Here is a copy of a letter we’ve sent to the Seattle City Council, as well as to the Mayor’s office. This highlights all of our main points. Honorable Greg Nickels, Mayor City of Seattle P.O. Box 94749 Seattle, WA 98124-4749 RE: Planning for the Future of South Lake Union Dear Mayor Nickels: We are current and future residents and stakeholders of South Lake Union, Capitol Hill, Eastlake, and the Lake Union houseboat community. Like you, we are excited by the prospect of a revitalized South Lake Union neighborhood and optimistic that, with the City’s leadership, redevelopment in this neighborhood will be thoughtful, sustainable and consistent with the superb South Lake Union Neighborhood Plan. We understand that you recently received a series of re-zone proposals from the South Lake Union Friends and Neighbors Community Council (SLUFAN). While we appreciate the SLUFAN’s efforts in this regard, we have considerable concern over the substance of these re-zone proposals as well as the composition of the SLUFAN board. As residents and neighbors of South Lake Union, we feel compelled to bring these concerns to your attention. Our concerns include: 1. Lack of specific development constraints. We are concerned by the lack of specific development constraints in SLUFAN’s re-zone proposals. Constraints, such as property line setbacks, podium height, tower spacing, tower floor plate size, and a requirement for street trees and landscaping, are critical to the success of a neighborhood. While SLUFAN has proposed significant increases in allowable building height with great precision (e.g., 125’, 160’, 240’, 300’, and 400’), SLUFAN has not provided the specific constraints that would benefit the residents or those working there. Without meaningful and specific development constraints, the pencil tower model could easily give way to oppressive, bulky buildings or a wall of towers across much of the neighborhood. 2. Wall of towers. Under two of SLUFAN’s re-zone proposals, between 23 and 26 blocks of South Lake Union would be up-zoned to 400’. According to City estimates, the vast majority of that area is developable or re-developable. These 400’ blocks are not clustered in one area or along one edge. Even if the number of towers per block were limited to one or two (which the SLUFAN recommendations do not do), when fully developed this could create a wall of 400’ towers (potentially over 40 of them), taller than the top of Capitol Hill or Queen Anne and about one-half mile long. In addition, in front of that would be another wall of 300’ high towers, whose tops would be nearly the height of Capitol Hill or Queen Anne. 3. Scope of the re-zone. The scope of the re-zone is far in excess of the City’s 20-year population projection. According to the City’s comprehensive plan, South Lake Union is expected to grow by 8,000 households by 2024. The City estimates that the three SLUFAN proposals would accommodate between 25,000 and 38,000 additional dwelling units. At the high end, this represents 475% of the 20-year growth target. 4. Affordable housing. We are concerned that the re-zone proposals will not allow for sufficient levels of work force and low income housing within South Lake Union. SLUFAN’s re-zone proposals will significantly increase neighborhood property values, making the development of work force and low income housing unlikely. While an incentive zoning program could generate funds for such housing, the high price of land could cause these funds to be spent elsewhere in the City. Unless South Lake Union is to be an enclave for the wealthy, it would be reasonable that 40% of the housing units fall into one of these categories. All of this housing will not fit into the Cascade neighborhood. 5. Housing and schools for families. We are concerned by the lack of specific recommendations for schools, libraries, and amenities that would encourage families with children to stay in South Lake Union. With tens of thousands of expected residents, the neighborhood should have several thousand children, justifying at least one public school. The City must start working to address these issues now unless South Lake Union is to be a neighborhood without children. 6. South Lake Union’s center. A community of tens of thousands of residents and employees should have a central place for retail and gathering that would serve to identify the neighborhood. Examples in Seattle are the center of Fremont, Columbia City, or 65th and Roosevelt. This issue was not addressed in SLUFAN’s proposal. 7. Being a good neighbor to neighbors. The impact on nearby neighborhoods of the growth proposed by SLUFAN has not been recognized in the SLUFAN recommendations. For instance, the wall of towers discussed above would impact views to and from the Space Needle, Lake Union, Capitol Hill, the east slope of Queen Anne, and Wallingford. Additionally, any shortage of affordable housing in South Lake Union will be felt by neighboring communities and the transportation system by virtue of dispersion. Lastly, the SLUFAN board is and has been slanted toward property owners and development interests, many of which stand to gain financially from any re-zone of the South Lake Union neighborhood. After the June 3rd election, residential representation on this 13 person board is limited to a single board member: Lloyd Douglas of the Cascade Neighborhood Council. Therefore, we are forming a community-based organization with broader participation and representation, to be known as the Lake Union Opportunity Alliance (LUOA). We would like to meet with you or your staff at your earliest convenience to discuss these concerns as well as potential solutions. We look forward to your response.