Do you live in Capitol Hill, Central District, First Hill, Interlaken, Leschi, Madison Valley, Madrona, Montlake, or the Pike/Pine Corridor?

If so, we would love to have you participate in a focus group. The focus group’s purpose is to find out how neighborhood residents feel about the last neighborhood planning process, and identify issues that the City will need to consider during the neighborhood plan update process.
Focus groups will be led by a graduate class from the University of Washingtonâ??s Urban Planning Department. Our class is working with the City of Seattle on the Neighborhood Plan Update Process. We’ve been asked by the Department of Neighborhoods and Department of Planning and Development to conduct several focus groups in your area.
We look forward to hearing from you and your neighbors!!

When (choose one):
Thursday, April 17, 6:30-8 p.m.
Monday, April 21, 6:30-8 p.m.
Thursday, April 24, 6:30-8 p.m.
Where: Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave E, Seattle (19th and Thomas St.)
RSVP: Limited space, so please contact us in advance at [email protected]

(see the MPNA version of this post:
http://millerparkseattle.blogspot.com/2008/04/stay-out-of-drug-area-soda-program-your.html

for a detailed Q & A with Ellen about some issues raised here).

Dear Community Members,

For over a year the Seattle Police Department and the King County Prosecutor’s Office have been working together to implement a Stay Out of Drug Area (SODA) program for defendants charged with narcotics trafficking crimes.

As a part of that effort, the Seattle Police precinct commanders have identified geographic locations in their precincts as high narcotics trafficking areas . These areas were identified as such based upon citizen and business complaints, crime statistics and police observations.

King County deputy prosecutors will soon be asking Superior Court judges to order defendants arrested in these SODA zones to stay out of these zones as a condition of their pre-trial release. This order will also authorize the Seattle Police Department to contact and/or arrest defendants who violate the court’s order. (A copy of this order is attached for your review. The East District SODA map, shown above, will become readable if you click on it)

At this point, we need to convince the court that the program is worth the effort and necessary to the public safety. Since the effort to implement this program was driven in large part by residents and businesses it may be helpful for judges to learn what it is like to live and work in areas near open air drug markets and how the issuance of SODA orders might be useful in reducing these problems.

Mark Larson, Chief Criminal Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, will soon be meeting with King County Presiding Superior Court Judge Bruce Hilyer to explain the reasons for the SODA program. If you would like for Mr. Larson to include your comments in his meeting with Judge Hilyer, then please address a letter to the judge and send it to me by April 21, 2008.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Ellen O’Neill-Stephens
[email protected]
Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney
Office of the King County Prosecuting Attorney
King County Courthouse
516 3rd Ave. W554
Seattle, WA. 98104

I am at a total loss as to whether the latest plan to save the Sonics (live press conference on KING [ http://tinyurl.com/37d98n ], snazzy website: http://emeraldcitycenter.com/ ) is an elaborate and expensive April Fool’s joke, or a very poorly timed announcement for a serious proposal:

a new venue for NBA and NHL games with a RETRACTABLE ROOF?

(brief explanation: After the Central Area Neighborhood Plan was approved by City Council in 1998, a “Stewardship Committee” was formed to oversee the update and implementation of the plan. After a time-consuming false-start as an independent body, the Stewardship Committee became part of the Central Area District Council. City support for neighborhood plans was reduced and then effectively eliminated, making any plan update efforts very difficult to achieve.

This new committee is an attempt to breathe new life into the process, to help update the plan in light of the many changes in the neighborhood over the last decade. Andrew Taylor)

Central Area Neighborhood Plan Updating
Land-Use, Open Space and Housing Committee
By Kathryn Keller and Marty Liebowitz

The Central Area Neighborhood Plan (CANP) is being updated by the Central Area Neighborhood Plan Stewardship committee. The Land-Use committee concerns itself with properly representing the goals and aspirations of the Central Area community in updating several sections of the Neighborhood Plan which deal with Comprehensive Planning, Land Use and Zoning codes, Sustainability, and design guideline overlays for the different neighborhoods of the Central Area Community. The Land-Use, Open Space and Housing Committee is attempting to have as broad a participation of neighborhood views in our discussions as possible so that other committeeâ??s work is transparent, open, and inclusive.

Items on the draft 2008 Action Agenda include:
1. Response and outreach to citizens regarding the Multi-Family land use code update proposal now under review by the Seattle City Council.
2. Review the 2008 Comprehensive Plan amendments, one of which is titled Affordable Housing Strategies.
3. Develop any desired Central Area 2009 Comp Plan Amendments.
4. Update and take steps to enact Central Area Design Review policies, and include a Central Area Overlay District in the Seattle Land Use Code.

Neighborhood Plan Update Preparation Activities Include:
1. Understand current 2008 zoning and land use realities, and identify gaps with the CANP
2. Collaborate with the Economic Development and Transportation and Arterial efforts/committees.
3. Determine updates that are required immediately that may be handled as separate City Council actions.
4. Determine the agenda for the Land Use, Open Space, and Housing updates, that will be done within the framework of the CANP update process.

Please contact Kathryn Keller ([email protected]) or Marty Liebowitz ([email protected]) for dates and times of the Committee meetings.

The neighborhood business district panel at this month’s City Neighborhood Council meeting ( http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoodcouncil/ ) could well be of interest to us all, as we live near to developing commercial streets (Madison, 23rd, Union)

Ann Donovan used to represent the East District Council ( http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoodcouncil/structure.htm ,
http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoodcouncil/boundaries.htm ) on the City Neighborhood Council. I (and Jan Maloney from Madison Park) now share those duties. Ron Boddie represents the Central District Council. The meetings tend to be long and detail oriented (but they do have frequent discussions with Councilmembers, the Mayor, Department heads etc). In general I would characterize the meetings as “not for the faint of heart”, but the business district panel could be worth coming for (then you can sneak out “into that good night”).

Respectfully,
Andrew Taylor

City Neighborhood Council
http://www.seattle.gov/neighborhoodcouncil
Monday, March 31, 2008
6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
West Precinct Conference Room
810 Virginia Street

March 31 City Neighborhood Council meeting includes panels on neighborhood business and on organizing multilingual neighborhoods. The March 31 CNC meeting will begin with a panel of neighborhood business leaders discussing the challenges and benefits of organizing business districts and how best to involve them in district councils. Anyone who is involved with a neighborhood business district organization, is particularly urged to attend. Then CNC will host a roundtable on how neighborhoods can address language and translation barriers. Any neighborhoods that are face such challenges are particularly encouraged to come and participate. Please help us spread the word about both roundtables and encourage people to bring their experience and questions.

Chair: Chris Leman, [email protected], (206) 322-5463
Vice Chair: Pete Spalding, [email protected]
Secretary: Dick Selin, [email protected]

DRAFT AGENDA:

6:30 Introductions, review/approval of agenda, approval/revision of Feb. 25 minutes (attached)
6:35 Roundtable on organizing neighborhood business districts (see background below)
7:55 Roundtable on organizing multilingual neighborhoods (see background below)
8:25 Reports of CNC’s committees
Budget Committee
Neighborhood Planning Committee
Neighborhood Matching Fund Oversight Committee and Citywide Review Team
Transportation Committee
CNC executive committee
8:45 Discussion (no action) on possible CNC letter on Seattle/suburbs transit bus funding (see below)
9:00 Adjourn

(see calendar for details)
Dear East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition:

As you know, our awesome Lt. John Hayes has been promoted to the Director of Community Outreach in the Seattle Police Department.

This is a good move for all concerned, as his extraordinary ability to improve community quality of life issues will expand citywide.

This Thursday, March 27th, will be his ‘Final Appearance’ as the East Precinct Operations Lieutenant. This doesn’t mean we won’t see him again, just not as often.

I am extending a personal invitation for you to attend this Thursday at 6:30 PM, so we can give him a proper send-off and express our appreciation for all of his efforts in the East Precinct.
After introductions, we will recognize him with a few stories, memories, and LOVE.

I look forward to seeing you all.

Best regards,

Stephanie Tschida, Chair
East Precinct Crime Prevention Coalition