A Neighborhood Walk Down 35th Ave NE - Saturday, October 6th

35th Ave NE Neighborhood Walk

Saturday, October 6th, 9-11AM

Meet in front of NE Branch Library

Back in August, the 35th Ave NE Committee toured six neighborhoods throughout Seattle and Kirkland to see what we thought worked well and not so well.  We took with us the knowledge gleaned from the 7-part Coffee Talk series and looked at what makes other neighborhoods great.  This Saturday, October 6th, from 9AM-11AM, we'll walk down 35th Ave NE to inventory business-types, discuss what works, what doesn't work as well, and where we think are high priority locations.

All are welcome to join us during this walk.  We may also have to stop in some of our local purveyors of edible goodness as part of our business-type inventory.  If you plan on joining us, please come dressed appropriately for a 1 mile-ish walk, bring a camera and note pad to document your thoughts, and come a willingness to discuss your thoughts respectfully with others.  

See you Saturday!

Trade Offs of Land Use Planning - A Coffee Talk Recap

Over the past 7 months, we have been super lucky to have had presentations on a variety of land use planning concepts by a host of brilliant and local planning professionals as part of the Coffee Talk series.  The Coffee Talks were sponsored by the Community Planning Assistance Team (CPAT), which is part of the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association.

The final (seventh) of these Coffee Talks was presented on August 23rd by Bill LaPatra with Mithun.  Bill's presentation neatly wrapped a bow around the previous six Coffee Talks and brought many of the concepts together.  His presentation touched on the benefits to businesses, walkability, transportation, and livability from land use planning.  He also touched on how increased density and how it can be done well so it complements, as opposed to competes, with local character and desired outcomes.  There are trade-offs though that come along with these benefits.

If you missed, the last Coffee Talk, a video is below along with a PDF version of Bill LaPatra's presentation for your viewing pleasure.  If you missed any of the previous Coffee Talks, you can link to and watch them all HERE.  As always, the video is of terrible quality...my apologies.

Coffee Talk 7: The Trade Offs of Land Use Planning from Wedgwood Community Council on Vimeo.

Coffee Talk 7: The Trade Offs of Land Use Planning

Coffee Talk 7: The Trade Offs of Land Use Planning

Thursday, August 23rd, 7-8:30PM

Wedgwood Presbyterian Church

Some say that the only constant in life is change. If this is true, change is sure to come to 35th Ave NE. Thanks to the Community Planning Assistance Team(CPAT) from the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association, for the past six months we have been hosting land use planning presentation on various concepts related to improving 35th Ave NE.   We learned about the conditions necessary for businesses to thrive, improving walkability, architectural design standards and principles, successful streetscape features and placemaking, the benefits of density, and incentivizing successful development.

However, through the discussion of some of these concepts it is clear that changes to 35th Ave NE could result in unanticipated impacts to the surrounding community.   These impacts are often those things that are considered trade offs in development.  This Thursday evening, at our FINAL Coffee Talk,Bill LaPatra with Mithun discusses some of those trade offs that come along with land use planning and ultimately a more successful commercial corridor.

As always, a special thanks to Top Pot Doughnuts for providing delicious goodness for these events.

Incentivizing Successful Development, A Recap of Coffee Talk 6

About 10-15 years ago, the City of Kirkland began the process of revitalizing their downtown.  The City developed a strategic plan to identify those things the City could do themselves and those things the City wanted to encourage private development to accomplish.  Some of the City's targeted improvements included improved transit, creating public gathering places, and improving traffic circulation.  However, with all of these potential improvements, the City still required private development to come in and bring the types of projects and amenities that were important for improving the vitality and success of the downtown core experience.  To do this, the City in part turned to incentives to encourage these things.

Gathering place created at a focal intersection in exchange
for a 'bonus floor' as part of a new development in Kirkland.

While downtown Kirkland may not be the same scale and type of commercial corridor that we may aspire 35th Ave NE to become, the principal of using incentives to achieve those things important to the community may be something for us as a community to consider.  In order for a development to occur, the financial reality of development is that it must "pencil out" (e.g., result in a reasonable return on investment to the developer).  In this capitalist environment, economics generally wins out.

The question in these capitalist conditions is what is the appropriate "give and take" relationship in order to achieve not only a successful project economically for the developer, but also a successful project for the community.  At our most recent Coffee Talk at the end of July, Ellen Miller-Wolfe, the Economic Development Director for the City of Kirkland shared some of the projects  and methods they've used to encourage successful developments.  Some of those incentives Kirkland has offered developers include additional height (a bonus floor) and reduced setbacks to incentivize such things as residential uses within the business core or including shared public parking.  Now, the City is trying to incentivize specific types of retail uses including a grocery store downtown and movie theater.

Safer pedestrian environment created as part
of a new development in Kirkland.

As we move forward with the 35th Ave NE neighborhood planning,we might ask ourselves,

What are those things we most want along 35th Ave NE and what are we willing to give up in order to get them?

One place we can begin to look to for those things of most value to the community are those business types and features called out in the Wedgwood Vision Plan community survey results.  Another place to look may include those things that other neighborhoods have done within their commercial corridors that we may want to replicate.  The 35th Ave NE Steering Committee has begun to tour other communities and are getting ideas.

Our FINAL Coffee Talk is next Thursday, August 23rd, at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church from 7-8:30PM. Join us to learn about the trade offs of land use planning.  For more on Incentivizing Successful Development, relive the magic of Coffee Talk 6 and Ellen Miller-Wolfe's fantastic presentation on what Kirkland has done.

Coffee Talk 6: Financial Realities of Development. Incentivizing Successful Development from Wedgwood Community Council on Vimeo.

Field Trips to See What Others Are Doing

The 35th Ave NE Steering Committee (35th Committee) has been a sponge throughout the Coffee Talk series.  From learning what makes safe, walkable commercial corridors to the conditions necessary for our local businesses to survive and thrive, the 35th Committee has been learning about what can be done.  Recently, the 35th Committee went on a field trip to three commercial corridors that have interesting things going on and provide a variety of ideas to consider bringing to 35th Ave NE.  Below is a review of our field trip and a brief discussion of what each commercial corridor had to offer.

Kirkland

Mixed-use development in Kirkland using terracing
 and setbacks to reduce sense of scale from the street.

Downtown Kirkland is a rapidly changing community with a variety of housing types and densities intermixed within both new and older commercial developments.  The City has the benefit of having Lake Washington and beautiful views which to plan around.  However, the growth of Kirkland over the past 10 years provided us an opportunity to see how new and old development can coexist together, how developers have used architecture to soften the scale and bulk through setbacks, terracing, and variable ground floor heights.  We also were able to see how recent development incorporated placemaking, streetscape features, and gathering places into their projects.

A mixed-use building in Madrona enhances the corner
and uses streetscape features well to create a gathering place.

Madrona
For such a geographically small commercial corridor with zoning (NC-30) similar to that around 35th Ave NE and NE 75th Street, Madrona packs a punch.  Madrona is not considered an "Urban Village" within the City's Comprehensive Plan, yet it has managed to create a successful commercial corridor that appears to serve the surrounding neighborhood well.  There are numerous eateries that function as destinations from the nearby single-family neighborhoods and a couple of key services (e.g., school, library, parks, deli/market, salons, coffee shop) which accommodate many of the other daily needs of nearby residents. The result is a small, neighborhood commercial corridor that has successfully incorporated a moderate degree of new development over the past 15-20 years while maintaining its character.  My personal take home lesson from this neighborhood is that business types really do matter in the success and vitality of a commercial corridor.

Wallingford
Our field trip transitioned from a non-Urban Village in Madrona to Wallingford, an Urban Village with codified growth targets.  While we weren't able to walk the whole commercial corridor, we did take a long look at a relatively new mixed-use building at NE 45th St and Bagley Ave N.  This building uses a variety of architectural techniques to soften the bulk and scale of the building, similar to what was seen in Kirkland, while also transitioning to the single-family residences to the south.  This is one of the projects touched on by Catherine Benotto during the Coffee Talk 5: Density and its Benefits talk, whose firm Weber Thompson designed.  Parking for this building is off of Bagley Ave N, south of ground-floor residences that open onto Bagley.  My personal take home message from this neighborhood is that transitional zoning is not required, although good design is, in order to achieve a respectful and thoughtful transition transition to adjacent single-family residences.


View Larger Map This coming Saturday, the 35th Committee will go on another field trip to the Greenwood/Phinney, Queen Anne, and California (West Seattle) commercial corridors.   Next Thursday, August 23rd, will be the final Coffee Talk of the 7-part series open to everyone.  The topic of this final Coffee Talk will be on the trade offs of land use planning.  Please join us from 7-8:30PM at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church.

Should "Density" Be Considered a Four Letter Word?

Coffee Talk 6: Financial Realities of Development. Incentivizing Successful Development - Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, Thursday, July 26th, 7-8:30PM (free doughnuts!)


Density. It's a four letter word to some and can strike fear in predominantly single-family neighbors like ours along 35th Ave NE despite its many different forms and means of measurement. While at the Seattle City Light's formal hearing last week on their plans to dispose of (sell) their 5 surplussed substations throughout NE Seattle, a frequent comment was something like this, "Whatever you do, I don't want more density."

Yet there are many benefits that density can bring to residential communities like ours, most of which were articulated in the Wedgwood neighborhood's Vision Plan.  Catherine Benotto, with the architecture and planning firm Weber Thompson, shared some of the benefits from increased density during our last Coffee Talk, which include increased neighborhood services, increased availability to transit (less driving!), increased walkability, more diverse retail, and more.

The fact is increased density is going to occur along 35th Ave NE based on the current zoning.  The question is how to encourage the types of development that support a more walkable neighborhood with the strong retail corridor that includes more restaurants, hardware store, and book shop like the community has said it wants?

Our upcoming Coffee Talk on Thursday, July 26th at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church from 7-8:30PM, will feature just this.  Ellen Miller-Wolfe, the Kirkland Director of Economic Development, will speak on the "Financial Realities of Development. Incentivizing Successful Development."  As always, the Coffee Talk is sponsored by our phenomenal neighbor, Top Pot Doughnuts.

Here is a terrible quality video of Coffee Talk 5: The Benefits of Density, featuring Catherine Benotto, for your viewing pleasure.


Coffee Talk 5: ”Density and its Benefits” from Wedgwood Community Council on Vimeo.

Coffee Talk 5: Density and its Benefits

The old JCC Building at
35th and 86th.

Coffee Talk 5: Density and its Benefits
Thursday, June 21st, 7-8:30PM
Temple Beth Shalom (6800 35th Ave NE)

For some along 35th Ave NE, the thought of a 4-story, mixed-use building at the intersection of NE 86th Street, created anxiety. This isn't uncommon for predominantly residential neighborhoods, like those along 35th Ave NE. In fact, some came together to oppose the project despite the property's Neighborhood Commercial-40 (NC40) zoning which allows this scale of development. Years on, the Jasper Apartment building is nearly complete (certificate of occupancy expected in July) and the first mixed-use residential building along 35th Ave NE (in Ravenna/Bryant or Wedgwood) is now a part of the landscape.

New Jasper Apartments at
35th and 86th.

On Thursday, June 21st, Catherine Benotto with Weber Thompson Architects will discuss the benefits to communities that comes from increased density. Increased residents by way of greater density provides tangible benefits that the community has identified as important values. Its important for us as a community to recognize these benefits and their roots if we are to take the fear of the "D word" away. This isn't to say that there aren't real trade offs that come along with land use planning and increased density, which will be discussed during Coffee Talk 7, but there are many benefits as well.

Don't forget to mark your calendars for the final two Coffee Talks after this:

• Coffee Talk 6: “Financial realities of development.  Incentivizing successful development” – Thursday, July 26th, at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (Fellowship Hall – Downstairs) from 7-8:30PM. - Speaker: Ellen Miller-Wolfe, Economic Development Director for the City of Kirkland
• Coffee Talk 7:  ”The Trade Offs of Land Use Planning” – Thursday, Aug 23^rd , at  Wedgwood Presbyterian Church  (Fellowship Hall - Downstairs)  from 7-8:30PM - Speaker:  Erin Christensen, AIA, LEED AP ND, Mithun

What Makes Great 'Place' and Streetscape? A Review of Coffee Talk 4.

Brice Maryman of SvR Design

What creates those great, vibrant 'places' where people congregate, socialize, and feel welcomed?  Turns out...a lot of things.

In the latest of our ongoing Coffee Talk series, we were led on an visual tour by Brice Maryman with SvR Design as he shared various design concepts and conditions that lead to great place making.  Creating that sense of place is an important step in establishing a well used commercial corridor that attracts shoppers and businesses while being desirable to walk through.

The conditions necessary for great places differ depending upon the community.  For those that came to the latest Coffee Talk, lots of characteristics were identified of great places and not-so-great places.  Here's what we came up with:

• Places to sit
• People converge, interact, and create happenstance community
• Place for commerce
• There's a reason to be there (a draw)
• There are center and edge spaces
• Approachable and inclusive to everyone
• Evokes emotion and meaning
• It communicates shared experiences and community
• Sense of familiarity and stirs memories
• Appropriate scale
• A void space ties together destinations
• Dynamic, interactive, and fun
• Becomes symbolic or iconic
• Becomes a focal point

What are the elements of not-so-good places?

• Uncomprehensible
• Undefined edges
• Lacks focal point
• Featureless
• Barriers to entry
• Not an appropriate scale
• Monochromatic and boring
• Exclusive
• Sense of fake-ness

In addition to this visual tour of place making, Brice discussed recent projects his firm has completed that incorporate place making into streetscape design.  You can read Valarie's perspective of the latest Coffee Talk here.

As always, we've got the Coffee Talk in true-to-form poor quality for all to watch and relive the magic of the night.  Note that the location of the upcoming Coffee Talks may be changing due to scheduling conflicts at Messiah Lutheran on Thursday nights.

Coffee Talk 4: Place-Making and Successful Streetscapes Features from Wedgwood Community Council on Vimeo.

Coffee Talk 4: Place-making and Successful Streetscape Features

Coffee Talk 4:  ”Place-making and Successful Streetscape Features” – Thursday, May 24^th, at Messiah Lutheran Church (Fellowship Hall - Downstairs) from 7-8:30PM.  Speaker: Brice Maryman, SvR Design

What creates that sense of place and provides a comfortable pedestrian environment, safe for all ages and abilities?  What softens the urban environment, establishes a transition between street and storefront, and unifies one part of the neighborhood with another?  Some of this can be done with thoughtful consideration to the pedestrian environment and providing the amenities throughout a right-of-way.  This is one of the design elements that NE Seattle residents are considering as part of the 35th Ave NE neighborhood planning efforts.

This Thursday, we are excited to have Brice Maryman from SvR Design, a firm renowned for their streetscape design (among other disciplines) to introduce this subject to the community and share some thoughts on what can be done to 35th Ave NE.  

Thanks again to Top Pot Doughnuts for their support and providing delicious coffee and baked goodness for the Coffee Talks.  Make sure to put the remaining Coffee Talks on your schedule:

• Coffee Talk 5:  ”Density and its Benefits” – Thursday, June 21st, at Messiah Lutheran Church (Fellowship Hall - Downstairs) from 7-8:30PM – Speaker: Catherine Benotto, Weber + Thompson Architects
• Coffee Talk 6: “Financial realities of development.  Incentivizing successful development” – Thursday, July 26th, at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (Fellowship Hall – Downstairs) from 7-8:30PM. - Speaker: Ellen Miller-Wolfe, Economic Development Director for the City of Kirkland
• Coffee Talk 7:  ”The Trade Offs of Land Use Planning” – Thursday, Aug 23^rd , atMessiah Lutheran Church (Fellowship Hall - Downstairs)  from 7-8:30PM - Speaker:  Erin Christensen, AIA, LEED AP ND, Mithun

Urban Design and Design Review. A Review of Coffee Talk 3

The 35th Ave NE corridor has a variety of building types and sizes.  The new 4-story, Jasper Apartment  building also provides new design questions for the community around 35th Ave NE.  As new development occurs along 35th Ave NE, such as the redevelopment of the Green House, its our belief that our community should have an idea of what type of development and what types design elements we want to see occur. 

Cheryl Sizov with Seattle DPD discusses design review.

On April 26th, the 3rd of the 7-part Coffee Talk series occurred, with John Owen from MAKERS Architecture + Urban Design and Cheryl Sizov with the City of Seattle's Department of Planning and Development spoke to the community.  Mr. Owen oversaw the completion of the Wedgwood Vision Plan, which the Future 35th Ave NE Project is largely based on.  Mr. Owen discussed various design principals and elements that the community could consider as part of review and encouraging great designs for future 35th Ave NE developments.  Ms. Sizov spoke about the design review process that the City uses to encourage developers to consider the needs of the community.  Video of both of their talks are below.  Valarie Bunn, author of the Wedgwood in Seattle History blog, provides her perspective on latest coffee talk about urban design.







There are 4 more Coffee Talks that will occur over the coming months.

• Coffee Talk 4:  ”Place-making and Successful Streetscape Features” – Thursday, May 24^th, at Messiah Lutheran Church (Fellowship Hall - Downstairs) from 7-8:30PM.  Speaker: Brice Maryman, SvR Design

• Coffee Talk 5:  ”Density and its Benefits” – Thursday, June 21st, at Messiah Lutheran Church (Fellowship Hall - Downstairs) from 7-8:30PM – Speaker: Catherine Benotto, Weber + Thompson Architects

• Coffee Talk 6: “Financial realities of development.  Incentivizing successful development” – Thursday, July 26th, at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (Fellowship Hall – Downstairs) from 7-8:30PM. - Speaker: Ellen Miller-Wolfe, Economic Development Director for the City of Kirkland

• Coffee Talk 7:  ”The Trade Offs of Land Use Planning” – Thursday, Aug 23^rd, at Messiah Lutheran Church (Fellowship Hall - Downstairs)  from 7-8:30PM - Speaker:  Erin Christensen, AIA, LEED AP ND, Mithun

Coffee Talk 3 - Design at a Human Scale. A Primer on Urban Design Concepts and City of Seattle Design Review Guidelines

Coffee Talk: “Design at a Human Scale. A Primer on Urban  Design Concepts and City of Seattle Design Review Guidelines” - Thursday, April 26th, from 7-8:30PM at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (8008 35th Ave NE). 

What makes a great building design? We've all seen buildings that we like and don't like, yet we're not all architects. As 35th Ave NE is inevitably redeveloped in the future, the question is how can we collectively articulate what types of building forms and design our community wants to see. The purpose of this Coffee Talk is to improve our understanding of design and the design review process.  This is the 3rd of a 7-part series of Coffee Talks sponsored by the American Planning Association's Washington Chapter's Community Planning Assistance Team (CPAT).

John Owen will be presenting a primer on important design principals that our community can use as we plan for the future of 35th Ave NE.  Not only is Mr. Owen a partner with MAKERS Architecture + Urban Design, he also led the Wedgwood Vision Plan.  Cheryl Sizov is a Senior Urban Planner with the City of Seattle's Department of Planning and Development who managed the drafting of the City's most recent Seattle Design Guidelines. Ms. Sizov will present the City's design guidelines and describe the City's design review process.  A process that some on the Wedgwood Action Group became familiar with during the design of the Jasper Apartment Building.

Thanks again to Top Pot Doughnuts for their support and providing delicious coffee and baked goodness for the Coffee Talks.  Make sure to put the remaining Coffee Talks on your schedule:

• Coffee Talk 4:  ”Place-making and Successful Streetscape Features” – Thursday, May 24^th, at Messiah Lutheran Church (Fellowship Hall - Downstairs) from 7-8:30PM.  Speakers: Brice Maryman, SvR Design and Catherine Benotto, Weber + Thompson Architects

• Coffee Talk 5:  ”Density and its Benefits” – Thursday, June 21st, at Messiah Lutheran Church (Fellowship Hall - Downstairs) from 7-8:30PM – Speaker: Kevin Shively, Nelson\Nygaard Consultants

• Coffee Talk 6: “Financial realities of development.  Incentivizing successful development” – Thursday, July 26th, at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (Fellowship Hall – Downstairs) from 7-8:30PM. - Speaker: Ellen Miller-Wolfe, Economic Development Director for the City of Kirkland

• Coffee Talk 7:  ”The Trade Offs of Land Use Planning” – Thursday, Aug 23^rd, at Messiah Lutheran Church (Fellowship Hall - Downstairs)  from 7-8:30PM - Speaker:  Erin Christensen, AIA, LEED AP ND, Mithun

UW Presence in NE Seattle

According to the University of Washington, more than 60% of students, 10% of employees, and 20% of alumni living within the City are located in Northeast Seattle.  Admittedly, the boundary for NE Seattle includes the campus itself.  Nevertheless, this also means that there is a large portion of the NE Seattle community within Ravenna-Bryant, Roosevelt, Laurelhurst, View Ridge, and other neighborhoods that is supported by the UW.  A summary of the website's results has been tabulated below.

Puget Sound Regional Council's Draft Land Use Forecasts for Communities Surrounding 35th Ave NE

The Puget Sound Regional Council has recently released its Draft Public Review Version: 2012 Land Use Forecasts.  Based on this report and its forecast results, the "Wedgewood/View Ridge" Forecast Analysis Zone (FAZ) is projected for growth over the next 30 years. The information within this report reinforces the reality that change is inevitable for the 35th Ave NE corridor.

Before we summarize the results for the "Wedgewood/View Ridge" FAZ, there's a few things that need to be explained. First, I've already pointed out to the PSRC that Wedgwood is spelled incorrectly.  Secondly, this FAZ (6226) includes all of Wedgwood and portions of the View Ridge, Maple Leaf, Meadowbrook, and Ravenna-Bryant neighborhoods (Census Tracts 20, 21, 22, 26, 25, 24, 38, 39, and part of 40).  So, despite its name, it is comprised of numerous communities that surround the 35th Ave NE corridor.

According to the PSRC's data, the total population of this FAZ grew 104% between 2000-2010, from 28,982 in 2000 to 30,094 in 2010. During this same period, total households grew 103%, single-family households grew 104% and multi-family households decreased to 94% of what it once was.  While this is interesting, the forecast for the next several decades shows significant growth.  The PSRC's draft results are summarized below in Table 1.

Of particular note is the jump in total population (127%) and multi-family households (167%) between 2010 and 2020. While these numbers may change (they are only in draft format) and are only forecasts, we can be reasonably confident that growth is going to happen. Our City and our part of the City is too wonderful for people not to want to move, live, and work here. The question that we need to ask ourselves is where and how it happens. 

What's not shown in Table 1 but is discussed in the PSRC's draft report and forecast results is employment forecasts for the "Wedgewood / View Ridge" FAZ. According to the PSRC's draft results, "Retail" is projected to grow nearly 200% within the FAZ between 2010 (650 jobs) and 2020 (1,296 jobs). The highest growth rate for any category of employment. 

35th Ave NE Planning Boundary

One of the first things necessary for any planning exercise is to establish boundaries.  That's exactly what was done at the last 35th Ave NE Steering Committee meeting.  Earlier, the committee had decided to look at three specific elements for the 35th Ave NE corridor as part of the community's planning.

• Zoning - Does the existing zoning provide the framework for the community's desired outcome looking 20 years into the future?
• Design Guidelines - What guidelines does the community want to provide to help shape development and provide a desirable pedestrian environment along 35th Ave NE as growth occurs in the future?
• Transportation - What are critical transportation features and needs to support the community's desired outcome for 35th Ave NE looking 20 years into the future?

With this in mind, the committee established boundaries for the 35th Ave NE corridor planning.  It's important to note that just because there is a boundary doesn't mean that anything or everything within that boundary is going to change.  It simply defines the geographic extent to which the community and 35th Ave NE Steering Committee will be addressing the above planning elements, or at least the zoning and design guidelines elements.

So, what went into defining the boundary?  Great question. There were numerous factors that went into defining the extent of the 35th Ave NE planning boundary.  The 2 primary factors though were:

• Existing land use and zoning (e.g., location of existing commercial "nodes" and multi-family housing)
• Proving sufficient width to consider how the existing and potential development along 35th transitioned to the single-family neighborhoods.

Let us know what your thoughts are in the comments section below. This is a community-driven planning effort and it is paramount that the community's voice is heard throughout this process.


View 35th Ave NE Neighborhood Plan in a larger map

What Makes A Neighborhood Walkable? Revisiting Coffee Talk 2.

74

Very Walkable

Walk Score

Here in NE Seattle and other Seattle neighborhoods north of NE 85th Street, the most frequently heard answer to this question is "more sidewalks." While sidewalks is certainly a critical component of walkability, the more complete answer is more complicated.  Traffic calming, destinations to walk to, land use, pedestrian scale lighting, ADA-accessibility, maintained vegetation, and numerous other design elements go into making a neighborhood more walkable. 

How do I know this?  Well, I was at the most recent Coffee Talk in a series of Coffee Talks that the 35th Ave NE Steering Committee are putting on thanks to the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association’s Community Planning Assistance Team (CPAT). 

On Thursday, March 22nd, Paula Reeves with WSDOT, Kevin O'Neill with SDOT, and Lisa Quinn with Feet First shared their thoughts on walkability and the importance of proximity at our 2nd Coffee Talk. The presentations and following discussion was exceptionally useful for those neighbors and 35th Ave NE Steering Committee members that came.  In case you missed it, have no fear, you can relive the Coffee Talk (in far-from-high-definition and minus the delicious coffee and donuts provided by Top Pot) here:



Download the presentations in .PDF form below:

• Presentation 1 of 3: Paula Reeves, WSDOT and APA Washington CPAT Co-Chair
• Presentation 2 of 3: Kevin O'Neill, SDOT Transportation Planning Manager
• Presentation 3 of 3: Lisa Quinn, Feet First Executive Director

See the results of the post-Coffee Talk survey completed by all attendees HERE.
 
Don't miss the 3rd Coffee Talk, “Design at a Human Scale. A Primer on Urban Design Concepts and City of Seattle Design Review Guidelines,”on Thursday, April 26th from 7-8:30PM at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (Fellowship Hall).  The speakers will be John Owen with Makers Architecture and Urban Design and Cheryl Sizov, Senior Urban Planner with City of Seattle DPD.

Ravenna-Bryant Helps Spread the Word

A very kind thank you to the Ravenna-Bryant Community Association for spreading the word about the community planning being done by residents from Ravenna-Bryant, Wedgwood, and other NE Seattle neighborhoods for 35th Ave NE.

Many thanks, RBCA!

Welcome To Our New Blog!

Recently, residents of the Wedgwood, Ravenna-Bryant, and other NE Seattle neighborhoods have begun a community-driven neighborhood planning process for 35th Ave NE.  (You know this already if you're on this website.)  Yet, while the Wedgwood Community Council's (WCC) Land Use Committee did a lot of leg work to initiate this process and get it up and running, the neighborhood planning is not necessarily a WCC or Ravenna-Bryant Community Association (RBCA) en devour, despite the two groups being critical components of the planning process.  Therefore, to clarify this and make sure the planning more reflects the broader community it represents, we have moved off of the WCC website and have started this blog.  Enjoy!

Mayor McGinn Visits Wedgwood

(This originally was posted on the Wedgwood Community Council's website) 

UPDATE: The mayor’s office posted photos from their weekend, including their stop in Wedgwood.
UPDATE: Video of the town hall is embeded below.

Mayor McGinn paid Wedgwood a visit on Saturday, March 10th, for a walking tour of 35th Ave NE and to host a community town hall.  The mayor, who arrived on his trusted two wheeled chariot, was also joined by numerous City staff from the Mayor’s Office, Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle Police, Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Department of Transportation, and Seattle Parks and Recreation.   Additionally, several community members joined the walking tour representing Sustainable NE Seattle, North East Seattle Together (NEST), Eckstein Bikes and Bryant Bikes,Ravenna-Bryant Community Association, and Wedgwood Community Council.

We started the brief walking tour by showing the mayor the new Jasper building and describing the history of recent Wedgwood land use issues including the evolution of the Vision Plan and the ongoing neighborhood planning.  We then walked down to Van Gough Coffeehouse to meet Janet Gibson, who owns the coffee shop.  The walk then carried on south to the Seattle Audubon where the mayor met Russ Steele (store manager), Shawn Cantrell (Executive Director), Cathy Jaramillo (current board president), and Charlie Kahle (incoming board president).  Lastly, we showed off the mayor the Hunter Farm Project and discussed all the different events that occur at the site such as the Wedgwood Art Festival, Planet:HOME, and theemergency preparedness drills.  As we walked, the mayor and City staff were very gracious to share their thoughts and ideas.

Following the walking tour, the mayor hosted a town hall at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church.  McGinn addressed a slew of questions to nearly 70 community members on a range of topics.  Thanks to all that came to the town hall.  A special thanks to Mayor McGinn and all the City staff that came out to Wedgwood and made time to listen to us and our NE Seattle neighbors. Watch the town hall below on the Seattle Channel.

The mayor’s office also posted photos from his weekend neighborhood walk and town hall here in Wedgwood.

Coffee Talk 2: Making a Neighborhood Walkable and the Importance of Proximity

(This originally was posted on the Wedgwood Community Council's website) 

Coffee Talk: “Making a Neighborhood Walkable and the Importance of Proximity”
Thursday, March 22nd, from 7-8:30PM at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (8008 35th Ave NE)

As part of the ongoing neighborhood planning process for 35th Ave NE, we are hosting a series of Coffee Talks on various planning concepts.  These Coffee Talks are hosted thanks to the help of the Community Planning Assistance Team (CPAT) of the Washington Chapter of the American Planning Association.

Our next Coffee Talk will be on March 22nd at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (Fellowship Hall -downstairs) from 7-8:30PM. The presentation will be on “Making a Neighborhood Walkable and the Importance of Proximity” and will feature Paula Reeves from WSDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program; Kevin O’Neil, transportation planning manager from SDOT; and Lisa Quinn, the Executive Director of Feet First; and will be facilitated by the UW Urban Planning Department. As always, everyone is welcome.  Thanks again to Top Pot for providing coffee and some other deliciousness for the Coffee Talk. 

Future Coffee Talks Include:

• Coffee Talk: “Design at a Human Scale. A Primer on Urban  Design Concepts and City of Seattle Design Review Guidelines” - Thursday, April 26^th at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (Fellowship Hall – Downstairs) from 7-8:30PM.  Speakers: John Owen, Makers Architecture and Urban Designand Cheryl Sizov, Senior Urban Planner with City of Seattle DPD.
• Coffee Talk:  ”Place-making and Successful Streetscape Features” – Thursday, May 24^th, Location TBD.  Speakers: Brice Maryman, SvR Design and Catherine Benotto, Weber + Thompson Architects
• Coffee Talk:  ”Density and its Benefits” – Thursday, June 21st, Location TBD – Speaker: Kevin Shively, Nelson\Nygaard Consultants
• Coffee Talk: “Financial realities of development.  Incentivizing successful development” – Speakers, date, and location not yet confirmed.  Possible dates:  July 23-27
• Coffee Talk:  ”The Trade Offs of Land Use Planning” – Thursday, Aug 23^rd , Location TBD. Speaker:  Erin Christensen, AIA, LEED AP ND, Mithun

The Conditions Needed for Neighborhood Businesses

(This originally was posted on the Wedgwood Community Council's website) 

Last Thursday, the 35th Ave NE Neighborhood Plan Steering Committee hosted the first in a series of Coffee Talks, which are community learning seminars on planning concepts that are relevant to creating a successful neighborhood plan. Professionals from various fields are offering their expertise to the community to provide a primer on several concepts.

Our first Coffee Talk was a presentation on the needs of neighborhood businesses.  Theresa Barreras with the Office of Economic Development’s (OED’s) “Only in Seattle” initiative presented information on the needs of successful business districts, what other business districts are doing, and the resources that the OED has available to businesses.  This includes grants to business districts like those announced today by the Mayor for nine business districts. Additionally, Wendy Schwartz shared her experience as the owner of the Fresh Boutique that had to close this past summer.  Beth Dufek with Impact Capital was going to present as well although had problems with her ZipCar and couldn’t make it to the meeting at last minute.

About 30 people showed up to listen and engage in a Q&A session which turned into a discussion and others sharing their own business experiences. Business owners from Maple Leaf and students from the UW Urban Planning Program participated. Many thanks to all that showed and took part in such a productive and wonderful conversation. Also, thank you to Top Pot for providing so many donuts and delicious coffee.

Our next Coffee Talk will be on March 22nd at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (Fellowship Hall -downstairs) from 7-8:30PM. The presentation will be on “Making a Neighborhood Walkable and the Importance of Proximity” and will feature Paula Reeves from WSDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program; Lisa Quinn, the Executive Director of Feet First; a speaker from SDOT (to be determined) and will be facilitated by the UW Urban Planning Department. As always, everyone is welcome.

We recorded most of last week’s Coffee Talk on video, although the video doesn’t capture Wendy’s presentation well.  You can also see the post-Coffee Talk survey that all attendees completed HERE.