Monday, March 7, 2011

Transit Oriented Event: Seattle's Transit Communities

Great City has put together an exciting event this Thursday focusing on the Seattle's Transit Communities plan.  They have put together a great panel for this event and I'm sure it will be incredibly informative.  TCC is happy to be a co-host and we urge you all to GO! Here are the details:

Seattle Transit Communities: Charting Our Path Forward
WHEN: March 10, 2011, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
WHERE: Bertha Knight Landes Room, City Hall

Join us this Thursday for a very exciting lunchtime brownbag about the Seattle Planning Commission's Seattle Transit Communities report. Hear Commissioners Josh Brower, Kevin McDonald and David Cutler present the Commissions recommendations, including:
  • Where timely investment will provide the most benefit to Seattle transit communities
  • Appropriate land use and necessary investments to create successful transit communities while preserving unique neighborhood identities
  • Funding strategies for implementing "essential components for livability" - parks, open space, libraries, sidewalks, plazas, pedestrian improvements, lighting - needed to complete these vibrant, great neighborhoods.
After the commissioners present their findings, two expert respondents--Ed Hewson from Paragon Real Estate and Barbara Gray from SDOT--will offer their insights and explore some of the commission's recommendations more fully, framing a healthy Q+A session. 
 
Thank you to Councilmember Mike O'Brien for sponsoring this event for the Seattle Planning Commission. Thank you to our partners for this event Futurewise, Leadership for Great Neighborhoods, and Transportation Choices Coalition.

14 comments:

  1. Shame on you council member O'brien: sponsoring a speaker who is clearly ramming a plan down a neighborhood's throat. Ed Hewson from Paragon Real Estate is just pretending to show a transit oriented housing while working directly opposite the neighborhood plan. That plan was carefully crafted to work with transit and increase density in logical increments. Mr. Hewson is aiming to build a 12 story building in the midst of a single family neighborhood. He's clearly a "wolf in sheep's clothing": pretending to be traffic and neighborhood friendly while hiding his real motivation - old fashioned greed.

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  2. Unbelievable. You have city representative and a Real Estate developer tell us what's good for the neighborhood. You think the residents might have something to say or have an opinion. If there is a neighborhood association or group, they should be present.

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  3. City politics at it's worst. Why, just the other day the mayor said that people should have their say regarding the tunnel. So what about the people of Roosevelt? I guess they don't get any say and their neighborhood plan for increasing density is just so much chopped liver. I guess developer money (and campaign contributions) trumps the will of just plain citizens. It's just another example of how City Hall runs roughshod over the people its supposed to serve.

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  4. As a Ravenna resident who totally supports Transit Oriented Communities I agree with all previous posts. This meeting with a limited announcement period in an obscure place , being held on a week day at noon in downtown Seattle, and hosting panelists not representing all perspectives on TOC leaves me to believe the City Council and Mayor do not walk their talk of "open and fair" discussions/presentations for growth. I will continue to advocate for our City Council Members and the Mayor to live their stated values of fair and open discussions. In the future be sure to include those most affected and effected by TOC not just those who have a high concept or profit motive. Judith

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  5. As a member of the Roosevelt Community, I am horrified that you have Ed Hewson of Roosevelt Development Group (as well as Paragon RE, HB Partnership and who knows what other sham corporations) at this presentation. Leaving out the fact that he is 50% of Roosevelt Development Group, who are completely disregarding the existing neighborhood and their well thought out neighborhood plan for increased density in areas that make sense for the existing community and for the future of that community. Greed and arrogance are the driving force in the RDG plan.

    How dare you invite Mr Hewson as a presenter while not including any of the many neighborhood leaders!

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  6. I agree as well. As a resident of Ravenna/Roosevelt, I cannot believe this was put together with a developer and not someone who has no real vested interest. That Mr. Hewson's clients are the Sisley brothers who have blighted our neighborhood for decades just adds to the suspicion.

    I'm going to let Mike O'Brien know this was not a good move to make.

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  7. Why, oh why, can't City Council and RDG show a little bit of respect for the neighborhood-proposed rezone recommendations (some of which were sited as potentially too aggressive by DPD) instead of celebrate some 12 story, inappropriate development in the heart of single family homes. I am all for TOD, but please consider the context surrounding the proposed development, including the school. Please consider what the neighborhood wants. We are proposing more growth and development... just not 12 stories of it.

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  8. And who will be there to directly represent the Roosevelt Neighborhoods' years of work on updating the Roosevelt Neighborhood Plan to accommodate the future station??? Our neighborhood has worked long and very hard to develop a responsible, shared community vision, and to plan proactively for the station. So why are our efforts being shunted aside in favor of a single developer and a landlord who has shown a lack of stewardship? Shameful politics indeed!

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  9. Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. Ed Hewson represents no one but himself. He is a developer motivated by profit. When will the City wake up and step in to referee, through rational, legally-mandated comprehensive planning, what development will look like proximal to transit. So far it has done no more or less than open the door to developers like Mr. Hewson to exploit the vacuum left by the absence of real planning. Please do something and do it now. Don't force this process to be litigated.

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  10. "Empowering communities to get involved in government" That is what Council member O'Brien lists as a focus of his office. So where is the community in this meeting and in this process? They were not contacted when the Planning Commission put together their report. They were not invited to this meeting.

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  11. This brown bag is sponsored by Great Cities. Ed Hewson is a major contributor to this 'non profit' organization.

    Community members are not major contributors, so no representation.

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  12. Roosevelt is discussed on page 54 of the Planning Commission Report. Neighborhood Update is supported. RDG plans to ignore the Neighborhood Update. So why are they speaking here?

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  13. Well, we certainly can see the greed, but other side of coin became a corruption.

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  14. How come everyone from Roosevelt/Ravenna is surprised? I attended the meeting today. The politicians and the developers are just doing their dance. Roosevelt this year. Which Settle neighborhood will be next?

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