HOW WILL “REGULATORY REFORM” OF THE LAND USE CODE NOW BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL AFFECT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND YOUR RIGHTS?

HOW WILL “REGULATORY REFORM” OF THE LAND USE CODE NOW BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL AFFECT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND YOUR RIGHTS?

Hear the latest from City officials and neighborhood leaders about Land Use Code changes in Council Bill 117430, which a City Council committee votes on in May.  In the name of “regulatory reform,” the Mayor, Department of Planning and Development, and development community would sweep away long-cherished neighborhood protections and notice/appeal rights.   

The key changes:  (1) reduce or eliminate parking requirements; (2) exempt much bigger buildings from SEPA notice and appeal; (3) allow commercial businesses in residential zones; (4) release many existing buildings from currently required street-level retail; (5) lengthen temporary use permits to 18 months (often used for parking lots and construction storage) from the current 6 and eliminate the citizen right to appeal them; and (6) expand accessory dwelling units. 

How will these changes affect your neighborhood or neighborhood plan?  Why didn’t DPD engage the public before presenting these proposals to the City Council?  What can you do to influence the City Council response?  What position should SCCF take on the proposals?  Please come with your ideas and questions! 

The Seattle Community Federation, the oldest and most active community umbrella group in the nation, was founded in 1949 as the Jackson Street Community Council to facilitate resettlement of Seattle’s Japanese residents who had returned from wartime interment to find their homes and businesses gone. A second founding impetus was to achieve the same objectives for our black veterans facing the same difficulties.

Due to post-war resurgence of community awareness other neighborhood groups emerged, and established councils and clubs blossomed anew, leading to the Federation expansion to represent neighborhood groups in all parts of our city.

Yearly dues for member groups are $50. SCCF welcomes new member groups, and encourages renewal by groups whose membership in SCCF may have lapsed. Individual donations are also welcome and tax deductible, and go very far, as SCCF is an all-volunteer 501(c)(3) organization. Please mail your check to SCCF, 2370 Yale Avenue East, Seattle, WA 98102-3310. For questions, contact treasurer Chris Leman, (206) 322-5463, cleman@oo.net.

The Federation has returned to its roots in central Seattle. NOAA Pacific Headquarters, our meeting place for the past decade, has been closed. Since August 2011 we meet at 7 pm on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the luxurious ADA compliant Central Area Senior Center, 500 30^th Avenue South. http://www.centralareaseniorcenter.org/