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Land Use, The Dump, and the Community Council

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If you’ve ever played Sim City you know zoning is critically important for a vibrant community, at least until disaster strikes. And if you’ve ever been the victim of a mega-house going up next door, you know how complicated enforcement can be. Can they really turn their entire street frontage into one big driveway? Is it really OK for them to build a 3rd story that shades you during the day and is lit from the outside at night? Well then, is it OK for you to build a giant plywood view all across from their 3rd floor breakfast nook?

To address these burning issues the Wallingford Community Council meets from 7 to 9 in room 202 of the Good Shepherd Center tonight, 9/1. Our featured speaker is Lyle Bicknell from Seattle’s land use police force, the Department of Planning and Development. If you’ve ever applied for a building permit you know just how valuable his time is, so we very much appreciate having him visit with us.

One issue we’ll cover is zoning and land use changes impacting Wallingford. This is timely as 6 of 7 proposals from Seattle Public Utilities for Rebuilding Our Dump include rezoning or adjusting building codes so that the C2-40 lot SPU acquired can be used for transfer station operations. We’ll be looking at a City Council resolution to stop such a rezone:


Beyond the transfer station and any topics you bring, we’ll be chatting through…
  • The Backyard Cottage program
  • The multifamily zoning code update
  • The Green Factor landscape requirement
  • How the Design Review process works
  • Incentivizing Kroger to deal with the pit on Stoneway
  • Support for updating Wallingford’s neighborhood plan
Hope to see you there!

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Eric

I've lived here since 1998. I spent 13 years at Microsoft as a developer and manager, concurrent with Ballmer's reign. I quit after seeing my third consecutive project cancelled, while my parents needed help, and my wife was getting stressed working at Seattle Public Schools. Since then, I have helped family and community while taking on side projects and volunteer work. I led the renovation of Meridian Playground, helped moderate the South Transfer Station design, helped advance the Green Lake Way road diet, and have guided several transportation and parks projects through neighborhood involvement. I wrote for Wallyhood for a while and was president of the Wallingford Community Council during the great recession, where thankfully, land use was not an issue. I'm an impatient moderate vegetarian who believes in practical win-win solutions.

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Janey September 1, 2010

    Ok, so I’m being picky, but does it seem like whoever did this map doesn’t know the neighborhood all that well? That 35th St. N. and 34th St. N are actually N. 35th and 34th Sts., respectively.

    Like I said . . .

  2. Robba September 2, 2010

    any chance of getting a recap posted here? Thanks –

  3. Eric September 2, 2010

    Yep- thanks for the ask! There’s a follow up email with Lyle that I want to process before posting. You can post here if you have a particular question you want answered.

  4. Marley's Ghost September 2, 2010

    Provide a green roof on the facility to create more open space for west Wallingford/Fremont. New ventilation can easily be designed to quietly make the transfer station less odorous and the rooftop green space a pleasant place to be. Noise from vehicles may be another issue, but only during the hours of operation. Cheers!

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