Greenwood Blog

Yesterday at 1pm the Greenwood Bank of America was robbed again. More information here.
I think I’m going to avoid going in there on Monday afternoons.

I love that my neighbors are willing to step up and participate in the workings of our neighborhood.

Recently on the Yahoo list discussion list, a member asked about a liquor liscence application that was filed for and a discussion was sparked about businesses in the area.  I’m glad that our neighborhood invites discussion and debate.

There are some great ways to be part of the neighborhood, from discussion to volunteering and beyond.

Disussion: There is the Greenwood Discussion list on Yahoo  list traffic varies, but its always a good place to put your two cents in and here back from your neighbors.

There is also the blog comments here, and on Phinneywood, as well as Phinneywood’s forums.

Volunteering: The Car show is this weekend and they still need volunteers. It takes a lot of work to pull of the event and they can always use more hands.

The Boys and Girls Club in Greenwood always needs a hand too. If you haven’t stopped by to check them out  why not do so now? As they work to create a community hub, they’ll need willing volunteers to ensure the growth.

Beyond: On July 9th Fred Meyer will be holding a community meeting to share their plans for development.  (Detailsthe Chamber’s website, we’ll remind you as the date gets closer)

Participate in Neighborhood Night Out, August 4th. This is a great time to either initiate or participate in an event on your street.The city waives the street closure fee,  neighbors take the chance to have a potluck and kids get to enjoy running around the street without pesky traffic getting in the way.

Lastly, talk to your neighbors. Homeowners, businesses, renters and all. This is our neighborhood, and part of being in a community is working with those around you. Life is more pleasent when you enjoy the company of those you are working with.

If you haven’t heard already, The Greenwood Bank of America was robbed on Monday. Better details can be found over at PhinneyWood

From the Seattle Municiple Archives, Flickr

Sad new for  for the neighbors around Sandel park over the summer. Looks like it is one of 11 wading pools that will not be open this year, due to required drain work. More information can be found here.

Greenlake will be open,  but it makes me sad as I was looking forwarding to taking my girl to Sandel this summer.

This ends this week, but it’s not too late to swing by the Bartells on 85th with a donation.

“Stock the Pantry” Food Drive June 1-14: helping to feed out-of-school children
and their families during summer months

WHAT:   Bartell Drugs launches the “Stock the Pantry” food drive with Northwest Harvest
by accepting nonperishable food donations at all 55 Bartell Drug locations
from June 1 to June 14.

The drive builds on a long-time relationship between Bartell’s and Northwest Harvest to
support in-need families in the communities we serve.

THE NEED: This two-week food drive is especially important to help Northwest Harvest replenish
food stocks during summer months–when families that normally depend on free or
reduced-price school meals may struggle to provide those meals at home.

Some “kid-friendly” food item suggestions include tuna, instant oatmeal, macaroni and cheese,
peanut butter, cheese crackers, applesauce and canned fruit in individual serving sizes.

WHEN:   June 1 - June 14, 2009

WHERE:  All 55 Bartell Drugs Locations in King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties

For more information on Bartell Drugs
locations, visit www.bartelldrugs.com

FAST FACTS:

*Only 2 out of 5 low-income children who receive a school lunch also receive a lunch in the
summer months. - Western Region Anti-Hunger Consortium

*16% (approximately 226,000) of Washington’s children under 18 live below
the federal poverty level.
- American Community Survey, 2006 and Washington Kids Count, 2009

*Washington children live in families and communities that are facing harsh cuts in health
care and other services.

*Over the next year in Washington, an estimated 40,000 new kids will drop into
poverty, driving up the need for programs that help children and families.
- Children’s Alliance, May 2009

* Children suffer when their parents lose jobs and health insurance and can’t make ends meet.

* Demand for safety net programs will grow as unemployment rises,
further straining a system that isn’t able to meet the need we have now.

Hello.

http://www.greenwood-phinney.com/events/next-chamber-meeting

Chamber members know this, but I’ll mention it anyway. FM will be showing the Greenwood Phinney Chamber Members their “current proposal” this Friday at the morning meeting. If you’re not a member of the chamber, non-members are $5 at the door.

Maybe you didn’t know this, but I recently resigned from the community council and a few other associated on-going volunteer groups as I’m planning a community volunteer work sabbatical of sorts. (I will still finish the Neighborhood Matching Fund projects I’m involved in). I intend however to still devote some time to trying to get a walkable greenwood urban village and that means seriously questioning the FM project because it is inconsistent with those goals.

I am not approaching this questioning from the community council end.  I have turned that over to the capable hands of Trevor Stanley as acting president until an election is scheduled. He will handle the community council and associated land use things from that end.

We (community council land use committee) were or at least so far had been largely unsuccessful trying to convince the city to help us rezone it to NC 2 Neighborhood Commercial with some store size limits from the current C1 auto oriented zoning. They kept asking for collaboration. We had a series of workshops, but always FM would come back with the box on one level or a little bit above. A huge step backwards from the fairly compact 2 story store we have now. And the dagger in the walkable village - the grocery store in the box – that forces you to walk through 170,000 sf of retail to pick up something from the grocery store.

Lorig (developer of housing portion), GGLO (architect) & FM seem to be working hard, but they keep coming up with stuff that misses the mark of a compact, mixed use, sustainable walkable, bikeable urban village town center.

The last proposal that I saw about 3 weeks ago was a partially submerged 170,000 supercenter with other things on the roof.  In addition to being an attempt to make a plan that looks like a village in birds eye view until you see the streets aren’t streets their hill climbs to get to the store roof where the town center is supposed to be.  Additionally, it is probably not feasible to put the store underground over that whole area because of the groundwater / bog Critical Areas restrictions.  The FM team seem to not agree with me on that.

Anyway, it’s sort of a sunken supercenter with some housing and retail above. Even if you sink a supercenter in the ground, it is still there and still has the same erode the public realm effect in favor of drive in, one stop, forget the importance of building strong sustainable communities retail.

It is not a sustainable proposal socio-culturally, economically or environmentally.  It doesn’t fit the design guidelines or case study we have been working on or the urban village at all. It is obese and not a scale that is walkable or bikeable at the store level or even the roof top for that matter with all its stairs and what not to connect forced expanses of single floor levels to accommodate the big box. The store roof stuck up 5’ on the 85^th St side and about 20’ on the low corner. In my opinion it would hurt downtown Greenwood.

It is over-retailed on its own even without consideration of how Kroger cannibalized their Crown Hill store to the point of getting ready to close it.  In my opinion, we just don’t need more humongous corporate grocery stores in the neighborhood and that is why Greenwood Market works and why it would be great for Greenwood Shopping Center to get them the lease they need to rebuild. Greenwood Market just wanted another 5,000 or 7,000 added to their store size.

FM are intractable on the store size.  They are on a corporate mission to be the next WalMart with all 170,000 – 200,000 sf stores and in their plans is a 65,000 SF grocery store in the partially submerged box.  I feel they should have a compact urban iteration of their store and I sure don’t want a grocery store in a big box in what is supposed to be an urban village.  Personally, I do not want my groceries Fred Meyerized.

It is not a done deal to the best of my knowledge though FM is under pressure to get this thing to the City to meet deadlines that apparently Greenwood Shopping Center has set up for renegotiating their lease.

Anyway, Gary Brunt, spokesperson for Greenwood Shoppping Center, who lives in Olympia and feels good about his Piper Village but even better about turning the rest of the urban village over to a FM supercenter,  loves to say how Greenwood Market didn’t want a spot on the site.  That is NOT true.

Being at the Chamber meeting to vouch for locally owned stores like Greenwood Market and Bartells as well as all the great businesses new and old on our main streets would be great. If you can make this meeting on Friday morning, please come. I hope that other voices in support of successful locally owned businesses and sustainable walkable communities and business districts will be there.

Thanks if you are interested in Greenwood businesses, the town center, and urban issues and can make it to the meeting on Friday morning. Please spread the word. Would love other voices there.

This is all my opinion and I am not representing anyone but myself in saying it.

I have a Walkable Greenwood facebook page if you care to do a friend request there.  It’s walkablegreenwood@comcast.net for the email search on facebook.

Thanks.

Kate Martin 579-3703

Susan mentioned the new businesses coming into the neighborhood, and sure enough we have signs of life in three new businesses.

New Noodles is now open and even has their first yelp review. If you go let us know how it is. I stopped and looked at the menu, and it looks varried. From pad thai to curry and pho.

Aloha Ramen has their sign up, I’m excitedly waiting for them to open.

The business that used to be a Preschool and a Yarn shop is now going a spa/botique called the Lash and Wax

What else is new in our neighborhood that i might have missed?

I’ve been having a hard time living here for a few months. I love the recent influx of new and delicious restaurants and pubs, but I’ve been laid low by the reports of crime so close to my home. I feel like a deer in the headlights some days, unable to get myself out of the path of the more negative elements of city living. In response, I’ve explored the idea of moving out in some detail and have come to the conclusion that it’s just not the right time for me to do that.

So, since I seem to be staying, I need to reconnect to my neighbors and my neighborhood in a positive way. I know what I love about my neighborhood, what do you love about it? Here’s my list:

1) I love walking the dog and having other dog owners stop and chat with us.
2) I love Gainsbourg (despite what seems to be a pattern of neglectful service)
3) I love walking around on a Saturday afternoon in spring and seeing all the home/yard improvements people have in the works
4) I love the blocks that have attractive and well-kept traffic circles (mine certainly doesn’t)
5) I love GAIN North
6) I love Greenwood Market and the friendly staff there. They feel like family.
7) I love the improvements that new construction has brought with it, though I never thought I’d say that. We have more sidewalks, some much-needed street improvements, and attractive retail space.
8) Though technically not Greenwood, I love the staff and stock at Ken’s Market. They are my go-to market when I need breakfast or lunch for the work day.
9) The neighbors whom I know are lovely people. I wish I knew the rest.
10) I love that so many people are actively involved in making this a great place to live.

Susan

Sustainable Greenwood and SAGE host Movie Night

June 6, 7:00pm

Following April’s forum on immigration issues, the Greenwood SAGE Project is partnering with Sustainable Greenwood to host a screening of the critically-acclaimed film The Visitor. The movie, which revolves around a disillusioned economics professor whose life is transformed by a chance encounter, offers a unique glimpse into the U.S. immigration system and the people it affects. Enjoy popcorn during the movie and stimulating discussion to follow! Call Jenny at (206) 297-0875 for more information.

Event is free, but donations are welcome. Greenwood Senior Center. 525 N. 85th St. http://greenwoodsage.blogspot.com/

Good Food: Film & Forum

June 9, 2:00pm

Join the Greenwood SAGE Project for a screening of Good Food, an exceptional film that offers an intimate look at the farmers, ranchers, and businesses that are creating a more sustainable food system in the Pacific Northwest. Sue McGann, community activist and farm coordinator for the Lettuce Link Giving Garden at Marra Farm, will lead discussion following the film. Call Jenny at (206) 297-0875 for more information.

Event is free, but donations are welcome. Greenwood Senior Center. 525 N. 85th St. http://greenwoodsage.blogspot.com/

Transition Book Discussion Group

June 9, July 14 & Aug 11, 7:30pm

Transition Initiatives are part of a vibrant, international grassroots movement that builds community resilience in response to the challenges of peak oil, climate change and the economic crisis. This summer we will begin a community discussion to explore The Transition Handbook: From Oil Dependency to Local Resilience by Transition founder Rob Hopkins. This hands-on guide offers pragmatic and positive ways to help communities deal with the inevitable and profound changes ahead. Facilitated by Cecile Andrews. Call Jenny at (206) 297-0875 for more information.

All are welcome! Meetings will be held once a month during the summer, with the hope of meeting more frequently in the fall. Greenwood Senior Center. 525 N. 85th St.

Books can be purchased for a 15% discount at Santoro’s Books. (7405 Greenwood Ave. N)

Community Dinner for neighbors on Aurora

June 15, 6:30pm

In partnership with Awake Church, the Greenwood SAGE Project hosted a community dinner in the beginning of March for residents of Phinney/Greenwood and families and individuals living in motels along Aurora. A second dinner is in the works, and all are welcome. In conjunction with the summer’s focus on sustainable food, we will aim for a menu replete with fresh and local organic food. Call Jenny to RSVP for the dinner or to sign up to volunteer: (206) 297-0875

Greenwood Senior Center. 525 N. 85th St. http://greenwoodsage.blogspot.com/

Skills for a New Millennium

June, 23, 2:00pm

The Skills for the New Millennium Tour is traveling the country to offer education and resources to any and all interested in cultivating revolutionary ways of living. Come to learn practical skills that emphasize making small, marginal changes for a more sustainable community. And don’t miss out on a tour of the PermiBus, a 40-foot mobile permaculture demonstration project bus complete with solar power, greywater systems, composting toilet, three dogs and a clutch of chickens! Free, but donations greatly appreciated. Call Jenny at (206) 297-0875 for more information.

Hosted by the Greenwood SAGE Project. Greenwood Senior Center. 525 N. 85th St. http://greenwoodsage.blogspot.com/

One of the best things about our little neighborhood is the fact that we have the Taproot Theater.

Live theater truly is a gem, and we’re lucky to have it so close. Right now they are running “Around the World in 80 days” and judging by the photos and reviews it’s clearly a production not to miss.

It’s playing now through June 20th.

More info over on the Seattle PI’s 911 blog, but it looks like a teen was mugged at gunpoint on Friday night.

This just in from the North Seattle Boys & Girls Club:

We’re excited to invite Youth & Teens you know to participate in Greenwood’s dynamic 2009 Summer Camp idea`09!

idea = inventing & designing environmental art.
1) youth cycle: discovering connections
2) teen studio: cultivating creativity

Welcome! We’re excited you’ve discovered idea`09, a dynamic summer camp for Youth &Teens hosted by The North Seattle Boys & Girls Club 206.784.5396 8635 Fremont Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98103

Details below + To view a detailed schedule & register on-line, visit: https://www.idea09.webs.com

REGISTER TODAY.  limited space. Pre-Registration until May 15th.   $80 reserves your spot.
inquiries, e-mail: idea09.NSBGC@gmail.com

To kick off the summer and wrap it up, the club is hosting two weeks of classic Boys & Girls Club Summer Programming during the weeks of June 22nd-June 26th & August 24-28th!
idea`camp runs June 29th - August 21st providing Youth ages 6-12 & Teens ages 13-19 an engaging eye opening summer spent inventing & designing a wide spectrum of environmental art with professional artists, architects, business owners & volunteers!

To view workshop descriptions for idea`s Youth Cycle & Teen Studio & registration details:
check out our on-line brochure in the Photo Gallery!

Workshops are 2hrs, scheduled M-F 10am-noon & 1pm-3pm, with an early care option from 7am-10am + free Friday teen night activities!

Each dynamic week = $75      &      early care =$15 a day.

We’re currently trying to meet our goal of registering a minimum of 16 participants for the entire 8 weeks in order to activate the camp, so don’t wait to complete your on-line application, and spread the news that there is an affordable engaging summer camp in north seattle that offers youth and teens:

workshops in:  graphic design, digital photography fieldtrips, world crafts, eco-challenges,jewelry and purse making, culinary arts, music recording, ceramics, green living, e-biz = how to start an on-line art store, web-based audio/visual/literary portfolios, field trips to local art venues and artist studios, use of a new 10′ x 25′ greenhouse and bicycle studio! WHEW!

Thank you for sharing idea` 09 with Youth & Teens you think might be interested in joining us for an engaging summer!

Because idea` is a pilot program, its activation is contingent upon pre-paid deposit/reservation of a minimum of 16 idea`participants by May 18th.  You will be notified via e-mail before 5pm on May 19th re: whether idea` has been activated, and if not, all registration fees will be refunded.

Art Walk is today and tomorrow! Another great opportunity to wander around the local businesses checking out fantastic art, and special deals. I hear Wayward is having a Henna Artist come in, and the wine shops usually do tastings.

What else is a “do not miss” for the Art Walk?

The Sedges are opening today, more info from the source directly :

New green apartments in Greenwood open today

(May 6, 2009) Seattle – The Sedges at Piper Village, new green apartments in the heart of Greenwood’s commercial district in north Seattle, opens today.  The opening of The Sedges marks the completion of the first phase of Piper Village, a new urban village with a mix of retail and apartments currently underway.  The Sedges is named for a family of flowering plants that grow in wetlands, which is a fitting name for Piper Village because of its location near the headwaters of Pipers Creek.

Certified BUILT SMART and Built Green 3-Star, The Sedges apartments offer sustainable and walkable living options.  Residents will benefit from healthier indoor air and energy-efficient features, including:

• Energy Star windows, dishwashers, washing machines
• Fluorescent lighting fixtures
• Low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) paint and carpet
• High-efficiency, healthy heating and ventilation systems
• Formaldehyde-free cabinetry
• Extra insulation for less heat transfer and better noise control
• Extra precautions taken inside and out to prevent water damage and mold

The Sedges at Piper Village is owned and managed by Greenwood Shopping Center Inc., which is run by a family who has been in the Greenwood area for more than a century – and who intends to retain ownership of these apartments.  Gary Brunt, property manager and developer representative for Piper Village, says, “Every step of the design and construction process has been focused on quality, long-term performance and durability, which means renters and retailers will benefit from this commitment to quality details.”

Residents will also benefit from living in a highly walkable neighborhood.  Walkscore.com gives The Sedges a 91, calling it a “walker’s paradise” due to its close proximity to a bounty of neighborhood amenities, including grocery stores, schools, entertainment, coffee shops, dining, theaters and outdoor spaces.  The apartments also border Morrow Lane, a new one-way walkable lane connecting 1^st to Palatine – and eventually to Greenwood Avenue.  Taking inspiration from the Woonerf concept and designed with pedestrians in mind, this lane incorporates features to slow cars down and promote more pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

The Sedges at Piper Village, located at 8623 Palatine Ave. North, features a mix of 46 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments that range in size from 365 to 1424 square feet.  Monthly rent runs between $900 and $2030.  For more information, floor plans and rental application, visit www.the-sedges.com.

Piper Village is an urban village that will include more than five acres with apartments and locally-owned retail shops and services.  Sustainable features that will benefit the neighborhood include a green open space, as well as bioswales and pervious surfaces that will help recharge the groundwater and lower storm water runoff.

A grand opening celebration is planned for later this year.

The other day my neighbor and her incredibly precocious kids were walking past my house when the 4 yr old called over, “do you want to come with us?”. I asked her where they were going and she said, “to a restaurant”. Turns out they were going to Snoose Junction, which is practically in the very next yard. Snoose Part Deux has been open a couple of months and I still haven’t been. I asked my neighbors to tell me how they liked it.

About an hour later my neighbors were back at my gate with dinner in hand. They’d brought me a sample! I can’t begin to tell you how kind and thoughtful a gesture this was. Who does such lovely things? And oh boy! Did I appreciate it. I’d been working in the yard for hours and was hungry and tired and ill-prepared to make dinner for myself. The slice of thin crust, lovely not-too-much cheese pizza was delicious. And George, pizza crust lover extraordinaire, wouldn’t let up on the pathetic begging eyes until I gave him the crust. Which he loved.

So this evening, after many more hours in the garden, I took a shower and donned clean clothes and walked on over for dinner. Wow! What a nice space. It was cozy and warm and funky and full of art. I had dinner upstairs at the bar. The Caesar salad was great, and the Stomboli tasty. The stromboli might have been great too, but I have a hard time with breads and crusts of all kinds and it quickly got too heavy for me. But that’s just me. I don’t know too many people who have the aversion to bread that I have.

Aside from the food, excellent as it is, you should go for the ambience. Recycled woods and antique lighting, gorgeous artwork on the back bar and in the infrastructure. Oh, and friendly people. This is a place we want to keep in the neighborhood. So go and get well fed in every way.

Gain North has this report of recent neighborhood crime. What have you noticed on your block? Please add your reports in the comments.

There’s something about springtime and summer that causes an increase in illegal and suspicious activity in our area.  It’s important that we keep using this forum for posting these happenings so that folks can be more aware of what’s going on.  At the same time I’m sorry to hear of the recent spate of events as well!

There’s a few more to add to the list:

• A neighbor on 102nd and Linden has mentioned seeing narcotic activity outside her house during the day (4:30-6)  involving the same individual over a couple of day period last week.  The same individual was also seen in a transaction on 103rd and Linden by another neighbor.  He lives on 102nd between Linden and Aurora and CPT and his landlord have been contacted about the activity.  CPT is working with the landlord and will get back to me with more details.
• In the alley between 102nd and 103rd (between Linden and Aurora) we have noticed an increase in debris being dumped consisting of either a shopping cart full of wood or bag or two full of needles (we didn’t check to see if they were used or not).

At our next community meeting (Monday, June 1 - 7-8:30PM) we will have a member of Seattle’s Graffiti task force speaking as well we hope to have representation from the Community Police Team to answer questions about Community Safety.  This is a great time to find out how we can continue to improve the safety in our neighborhood.   Please respond to the Yahoo poll to let us know if you can attend.

Thanks!!

Wendy

On April 22nd, we have published Notice in the Daily Journal of Commerce, seeking bids for a Planning, Design & Engineering team, to work with us regarding the Neighborhood Matching Fund project.  Bids are due by May 6th, and we will start interviewing consultants shortly thereafter.

 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact me or Kate Martin.

 

Jim Jackson (jajackson63@gmail.com)

You know I love the GAIN cleanup events, right? It’s a great opportunity to clean up my neighborhood and meet new neighbors. Well next week there is even more incentive to go. From GAIN’s press release:

Mayor Nickels will attend GAIN’s neighborhood cleanup on Saturday, May 2nd and, in celebration of GAIN’s 30th cleanup, he is proclaiming the day “GAIN Appreciation Day.”

Please help celebrate spring by joining us for the cleanup, as well as a BBQ following the cleanup! Meet Saturday, May 2, 10:00am at Greenwood Christian Church, 8018 Fremont Ave N. We will clean from 10:00-11:30am, and meet for lunch 11:30am-12:30pm thanks to Greenwood Christian Church. Meet for both events at 8018 Fremont Ave N. Come join in the fun and pride in our neighborhood!

This will be GAIN’s 30th cleanup! Since GAIN’s first cleanup in December 2005, we have collected 655 bags of garbage in the Aurora/Greenwood corridor

Tomorrow April 25th join the The Great Space Race over at Greenwood Travel Supply.

For your enjoyment there will be
rocket races and a fiction performance by writers participating in a flash fiction workshop.

Need more info or parking for your spaceship? Details can be found at Greenwood Space Travel Supply’s website

Carkeek Park is hosting a Earth Day Celebration on this Saturday!

From 8:30-11:30 join your neighbors in service project, then from 11:30-1:30 join the festivities.
More information can be found in the flyer here.

From Blog Photos

Art Up/Open Up Greenwood-Phinney Opens the Neighborhood on April 10th for Summer Streets

Walk. Bike. Shop. Play. Breathe
WHAT: Greenwood-Phinney kicks of the first of six Seattle Summer Streets
on Friday, April 10. The 22-block street party begins at 6:00pm in conjunction with the neighborhoods’ monthly art walk, Art Up/Open Up Greenwood-Phinney.

Humans will rule the neighborhood as Phinney Avenue North and Greenwood Avenue North open to pedestrians, bicyclists an businesses between N 65th to N 87th Street* allowing families and visitors to play, stroll and reconnect with neighbors.

During Greenwood-Phinney’s 22-block street party several locations will supply bike parking, visitors can join in a neighborhood wiffleball tournament or explore an art car exhibit, they can use chalk to create sidewalk art or watch an outdoor showing of the Simpsons Movie.

These fun family activities are layered on top of local art exhibits. Highlights include:

* The Greenwood Collective <http://www.greenwoodcollective.com/> (8537 Greenwood Ave N.) in association with Woodland Park Zoo - Call For Artists - In anticipation of the new penguin exhibit opening in May, Woodland Park Zoo and The Greenwood Collective (a shared creative work space) are putting out a call for artists to paint and design fabricated Penguins for a Penguins on the March. Artists of all ages and experience levels are welcome to sign-up on Friday, April 10th at the zoo’s festive Penguin Wagon located outside The Greenwood Collective.

* Green Bean Coffee House (210 N 85th St) - Featuring The Vancouver Project which contemplates the beautiful, grotesque and sublime in a visual art exhibition. Pacific Northwest-based artists Christen Mattix, Scott Kolbo, Scott Erickson, Matthew Whitney, Jeremy Mangan and Jen Grabarczyk created the collection during a two week art residency at Regent College in Vancouver, BC.

* Santoro’s Books (7405 Greenwood Ave. N.) - Featuring artist and children’s book illustrator Julie Paschkis. Her intensely vibrant and brilliant artwork has appeared in 19 books. She has earned a number of awards and honors including the Parents’ Choice Award for Fat Cat, and an American Library Assoc. Notable Children’s Book Award for Head Body Legs

WHEN: Friday, April 10, 2009 from 6:00 - 9:00pm

WHERE: Greenwood Avenue North/Phinney Avenue North will be closed to vehicles, between 65th and 87th streets. The following streets will remain open to East-West traffic: 65th, 85th and 80th street.

Online and Google Maps available: Print an art walk map: http://www.artupgreenwood-phinney.blogspot.com/. Also look for the Google Maps mash-up with Seattle Summer Streets.

ABOUT: Seattle Summer Streets  From April to September, six city streets are being opened for residents to get out and have fun, celebrate the spirit of the community and explore local businesses. Any member of the community can organize Summer Streets, so which festivities occur in your neighborhood are up to you. Bring your own interests to the street-play music, ride bikes or skateboard-and explore local businesses. Celebrate Seattle Summer Streets events will also feature art walks, farmer’s markets, parades and a fundraiser 5K. For more information visit: www.SeattleCAN.org/SummerStreets.

Art Up/Open Up Greenwood-Phinney Monthly Art Walk The Greenwood-Phinney Monthly Art Walk began in December 2008 and takes place on the 2nd Friday of each month. Supported by the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce, the art walk showcases the vibrancy of this ever-changing and exciting community in the heart of North Seattle. This neighborhood art walk embraces a thriving art community and invites local residents to enjoy special discounts and promotions from local restaurants, bars and shops. For more information, including participating businesses, visit www.greenwood-phinney.com <http://www.greenwood-phinney.com/> .

CONTACT: Ilsa Olsen
Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce
206-789-1148
info@greenwood-phinney.com

TAPROOT THEATRE INVITES GREENWOOD, PHINNEY AND BALLARD RESIDENTS TO THEATRE DURING GREENWOOD-PHINNEY ART WALK

Two-for-one tickets available on April 10 for people in 98103, 98107 and 98117 zip codes

SEATTLE - April 7, 2009 - People living in the Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Ballard neighborhoods get a special treat on Friday, April 10, as Taproot Theatre Company offers them two-for-one tickets to that evening’s performance of Tuesdays with Morrie. The offer corresponds with that evening’s Art Up Greenwood-Phinney Art Walk and the Seattle Summer Streets event.

The two-for-one offer is available for people living in the 98103, 98107 and 98117 zip codes. Just ask for your “Art Walk 2-for-1″ ticket when calling the box office at 206-781-9707. The performance starts at 8 p.m. at Taproot Theatre, which is located at 204 N. 85th St. in Greenwood. Seating is limited, and the offer is subject to availability.
Tuesdays with Morrie-by Jeffrey Hatcher and Mitch Albom, and based on Albom’s best-selling autobiographical book-invites you to pull up a chair and join the vibrant professor Morrie for some of the greatest lessons life can offer. The story basks in the warmth of Morrie, whose wisdom-and sense of humor-will change your outlook on life. When you lose your way sometimes you find it again in the most unexpected places. Tuesdays with Morrie, directed by Karen Lund, runs through April 25. For more information, visit www.taproottheatre.org or contact the box office at 206.781.9707 or box@taproottheatre.org. All performances are held at Taproot Theatre.
Support for Taproot Theatre’s 2009 season is generously provided by 4Culture, ArtsFund, The Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, the Washington State Arts Commission and PONCHO. Thanks to Romio’s Pizza and Pasta, our Pizza and a Play sponsor.

ABOUT TAPROOT THEATRE COMPANY
Taproot Theatre Company is a professional, non-profit theatre company with a multi-faceted production program. Founded in 1976, Taproot Theatre serves the Pacific Northwest with Mainstage Productions, Touring Productions and Acting Studio. Taproot exists to create theatre that explores the beauty and questions of life while bringing hope to our search for meaning. Taproot Theatre Company is a member of Theatre Communications Group (TCG), Theatre Puget Sound (TPS), and the Greenwood-Phinney Chamber of Commerce.

From Blog Photos

I’m on the waiting list for a P-Patch. Since I live in a rental, I’m restricted to my gardening abilities, so I’ve been looking for other options.  Urban Garden Share seeks to connect people who have extra space in their yard with gardeners who want to garden. It’s a fun concept, and a great way to connect people in the neighborhood. We don’t have many listings for Greenwood yet, but perhaps that will change with the spring weather.

(Photo from Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/24917549@N04/3386125944/sizes/m/ Photo under creative commoms from Bukowsky18)

Greenwood Ave N is going to be closed to motor vehicle traffic
between N 65th and N 87th Streets next Friday, April 10th, from 6-9 PM as
part of Seattle’s “Celebrate Summer Streets” program, which kicks off its
2009 events with support from our own Greenwood/Phinney Chamber of
Commerce:

http://www.seattlecan.org/summerstreets/greenwood.html

What better way to celebrate the opening of this much urban space than by
playing ball in the street?! To that end, we’ll be playing wiffle ball
starting at 6:00 PM near the intersection of N 72nd St & Greenwood Ave N.
If enough players show up, and I surely hope they will, we will split into
two games, one for younger players and one for older players.

I fondly remember playing wiffleball with neighbors as a boy on the quiet
residential streets of Flushing, Queens, NY, and I would love to see our
community turn out for a street wiffleball event here. This street closure
looks like an excellent opportunity to do just that.

I encourage you to arrive by walking or bicycling — a local school has
agreed to lend a large bike rack for this event. I also encourage you to
bring cloth shopping bags, as this event will be held adjacent to several
locally owned businesses (including Ken’s Market and Greenwood Hardware)
in case you want to get a little shopping done while the games are going
on.

See you there!

John C. Todd, Jr.
Greater Greenwood Bi/Ped Safety Coalition
http://www.bipedsafety.org

The North Seattle Boys & Girls Club Boosters Association

A boosters association has formed to help support the North Seattle Boys & Girls Club in Greenwood.  Please visit the webite http://www.theboosters.org to find out more about it.

Your donations to The Boosters are tax deductible because the group is fiscally sponsored by Taproot Theatre - a 501c3 organization.

Two important things to know are:

1.  Your small monthly donation will make a giant difference.  If 100 of us give $5 per month that turns into $6,000 a year for the club.  That’s the goal we’re shooting for this 1st year.

If you can support the club (Washington’s oldest Boys & Girls Club) with $5 a month it would be great.  If you can only do $1  a month or $2 a month, that works too. Any level you can step in is welcome.  Please visit the site and click on the tab for Join / Donate.

2.  The kickoff celebration at Taproot Theatre on June 2nd for their play “Around the World in 80 Days” is called The Boosters at Taproot.  The whole evenings performance and the theatre will belong to The Boosters that night.  All tickets sold are by The Boosters for The Boosters.  I hope we can count on you to be there.  Please click on the Events tab at the website and grab a few tickets.  (Look for us near Greenwood Collective at Summer Streets next Friday - we’ll have tickets there, too.)

I would love to have 100 boosters by summertime?  Won’t you join us?

Thanks for your help.  - Kate Martin, founding member, North Seattle Boys & Girls Club Boosters Association

Despite today’s snow, there are a few signs of spring in the neighborhood.  Dahlias and Daffodils popping on up in yards and blossoms on the cherry trees.  What’s your favorite part of spring?

For me it’s that summer is not far behind, I’ve recently learned that Sandel Park has a wading pool. My 7 year old and I can’t wait to explore it!

Understanding Immigration Issues: Film and Discussion

April 14, 2:00pm

Join the Greenwood SAGE Project for a screening of the documentary film UPROOTED: REFUGEES OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY, which presents three stories of immigrants who left their homes after global economic powers devastated their countries, only to face new challenges migrating and living in the United States. Discussion will be facilitated by Roger Yockey of the Northwest Federation of Community Organizations. FREE. This is the first of a 3-part series on immigration issues at the Greenwood Senior Center. Call or email Jenny for more information: (206) 297-0875 / jenny@greenwoodseniorcenter.org. Or visit the SAGE blog: http://greenwoodsage.blogspot.com/

Understanding Immigration Issues: Immigration Basics

April 21, 2:00pm

Come to the 2^nd session of a 3-part series on immigration issues at the Greenwood Senior Center. Through an interactive workshop facilitated by Washington CAN, participants will learn about the current immigration system and begin to understand the many difficulties and barriers that prevent immigrants from obtaining a visa. FREE. Call or email Jenny for more information: (206) 297-0875 / jenny@greenwoodseniorcenter.org. Or visit the SAGE blog: http://greenwoodsage.blogspot.com/

Understanding Immigration Issues: Panel Discussion

April 28, 2:00pm

Come to the 3^rd session of a 3-part series on immigration issues at the Greenwood Senior Center. Representatives from local organizations will join us for a panel discussion to answer questions and discuss their perspectives on the most pressing issues facing immigrants in our community, how these issues are being addressed, and how they affect our community as a whole. Panelists include representatives from CASA Latina, OneAmerica, Southern Sudanese Community of Washington, among others. FREE. Call or email Jenny for more information: (206) 297-0875 / jenny@greenwoodseniorcenter.org. Or visit the SAGE blog: http://greenwoodsage.blogspot.com/

Sustainable Greenwood Meeting
Tues. 3-24-09 7:00 p.m.
Green Bean 210 N 85th St.

Please come to help plan for our kick off Sustainable Greenwood event on April 24th. Meet and Greet starts at 7:00 pm. Bring snacks to share. The meeting starts at 7:30 pm.
We will be talking about participating in Open Streets (in Greenwood) on April 10th and many other ideas for a Sustainable Greenwood.
Hope to see you there.

Anne Engstrom
PG Climate Change Action Now
Sustainable Greenwood
Citizen’s Climate Lobby

At our February PMPAG meeting, we talked about the importance of using the Pedestrian Master Plan to tell the stories of various groups…and to address the challenges presented in those stories through the plan. Over the many months we’ve spent together, we’ve heard a variety of stories from all of you: Paul has spoken about the needs of people in an isolated nursing home; Richard has mentioned kids that want to walk to school; Becca has reminded us of the challenges faced by people in low income and traditionally underserved neighborhoods; Kate has talked about people in neighborhoods with missing sidewalks north of 85th; and BettyLou has advocated for the needs of seniors and those in SHA housing. These are only a few examples of the many stories you’ve shared.

As we work to get the PMP online and ready for your review in mid-April, Barbara and I would like to ask for your help. If a few of you (or more!) would be willing to write down the story or stories most important to you, we would love to use them in the plan. The written version doesn’t need to be anything fancy - a paragraph or two would do nicely. If you have an image to go with your story, even better. We’ll take care of all the formatting and editing on this end.

If you have a few extra minutes, please consider sending us your story or the story of another individual or group that’s important to you. The turn-around time is a little tight, as it would be great to have these by next Wednesday, March 25. If that’s not possible, let me know.

Thanks in advance for your help. Including some of your stories will help us to make the plan more tangible for people, and you’ll be an important voice for those who aren’t always heard. If you have questions, feel free to give me a call.

Jennifer Wieland
Associate Transportation Planner
Seattle Department of Transportation
P.O. Box 34996
Seattle, WA 98124-4996
(206) 733-9970

Looks like our local businesses are not the only ones affected by the recent crime wave. My house and a neighbors were hit this afternoon. Lots of electronics stolen. Game systems and laptops sadly. Make sure your doors are locked and keep an eye out for odd activity in the neighborhood.

Tutoring program for Southern Sudanese refugees

March 26, 6:00pm

Interested in tutoring Southern Sudanese refugees from our community? Attend this kick-off event for more information about a new after-school tutoring program that will begin in April at the Greenwood Senior Center in partnership with the Southern Sudanese Community of Washington. Please RSVP.

Call Jenny at the Greenwood Senior Center if you have any questions or would like more information: (206) 297-0875

SAGE Summit

April 7, 2:00pm

The Greenwood SAGE Project is an education and action program for Seniors to be Active, Giving and Engaged in our community. Would you like to learn more about SAGE development and opportunities to participate in the planning process for future SAGE projects? Come to this meeting at the Greenwood Senior Center for information and discussion. Light refreshments will be served.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead

Questions? Call Jenny at (206) 297-0875 or visit the SAGE blog! http://greenwoodsage.blogspot.com/

While I was out at the Art Walk on Friday I noted that Pillages Pub is now open! We havent been by yet, but the folks at the Washington Beer Blog have and they have a great review up.
—-
Snoose Junction is also open, and so far I’ve been thwarted in my efforts to go. Have you been yet? Whatcha think of this new addition to the neighborhood?

Looking for something to do? Here are some suggestions for trivia/live music events happening in the next two weeks.

3/13 Art Walk!

3/13 Wayward Coffeehouse Live musis by Rose Laughlin and Sarah Comer

3/14 Neptune : Live Music by Trevor Larkin

3/14 Wayward Coffeehouse Live Music by Jim Santanella

3/20 Neptune : Trivia night:  Star Wars

3/20 Wayward Coffeehouse: Live Music by Jim Page

3/21 Neptune: Live Music by Mark Maland

3/21 Wayward Coffeehouse: Live Music by Pamela Mortensen

Neptune also hosts a weekly Stitch and Bitch on Wednesdays and a Open Mic on Thursdays.

Greenbean has an Open Mic on Wednesdays from  8-10

They reopened on Saturday, with a report that their air quality was a-ok.

Mud Bay on Greenwood is having some air quality issues. They’re closed for the moment, and suggest going to another location if your animal companions are in need of squeaky toys or catnip.
I’d suggest calling them before you head over (206) 789-7977

I uploaded a PDF that i put a link to at the bottom of this post.  Basically,  I got a letter from SDOT this week about the costs of proceeding in the direction of keeping the sidewalk continuity in the 1/2 block they are going to work on to complete the sidewalks between Greenwood Ave N and Phinney Ave N. The issue for me was to get an easement  so we could continue that segment without a jog thereby keeping enough space to have street trees which have a 5′ minimum planting strip width.

I apologize to Loren for not having responded to his diligent followup on the conditions.  In latent response to that, the issus is there is a platting problem historically where someone sometime did not go to the ROW centerline to draw property lines.  On that south side of the block there are some problems.

I had to decide not to pursue the idea of a straight sidewalk  based on SDOTs estimates of the cost.  They work in a different construction world than I do and everything seems to cost 10x what it’s worth.  Anyway, it was futile for me to put any more effort into this idea.    It looked promising as the landowner was coming around, etc.but I couldn’t justify it given the SDOT estimates.

I did however ask SDOT to redesign it to just jog it the minimum they needed to instead of jogging over to the curb which was their plan.  Attached sidewalks with no parking along the curb makes for a bad pedestrian environment especially on this slope with minimized sight distances.

I think we will wind up with a 2 - 3 foot buffer between the sidewalk and the curb which is a whole lot better than nothing.  Some nice lower shrubs / groundcovers in the  2ish foot range can go in there to help separate the cars from the pedestrians.

Also, I did submit a Neighborhood Street Fund application for another section on N 90th so we can complete a sidewalk on one side at some point.  I also applied for curb bulbs and a raised median at the Greenwood Library so it’s safer to cross there.

-Kate
street-fund-additional-costs-to-do-easement-on-n-90th21

Looks like Phinneywood has scooped us again on the move of MKG Martial Arts. As we have more spaces open up, I wonder what we could have join our neighborhood to increase the diversity. We have a lot of coffee shops in the area. (As humorously yelped in this review.) We have a number of fine Greek/Mediterranean restaurants. We’re pretty well set for hairdressers, and have no lack of bars.

So what do we need?  What would you like to see?

It’s auction time for two great schools in our neighborhood.

Greenwood Elementary

Puttin on the Ritz is the theme for the Auction this year, held on March 14th at the Ballard Elk’s club.

Donated Prizes include:

–5 nights vacation home in Suncadia (sleeps 14…perfect for 2 families!!)

–1 hour personal trainer

–neighborhood restaurant gift certificates

–neighborhood coffee cards

–FABULOUS kid art projects

–Super Fun party sign-ups…hang our with your friends and you still raise $$ for the school!

–Theater/Ballet Tickets

–Trip for 4 to DISNEYWORLD!!! (includes airfare, condo and park passes)

–Dinner/cocktail party on Vashon Island

–home-made goodies and crafts

Want tickets? Want to donate? Contact Auction@greenwoodpta.com

St John’s Elementrary

“Make a Splash” is the theme for St. John School’s annual auction being held on

April 24^th and April 25^th, 2009. It is the school’s biggest fundraiser of the year and the money generated accounts for a significant portion of the school’s operating budget. Making it possible to offer tuition assistance through the Fair Share program, pay our teachers a just and competitive wage, and continue to enhance our outstanding curriculum.

Friday, April 24^th : This night consists of five large silent auction sections and a mini live auction. There are also kid raffle tables with the tickets costing $1.00 each. Located in Egan Hall, 123 N. 79^th Street, admission is free and it is open to the public

Saturday, April 25^th : This evening consists of two silent auction sections and our main Live Auction. Reservations are required for this night.

More information can be found on the Auction website.

Northwest District Council
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
8515 Greenwood Avenue North
Agenda

7:00 Call to order/Introductions

7:05 Mike Eagen, Seattle City Light Strategic Plan

7:30 City Neighborhood Council Report - Irene Wall

7:45 Neighborhood Plan Advisory Committee Report - Kate Martin

8:00 Street Fund, Matching Fund timeline, tasks, etc.- Beth Pflug

8:15 Reports from participating neighborhood groups
Aurora Avenue Merchants Association
Broadview Community Council
Broadview Historical Society
Carkeek Area Neighbors (CAN)
Carkeek Watershed Community Action Project
Committee to Improve Linden Ave N
Friends of Green Lake
Greenwood Aurora Involved Neighbors (GAIN)
GAIN the Highland
Green Lake Community Council
Greenwood Community Council
Greenwood Boys and Girls Club
Greenwood/Phinney Chamber
Greenwood Senior Center
Haller Lake Community Club
Licton Springs Community Council
Phinney Neighborhood Association
Phinney Ridge Community Council
Tri-Court Resident Council

9:00 Adjourn

Next meeting - Wednesday, March 25, 2009

For more information, please contact Beth Pflug 684-4096
beth.pflug@seattle.gov

Greenwood Community Council Meeting Agenda

Our Neighborhood Public Schools

Tuesday February 17^th, 7pm, Greenwood Library Meeting Room

6:45   Meet & Greet

7:00   Council Business:

Committee Updates,  March – meetings moving to 2^nd Thursday (March 12, April 16, May 14, June 11)

7:15   Our Neighborhood Public Schools:

Greenwood Elementary, Bagley Elementary, Broadview-Thomson K-8

Informal opportunity for people from these schools to tell us about their schools and take questions from the community

What are the most important things that our schools need from us?  What can we do as a community to collaborate with and support our neighborhood public schools?

8:00   School Board Directors: Sherry Carr (district 2) & Peter Maier (district 1)

What do we know so far about the assignment plan being crafted by Seattle Public Schools for roll-out in the 2010-2011 school year?

Q & A

8:25   Wrap-Up & Adjourn

8:30   Discover Greenwood: Post-Meeting Socializing at Gainsbourg, 8550 Greenwood Ave N

This note was posted to Greenwood Discussion this morning…

I did not see mention of this on this board, so thought I would pass along. Below is the text of a note we received from Lemon Meringue  Boutique on Greenwood, near 77th.

__________________________

This week has been a hard week for the Phinney Ridge Businesses. Sadly, our dear friends at Strut Shoe Store, Makeda Coffee and  Neptune Coffe were all three robbed. Luckily all the that was taken was cash and no harm was done to the stores.

Last week several Ballard stores were hit, one was robbed during regular business hours - the thieves actually did use a “get away”  car. 

We wanted to make sure our dear friends and customers knew what was happening in their own neighborhood(s)! We ask for your help - please keep your eyes out - if you see something out of place or out of the ordinary, we ask that you please do call the police. 

Help us keep Greenwood/ Phinney Ridge a wonderful place to live, shop, and hang out! Help us keep Greenwood/ Phinney Ridge (and the surrounding neighborhoods) safe for all our families!

In December the Green Bean Coffeehouse partnered with Awake Church to
raise awareness and generate support for the families who are living
in motels scattered along the Aurora corridor. This month the
Greenwood SAGE (Seniors, Active, Giving and Engaged) Project will
continue this effort through an informative presentation on Tuesday,
February 17 at 1:00pm at the Greenwood Senior Center in partnership
with Awake Church and Cross Point Church.

Then on Monday, March 2, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, the Greenwood Senior
Center will host an evening of warm food and relaxing shoulder massage
for women living in these motels. This will be a wonderful opportunity
to get to know your neighbors through a shared meal and shared
stories. Volunteers are needed for help with setup, meal planning,
meal preparation, cleanup and childcare. All are welcome to attend the
dinner at 6:30 pm. Call or email Jenny at the Greenwood Senior Center
for more information, to sign up to volunteer, or to RSVP for the
dinner 206-297-0875 / jenny@greenwoodseniorcenter.org.

(this came over the Greenwood Discussion list this morning and with Jenny’s permission I’m sharing it.)

Looks like there is construction going on in the old “Golden Showers of Hits Location.” According to our friends at PhinneyWood it’s “New Noodles”.
Anyone have more details?

Additionally it looks Pillagers Pub might be getting closer to opening. I caught a peek inside inside last night to see a fantastic pirate ship mosaic taking up most of the west wall. Looks like it will be a fun place to check out

GAIN North needs your help…

Hello GAIN North! The first thing I would like to say is thank you to
everyone for the many efforts you have made to help our group grow and
meet it’s goals. Many folks have picked up garbage, taken a walk with
new neighbors, came to the meetings for community issues and have
volunteered as block watch captains. This group has grown, and so has
it’s scope and issues to be addressed. That is WHY we need you! 
Wendy and I would like to find 2 people to take on 2 tasks. The 1st
would be to schedule and coordinate the 3 clean ups for the rest of
2009. So, the spring, summer and fall. The task is fairly straight
forward and would take about 1/2 hour prep, the clean up itself and follow
up with the city for pick up. The 2nd job is to schedule and be
present for the community walks. We would have 3 more of these for
2009. If you see yourself as someone who could take one of these
jobs, please write to us at gainnorth@yahoo.com. Wendy and I thank
you and look forward to GAIN North continuing to connect our
neighborhood. If you have a question, please call me at 783-6010. 
Thanks! Rene

Here’s new you can use from the Greenwood Community Council..

gcc-february-2009-newsletter

The Neighborhood Street Fund awarded last year to complete the 150′ of sidewalk, planting strip, curb, and gutter from half-way up N 90th to the corner of Phinney Ave has some glitches.    Although the section of sidewalk just west of the proposed segment is pretty much textbook right of way improvement with a 5′ planting strip (the minimum for street trees) plus a 6′ sidewalk, the proposed new segment doesn’t fit because of some historical platting issues.

Basically we need a few more feet to make it work as you can see in this picture.

I talked to the landowner about giving a permanent easement so that we can have a standard improvement there and not something where the sidewalk is up next to the curb.  That would mean SDOT would also pay to move his fence in a few feet. They’re going to get back to me on it, but they seemed interested.   I talked to SDOT about it today and am going to apply for $20K additional funds from the Neighborhood Street Funds from this next cycle to cover the cost of the easement and moving the fence.

Considering how steep the road is in that section and how the cars come whipping through there, I think maintaining a buffer wide enough for trees to be planted there is important.    It also looks better and works better in my opinion.

We can still apply for another section of 90th further east as another project in this cycle and in looking at it yesterday, that segment looks like a slamdunk since the property corner markers are already there from a recent survey and there’s plenty of room for the planting strip and sidewalks there as you can see in this picture.

Let me know if you have any comments or problems with this approach of getting a full right of way improvement and also if the idea of doing another block on 90th works or if there is another project that is a better candidate that just getting one side of 90th done.  I focus on 90th because of the high volume of traffic and the connection it makes to the parks and we’re almost done doing one side.

Thanks.

-Kate

Seattle Department of Transportation will hold a pre-construction Open House: Update on Plans for Improving Greenwood Av N on

February 19, 2009
6:00-8:30 pm
Grace Lutheran Church
Main Sanctuary
 11050 Greenwood Av N
(corner of 112th St & Greenwood Av N)

Parking available in church parking lot. Refreshments will be available. 

Formal Presentation at 7:00 pm

http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/greenwood.htm

We love to read your comments here at the Greenwood Blog! Seriously, we do. Unfortunately, someone has set their spambot upon us and we’ve been getting dozens and dozens of “comments” advertising casinos. So if you wish to comment, and we hope you do, you’ll need to log in. If you don’t have an ID and password, you’ll be prompted to create one when you click on the comment link. We apologize for the any inconvenience. Darned spambots ruin it for everyone.

It’s not always easy to know what’s going on nor is it easy to communicate it.  We’re all at a different level of involvement with the neighborhood, Neighborhood Planning, and of course we all have different priorities and perspectives.

I am working with the Greenwood Community Council - Land Use Committee to review & discuss things related to design, development & land use in Greenwood.

Concerning this rezone application, let me see if I can put it in perspective and let you know where the GCC - LUC is at with it at this point.

To begin with, let me put some background in there. First of all, we have a neighborhood plan and other planning-related documents related to Seattle in general, and Greenwood specifically.  I put a Google Group site together
http://groups.google.com/group/walkable-greenwood-urban-village where you can access some of the documents I’ve rounded up into one place.  I’ll continue to work on making it a little easier for us all to be working from the same base by adding documents as I can.  Also, if you visit this site…http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/npi/plans/greenwood/ you can see info about the Neighborhood Plan.  If you want to look over the Comprehensive Plan and amendments, you can visit http://www.seattle.gov/DPD/Planning/Seattle_s_Comprehensive_Plan/Overview/.

In the late 90s, neighborhood planning happened as a response to the Growth Management Act.  From there Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan was developed and Neighborhood Plans were created for areas planned to receive density increases.  All of this in a move to try and stop sprawl, which has sort of happened anyway, but it’s been somewhat controlled.  For us in Seattle, there are Urban Centers, Hub Urban Villages and Residential Urban Villages.  We are the latter in Greenwood.  Our zoning and planning indicate that commercial zones and higher densities will be encouraged by zoning along N 85th St, Greenwood Ave N, and what we call the Town Center which is that rectangle of land that is from 85th to 87th and between Greenwood and 3rd NW.

The zoning is a mix of NC (neighborhood commercial - which usually is developed as housing above retail / offices), C-1 which is auto-oriented commercial (which brings us some issues) and L which is low-rise residential, usually resulting in townhomes.  All of those areas are surrounded by a sea of SF zoning, which is single family residential.

At the time of Neighborhood Planning, Phinney wanted to be part of the Greenwood Urban Village to get some of the goodies that are promised with density.  Density was a new concept to much of Seattle at the time and there was a lot of disagreement about what density would look like and where and a determination was reached to maintain single family homes wherever possible in our neighborhood.  Our neighborhood was not alone in that determination.  The idea was that was the best way to keep affordable housing…by keeping what we have.  Some holes in that theory exist and I think in general cities have a hard time functioning in small neighborhood-sized walkable communities without the critical mass of residents to keep the stores profitable.  So, for us the density can only really occur in the NC and L zones, and in our case that zone stretches from 50th to 105th (the north south limits of Greenwood-Phinney planning area).

The plan also mentions in several places the idea of getting some density in SF zones with ADUs which are mother-in-laws or accessory dwelling units in buildings that more or less look like single family- currently legal in any SF neighborhood via a permit.  Seward Park and some other South Seattle Neighborhoods added the possibility of DADUs along that same thought (backyard cottages, carriage houses) which add detached accessory dwelling units as an option on otherwise single family lots.  Sort of an oxymoron if both ADUs and DADUs are really sort of duplex zoning, but SF is still what that zone is called.   Most other  cities have less  single family zoning than we have and some cities have none.

The plan also talks about sustainability, walkability, transit, and other urban growth strategies. It’s worth a browse, just to get some basics in your head.

It has been over 10 years since the Neighborhood Plan was developed.  Updates are going to happen, but the neighborhoods along the soon to be operational Link lightrail system are getting updated first.  Also places like South Lake Union have already been updated to accomodate the revised development intent for that area.  I would imagine that a couple of years from now, we will be looking at a neighborhood plan update.   I am currently serving on the Neighborhood Planning Advisory Committee, which started meeting in November.

Transit-oriented development has emerged as a dominant theme of urban planning.   Most future planning will have a decidedly transit-oriented basis.  That I believe emerged in cities like Seattle — which didn’t have transit infrastructure networks like older cities — once the City realized that it could more easily plan major transit service in certain places and then density around it than bring transit everywhere at the same level of service.  Older cities with long established rail lines and subways already had grown in response to their transit.  For Seattle (right now) there are different types of transit and hierarchies of service…i.e., Link Light Rail, Rapid Ride / Bus Rapid Transit, etc.  We are in a pretty good position in Greenwood to be able to shoot over to LINK on the #48 bus and to get N-S on bus lines…#5, #28, #358.  Aurora will be getting Rapid Ride / Bus Rapid Transit in a few years and so we’ll be able to access that quite easily as well.  Still, most of that is a commuter network and we’ve got a ways to go to try and actually connect ourselves in a practical way to various points within the city.   Certainly if you work downtown and live in Greenwood, the transit system is there for you now and in the future.  Also, if you live in the suburbs, you can generally get to downtown without a car.

So, now, the contract rezone.  Most of you know that much of the Town Center is owned by one group, Greenwood Shopping Center, Inc.  They are starting to develop some of the site in response to the zoning, though somewhat tentatively since this is their first time as developers.  The Sedges mixed-use building in Piper Village is what they’re working on and a remodel of the space below Bartell’s, Blockbuster, and Top Ten.  Since our plan calls for our density to happen in this area and along the main streets,  not building up to what is allowable by code eats up the area we’ve zoned for this, but doesn’t achieve the density.   Phase 2 of this project (McDonald’s site, through the midblock to Palatine) also is not looking like it will achieve the allowable heights.  In some cases only 2 story buildings are planned…even that took some coaxing from their 1-story proposal.

When they were planning the Sedges and they didn’t want to build structured parking, I worked with Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle Department of Planning and Development and some watershed / neighborhood activists and we got them to consider permeable asphalt and more natural drainage than their plan, which was to put a big vault in the ground, which would have raised the land up kind of awkwardly since it had to be above the water table.  (See bog post)

At that time, we also talked to SDOT about some rain gardens along 1st NW.

Our neighborhood plan talks about using the parcel on the corner of NW 87th and 1st NW for open space with something that starts to inform people about the bog.  We did some visioning in 2004 about this idea at Open Space 2100…start in the Town Center and rebog the bog with a channelized wetland that could be built over many years and eventually end up with a habitat corridor to Carkeek Park with a recreation trail for walking / bikes, etc.)  Getting that initiating gesture of land from GSCI is possible through a contract rezone of some parcels in back of Greenwood Towers area.

This is not a deal with the neighborhood and GSCI.  It is a deal between DPD and GSCI.  The gist is good, the devil is in the details.  I do think that getting open space at that corner location is good.  I also think that upzoning the other parcel is good.  Instead of consuming all the land for buildings, we concentrate it and get some open space.  In general the GCC-Land Use Committee agrees with the concept.  However, DPD didn’t do the best job communicating the details of the rezone and so the parcel that is being offered is just 1 parcel, and I think it should be both of the parcels between 1st NW and the midblock alley (not really visible except on a map) halfway to Palatine.  With both parcels they could still develop the L zone east of the alley and we would have a big enough parcel for the open space to really do something with it.  As it is, the overflow ponds that we’d use to make a bog - wetland interpretive feature in the open space eat up a good part of that parcel.  I’d like to see space for human use of the area in a park-like but still riparian-themed open space.   The rezone means they actually give up the land to public ownership before beginning development of the upzoned parcels, which is good for us.  We still need to figure out who would take ownership of it in terms of agencies, but I think that part is do-able.

It’s been alot of phone calls and meetings to try and negotiate a better deal.  If the deal is not negotiated, then I will represent the GCC-LUC at the hearing and express the conditions we would like to see attached to deal.  Again, I reiterate that this is a DPD-GSCI deal and the negotiating is happening because DPD realizes their communication wasn’t the best and it would be good if we could all agree.   The planner suggested one parcel with no mal-intent.  He just went to a map and saw a parcel line and said this one.   The LUC looks at the map and sees 2 parcels.  Talks will continue on Monday and I will update here at this post what I know.  Any of you can speak at that hearing or send email to the planner  scott.kemp@seattle.gov before 10-ish am on Tuesday and say anything you wish.  Myself, I think it’s better if we go with what the LUC is negotiating, because I believe that gives us a fair position to then implement the ideas of our Neighborhood Plan and Open Space 2100 visioning.

As far as the plant materials there, I have a different perspective than Ox, but he’s certainly entitled to his perspective.  As far as the street improvements, they are happening with phase 1 as we see now and when phase 2 gets going, they’ll be required there and we can weigh in on what they look like when that time comes.

Thank you for your attention in getting through this post.  It’s actually difficult to converse about these things without informing everyone about the background.  I’d be happy to edit anything in the post if inaccuracies can be pointed out to me.

If it goes through and we get the parcels, we could then get involved in a neighborhood process to design the space with a consultant, and then build that design.