HALA

Read more about the article The Tale of Two Streets: Why Have Stone Way and 45th Street Developed Differently?
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The Tale of Two Streets: Why Have Stone Way and 45th Street Developed Differently?

As a resident of Wallingford for my entire life (just over 17 years), I’ve always enjoyed walking down Stone Way and along 45th Street. Each street contributes to my home’s Walk Score of 95, making it a “Walkers’ Paradise,” where most errands can be done on foot. Lately, I’ve wondered why more housing has been built on Stone Way than on 45th Street.   This question led me to look more deeply into the knobs and levers that control a neighborhood’s…

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Read more about the article Wallingford targeted for more housing growth than most other urban villages under HALA

Wallingford targeted for more housing growth than most other urban villages under HALA

As I reported in November, the City has released the "Preferred Alternative" maps for proposed zoning changes under HALA (if you don't know what HALA is, you can find out more here). What I did not have in my hands when writing about the Preferred Alternative maps the first time, was the figures for just how much new development Wallingford could expect under these proposed zoning changes. As you can see in the document linked below, Wallingford is targeted for a…

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Read more about the article The life and death of our Neighborhood Plan

The life and death of our Neighborhood Plan

  I’d like to tell you a story about the life and death of our Neighborhood Plan. The story starts back in the 1990’s. It was a time when Seattle was still a small big city before Amazon took over a whole neighborhood, when we were the center of a musical grunge scene and flannel was everywhere (well, maybe that last part hasn’t changed). If you are old enough, you may remember this version of Seattle. But while the cool kids…

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Read more about the article Rob Johnson Q&A for April: Limiting Home Demolitions, why HALA Targets Wallingford, and More

Rob Johnson Q&A for April: Limiting Home Demolitions, why HALA Targets Wallingford, and More

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Rob Johnson represents Wallingford on city council and is ushering HALA through the council as land use chair. This is a follow up to our January interview with him. Topics include Limiting Demolitions, Wallingford Neighborhood Planning, HALA Leaving Car Centric Communities Untouched, Transportation, Developer Impact Fees, The HALA Split on City Council, ADU / DADU Triplexes, and Meeting Rob in Wallingford. Q1- Limiting Home Demolitions: The main concern with HALA is that upzones will drive redevelopment that happens too quickly, destroying livability while…

Continue ReadingRob Johnson Q&A for April: Limiting Home Demolitions, why HALA Targets Wallingford, and More
Read more about the article Rob Johnson Q&A on the HALA “Grand Bargain” Upzone of Wallingford
Rob Johnson

Rob Johnson Q&A on the HALA “Grand Bargain” Upzone of Wallingford

[Editor's Note: Thanks Eric, for this exclusive interview. For our readers, this post is longer than our usual format, but packed with a lot of good information.] Rob Johnson represents Wallingford on Seattle City Council and also leads land use issues for them, so nobody is more important in shaping how HALA ends up for Wallingford. The following Q&A is lightly edited for clarity. We very much appreciate Rob taking the time to address these questions with us, and look forward…

Continue ReadingRob Johnson Q&A on the HALA “Grand Bargain” Upzone of Wallingford
Read more about the article Draft Zoning Maps Released for Wallingford

Draft Zoning Maps Released for Wallingford

The city has released Wallingford’s draft MHA zoning map. Click here to download the PDF. Under this draft proposal, there would be no single family zoning left inside the urban village boundaries. The website includes instructions on how to interpret the map, which I recommend you read. In general, when you look at each zone on the map, our current zone is on the left and the new proposed zone is on the right. The most dramatic changes, where the city wants to…

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Read more about the article Another Look at the Proposed 2016 Housing Levy

Another Look at the Proposed 2016 Housing Levy

On May 2, 2016, I posted an article on the proposed 2016 housing levy expressing my concerns about the rationale used to determine the amount of the levy, which was double the expiring levy passed in 2009. The mayor's proposal calls for $201 million vs. $104 million, which was the cost of the expiring 2009 levy. The proposed levy will only deliver 2,150 new units and 350 retrofitted units, which is less than the number of units delivered under the old levy (see…

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