This ordinance becomes effective on February 25, 2012.

Ordinance 123809 makes the following changes to Land Use Code requirements affecting platting regulations and regulations for undersized lots:

1. Lot shape and configuration standards
For subdivision, short subdivision, and lot boundary adjustments, newly created or newly adjusted lots must meet the following standards:

• Minimum street frontage of 10 feet for lots proposed with street frontage;
• Minimum width of 10 feet for a distance of more than 10 feet as measured at any point (to prevent very narrow “connections” between portions of lots);
• Maximum of 6 lot lines;
• Must provide alley access if original lot fronts on alley; and
• Standards may be waived or modified through a Type II special exception review for subdivisions and short subdivisions (Type I review for lot boundary adjustments), based on specific site conditions such as location of existing structures, natural topographic features, location of existing utilities, etc.

2. Development standards for certain “undersized lots”
Certain lots qualifying for exceptions to minimum lot area in single family zones must meet the following:

• The platting standards apply to lots that are platted under the 75/80 rule
•  Limit maximum height of new structures on lots less than 2,500 square feet in area to 22 feet, if the lot has less than 15 feet of street frontage and if the front or side yard abuts for at least 15 feet on the rear yard of another lot; and
• Limit structure depth on lots less than 2,500 square feet in area to two times the width of lot.

3. Lot coverage calculations on single-family zoned lots
Only portions of lots that measure at least 10 feet in any direction count in lot coverage calculations.  (Note that this change does not affect minimum lot area calculation for compliance with minimum lot size or the exceptions to minimum lot size.)

A copy of the ordinance is attached for your reference.  Citizens may obtain copies of the ordinance by contacting the City Clerk’s office at 684-8344 or by accessing the Clerk’s website at http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~public/CBOR1.htm.  If you have any questions about the adopted legislation, please email or call Bill Mills at 684-8738.

Rezones.  The bill adopts a package of rezones that meet the Roosevelt neighborhood’s goals for integrating a light rail station into the heart of the residential urban village.  The rezones cover roughly 20 acres of land centered on the neighborhood business district around Roosevelt Way NE and NE 65^th St.  Most of the rezones are changes to slightly higher intensity Neighborhood Commercial zones along the arterial roadways near the commercial core.  Several of the rezones not directly located on an arterial roadway or on the edges of the commercial core are changes to lowrise and midrise multifamily zoning designations.

Station Area Overlay District. The bill establishes a Station Area Overlay district (SAO) that includes all proposed commercial and multifamily zoned areas within a quarter-mile radius of the future light rail station.  An SAO is an established set of supplemental development regulations intended to support transit stations.

Pedestrian Overlay. The bill extends an existing Pedestrian (P) designation. The P designation is a suffix to a zoning classification that denotes additional development standards intended to encourage an intensely pedestrian-oriented retail environment.

Incentive Zoning.  The bill applies the City’s incentive zoning program for affordable housing to the properties in the Roosevelt Residential Urban Village that would be rezoned under this legislation.

A copy of the ordinance is attached for your reference.  Citizens may obtain copies of the ordinance by contacting the City Clerk’s office at 684-8344 or by accessing the Clerk’s website at http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~public/CBOR1.htm.  If you have any questions about the adopted legislation, please email or call Geoff Wentlandt at (206) 684-3586.

No RSVP/Informal Setting
Happy Hour Pricing

Special guests for this month’s theme, Major Institutions (educational and healthcare), include: 

• Tim Burgess, Councilmember, City of Seattle
• Dan Dixon, Vice President, External Relations, Swedish
• Theresa Doherty, Director, Regional and Community Relations, UW
• Beth Hester, Communications Director, Office of the Mayor, City of Seattle
• Paul Killpatrick, President, Seattle Central Community College  
• Bernie Matsuno, Director, Dept. of Neighborhoods, City of Seattle
• Edna Shim, Director, Regional Gov’t Affairs & Community Relations, Children’s
• Diane Sugimura, Director, Dept. of Planning & Development, City of Seattle
• Jill Wakefield, Chancellor, Seattle Community Colleges  

They will join business-savvy city staff, business owners and advocates for a night of introductions and idea-sharing.  Click here for the location and parking of O’Asian, as well as more information about City Business Casual.

You do not need a specific reason to make a request. Simply submit your request for relocation to DPD’s director at this address:

Diane Sugimura, Director
Department of Planning and Development
P.O. Box 34019
Seattle, Washington 98124-4019 

For your request to be considered, there are a few rules that apply:

• the sign must be located within the city of Seattle
• the sign and sign structure must be installed where an advertising sign is permitted by the code that governs billboards
• your application must be post marked by March 1

If you are unsure whether a billboard meets the relocation qualifications, you may either 1) submit your application and let DPD review the eligibility of your request or 2) contact Kent Hunnicutt, Senior Sign Inspector, at (206) 684-8419 for more information.

All requests for relocation are processed and considered by the owner of the advertising sign. The relocation request process is voluntary and the owner of the billboard has the right to decline the request.

This legislation:

• Rezones the area from a general commercial 1 (C1) zone to the neighborhood commercial 3 (NC3) zone in an approximately seven-block area.  The new zone designation would require pedestrian-oriented street frontages in structures consistent with the area’s location at the hub of transit within the urban village. 
• Extends an existing Pedestrian (P) designation along SW Alaska Street between 36^th Avenue SW and 42^nd Avenue SW. 
• Establishes standards to modify the bulk and scale of structures and enhance the pedestrian environment in the proposed NC3 85’ zone.  Development standards include a maximum lot coverage limit, an upper-level setback along SW Alaska Street, and a maximum structure width in the north-south direction.
• Applies incentive zoning programs for affordable housing required for development that exceeds 4.75 FAR in the NC3 85’ zone. 

A copy of the ordinance is attached for your reference.  Citizens may obtain copies of the ordinance by contacting the City Clerk’s office at 684-8344 or by accessing the Clerk’s website at http://clerk.ci.seattle.wa.us/~public/CBOR1.htm.  If you have any questions about the adopted legislation, please call Susan McLain at (206) 684-0432 or email her at susan.mclain@seattle.gov.

Members of the public are invited to help Seattle City government kick off its two-year budget process. The Mayor, Director of the City Budget Office, City Councilmembers, and representatives of more than 20 City departments are beginning a dialogue with the public about Seattle’s revenue and spending priorities. Mayor Mike McGinn, City Councilmember and Budget Chair Tim Burgess, and City Budget Director Beth Goldberg will speak, and more than 20 agencies will discuss their budgets at booths and in presentation groups. 

The Sunday, January 29 Community Budget Conference held in the Northwest rooms at Seattle Center begins with a budget fair from noon to 1 p.m. where the public can talk one-on-one with agencies. At 1 p.m. there are addresses by Mayor Mike McGinn, City Council Budget chair Tim Burgess, and City Budget Director Beth Goldberg. At 2 and 3 p.m. are presentation/discussion groups where the public can hear and quiz agency officials. The event concludes with an official meeting from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. of the City Council’s Special Budget Committee regarding outreach, engagement and priorities in the City’s budget process. 
 
Only once every two years can the public engage on budget issues with such a wide range of City agencies and officials. Agencies participating include those responsible for transportation, parks and recreation, utilities, libraries, neighborhoods, economic development, civil rights, ethics and elections, arts, health, human services, housing, firefighting, emergency preparedness, police, planning and development, and the Municipal Court, Hearing Examiner, Seattle Center, Customer Service Bureau, Seattle Channel 21, and Seattle Animal Shelter.

Sunday’s conference is free and open to the public with snacks and beverages provided. Seattle Channel 21 will record it for later video rebroadcast, and streaming video will also be available anytime on the City’s website. Interpretive services are available upon request. Seattle Center’s Northwest rooms are near the intersection of Republican Street and Warren Avenue, close to First Avenue North and Mercer Street. On-street parking is free on Sundays. Members of the public are urged to attend.

For further questions, contact (206) 322-5463 or email cleman@oo.net or credmond@mac.com. The conference is sponsored by Seattle’s City Neighborhood Council (CNC) and Seattle Center in cooperation with the Mayor, Seattle City Council, City Budget Office, and Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. The City Neighborhood Council is an official City of Seattle advisory body, composed of one representative from each of the thirteen district councils which are also official advisory bodies. The conference agenda and more information about CNC can be found at www.seattle.gov/neighborhoodcouncil.

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

City Green Building’s mission — making green building standard practice — has held fast over ten plus years. The City of Seattle’s legacy as a national leader has fostered local adoption of green building practices, moving beyond the early adopters to the mainstream market. “Seattle’s green building growth has been exponential.  Given the current level of green building expertise and innovation in the private market and in regional organizations we need to continue to evolve our vision and approach,” said Sandra Mallory, Program Manager for City Green Building. “If we are to achieve a climate neutral Seattle, then our green building policies and initiatives need to fit within a broader context.” 

 The evolution of the green building program naturally led to greater coordination with the Office of Sustainability and Environment, the City’s primary office for urban sustainability policy development. “Over the past years, the green team and OSE have worked closely together on numerous initiatives, including co-leading the Green Building Task Force which in turn led to programs like Community Power Works, Energy Benchmarking and Priority Green permitting. Consolidating our efforts will better align work in overlapping areas and allow the City to expand our work on environmental priorities,” said Jill Simmons, Director of OSE.

Within DPD the green team has worked to support both typical and advanced green building projects through education, incentives and program development. “DPD has been a long-standing advocate for green building from within City government. We have invested in our staff – teaching green building strategies so that our reviewers are ready to help applicants when they come in,” said Diane Sugimura, the Director of the Department of Planning and Development. “We remain committed to removing barriers to green building and encouraging innovative sustainability practices.”

In 2012 DPD will remain focused on growing green permitting, on supporting the Living Building Challenge pilot and on evaluating the International Green Construction Code (IgCC) for potential adoption in Seattle. Planning staff will work closely with OSE to implement land use policies that advance green building.  Green building staff in OSE will be working on implementing the Sustainable Building and Sites policy, development of a city Resource Conservation Plan, and providing ongoing management and support of the energy benchmarking program and the 2030 District.

For more information about these efforts, please visit the following websites.  

• Office of Sustainability and Environment:  www.seattle.gov/environment
• Seattle Green Building:  www.seattle.gov/greenbuilding
• Priority Green:  www.seattle.gov/dpd/prioritygreen

For more information:

Rebecca Baker
rebecca.baker@seattle.gov
(206) 615-1171

The TDP program makes it possible for any owner of a character structure to sell development rights to eligible “receiving sites” in Pike/Pine, where a 10 foot height increase and additional FAR are allowed on the lot to accommodate the transferred floor area.  To prevent the use of TDP from putting character structures at risk, any development that would result in the loss of a character structure would not be eligible as a receiving site.  While the adopted program limits the use of Pike/Pine TDP to eligible sending and receiving sites within the Pike/Pine Conservation Overlay District, there is a provision to allow for the transfer of Pike/Pine TDP to receiving areas outside the neighborhood through future Council action.

The TDP legislation also resulted in the creation of a Conservation Core within the overlay district, an area roughly bounded by Broadway, Pine Street, 12^th Avenue, and a southern boundary midway between Pike and Union Streets.  This area, which has the greatest concentration of character structures listed as possible candidates for landmark designation on the DON Historic Resource Survey, is subject to tighter controls on bulk to promote development that will better maintain its existing character.