies that look to strengthening the area as a place rather than simply a location to change modes of motion. Although this study has not yet been adopted by City Council, it is already informing activity in the area. The King Street Station has received a new plaza, bringing much needed attention to the Jackson Street level. The Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs Public Art Program is planning a temporary artwork for the plaza. The King Street Station Transit Hub Strategy, with its modest public investment, strong vision and inclusive approach, has the potential to be life changing for an area that has been “in‐between” for so long.
www.seattle.gov/transportation/kingstreethub.htm

In the Works Award
Swale on Yale
Project Management: Seattle Public Utilities
Agency Partners: Department of Planning and Development; Seattle Department of Transportation
Private Partner: Vulcan Inc.
Design and Construction: KPG, Inc.; KPFF Consulting Engineers; Berger Partnership; Runberg Architecture group PLLC

The Swale on Yale is Seattle’s newest and most urbane venture in creating multi‐functional green infrastructure. It provides treatment for stormwater runoff flowing to Lake Union, improves streetscapes for all users, and creates green space within a dense and developing Seattle neighborhood. Space was even more limited here than at the city’s previous streetside swale projects. The project team responded with a different kind of solution – a cross‐section with vertical walls, details with clean lines, and a simple yet strong planting design. The Commission applauds the partnership between SPU, SDOT, DPD, and Vulcan for project development, and all members of the project team for their collaborative and creative design process. They have gone beyond what would have already been an ambitious, state-of-the-art infrastructure project, compounding its potential to enrich the public realm. We believe that, when implemented, the Swale on Yale will become an exemplary case study of green infrastructure in a dense urban context.
www.seattle.gov/util/About_SPU/Drainage_&_Sewer_System/Projects/
SwaleOnYale/

For more information, contact:

Valerie Kinast
(206) 233-7911

The City’s Building Energy Benchmarking and Reporting Program is currently underway for nonresidential buildings over 50,000 sq. ft.  This next phase will require nonresidential buildings over 10,000 sq. ft. and multifamily buildings with five or more units to benchmark and report their energy performance by April 1, 2012.

The City has developed a series of educational materials – including hands-on training workshops, webinars and a step-by-step “How To” guide – to help owners with benchmarking and provide them information on utility energy-saving programs, rebates and other financial incentives to save energy.

To make the benchmarking process as seamless as possible, the City has partnered with local utilities to provide owners with the building energy consumption data they need in a convenient format. Using the free online tool, ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, owners will be able to easily see their building’s energy performance and how it stacks up against similar buildings. Having this information at their fingertips is the first step towards improving building energy performance and reducing energy costs.

“Buildings consume more than 40% of the energy produced in the U.S. but there is a huge opportunity to lower energy costs through better building efficiency”, said Diane Sugimura, Director of Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development.  “The City successfully launched the first phase of the Building Energy Benchmarking program earlier this year and we’re excited to begin reaching an even larger pool of buildings.  Helping building owners track their energy use is an important step towards improving building energy efficiency, reducing energy costs, and invigorating the retrofit market to create good local jobs”, she said.

This second group of buildings represents a diverse group of building owners and types including offices, schools, restaurants, retail outlets and more.   These properties make up a significant portion of Seattle’s building stock and a great opportunity for increased energy savings.

Many owners and managers already familiar with the benchmarking process see it as a good business practice that helps lower operating costs and boost bottom lines. 

“The more information and knowledge you have about your building’s energy performance, the more power you have to control it, “ said Lynda Carey, Construction and Asset Manager at Bellwether, an affordable housing organization in Seattle. “For us, benchmarking and making energy-efficiency improvements isn’t just about helping the environment, it is also a good business decision. Our mission is to help families afford more than rent, so the more we can do to lower our energy costs and keep housing affordable, the better.”

The City is working to ensure that all buildings are benchmarked on an annual basis, and that building energy use information is available to potential tenants, buyers and lenders during real estate transactions. That way, building owners, businesses and residents alike can make more informed and cost-conscious decisions when upgrading, buying or renting property.

“The key is education. Once an owner understands how their building is performing and how improving energy efficiency impacts their bottom line and productivity, most jump right in and start making improvements,” said Kevin Dingle, President of Sustaining Structures – a green building consulting company in Seattle.   

“Part of managing properties properly is providing as much cash flow to investors as possible. And a big part of that is managing utility costs,” said John Speirs, Senior Vice President at KG Investments – a Seattle-based real estate investment and property management company that regularly benchmarks its properties. “Energy is one of our largest expenses. The lower we can keep our energy costs, the more we can bring to the bottom line, and the better our return on investment. We support the efforts the City is making to expand the use of benchmarking and think it’s a great idea.”

For more information about the program, visit the City’s Energy Benchmarking and Reporting Ordinance website: http://seattle.gov/dpd/Energybenchmarking or email: energybenchmarking@seattle.gov.

During the 2010/2011 landslide season, nearly 100 landslides were reported in Seattle.

Landslide experts agree there is not one single factor that contributes to the amount of slides in the area, but with last year’s La Nina type weather conditions – the wet and cold weather saturated the soil and greatly reduced slope stability.

With 20,000 Seattle properties (mostly residential) in landslide-prone areas, the City of Seattle and the Take Winter By Storm campaign encourage property owners to take preventive measures to protect themselves from landslides by attending the last 2011 City of Seattle Landslide Awareness Meeting on Saturday, Nov 12.

The free landslide awareness meeting will give the public the opportunity to consult with public/private landslide experts and learn simple preventive measures that will help protect them from future landslides, such as the following:

• Checking downspouts; making sure they are functioning/routed to a safe location
• Inspecting sloping areas for indications of slope movement and erosion
• Keeping fill and yard waste off slopes
• Shutting off the irrigation system and checking it out seasonally
• Leaving tree stumps in the ground on slopes

2011 City of Seattle Landslide Awareness Meeting

The landslide awareness meetings will include a presentation that discusses the causes of landslides, proper drainage for sloping sites, and vegetation maintenance on slopes. The presentation will be followed by a question and answer session and time for one-on-one discussions with professionals in the field, including the City of Seattle, The American Society for Civil Engineers, The Association of Engineering Geologists, The International Society of Arboriculture, and Associated Building Contractors.

Nov. 12 – 10:00 a.m. to Noon
South Seattle Community College
Judge Warren & Nobie Chan Education Center
6000 16^th Ave. SW (across from the north parking lot)
 

Seattle Landslides 

The landslide record that was documented in the Seattle Landslide Study indicates that 86 percent of landslides that have occurred in the city have some human influence such as excavating and filling on steep slopes, broken pipes and uncontrolled storm water.

Since the devastating landslide season of 1996/1997, which involved over 300 reported landslides, the city has taken steps to prepare and respond to slides by constructing mitigation projects to reduce the potential for future slides. It has also been presenting these public landslide awareness meetings for owners of landslide-prone property.

If a landslide damages your property and you have an immediate concern for your safety, leave the premises and call 9-1-1. Seattle property owners with structures that may be affected by or endangered by a landslide should contact a geotechnical professional for structural evaluation.

To view the current conditions of the USGS rainfall threshold for landslides, please visit: http://landslides.usgs.gov/monitoring/seattle/rtd/plot.php.

For more information about Seattle landslides and the City of Seattle free landslide awareness meetings, please visit: www.seattle.gov/dpd/emergency/landslides.

Take Winter By Storm is a regional campaign aimed at helping citizens and businesses get prepared before bad weather strikes. Learn more at: www.takewinterbystorm.org.

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Highlights of the changes include provisions for recreational facilities such as golf, boating and play areas; and a significant change that affects employee work areas. To quote the U.S. Access Board “Under the 1991 Standards, its was necessary to design work areas to permit an employee using a wheelchair to approach, enter, and exit the area. Under the 2010 Standards, it will be necessary for new or altered work areas to include accessible common use circulation paths within employee work areas, subject to certain specified exceptions.”

More information about the revised ADA regulations can be found on the Department of Justice website
www.ada.gov/regs2010/ADAregs2010.htm#titleII_final_2010 and on the Access Board’s site
www.access-board.gov/ada/index.htm and www.ada.gov/regs2010/factsheets/2010_Standards_factsheet.html.

For more information, please visit the Seattle City Council calendar or the Roosevelt Rezone website.

• Are you a registered business in the State of Washington?
• Do you have a City of Seattle business license?
• Do you have a Mobile Food Unit Permit or an exemption from Public Health – Seattle & King County?
• Are you planning on using liquid petroleum gas or an open flame to prepare the food (could require a permit from Seattle Fire Marshall if you are using an open flame)?
• Where would you like to vend? On the street/sidewalk/public plaza, private property or city park?

Dependent on where you want to vend, you will need to obtain the proper permit(s):

• Street/Sidewalk/Public Plaza – Seattle Department of Transportation
• Private Property – Seattle Department of Planning and Development
• City Park – Seattle Parks Department

The City of Seattle encourages street-food vending to increase public use, enjoyment, and safety of our public right-of-way. With proper design and management, street-food vending can be a great way to encourage walking, add vitality to the street, and promote local economic development.

For more information, please visit the City of Seattle’s Street-Food Vending website.

Some of the topics that will be discussed at next week’s Open House include: 

• Pedestrian and bicycle connections to the station, including a bridge crossing of Interstate 5
• Public spaces in the vicinity – parks, sidewalks
• How to create an active neighborhood near the light rail station
• Connecting bus and rail service
• Creating a healthy and sustainable community

The community is invited to drop by the open house to learn more and help influence the future of this area south of the Northgate Mall.

Meeting Details

Community Design Study for the Northgate Light Rail Station Area Open House

Tuesday, July 26, 2011 
6 – 9 p.m. (Brief presentation at 6:30 p.m.)
Aljoya Senior Apartments at Thornton Place
450 NE 100^th Street

To learn more about the Northgate Light Rail Station Area Development project, please visit:  http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/NorthgateStationAreaDevelopment/Overview/default.asp

The Mayor, DPD and members of City Council believe it is critical for the City to encourage compact, transit-oriented communities around investments in transit. The proposed land use changes will encourage well-designed development around the new light rail station, expanding opportunities for housing and jobs close to transit while keeping in character with the Roosevelt neighborhood.   

The proposal builds on recommendations generated by the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association (RNA), which spent many volunteer hours developing the Roosevelt Neighborhood Plan. The proposal balances a need for adding capacity for housing and jobs around transit with the principle of protecting neighborhood character.

The recommendation is for a package of 25 rezones that meet the Roosevelt neighborhood’s goals for integrating a light rail station into the heart of the neighborhood. The rezones are centered on the neighborhood business district around Roosevelt Way NE and NE 65^th St.  In total, the proposed rezones comprise 17.5 acres of land.

The Seattle City Council is expected to begin review of the legislative rezone proposal in the summer of 2011.  For detailed information on the proposal, including maps and the Mayor’s Recommendation Report, please refer to the documents below:

• Director’s Analysis and Mayor’s Recommendation
• Figure 1: Roosevelt Zoning Proposal Summary
• Figure 2: Roosevelt Zoning Proposal
• Figure 3: Station Area Overlay
• Transit-Supportive Density Report
• Draft Ordinance

For more information, please visit Mayor McGinn’s blog.