September / October 2006
Public Events
Quiet Steps Mask Sea-Change in Eastlake Development
Testing the First Boeing Plane, 1916
Debate State and Local Ballot Measures Oct. 10
SR520 Expansion Threatens Arboretum, Eastlake
Volunteers Sought for Shoreline and Park Restauration
Bus Riders Petition for Improved Service
Most Popular Place in Town
Transportation Bemusements
Eastlake Community Land Trust
Signs for Eastlake
Graffiti Rangers Needed
Understanding Development Standards and the Design Review Process and 2622 Yales Departures
Miscellaneous
ECC Needs Volunteers & Donations
Emergency And Police Numbers
Classified Ads
Membership Information
Advertisers
PUBLIC EVENTS
Tues., Sept. 12 at 6 p.m. Good Turn Park work party, 5:30-7:30 (261-4271).
Sun., Sept. 17, Shoreline restoration work party, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (1500 and 1600 Fairview Avenue East, 322-5463, cleman@oo.net).
Tues., Sept. 20, Public meeting on land use projects and issues , 7-9 p.m., TOPS-Seward School, 2500 Franklin Ave. (see article)
Sun., Oct. 8, Shoreline restoration work party, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (1500 and 1600 Fairview Avenue East, 322-5463, cleman@oo.net).
Tues., Oct. 10 Elections forum, 7-9 p.m. at TOPS-Seward School. State and local ballot measures; also ECC’s’ annual meeting for board and officer elections. (See articles)
Thurs. Oct. 12 at 5 p.m., Good Turn Park work party, (3149 Fairview Ave. E., 261-4271).
Sat., Oct. 21 Colonnade Park work party, 9 a.m. to 1. Meet at far northwestern edge of park between Howe and Newton streets (un der southbound freeway on-ramp)
Sunday, Oct. 22, Shoreline restoration work party, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (1500 and 1600 Fairview Avenue East, 322-5463, cleman@oo.net).
Tues., Oct. 24, ECC public meeting (tentative), 7-9 p.m. at TOPS-Seward School.
Sunday, Nov. 12, Shoreline restoration work party, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. (1500 and 1600 Fairview Avenue East, 322-5463, cleman@oo.net).
Tues., Nov. 14, ECC public meeting (tentative), 7-9 p.m. at TOPS-Seward School.
Quiet Steps Mask Sea-Change in Eastlake Development
By Matthew Stubbs
Many of us have witnessed a similar pattern in Eastlake. The neighboring lot is sold, nothing happens for a while and then one day the house next door is gone and foundations for a number of new homes or one large building are poured.
Most of Eastlake’s residential properties are zoned ‘multifamily’ which means that the lot next door with one single family residence or a duplex can be rebuilt and accommodate a number of new homes. The fact that houses are getting old and need to be either fixed up or replaced is normal. What can be a matter of concern is that often times developers buy properties with unrealistic profit expectations, maximize the amount of sellable square footage through the relaxation of development standards, and build structures which do not fit into the existing fabric of this neighborhood for various reasons.
The quiet steps of a developer that precede construction are often far from the public eye and yet they can leave footprints through our neighborhood that, once placed, are impossible to erase. These quiet steps take the form of a whiteboard or a brief posting on the Department of Planning and Development’s (DPD) website announcing a developer’s intent. The virtual whisperings preceding the jack-hammering that heralds actual construction are of concern to the Eastlake Community Council and its Land Use Committee who monitor such development.
The permit application process is the only time when individuals, or an organization like the ECC, have the opportunity to voice their concerns.
We encourage you to read the detailed info below about a project proposed in a Lowrise 1 zone at 2622 Yale Ave. E., which is particularly concerning to the Land Use Committee and the ECC. We ask that you consider the issues raised in the following and provide us with feedback and your support.
2622 Yale project busts the L1 zone and Eastlake’s landscaped streetscapes
Come take a walk (imagined or real) to the proposed project site at 2622 Yale Avenue East between Roanoke and Edgar. On your way there, look at the existing development on Eastlake’s residential streets and how the buildings relate to the street and sidewalk. Many of the buildings that have alley access are oriented in a way that ensures a continuous and green streetscape and encourages neighborly interaction. These are urban characteristics that attracted many of us to Eastlake.
While you walk, note also those projects whose front facades and front yards are dominated by garages, parking spaces and driveways. These projects were built before the early 1980s, when the City’s development regulations were changed to prohibit vehicle dominance of the streetscape.
When you get to the project site, the first thing you notice is how narrow this block of Yale Avenue is, even by Eastlake standards. There is a new sidewalk on the west side of the street, but many people still walk in the street, just like they do along Fairview. The street is in the shoreline district (within 200’ of the waterfront), is a designated bike route, and also part of the link between the Fairview Avenue Green Streets.
The proposed development will consist of seven town houses that will replace 4 detached homes currently on the site. The proposal calls for 4 units facing onto Yale Avenue with three units positioned behind them. The units on Yale Avenue will each have a 2-car garage at street level and a new driveway to each garage – 4 driveways for 8 cars on this narrow shoreline street and bike route. The three units in the rear will have parking off of Yale Terrace. The town homes will each be 3 stories and approximately 2200 square feet.
Some developers, it seems, operate using a modified maxim of our past president Teddy Roosevelt, “walk softly, but obtain maximum departures.” The project on Yale Avenue is a prime example of such thinking. It has achieved its size and density by “blowing out” the development standards of its Lowrise 1 zone – standards that normally require large open spaces at ground level, additional site landscaping, vehicle access off the alley (Yale Terrace) and minimum setbacks from front and rear property lines, all of which limit the bulk of development and help to create attractive, pedestrian oriented streetscapes and amply landscaped neighborhoods.
At last count, substantial departures from 9 standards had been requested by the developer and recommended for approval by the Design Review Board. The DRB’s June 7 recommendation was made despite concerns voiced by several of the DRB members themselves, and over the objections of the ECC. ECC has questioned the project’s compliance with other standards not reviewed by the DRB. A final decision by DPD is due soon.
For further information regarding the Design Review process and the specific Departures Requested please see article page 14.
The departures that have been granted for the 2622 Yale project do not result in a “better” project – that is, one that better meets the intent of design guidelines. In fact, the departures have resulted in less open space and landscaping on the ground, more building bulk, and a vehicle dominated streetscape and front façade. These departures appear to be for the sole purpose of expanding square footage, maximizing the development and thus increasing the developer’s return on investment. The Design Review Board provided no reasoning, based on design guidelines, on why such departures were justified and what benefits they provided.
“NO-L One”: Christmas in July for Developers.
What is particularly troubling about this course of events is its potential ramifications throughout Eastlake. The Design Review procedures often rely upon precedent as justification for departures. This project may be cited in the future as reasoning for similar development and more departures. While the Land Use Committee is not against all departures, it is concerned about what this precedent does to the code prohibition on vehicle access from streets (in multifamily zones) and to Eastlake’s Lowrise 1 (L1) zone, in which all housing is supposed to have ground-level open space. It is concerned about the cumulative effect and impact of the many departures that may be approved for this project, when the project offers nothing exemplary in return.
The requirement that vehicle access to multifamily development be from Eastlake’s alleys, and not streets, is one of the most successful standards in the zoning code. It alone saved our residential streetscapes from being converted from landscaped front yards to paved driveways and parking garages. Remember that walk you took to the project site? The alley access requirement put a stop to the large apartment buildings with multiple driveways that you might have seen on the way to the site. If granted, the departures allowing the driveways from Yale Ave. would be the first since the standard was adopted about 25 years ago, and would open the door for other similar requests . . . a door that would be very difficult to close.
And as described above, the L1 zone is a very specialized zone that exists solely for the purpose of providing “ground related housing” – that is, housing with landscaped open spaces at ground level instead of on decks or rooftops. Many of our neighborhood’s blocks on Minor and Fairview are zoned L1.
The open space departures granted by the Design Review Board for the 2622 Yale property effectively change the fundamental premise of L1 zoning rules, so that the bulk and character of development is like that in our L2 or L3 zones, which produce higher density development, stacked units and less open space on the ground. So send your Christmas Greeting early and celebrate with a developer near you: “NO-L ONE. Hark the potential end of the L1 zone.”
Do you want to keep ground-level open space in L1 zones and landscaped streetscapes that are for people and not cars? Then support the neighbors of the 2622 Yale project and the ECC.
Many of the neighbors along Yale Avenue have asked the ECC for support in this process. The ECC and its Land Use Committee has already spent a significant amount of time and money submitting comments in writing and at meetings about the severe implications of the departures – for the 2622 Yale project and for the neighborhood as a whole. While we await the final decision by the DPD on whether it will approve the departures for this project, we are assessing whether to file an appeal of any such decision to the Seattle Hearing Examiner.
We are considering an appeal, and the hiring of a land use attorney, because we believe the departures are excessive, create unmitigated impacts and are not justified by the design guidelines, and because if left unchallenged they will set a unacceptable precedent for future development in Eastlake.
We have a short time once the official decision is issued to decide if we will appeal. We are asking two things of you:
1st : What thoughts do you have about this project effects and Eastlake’s potential pursuit of an appeal?
2nd Will you donate to an appeal?
We are asking that concerned residents please send donations – significant and otherwise – to the address listed below. Should there not be enough support or funds to make an appeal, all funds will be returned.
Please send your comments and thoughts via email to:Matthew Stubbs, Land Use Committee Chair matthew_stubbs@comcast.netmatthew_stubbs@comcast.net
Please send your donation or comments via mail to:Eastlake Community Council/Attn: Land Use Legal Fund, 117 E. Louisa Street, #1, Seattle, WA 98102-3278.
Testing the First Boeing Plane, 1916
By Paul G. Spitzer
On Thursday June 15, 1916 during a spell of hot weather, at the foot of Roanoke Street the tall folding doors of the Lake Union hangar— featured in an earlier article (Jan/Feb 2006)—parted and the first Boeing airplane rolled out and onto a ramp leading down into the water. No one imagined the almost unnoticed event would change the future of the Seattle region. That afternoon William Boeing, a 34 year old lumber magnate, would take up the plane on its first flight, although not entirely intentionally.
Three times the weight of other planes in Seattle, its huge fuselage, wings and tail were covered in tautly stretched off-white linen. A green metal cowling enclosing the engine added a little color. With a big square metal radiator in front and support wires going everywhere, it was a conventional biplane and hardly streamlined.
A pair of aerodynamic pontoons quickly distinguished it. The overall design had been copied in all but a couple of its features from a training plane he had purchased in California ten months earlier. That plane had flown only a little before Boeing’s pilot, Herb Munter, had crashed it twice. Naturally, Boeing had serious questions about Munter’s suitability to be the test pilot for his own new seaplane and he scoured the U.S. for someone with the right qualities. In 1916, however, experienced pilots were extremely rare and he hired a second pilot, Knox Martin about whom he also seems to have had reservations.
Munter’s second crash in February inspired him forty years later to wisecrack that the hole could still be seen in Lake Union. Boeing brought the wrecked plane back to the hangar at Roanoke Street and tried to determine the cause. Undoubtedly Munter was not used to flying a plane this big and some people felt that Queen Anne hill created dangerous winds. Boeing’s questioning, however, focused on the plane itself and he concluded that the California trainer carried an unnecessarily heavy single pontoon. His new twin pontoons removed considerable weight from the plane. And for additional lift, he also added several feet to the wings.
Rollouts at the company, until the jet era, were simple affairs devoid of ceremony. This first one was especially spare, even lacking a photographer. Boeing, of course, was there along with Martin, his reserve pilot. They were mismatched: the tall Boeing always wore well tailored suits and diminutive Martin probably wore one of his oddball flying outfits. Only one of Boeing’s friends attended and none of his employees except as necessary. He needed two or three mechanics as well as some others who filled a role sometimes called “beach mules,” men to strong arm the plane around. That only one of the three major papers sent a reporter indicated how little the event interested the community. His account would lay buried inside the Post-Intelligencer on page five. The one person conspicuously absent at that moment was test pilot Herb Munter.
Boeing finally grew impatient of waiting for Munter and decided to take over himself. This meant going to the dressing room in the hangar and changing into warm flying gear, coveralls in all probability. Once he’d hiked himself up into the cockpit, he needed to manipulate the choke, spark and gas while someone in front flipped the prop to start the engine. The plane would have then slid down the ramp into the lake. Next the beach mules either towed it to the south end of the Lake Union with a boat, or, more likely, Boeing taxied there on his own. Taxiing a seaplane in 1916 was not easy because planes did not have water rudders and the two pontoon arrangement made turning more difficult. Ultimately the plane got into position in front of what is now the ZymoGenetics building, but then was the city’s electric plant.
Facing the Gas Works to take advantage of the prevailing light northerly wind, Boeing would have checked his primitive instruments and revved the engine. Soon he was speeding across the lake and off the water. Quite likely breaking free of the lake was the unexpected consequence of his design changes, namely the reduced weight and the increased lift. Taking off on the first run would not have been planned even by an experienced pilot.
Boeing was far from experienced having never completed his flight training. And while early pilots often had backgrounds as race-car drivers and were big risk takers, Boeing was careful and not a risk taker. That the plane was now in the air was unintended. Ever faster taxiing, what land pilots called “cutting the grass” would have been the normal way to proceed. Some training planes called “rollers” were even built with shortened wings so that they couldn’t fly. When Boeing found himself fifteen feet above the water, he flew about a quarter mile before he put the biplane back down. He made no attempt to climb higher, fly beyond the bounds of the lake or make turns.
Shortly thereafter, when he rejoined his crew, Munter was waiting. Boeing told him to taxi the plane around the lake until informed otherwise. Specifically Munter was not to try flying the plane. To this self-taught pilot, who described himself as a kid who loved getting in the air, taxiing around Lake Union soon became boring. Moreover, he had flown the plane that Boeing’s new plane was based on and he felt ready. Orders or no orders, he took the plane up.
There was also the threat, of course, that Knox Martin would take over from him. In fact, who did most of the early tests is unclear, but the two pilots came to dislike each other and fought for recognition. In the company’s first flight log there is no June 15th notation because no one had yet realized that there should be a logbook. When they started one two weeks later, the first entry was Knox Martin’s.
After that first run by William Boeing, the reporter had gone to him to get his comments. “I’m going to have lots of sport with this ship,” Boeing is said to have said and “She responds readily to every control. She is very sensitive.” Whatever he really said, it is clear that these uncharacteristic and boastful remarks were not his. He probably did not say anything to his employees although they were surely curious. One of them, a young man named Myron Huckle would later recall how thrilled they were that “Mr. Boeing” himself made the first flight. It was wonderful, they thought, that he’d shown such trust in his workers.
Lake Union frequently heard the sound of airplanes through the rest of the summer of 1916. According to the Lake Union flight log, Boeing left the testing to his now openly antagonistic pilots. Before long the log ceased including entries by Martin—only Munter’s. While the first flight by a Boeing plane was not to be found in it, the event was William Boeing’s to claim.
A retired history professor, Paul G. Spitzer formerly was corporate Historian at Boeing and Curator at the Museum of History and Industry.
Debate State and Local Ballot Measures Oct. 10
On Tuesday, Oct. 10 (7-9 p.m. at TOPS-Seward School), ECC is holding an elections forum, featuring the many controversies that will be on the state and local ballots. Come hear and participate in the debate. Questions may be submitted beforehand to ECC, 117 E. Louisa St. #1, Seattle 98102. This meeting also is the annual ECC board and officer elections. To nominate yourself or a friend, write to ECC nominations, 117 E. Louisa St. #1, Seattle, WA 98102, cleman@oo.net, or call (206) 322-5463.
SR520 Expansion Threatens Arboretum, Eastlake
After a decade of debate, the draft SR520 environmental impact statement was released for public review on August 11, beginning a 45-day comment period that will probably be extended another 15 days. The EIS and its all-important appendices can be viewed at www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/SR520Bridge (also on cd/rom for free at 381-8400). Send the Washington State Dept. of Transportation your comments: (1) online at www.SR520DEIScomments.com; (2) e-mail to SR520DEIScomments@wsdot.wa.gov; or (3) letter to Paul Krueger, Environmental Manager, WSDOT-SR520 Project, 414 Olive Way, Suite 400, Seattle, WA 98101. And/or speak at one of the big public hearings: Mon., Sept. 18 (4-7 p.m. at Seattle’s MOHAI, 2700 24th Ave. East; or Thurs., Sept. 21 (4-7 pm. at Bellevue’s St. Luke’s Church, 3030 Bellevue Way NE.).
Ever since an earlier proposal for expanding SR520 would have demolished Seward School and taken part of Boylston Ave. E., the Eastlake Community Council has argued to keep the bridge at four lanes, while recognizing that it is old and needs replacement. The EIS shows that because of wider lanes and shoulders, a four-lane SR520 would accommodate more traffic than the current bridge, but not be as wide or destructive as the six lane proposal. ECC President Carsten Stinn served on a City advisory committee in which he joined the Arboretum and the University in opposing the ill-named Pacific Street Interchange, which would straddle Union Bay and Marsh Island.
Another ECC concern is that, although the six-lane alternative would expand the flyover ramps over I-5, the EIS incorrectly assumes that there would be no noise impacts in the Eastlake neighborhood, because WSDOT looked only at first-floor impacts, though the greatest noise impacts are at the second floors of homes, businesses, and Seward School. ECC welcomes your ideas, to 117 E. Louisa St. #1, Seattle 98102. If you write to WSDOT, please send us a copy.
Volunteers Sought for Shoreline and Park Restauration
Eastlakers enjoy a growing number of parks and green spaces. All need our love to keep them clean and weeded, and to make needed improvements Please help out at work parties—or better yet, become a coordinator. The Parks Department’s maintenance budget has been cut, so even the biggest parks need us, and several of our green spaces are not official City parks.
Colonnade Park, Volunteers are needed for a big work party on Sat., Oct. 21 9 a.m. to 1. Refreshments and leadership are being provided by the Eastlake Starbucks. Meet at far northwestern edge of park between Howe and Newton streets (under southbound freeway on-ramp). For questions, contact Dan Kelley-Petersen, kellersen@comcast.net or voice mail at 318-7050 ext. 303448.
Shoreline restoration in 1500 and 1600 blocks of Fairview. Volunteers continue to remove invasive plants such as blackberries, and they spread soil and install native plants on this reclaimed shoreline with its gravel pathway. Next work parties are the Sundays of Sept. 17, Oct. 8, Oct. 22, and Nov. 12, all 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.. Come for an hour, or more if you wish. Tax-deductible donations of native plants and cash are welcome, with checks made out to Olmsted-Fairview Park Commission, and mailed c/o ECC, 117 E. Louisa St. #1, Seattle 98102. To be notified about future work parties, contact Chris Leman at cleman@oo.net of (206) 322-5463. Chris seeks a volunteer to share in the coordination.
Good Turn Park. Tricia Rendina (261-4271) is coordinating monthly work parties at Good Turn Park, 3149 Fairview Ave. E., with the next ones on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 6 p.m.; and Thurs. Oct. 12 at 5 p.m. Come enjoy and protect this little-known paradise!
Other parks. To help weed at Fairview Park (by the P-Patch), contact coordinator Mary Kay Gillespie, 328-2161. Parks that still need a coordinator include Rogers Playfield and North Gateway Park (under I-5 where Harvard and Eastlake intersect). For any of the above assignments, or to be contacted about future work parties, please contact Chris Leman, cleman@oo.net, (206) 322-5463.
Thanks to the volunteer efforts of the Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club (BBTC), these granite boulders mark the southeast entrance to Colonnade Park — BBTC’s willingness to build its mountain biking course largely through donations and volunteer hours made the rest of the park affordable. Tax-deductible donations are welcome and needed, to BBTC. PO Box 21288, Seattle, WA 98111. For question
s, call Justin Vander Pool, 524-2900.
The Seattle Arts Commission administers this Colonnade Park art work (three intertwined, living trees) and its lighting, which so far is mostly in daylight hours. Here’s hoping that artist John Roloff will program more lighting for nighttime, when it will be more noticed, and also enhances safety.
The youngest volunteer signs in. Help him transform the Southeast Lake Union shoreline. See listing of upcoming work parties.
Bus Riders Petition for Improved Service
Eastlakers are devoted bus riders, but they deserve better service, as the neighborhood is served worse by transit than anytime in its 110 year history. Please join Eastlake bus riders as they call for improvements:
Route #25 (only direct route between Eastlake and Montlake SR520 station, University Village, and Children’s Hospital): (1) re-route to Eastlake Avenue via Lynn Street the segment that currently uses Lakeview Blvd.; (2) extend downtown departure to 7 p.m. (last downtown departure is now 5:49, and last arrival at Montlake is now 6:20).
Route #66 (only direct route between Eastlake and Northgate/Roosevelt; only direct route between Eastlake and Ferry Terminal): (1) During rush hour, increase its frequency to every 15 minutes (currently 30 minutes); (2) Add a stop at Garfield Street.
Route #71, #72 and #73 (when operating on Eastlake Avenue as an express on Eastlake Avenue, these routes are quicker to and from downtown than the local #70, whose electric trolley lines take it through the “Mercer Mess.”): (1) These buses should make the same stops as the #66 (Harvard, Lynn, Aloha, and Mercer, and we also suggest Garfield); (2) Change these express buses to local when the #70 route is seriously delayed or not running.
Downtown stops. The above routes should all share the same stops on Third Avenue, as they did when the bus tunnel was open. Now, although #25, #66, and #70 still share the same stops on 3rd Ave, there are different stops for #71, #72 and #73—a major inconvenience for riders, who must choose one block or the other.
Copies of the petition are available at Lake Union Mail, 117 E. Louisa Street. Or you can write directly to these officials: King County Council Chair Larry Phillips, 1200 King County Courthouse, 516 Third Avenue, Seattle 98104-3272, or larry.phillips@metrokc.gov; Mayor Greg Nickels, PO Box 84769, 600 Fourth Avenue, Seattle 98124-4749 (e-mail messages to the mayor are via www.seattle.gov/mayor); and City Councilmember Jan Drago, Transportation Committee chair, PO Box 34025, Seattle 98124-4025, or jan.drago@seattle.gov.
For questions or to get involved in the bus riders coalition, contact volunteer Vernon Van Steenkist, Vernon@drizzle.com, (206) 860-4359, or write Eastlake Bus Riders, c/o ECC, 117 E. Louisa St. #1, Seattle 98102.
Transportation Bemusements
By Chris Leman
Privatizing the street? The Eastlake Community Council had a quick win in June, when Lake Union Dry Dock alerted us that Diamond Parking had begun charging private fees for public parking places in the Galer Street triangle between Eastlake and Fairview avenues. We learned that someone in SDOT had negotiated this deal without the required public notice or even consulting generally with traffic and parking specialists, plus Diamond had gone ahead even though the SDOT director had not signed the contract. With some help from City Council Transportation chair Jan Drago, we got the signs and striping removed within days.
Parking charges on Eastlake Ave.? But parking charges could come anyway. The City seeks more revenues, and may try to install pay stations along commercially zoned streets like Eastlake Avenue. There is currently a big controversy about such a proposal along the Westlake Avenue shoreline area. If you have any thoughts on this, please let us know.
An off-limits sidewalk. The Washington State Department of Transportation put up signs in May prohibiting anyone from using the sidewalk on the east side of Boylston Ave. E. between Roanoke and Lynn streets—an area that even includes some bus stops! At ECC’s urging, SDOT removed the signs in August. We learned that the recently completed noise walls had in a few places narrowed the WSDOT-owned sidewalk to six inches less than the five feet required by the federal government. WSDOT didn’t tell the public this salient fact during planning, but says it told Metro and the City of Seattle. Here’s hoping that as the noise walls are extended north and south, those sidewalks are kept five feet or wider, and there won’t be any more signs prohibiting their use!
An Arborway without trees? The ECC volunteers who have been working to install lighting and trellises in the beloved Louisa Street Arborway between Yale Ave. and the Eastlake Ave. alley had a setback this summer as they approached SDOT about the needed permits. Having left this beloved passageway alone for a hundred years, the SDOT “arborists” (perhaps “loggers” would have been a better word) suddenly decided that one of the two wildlife-friendly cedar trees that shade the Arborway was going to fall over, and insisted on removing it. The stump, which is still visible, shows no signs of decay, and the Arborway (see before and after photos) is now a shadow of its former self. To help protect and improve the Arborway (will we need a human chain next time??), contact volunteer Paige Stockley, 720-2920, paige@speakeasy.org.
An Eastlake Avenue streetcar? During debate over the South Lake Union streetcar that recently broke ground, there was a lot of talk about connecting it to the University via Eastlake Avenue. ECC pointed out a number of feasibility issues in an August 2004 letter to the Mayor, urging that the City base its policies on an engineering study of the entire route. The Mayor wrote back in November 2004 that “The South Lake Union Streetcar is part of my action agenda for South Lake Union because I believe streetcars are a great way to provide local transit service, connect to the regional transit system, and contribute to healthy, vibrant neighborhoods. Connecting South Lake Union, Eastlake and the University District by streetcar has the potential to provide those same benefits to a larger area.”
Without the benefit of an engineering study of whether and how extending it on Eastlake Avenue streetcar would work, the City Council in March 2006 approved public funding and a special taxing district for the South Lake Union streetcar, which is now under construction. When ECC asked recently why such a study had not been done as we had requested in 2004, we learned that the study in fact had been completed in April 2005, but it just had not been released to the City Council or the public until after the initial leg of the streetcar had already been approved. At ECC’s urging, the study was released in April 2006, and it can be found at www.seattle.gov/transportation/stcar_eastlake.htm.
Several parts of the Eastlake Avenue streetcar study jump out at us, among them its expense—$118 million for 2.9 miles, more than twice the $50+ million for the initial 1.3 mile segment that has already been approved. To strengthen the 481-foot Fairview Avenue North Bridge and the much longer University Bridge to bear streetcars would cost $14.8 million alone. (The totals do not include costs for right-of-way or mitigation of vibration.)
Given these costs, it is not surprising that the City study suggests that the streetcar “could potentially replace the route 70 bus…. Eliminating this route would presumably reduce the net cost of streetcar service dramatically.” The study does not note that the 70 bus goes through downtown, whereas the streetcar would stop short of downtown, requiring a transfer for passengers to continue.
The SDOT study of an Eastlake Avenue streetcar also warns that “the confluence of a bus stopping in the outside lane and a streetcar vehicle stopping in the inside lane could potentially stop all traffic in a single direction (and constrain any passing maneuvers)”, and that “when a streetcar vehicle is stopped to load/unload passengers or breaks down in-line [it] could potentially present a safety issue with respect to emergency vehicle access.” The study also states that, to maintain bus transit reliability, installation of a streetcar would require keeping of Eastlake Avenue’s peak-period parking restrictions (currently inbound 7-9 p.m. and outbound 3-6 p.m.), and elimination of six parking places on each side of the street, for each streetcar stop. The 1998 Eastlake Neighborhood Plan calls for restoring parking to Eastlake Avenue, not reducing it further.
Any thoughts (or better yet, a volunteer offer) on the above topics, or other transportation issues that you think ECC should be following? Contact the author at cleman@oo.net or (206) 322-5463.
Serafina Osteria (2043 Eastlake Ave. E., 323-0807), now in its 16th year, has made a yearly ritual of hosting a party for Eastlake residents, and now adds a special party for Eastlake businesses. The antipasti, beverages, and music are owner and Eastlake resident Susan Kaufman’s way of honoring and thanking the neighborhood, The residents’ event is Sat., Sept. 23, 2-4 p.m.; the business event is Fri., Sept. 29, 4-6 p.m. Meet your neighbors and reacquaint yourself with a restaurant that has been voted in Seattle’s top ten.
Thanks to local residents Ryan Murphy (Eastlake Mail/Shamrock Design, 2226 Eastlake Ave. E., 324-4022) and Spencer Looney (GroveLand Vemtures/Productions/Music Bookers, www.Grove-Land.com 206-709-4400), and their many volunteers for spearheading the August 26 LakeFest, a new neighborhood festival. There were nine local bands, a free session by Eastlake Yoga (2501 Eastlake Ave. E., 200-7849), tennis and kickball tournaments, a beer garden, and booths from local businesses and non-profit organizations. The Eastlake Community Council organized the pet parade (see photos) and the children’s activities. To get involved in next year’s LakeFest and other year-round activities of the new LakeFest non-profit organization: www.lake-fest.com or info@Lake-Fest.com.
Eastlake Framing (322-5080) has relocated to 2367 Eastlake Ave. (first driveway south of Louisa’s, and there’s “tons of parking”). Current hours are Tues., Th. and Fri., 6-8 p.m. and Sat. 10-4. … E. Marie’s Perfect Nails and Feet has opened at the charming Hamlin Pier (2727 Fairview Ave. E., #B, 293-8810), offering manicures, pedicures, acrylics, and home visits. … Gypsy Palace Boutique 2946-D Eastlake Ave., (425-478-5523, www.gypsy palace.com) features local designers’ clothing, jewelry and accessories, unique imported items, and hot and cold beverages. “Nowhere else in Seattle can you shop for local independent designers’ clothing alongside Prada handbags, surrounded by Buddha statues, while sipping a Latte.”
The entire Eastlake neighborhood mourned the July 4 fire at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration base (1801 Fairview Ave.). With loss of the piers, none of the big white ships (and their holiday lights) will be here this winter; now they are scattered to the Sand Point NOAA base, the Everett Naval base, the downtown Coast Guard base, and various shipyards. Here’s hoping that the NOAA ships and their crews, who are very much a part of the Eastlake neighborhood, will be back in future years.
Earthly Rituals Spa (2938-C Eastlake Ave., 283-1291) offers skin care, waxing, facials, massage, manicures and pedicures. Owner Patti Barila-Wilmot says “It is our hope to create a sense of inner calmness resulting in outer health and beauty.” … Hydro House Deli and Café (1201 Eastlake Ave., 515-4929) is open M-F, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. It offers breakfast, soup, salads, and sandwiches, espresso, and catered breakfast platters, box lunches, and desserts.
14 Carrot Café (2305 Eastlake Ave. E., 324-1442) has been at its historic location in the Hines Public Market building since 1978. Hours are 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week. The popular lunch menu begins at 11 a.m. on weekdays and 1 p.m. on weekends. The breakfast menu (served all day) is frequently voted “best in Seattle,” and includes the biggest cinnamon rolls in the neighborhood. An October treat favored by this writer are the pumpkin pancakes.
Gilda’s Club Seattle (1400 Broadway 709-1400) is a non-profit cancer support community serving the Puget Sound area. The mission of Gilda’s Club Seattle is to provide a meeting place where people with cancer, their families and friends join with others to build social, emotional and educational support as a supplement to medical care. Gilda’s Club Seattle offers support and networking groups, educational lectures, workshops and social events, and simply the opportunity to rest and relax in between doctor or treatment visits, make themselves a home cooked meal in our kitchen, do research in our library, or surf the web free of charge.
The Eastlake Business Association that was active several years ago is being revived to hold occasional early morning meetings on ways to strengthen the neighborhood business district. If you would like to get involved, contact the author of this column. … And a South Lake Union Chamber of Commerce (www.SLUchamber.org, 547-2577) has formed, with the purpose to “Enhance the economic vitality and quality of life of South Lake Union.”
ECC deeply appreciates that the Log Foundation and Tenas Chuck have purchased individual ECC memberships for all of their dock residents. Such support helps our all-volunteer organization keep going. We welcome any other docks, cooperatives, and condominium associations who would like to join this program.
Mention in this column does not imply endorsement by the ECC, writer, or editor. Send your news to Chris Leman (cleman@oo.net) or c/o ECC, 117 E. Louisa St. #1, Seattle 98102.
Eastlake Community Land Trust
Founded in 1990, ECLT exists to protect the interests of renters and to preserve and reclaim Eastlake’s historic economic diversity. The Land Trust is seeking an apartment property to be operated with permanently affordable rents. In Eastlake’s hot housing market, properties often sell soon after (or even before!) being listed. Thus the Land Trust appreciates the opportunity to make an offer before a property goes on the open market. As ECLT is tax-exempt, the donor of properties can realize significant tax advantages. If you have or know of a candidate property, please contact board member Paul Hanson, paul.kari@mac.com, 971-5610.
Signs for Eastlake
Eastlake lacks signs welcoming people arriving on our main roads. We appreciate and welcome donations for this expense (made out to the ECC Sign Fund). More than 70 phrases have been suggested (even “Don’t steal my car”!) and we welcome more. When our last issue suggested “Welcome to Eastlake, a bridge neighborhood” we got a definite thumbs down from readers. People were more divided about “Welcome to Eastlake, east of Lake Union.” Some saw it as straightforward and light-hearted, others dumb and condescending. Because no wording has emerged as everyone’s favorite, perhaps each of the signs should be different. These seem to be the top suggestions so far:
- Welcome to the Eastlake neighborhood
- Eastlake neighborhood—founded 1893
- Eastlake: Make way for ducklings
Maybe the design is what will make the signs most distinctive. A hand, a duck, and a life preserver (among other images) have been suggested. Please send us your design suggestions and any thoughts on wording, to Susan Savelle at Bridge Blond Salon, 2373 Eastlake Ave., Seattle 98102 (329-1362) or by e-mail to cleman@oo.net.
Graffiti Rangers Needed
Quick removal of graffiti is the best way to discourage taggers, and City laws require private landowners to remove it promptly. On both private and public property, you can offer a gentle reminder or help in removal. The City graffiti hotline is 684-7587 #1. Be sure to describe the location accurately (address, cross streets, side of street, etc.). Volunteers are needed to report and/or paint out graffiti. Contact Eastlake’s graffiti coordinator, lizzieknudsen@hotmail.com or 324-2436.
Understanding Development Standards and the Design Review Process and 2622 Yales Departures
For those unfamiliar with development standards and the Design Review process, a brief explanation follows: A project must conform to development standards for the zone in which it is located. These standards, listed in the Land Use (aka zoning) Code, regulate building height, distance from property lines, the location of parking and vehicle access, the amount and location of open space and landscaping, and many other aspects of a project. They are intended to reduce a project’s impact and attain other features that the City has determined are desirable for a particular zone. The City also has design guidelines that describe, in more qualitative ways, the desirable characteristics of development. For example, guidelines address how a building should relate to site conditions, the street, neighboring properties, and its broader neighborhood context. An applicant can apply for departures from specific development standards through the design review process. The reasoning behind offering applicants this opportunity is to provide them the flexibility to create better projects – more specifically, the applicant must demonstrate that departures from development standards would result in a development which better meets the intent of the design guidelines. The Design Review Board, an appointed group of 5, decides if such departures are warranted.
Sounds reasonable . . . in theory. As the program has evolved, developers are increasingly and aggressively using the design review process to relax standards and build substantially bigger – but often not better – projects.
Below are eight of the nine development standard departures that have been recommended for the 2622 Yale project.
1. “Curb Cuts” and Vehicle Access from the Street (2 departures)
Zoning standards prohibit driveways on the street side of new developments when vehicle access is available off of an alley, such as Yale Terrace. These standards promote continuous, landscaped front yards, sidewalks that are not cut up for auto access, and front facades with well-defined entrances, porches and other “living” spaces. If the departures are allowed to stand, the street level of the 2622 Yale project would be dominated by pavement and the automobile – lots of driveways and garage doors – in a way that hasn’t happened in Eastlake for 25 years.
2. Private Open Space (4 departures)
The defining characteristic of the Lowrise 1 zone is its requirement that all units be “ground-related” – that is, each unit must have a contiguous, private usable open space at ground level. The project must have an average of 300 sf of ground-related open space per unit, with no unit having less than 200 sf. The open space must be near existing grade, all in one piece, with no dimension less than 10’. No other zone in Eastlake requires that all units have ground related open space. The 2622 Yale project is a “zone buster”: The 4 units along Yale Ave. have nearly all of their open spaces in above-grade decks, and each space is fragmented into 3 small pieces. This housing and open space is akin to what is allowed in Lowrise 2 and Lowrise 3 zones, and is not ground-related Lowrise 1 housing. The departure results in a significant increase in the amount of development over what could normally occur on the site.
3. Rear Setbacks (1 departure)
This is the distance that the building(s) must be set back off of the rear property line and, in this case, off of the Yale Terrace alley centerline. Setbacks ensure minimal light, air and privacy to neighboring properties, reduce the crowding of structures along the alley and define/limit the bulk of development. The 2622 Yale townhouses would be 16’ instead of the required 20’ from the alley centerline, and 8.5’ instead of 10’ from the rear lot line, thereby increasing the bulk of the project.
4. Front Setbacks (1 departure)
Like the rear setback, the required setback from the front lot line provides light, air, and area for landscaping along the streetscape, reduces crowding along the street and limits the bulk of development. Decks meeting certain requirements are allowed in portions of front setbacks, but the 4 units along Yale Ave. don’t meet these requirements. Decks would extend 9’ into the setback (only 4’ allowed), be 6’ feet from the front lot line (at least 10’ is required) and be 7’from grade (at least 8’ is required). Again, more square feet for building but less for open space and landscaping.
Meeting Announcement
Sept. 20 Public Meeting on land use projects.
When: Tuesday, Sept. 20, 7-9 P.m.
Where: TOPS-Seward School. 2500 Franklin Ave. E.
Why: ECC is hosting a public meeting about land use projects in the neighborhood Issues and presentations will include:
· 2946 Eastlake Ave - A residential/retail development to be sited on the current site of Allison)
· 1600 block of Eastlake Avenue East - a research and development, office and retail project on the, including land west to Fairview Avenue E. along E. Blaine Street, the former location of Sound Propeller, Pima Medical Institute, and other businesses.
If you know of other impending land use projects, come tell the meeting! ECC’s land use committee needs your help in making sure that new projects will fit the neighborhood.
To get involved, contact ECC board member Matthew Stubbs, matthew_stubbs@comcast.net or (206)-774-1655.
Miscellaneous
| A historic Eastlake house May 31 on its way to being barged to the San Juan Islands, to be featured on a nationwide TV show. The former owners, Wes and Daphne Larson, are redeveloping the site at 3218 Eastlake Avenue, |  |
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Sarah Frederick has joined the staff at Lake Union Mail. Recently graduated from Indiana University with a degree in American History, she welcomes your photos, files, and memories about Eastlake history, and is producing additions to the firm’s line of historical postcards. |
| Louisa arborway before and after being logged by the Seattle Department of Transportation (see article) |   |
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More images of the wonderful LakeFest Petparade in the next issue of this newsletter. |
ECC Needs Volunteers & Donations
The Eastlake Community Council builds community and enhances the neighborhood only with your help. We are all-volunteer, so donations of cash, stock, bequests, or real estate go a long way. We are also looking for a used digital projector to go along with our old Kodak carousel projector; and a five-drawer filing letter-size filing cabinet. And we need your volunteer effort in any of the following:
(1) Organize an Eastlake auction, tour, or neighborhood-wide day of yard sales.
(2) Care for parks and green spaces (see article)
(3) Clean up a street—especially Boylston, which suffers from freeway debris.
(4) Serve on ECC’s land use committee, helping review projects
(5) Help make Lynn Street between Boylston and Eastlake avenues safer and more beautiful
(6) Distribute the Eastlake News on your block or nearby
(7) Interview Eastlake pioneers to preserve our irreplaceable history
(8) Help Artful Eastlake organize an arts walk and art show
(9) Organize a block or dock watch for crime prevention and disaster preparedness
(10) Represent the neighborhood at the East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition meetings
Interested? Write to ECC, 117 E. Louisa Street #1, Seattle 98102, cleman@oo.net, or phone 322-5463.
Emergency And Police Numbers
911 Crime, fire, health, or other emergency in progress
684-4071 Harbor Police
684-8763 Illegally parked or abandoned vehicles
684-5740 Investigations of burglary and theft
684-5797 Narcotics investigations
684-0330 Domestic violence
625-5911 Crime problems not requiring an immediate response
684-7717 Advice on setting up a block watch
Community police team: Officer Tyrone Davis 684-4373 or tyrone.davis@seattle.gov
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