Overflow crowd at Shoreline City Council meeting Monday
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
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| A full house of citizens for the Shoreline City Council meeting on the 185th rezone Photo by Tom Jamieson |
By Diane Hettrick
The crowd filled the Council chambers and spilled out into the lobby at the Monday night meeting of the Shoreline City Council.
On the agenda was a discussion of the subarea zoning plan for 185th Street in anticipation of the light rail station to be sited on the east side of the freeway.
Approximately 35 people signed up for public comment. Most were there because they were alerted by volunteers from the Shoreline Preservation Society, which put leaflets on mailboxes around 185th St.
At least three, in the two minutes allotted, said they were unaware that the rezone was happening. Several others said they had seen the postcards (Change is Coming to Your Neighborhood) but had no idea of the extent and scope of the rezone.
The tenor of the comments was shock, a sense of betrayal, and great anxiety. Many people asked that the process be slowed down. Others told their fears of what the neighborhoods would look like under an aggressive rezone. Others voiced their dismay that the council seemed to be favoring developers over citizens.
In the council discussion following the comments, it seemed that the council is now agreed on a phased in approach, although there was no consensus on dates, area, or number of phases.
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| Phases and Areas recommended by the Planning Commission |
They also appear to be leaning toward a smaller area for the first Phase, apparently respecting the work of the Planning Commission, which redrew the entire map (see above or view on the website) after listening to several hours of public comment at their final meeting on the topic.
The decisions are supposed to be made at the council meeting on February 23. The council will start their discussion with the map recommended by the Planning Commission. Two of the council members were arguing for a larger Phase I area, and three were proposing a radically smaller area.
They will also decide things such as building height, step-backs vs set-backs, whether the Phase I will include areas east of the station, and how far.
The full rezone area is still as far north as NE 195th where the new separated trail is being built, and as far south as NE 175th.
Residents with comments on the topic can email the councilmembers at council@shorelinewa.gov
Posts
28 comments:
I think it needs to be scaled back even further. Notice how many blocks of single family homes will be wiped out. Whole neighborhoods will disappear. Those neighborhoods are the one key features of Shoreline vs. Seattle. Development should happen and it will happen. However, turning Shoreline into Ballardlike density is overreaching a bit.
I wonder what the reaction would be if it were happening in Richmond Beach. There has been a massive backlash for many years about increasing the road size and capacity of one road. What would be the reaction if instead, Shoreline proposed tearing down all the view houses and putting up 'mixed use' condos and apartments?
Well, based on how our City Council chose not to listen to the residents opposing Point Wells, one can assume that this protest will be met with the same deaf ears. The next time you're driving through the Lynnwood retail mess, realize that this is what is coming to Shoreline.
If you thought the current Shoreline city council gave one rip about the quality of life of our citizens, try living in Richmond Beach. They'll take developers over citizens every day of the week.
ASK WHY is the City of Shoreline in such a hurry to pass these massive rezones, failing to wait until Sound Transit released their report outlining who will pay for what? So the entire tax base, citizenns across our entire city will not know how and what they will be paying for......
The city obviously wants to wipe out wholesale swaths of single-family neighborhoods. Neighborhoods that were built from the 50s into the early 70's which define what Shoreline is today. Based on the apartments built in the North City area in the past 5 years, all we have to look forward to are huge complexes with no parking or paid parking, driving cars onto the surface streets of what single-family areas remain.
At least Ballard's density includes amenities - amenities Shoreline is sorely lacking.
Obviously, my investment in my home and property are going to dwindle to nothing.
I layered the rezone area over the map of the City Council's homes..... Doris McConnel, Will Hall, and Keith McGlashan all live within 1.5 miles of each other in Richmond Beach. Hmmm, I wonder why the three of them and old-council member Cindy Ryu were so against Point Wells Development. Notice how they don't like development when it affects their own neighborhoods.
Mayor Winstead and Salomon are JUST outside of the rezone area, by only a few hundred feet. Eggen is the only council member with a home in a rezone area.
Check it out for yourselves http://s1.postimg.org/lu7pblipr/shorelinecchomes_vs_rezone.png
On Monday night our city council forged ahead until midnight, while admittedly very tired, bleary-eyed and not thinking clearly. They are apparently driven by an unexplained schedule to adopt the 185th area rezone in 2 weeks no matter what. This is the kind of thoughtful, careful attention we get from this council.
Sound Transit’s EIS won’t be finished until April and light rail won’t be in Shoreline until 2023 at the earliest, but it’s soooooo important to adopt this RIGHT NOW! The fact that the city has been working this for 2 years isn’t a good enough reason to rush to “finish” it at this critical point. The 185th area rezone map is still very much in flux. Residents have no way of knowing what the council will serve up on the 23rd, yet will be expected to swallow it.
Most people are okay with Light Rail and reasonable growth. But what is being planned is 10-20 times actual transit oriented development needs and predicted population growth requirements for Shoreline. We elected our city council to represent us, not push an agenda to double Shoreline’s population, all on the more “affordable” east side of the city, affecting thousands of lives and dismantling our neighborhoods in the process.
This council is a train wreck. I can’t wait for the next city council elections.
@2:50 pm - come on now, Cindy Ryu has been gone for FIVE years. If you are going to go back that far, why don't you look at Janet Way, she was on the Council and she is against the light rail stations. Why didn't you look at where Jesse Salomon and Chris Roberts live in relation to the 145th St. station? Or where Doris McConnell owns property in relation to the 145th St. station?
As for where Keith McGlashan lives, he no longer lives in Richmond Beach. And what makes you think that Keith McGlashan and Doris McConnell are against Pt. Wells? Your baseless and groundless, off-topic accusations only hurt your credibility.
Cindy Ryu lived far away from Pt. Wells, she lives closer to 4 corners than Pt. Wells, near the border of the Hillwood/Richmond Beach area. Cindy helped the neighborhoods when RB/MUZ issue was contentious along Aurora and in Ridgecrest, which Pro Shoreline and Shari Winstead's friends misconstrued as Cindy being against development, that is why she was not re-elected.
You are misinterpreting history and spreading false accusations. This needs to stop right now.
To the "Anonymous" who prophesied "my investment in my home is going to dwindle to nothing" I shake my head in disbelief. Out of one side of your mouth you bemoan all the large apartment blocks destined to be built in the area and out of the other you complain that you're going to lose your investment in your home.
Simple economics shows that both cannot simultaneously be true. The hated developers do not have the right of eminent domain. You're getting a Light Rail station from which people can ride to downtown Seattle without a single cross-street to delay the trains. Not one.
Do you not think that will improve the value of your home? Of course it will; there are thousands of bus riders from the north end of Seattle who are sick and tired of the overfilled HOV-2 lanes on which their buses depend. They'd gladly pay an additional $50,000 for a fast, reliable ride to work within walking distance.
So, if you had a house which was worth $500K before, it's worth $550K now. At least. Now if your house is included in the rezone and some Snidely Whiplash developer has evil designs on your house you can simply say, "Nope" as he (or she) offers you $600K. Then "Unh-unh!" at $650; "No way" at seven then finally break down and take the $750K "final" offer.
Because of course it's worth that much to the developer, who will put the equivalent of three $750K flats on your lot.
Then you can take your $750K and retire to Lake Stevens.
To the "Anonymous" who prophesied "my investment in my home is going to dwindle to nothing" I shake my head in disbelief. Out of one side of your mouth you bemoan all the large apartment blocks destined to be built in the area and out of the other you complain that you're going to lose your investment in your home.
Simple economics shows that both cannot simultaneously be true. The hated developers do not have the right of eminent domain. You're getting a Light Rail station from which people can ride to downtown Seattle without a single cross-street to delay the trains. Not one.
Do you not think that will improve the value of your home? Of course it will; there are thousands of bus riders from the north end of Seattle who are sick and tired of the overfilled HOV-2 lanes on which their buses depend. They'd gladly pay an additional $50,000 for a fast, reliable ride to work within walking distance.
So, if you had a house which was worth $500K before, it's worth $550K now. At least. Now if your house is included in the rezone and some Snidely Whiplash developer has evil designs on your house you can simply say, "Nope" as he (or she) offers you $600K. Then "Unh-unh!" at $650; "No way" at seven then finally break down and take the $750K "final" offer.
Because of course it's worth that much to the developer, who will put the equivalent of three $750K flats on your lot.
Then you can take your $750K and retire to Lake Stevens.
It's funny how everytime the Seattle Transit Blog picks up what's going on in Shoreline, the trolls come out in force to "take care of business" in the comments section.
As an area resident I have been following with great interest the upcoming Rail Station at 185th, and all the related issues of transportation, development, and re-zoning. I have attended many of the open houses and meetings, including some of those of the NE185th Station Citizen's Committee.
Regarding the current re-zoning proposals, I think the plans were minimally fine as they were, and the new push to slow them down into a "phased" approach seems like a strategy of "too little" & "too late".
If the Shoreline Council feels they MUST delay some of the upzones, so be it,
BUT:
#1.
The initial round of upzones, due to be "unlocked" in 2015, should include EVERYTHING within the bounds of 180th-193rd & 1st-10th. This is a contiguous area, all of it adjacent to the station, and it seems short-sighted to not include all of this right away.
#2.
Whatever upzones are planned should be "unlocked" NO LATER than 2021 ( 2 years prior to the station opening ). The currently suggested scheduling of some zoning changes to occur ten years after the station opens seems absurd and shortsighted.
Enacting more & better upzones sooner will give residents who are being directly affected by the station the time to decide on their best options, to be more fully rewarded, and to deal with the changing circumstances. There is no doubt that changes like these --even though they are for the long-term good-- can be difficult and disruptive in the immediate future. But being timid and enacting slowly will only prolong this awkward period of transition.
Shoreline has the opportunity to foster the creation of a new & dynamic "station area" neighborhood -- but only if you allow it the room and time to grow. Area residents and the City itself are going to benefit from this rail station -- and all the more so if Shoreline encourages a vibrant community in this area of the city.
The unlocking of phases needs to happen by metrics for growth, not time. Using a timeline for the unlocking of phases is extremely flawed, foolish, and would be 'utterly absurd and shortsighted'. There is no concrete plan in place to measure growth in the phases and what growth measurement should trigger the unlocking of subsequent phases. Unlocking phases by growth measurements would give residents much more assurance and peace of mind.
To the above poster who is defending the city council:
FACT: Mayor Winstead and Councilman Salomon live just outside the rezone map they spearheaded and are voting on. They live within a FEW HUNDRED FEET of the rezoned areas, both get to keep their R-6 residential zoning.
FACT: Keith McGlashan's registered voting address is listed as the Richmond Beach address. Check soundvoter.org
FACT: Cindy Ryu is self-serving. She was one of the main forces behind the unwanted Aurora Redevelopment project, a road on which she owned the entire strip mall at 15001 AURORA AVE N that she then sold in 2013 for 5.1 million dollars, reaping a profit of 1.6 million dollars from her purchase price.
FACT: The councilmembers were against Point Wells until they realized they had no legal standing in court, and will also allow them to increase the tax-base by annexing Point Wells, see http://www.richmondbeachwa.org/pointwells/documents/City_of_Shoreline_Point_Wells_Letter_To_Richmond_Beach_Community_20130722.pdf
FACT: Then Mayor McGlashan supported HB 1265, an anti-growth bill aimed at stopping Point Wells development. see http://www.shorelineareanews.com/2011/02/mayor-keith-mcglashan-testifies-to.html
@2:37 pm - your opinions are NOT FACTS
soundvoter.org has not been updated since February 2012 - big oops isn't it, your so-called facts are outdated. Keith McGlashan's residence can be found elsewhere and it is within the 185th light rail station area. You should pay attention to the details.
Cindy Ryu was NOT behind the Aurora Redevelopment Project, you should go back and read the Council minutes for Phase I, she spoke vigorously for revisions to the project to support the small business community and ultimately entered politics because the Council that approved the Aurora Corridor Project were anti-business. You are so misinformed that you are ridiculous. Cindy was part of the SMA SEPA effort to scale back the Aurora Redevelopment Project. What hole did you crawl out of (or were hiding in) after ten years?
Pay attention, this article is not about Point Wells, it is about the Light Rail station. Who gives a rip about Point Wells at the moment? The folks down at Richmond Beach don't care about the people being affected by development at the two light rail stations and Aurora Square, so take your misconstrued fallacies somewhere else.
These mistakes in your so-called facts call into question your entire credibility.
Get your facts straight. Ryu voted for a moratorium on new COMMERCIAL Aurora development, could this be because she owned an aging strip-mall that would be in competition from new commercial developments? self-serving!
I know this is article not about Point Wells, but this goes to the self-serving nature of the city council. When growth and development threatened their own homes, they were against it. If Keith McGlashan has moved, does he own his new residence, is it actually located within a defined rezone area? One mistake does not challenge the rest of the facts.
Eggen is the only council member that from the beginning has upheld what Shoreline residents want.
The council wants to push this through as fast as possible, before the official EIS is even completed. If you actually go door-to-door in the rezone area, most homeowners are not actually aware of what is going on.
To the person defending the council. None of the facts listed above are opinions. They are facts. Read the links the poster provided.
I checked SoundVoter and McGlashan's address was in Richmond Beach. Even if he moved, it is not false, or an opinion, he did live there.
Oh Wow, you think the moratorium about RB/MUZ was to protect aging strip malls, that is way too funny. It had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with protecting aging strip malls.
Get a clue. When Cindy Ryu directed the staff to write the new development code for the RB/MUZ zones, it actually made it harder for her to redevelop her property on Aurora and decreased its value because the new development code required transition zones and step backs on building height wherever RB/MUZ zoning was next to single-family residential. Are you that ignorant - here, I will answer for you - yes you evidently are. I was one of the citizens who worked on getting the development code amendments through the council at the time, and evidently you were NOT.
You have made more than ONE mistake. What about Janet Way, she was on the council and she was not self-serving. What about Terry Scott, he was on the council and he was not self-serving, he was against the Ridgcrest rezone even though he owned commercial property located in the middle of the rezoned area. You are talking out of your hat and see conspiracies everywhere.
You didn't even address the SMA fight against the Aurora Redevelopment - wrong again, that makes it at least three times.
If you think Chris Eggen is the champion of what Shoreline citizens want, then you are sorely mistaken. He is such a joke that the Democrats don't even want him around anymore. Chris Eggen is so spineless that they had to amend the Council Rules to record abstentions because he abstained from voting on issues that were just too hard for poor Chris to decide. Yeah, Chris Eggen is exactly the kind of guy you want on your side, he won't commit to anything. He votes with the majority because that is the promise he made to them because he wanted to be deputy mayor. If you don't consider that self-serving, then you must think Denial is a river in Egypt.
No credibility, you must be a newcomer to Council and Shoreline politics.
Do you even understand what the development code ending the moratorium for RB/MUZ accomplished and the effect it had on Cindy Ryu's property? Bet you don't, it actually affected it negatively. The new development code required buiilding setbacks for all MUZ (the new designation for RB zones) located next to single family zones, which Cindy's property abutted. These setbacks cost a developer money because it is square footage they can't build and generate revenue from rental. But that is probably beyond your comprehension. Nevertheless, Cindy voted for the new development code because it was what good for the neighborhoods, not her property value.
You probably didn't work on the moratorium, I did and I knew pretty much everyone else who did. If you worked on the moratorium, you would understand this. So, mistake number two for you.
Mistake number three: in the Ridgecrest demostration area, Councilmember Terry Scott owned commercial property in the middle of the area and was against the rezone. Please explain THAT if you can.
Mistake number four: If you think Chris Eggen is the only who cares about the neighborhoods, you must not be very connected to long-time Shoreline politics. He has no base, all of his long-time supporters have abandoned him. He is so spineless that they amended the council rules to record ABSTENTIONS because it was to hard for him to vote yea or nay. He is practically a persona non grata in the 32nd LD Democrats these days.
Mistake Number Five - you just said that when growth threatens the councilmembers they are against it, but previously there were complaints that councilmembers are for Pt. Wells even though they live nearby. So which is it? Or are you just making it up because it is your opinion and therefore not a FACT as you allege?
Janet Way is a former councilmember and she has not been self-serving, let's hear your take on THAT, you didn't address that.
Mistake Number Six - you alleged that Cindy Ryu was for the Aurora Redevelopment Project and I have told you she was part of the SMA that fought it, there is a King County Superior Court Case on the LUPA. Let's hear your FACTS on that.
Chris Eggen always votes with the existing council majority that you so revile (why go and slam Cindy Ryu, she has been gone for five years, what are you, some hater that likes to live in the past or something). And do you know why? He is self-serving (something you seem to dislike) and do you know how he is self-serving? He wanted to be deputy mayor and he made promises to other councilmembers so that he could get to be deputy mayor. You must think that Denial is a river in Egypt.
The city council wants to destroy our neighborhood. That map another person posted above doesn't lie. The mayor and the other member drew the rezone around their homes. I've lived here for 32 years. Vote them all out.
That map left out Janet Way, Ron Hansen, Terry Scott, and Chris Roberts. Lis are acts of omission and commission. If we are going back five years these names need to be included.
The map represents who's voting now, plus Cindy Ryu. Go ahead, add all those other jokers. The fact is the rezone maps currently and conveniently fall a few hundred feet short of Mayor Winstead and Councilmen Salomon, thereby not rezoning 2/3 of councilmembers homes who live near the rezone areas.
32nd District Democrats are a joke. Vote them all out. Democrats In Name Only.
Or the City Manager!
Hey STBers...
You really should consider not copying and pasting first and last names from the comments sections of Shoreline Area News to the comments section of your blog. It's creepy and disturbing and you've illustrated the perfect reason why people choose to comment anonymously.
I suggest you remove the name or delete the comment and stick to your own business on your own blog.
Get off your properties, you bunch of NIMBYs, conspiracy theorists, government haters, and you selfish, greedy land hogs, and make way for the greater good! How dare you expect to live and exist on your modest piece of what you worked hard to pay for? I'm entitled to move into your neighborhood and not pay my fair share, and neither is the owner of my new building, this I know, because the gospel of TOD tells me so.
The map does not represent who is voting now because you left off Chris Roberts who is still on the City Council. Furthermore, Ron Hansen lives in Richmond Beach and therefore was impacted by Point Wells, so you cherry picked your information. Additionally, your so-called purpose was to illustrate that the past councilmembers (including Cindy Ryu) on past and present council issues only voted for their self-interest and you were found to be incorrect, so you should have included Janet Way (affected by the light rail station on 145th) and Terry Scott (affected by the Ridgecrest rezone). Your bias and hatred is showing. Not to mention that your facts are INCORRECT.
I hope there's a Starbucks going in there!
Which Anonymous citizen were you?
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