Some of you may be aware that the City Council is considering adoption of a comprehensive plan, called the One Seattle Plan. The Council will meet on September 12 to take further comments. You can still submit comments on this draft plan,and please do this as soon as possible. We urge you to support our Councilmember’s Maritza Rivera’s Amendments to this plan. One amendment (#40) will help protect the Ravenna Cowen National Historic District and one amendment (#102) will help protect Seattle’s tree canopy during construction projects. These amendments are described briefly below. If you agree with them, please send a short email to council@seattle.gov indicating your support; be sure to include your name and address in your email.
Amendment 40 – The Seattle Office of Planning and Community Development (OPCD) proposes a new “Ravenna Neighborhood Center.” OPCD would change the zoning in six square blocks of the Ravenna-Cowen North National Historic District to Low Rise 3, which includes 5-story buildings. The area would be south of NE 65th St. between 20th Ave. NE to 24th Ave. NE. Not only would this destroy amazing, unique and irreplaceable historic homes, but also trees and gardens. Councilmember Rivera’s proposed Amendment 40 to the One Seattle Plan to change the boundary of the Ravenna Neighborhood Center. This amendment would remove approximately four and a half blocks from the southwest corner of the Ravenna Neighborhood Center. The area to be removed from the Neighborhood Center is included in the Ravenna-Cowen Historic District which is part of a National Historic District. The area to be removed is generally located south of NE 65th Street and west of 24th Avenue NE. (Under state law zoning for four units on a lot is allowed.)
Amendment 102 – This would: (1) expand the purpose and intent of Chapter 25.11; (2) authorize the SDCI Director to require alternative site plans to demonstrate that trees can be retained, (3) expand the grounds for modifications of the tree protection area (4) revise the definition of “tree protection area,” and (5) Allow expansion in front or rear yards to retain Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3 or Tier 4 trees.
The draft Seattle One Plan can be found here on the link below. Amendment #40 can be found on page 81 and 82 (with a map of area in question). Amendment 102 can be found on page 397.
https://seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=14569196&GUID=A53C8243-EBB0-4096-9F73-DD23471EFBCC
Thank you neighbors!
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