In Seattle “progressive” has simply meant higher property taxes. Affordable housing problems? HALA proposes to double the affordable housing premier estate properties tax levy, plus add in more density like bumping zoning from 4 stories to 6 stories along 45th. Fixing infrastructure for new density? Property taxes and utility rates have been going up to pay for things like new schools and sewer overflow controls. Bad traffic? Move Seattle nearly doubles the Bridging the Gap levy to pay for more road work and transit on top of existing levies for buses and rail (that are also planned to go up). …
Art and Music Lessons in the ‘Hood
Recently, I did a shout out for piano lessons for Zev, and I got some great, local referrals, folks who teach in their homes here in Wallingford or close by, and some that would come to our home. I also noticed, walking down Latona, a sign in a window for fine art lessons.
It occurred to me that there’s probably quite a few people out there hoping to get their kids enrolled in something, or maybe take on a new instrument or skill themselves in their Autumn years, but there’s no great way to find people that teach.
Just as …
NPSF Project Update & Wallingford Community Council Doings
You may remember from way back in March that Wallyhood had a vote regarding NPSF projects. Well, the top ranked project, the RRFB at 43rd and Stone Way, is the one that’s going to get done for Wallingford! Here’s what SDOT says:
Provided this project is prioritized by the Neighborhood District Council, SDOT proposes to install a rectangular rapid flashing beacon (RRFB) system with bike and pedestrian push buttons at Stone Way N and N 43rd St.
SDOT also dissed on the other projects, either because they had another process to deal with them, they were too expensive, or they …
Seattle Night Out is Tuesday
Reminder: Streets will be blocked off all over the neighborhood tomorrow night for the 31st Annual Seattle Night Out.
In reading the description from the official web site, I was a little surprised to see it billed primarily as an anti-crime event, goals declaring like “Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness” and “Send a message to criminals that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back”.
In my experience, it’s 99% about community building. Folks pull lawn chairs into the street, pile dishes onto the potluck table and just find out who lives nearby in casual conversation. I get that community-building is …
The Digital Divide
If you are a regular visitor to the Seattle Public Library, you may have noticed the addition of iPads mounted to a table in the children’s sections. We first noticed this a few months ago in the Fremont Library, and it was the first time our son showed no interest in the books on offer. He sat in front of the iPad playing games while my husband and I searched for picture books to check out.
There is an iPad at the Greenlake Library. There used to be an iPad at the Wallingford Branch, but I was told it was …
Bumblebee Paints Wallingford
Muraltastic Wallingford is getting a new splash of color: the new Mack Urban development at 45th And Stone Way has hired Los Angeles street artist Bumblebee to create a piece for the wall that overlooks Walgreen’s, facing Stone Way.
Mack Urban’s VP of Development (and Wallingford resident) T.J. Lehman explained how the project came about:
We have offices in Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York, so I’m down in LA regularly. One day by happenstance I drove by a mural of a boy on his back launching a paper airplane (attached) and thought “Great God, who did that?” and we …
Abel Pacheco, Candidate for Seattle City Council District 4
(This is a sponsored post, written by the Abel Pacheco for City Council campaign.)
Wallingford is a great place to live. I know this first hand – I’ve lived here since graduating from the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Affairs. However, we need new leadership to tackle our neighborhood’s greatest challenges; confronting a broken development process, Waterway 20, Northlake Way safety, parking and cyclist concerns, and many more. This is why I’m running to represent our district on the Seattle City Council.
We need a leader who truly knows our community. I’m the only candidate running that is …