Ongoing Miller Neighborhood efforts

1) Longtime Miller neighbor Debrah Walker recently volunteered to organize our ongoing efforts. See her letter below.

2) Assorted other neighbors have volunteered to help in the efforts. Please contact me (andrew_taylor@me.com) to volunteer, and I'll connect you with Debrah.

3) Debrah asked for my help wth formalizing the neighborhood group:

To get this going again I agree with Andrew that we will need to formalize “Miller Park Neighbors” because we need to be an identifiable group that represents neighborhood wishes. We will need to elect officers and approve bylaws.  Andrew, can you lead us through this process?

4) I contacted the City Department of Neighborhoods for assistance, and they connected me with Thomas Whittermore. I've worked with him before and found him to be both hardworking and very competent. He will be a great asset to us. I'm meeting with him this Friday. Please let me know if there are any specific issues I should bring up.

5) Portland has a great set of resources for neighborhood group, including sample bylaws.

6) BTW the Capitol Hill Blog is going on sabbatical  so we're going to need a more active blog here to share information. Anyone like to help Jonathan and me?

I look forward to helping us revive our neighborhood association,

Andrew Taylor.

********************** Letter from Debrah Walker *************************

Neighbors,

Since I’m not hearing anyone else step forward, I will volunteer on a limited basis to organize a neighborhood effort. Because I’m self employed and swamped with work I’m very hesitant to take on a leadership role. I’ve put in years and I’ve allowed projects to take over too much of my time in the past. I can’t afford to have that  happen at this stage in my life.   I will do this only  IF others will also step forward and commit to specific tasks that, as a group we identify, need to be pursued.

I believe the concerns about HALA come down to the anticipated impacts that will take away the livability of this neighborhood. I would like us to get together again to develop the Miller Neighborhood’s strategies going forward. I think we need to formally identify concerns, possible solutions, and also show how this neighborhood can meet the density and affordability goals put out by HALA but in a way that doesn't sacrifice what is valuable about Miller. When the Environmental Impact Study for Miller-Madison is released we need to be ready to review and respond. To have an effective voice in this we need to be organized and ready.

Gail, do you think we could meet at Holy Name again? Would you be willing to set up a meeting in the Holy Name library?

Here are my thoughts about next steps;

1.  To get this going again I agree with Andrew that we will need to formalize “Miller Park Neighbors” because we need to be an identifiable group that represents neighborhood wishes. We will need to elect officers and approve bylaws.  Andrew, can you lead us through this process?

2. I think we need to identifying what is important to save, do our own survey of what makes the fabric of the Miller neighborhood. What makes it memorable.  Then try to figure out what tools we can find to protect what we think is important.  

3. Approach Sarah Sodt, the City Historic Preservation Officer from Seattle’s Department of Neighborhoods to see if we can do a walk through the neighborhood with her. She will be participating in the EIS.

4. Maybe approach the mayor and a few city councilmen and see if they will do a walk through the neighborhood with us?

5. Is someone willing to go to Allied Arts of Seattle, the "Grow Gracefully Campaign “ meetings?  At the Historic Seattle meeting I attended, Jonathan Konkol from  this group spoke. Basically they are advocating for the Livability part of HALA.  He made great points and  was very knowledgeable  and articulate.  He does a great job of advocating for all sides and I think that group could help us with strategies. 

6. Apply for Residential Parking Zone and begin that process. I see this as one of the few ways we can minimize current and proposed impacts. This needs someone to head up and delegate the effort. This needs to begin ASAP

7. Press? 

I will be out of town from this Wednesday until April 4th, but will be available after that. 

Debrah

P.S. Feel free to forward this on to any other neighbors who would be interested

Ongoing Miller Neighborhood HALA related efforts?

The big question, IMHO, is whether anyone is going to lead the HALA related efforts in our neighborhood that many are eager to help with.

I shared this link recently with the core group of people who organized the neighbors' meeting at Holy Names:

https://outsidecityhall.wordpress.com/2017/03/21/udistrict-upzone-a-lesson-for-other-neighborhoods-activists-in-wallingford-and-central-area-know-what-to-do/

It attract some interest and discussion and I further noted:

I am not aware of any ongoing organizing efforts by the Miller neighborhood group after the Holy Names meeting and the City-run meeting at Miller CC.
I fear that the longer people wait, the harder it will be to maintain any momentum/enthusiasm.

Assorted links / surveys /meetings

Madison Street Bus Rapid Transit website now has a live section for your comments:

https://madisonstreetbrt.participate.online

23rd Avenue corridor news:

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/23rd_Ave.htm

***********

Capitol Hill Times article about recent HALA upzoning meeting at Miller:

http://tinyurl.com/gtyqutc

Capitol Hill Blog article about our neighborhood meeting at Holy Names: 

http://tinyurl.com/gsddykk

***********

   

Seattle Neighborhood Coalition

March 11 or 14th,   

2nd Workshop on HALA Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA)

– Understanding the details of the Proposed Zoning and Land Use Changes under MHA.

The Seattle Neighborhood Coalition in conjunction with the City Neighborhood Council’s Neighborhood Planning and Land Use Committee are pleased to announce their second Workshop on the HALA Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA).   Two dates are planned.

The goal for the second workshop is to educate participants in how to do their own evaluation of the MHA changes to their neighborhood so that they can craft their own message and explain in detail how the changes will affect their community.

Times, dates, places, signup for the meetings on their website: http://tinyurl.com/h77rzjg

***********

City of Seattle Housing Affordability (HALA) website:

http://www.seattle.gov/hala

Register on their interactive website ( https://hala.consider.it ) via the log-in [top right] and share all your views with the City.

Assorted neighbor-generated ideas for Tuesday's HALA meeting

(First here's the Capitol Hill Blog view and a link to Tuesday's meeting info and the OFFICIAL meeting announcement)

1) Here is Debrah Walker's large annotated version of the Madison-Miller zoning map. Download and enlarge to read the handwritten annotations. She'll have copes at the meeting tomorrow. She writes:

I’m attaching text photo of a map I’ve modified with hand written notes about the increase of density in the Miller-Madison Urban Village that I plan to bring to the meeting tomorrow night. It illustrates that this Urban Village has already met the stated HALA density goals. It shows the location of new housing units that have been built since 2015, that are currently under construction, or are in the permitting process.  I’ve included a map from the building department showing current permitted projects, the HALA chart stating the 2035 housing increase goal, and a summary.   It’s information both for the presenters and for neighbors and I will include this summary and my written responses to the MHA principles to attach to the comment form. I’m attaching these as well.

One request that I would encourage others to make (insist on) is that the Environmental Impact Study for Miller-Madison be postponed until 2018 and after Meany Middle School is back in its building and the 543 housing units south of E. John are completed and occupied. We won’t know the impacts of these population increases until then. An EIS completed by the end of June, 2017 will not reflect the reality of impacts this neighborhood is facing.

2) A letter to City Council from Miller neighbors Jack Baker and Judith Bader

3) A letter from Miller neighbor Suzanne Lasser, detailing resources they found useful in their upzoning fight.

4) Debrah Walker's "Principles for MHA Implementation" document - a detailed discussion with local numbers and a ONE PAGE SUMMARY of the arguments.

5) Lauren Swift's large map with suggested modifications. She writes:

Attached is a map of the area with my commentary on how the rezoning proposal should be adjusted. I plan to bring it to the meeting tomorrow night and attach it to a comment form and the work group maps. If you would like one, I will have a few copies, or you can print it off. This, of course, is my thinking, and you may not agree with all of it. At any rate, use what is helpful, and ignore what is not.

(Access to all the linked files is HERE)

Feb 15 Miller Park Neighbors meeting report

Where the ~ 132 meeting participants came from 

(NOTE : 200 people have signed up for the 6PM February 28th Madison-Miller Urban Village Community Design Workshop at Miller Community Center. There's lots of good information about  Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) on the Wallingford Community Council website)

(See also the Capitol Hill blog meeting report, with lots of comments and comments on our previous post).

Miller Park Neighbors

Miller Park Livability – Guiding Principles for Planning 

Discussion from 2/15/2017 Meeting

(Discussion from break out groups is in blue)

Miller Park today is a diverse, affordable, livable community. We support a plan for increased density that promotes the following Principles for Planning.

Define diverse

·      diverse in types of housing (single family historic architecture, old apartments/condos, new town homes, Seattle Housing Authority scattered site housing, Capitol Hill Housing)

·      age

Join Your Neighbors to Protect Miller Park Neighborhood!

CRITICAL MEETING Feb. 15, 2017

6:45 PM, Holy Names Academy Auditorium, 728 21st Ave E, Seattle 

The City is planning significant zoning changes

Your Help is Needed to Shape Those Changes 

As part of the City of Seattle's HALA & the Mandatory Housing Affordability program, the City proposes to rezone ALL Single Family areas to Multi-family in & near Urban Villages (see map here) and to add 10 FEET to the height limit in  ALL the multifamily areas (apartments, townhouses  and condos in the NC and LR areas between Madison and John).

We need to organize as a neighborhood to develop a balanced plan that:
Preserves Neighborhood Character
Encourages Diversity and 
Truly Supports Affordable Housing Goals

Our Neighborhood currently exemplifies what an Urban Residential Village (URV) should be.  The proposed rezoning promises to make all streets in the urban village look like this:

Join Your Neighbors to Protect Your Community

at Miller Park Neighborhood Meeting, February 15, 

7:00  pm, Holy Names Auditorium, 728 21 Ave E.

At this meeting, we will:

• Review the City’s draft proposal
• Establish guiding principles for the neighborhood 
• Discuss concerns
• Prepare for City’s 2/28 Miller Park Neighborhood Workshop at Miller Community Center, a critical meeting, where we will voice our collective concerns & present our alternatives.   

It’s not too late to stop these drastic changes, but we must join together to succeed.

  

Stay informed. Learn more & subscribe to email list at millerparkneigbhors.blogspot.com

 

Contact millerparkneighborhood@gmail.com with questions.

TAKE ACTION! Submit Comments to City Council (calling works best):

Tim.Burgess@seattle.gov - 684-8806
Lorena.Gonzalez@seattle.gov - 684-8802
Rob.Johnson@seattle.gov - 684-8808
Kshama.Sawant@seattle.gov - 684-8016
HALAinfo@seattle.gov

FILL OUT THIS SURVEY! https://hala.consider.it

LEARN MORE:
http://www.seattle.gov/hala

http://www.seattlefairgrowth.org/hala--comp-plan--zoning.html

http://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/HALA/Guide_to_Housing_Options.pdf

http://www.seattle.gov/hala/focus-groups#MHA Development Examples

How to stay in touch

To join our E-mail list, send an E-mail to:

MILLERPARK-subscribe-request@talk2.seattle.gov

Then act on the instructions in the E-mail you receive. Your E-mail will not be displayed in any messages (about upcoming meetings, etc) we send to you and other interested neighbors. Each E-mail you receive will include Unsubscribe instructions.

Quick note, the “Email notification of new posts” option on the blog won’t get you on the neighborhood association email list. That option will alert you to new blog postings.

To contact Miller Park Neighbors 

use this E-mail madison.millerpark@gmail.com