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Open House for the long awaited Colman Building

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LURC-Logo-Text-OnlyDetails from the Central Area Land Use Review Committee (CA LURC):

The newly formed CA LURC would like to invite you to attend an Open House at Douglass Truth Library on July 17th from 6:30 – 7:45 pm where we will be getting a preview of the long awaited Colman Building to be constructed at 2203 E Union St. The project, now slated to begin construction in August, went through its Design Review process with the City in early 2008 and has since been purchased by Ian Eisenberg. Lake Union Partners will manage the development process and has offered to provide the neighborhood with a refresher on the building’s design as well as help nearby neighbors anticipate any upcoming impacts that may arise due to construction. Please note that this project has already been approved through the City’s official Design Review process and has been issued a Master Use Permit based on that design. As such, this meeting will be focused on providing residents with clarification on the current design but will not delve into potential modifications of the design.

But wait there’s more!

Immediately following the Colman Building presentation, the CA LURC would like to introduce themselves to the neighborhood and tell you what they’re all about. The CA LURC is composed of residents just like you who want to take an active role in shaping development as it enters our neighborhood. We’ve spent a year getting to know people in the neighborhood, in an effort to avoid being “yet another community group” – so please stick around for the second half of our meeting to hear more about what we’ve been up to and how you can get involved!

Central Area Community Development Coalition – Meeting Recap

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On Wednesday February 20st, the second meeting of the Central Area Community Development Coalition (CACDC) came together at the Greater Mt. Baker Baptist Church. The purpose of the meeting was to continue fostering a dialogue across residents of the Central District, focusing on upcoming development and planning projects around the neighborhood.

The meeting kicked-off with a welcome and introduction by Pastor Kenneth Ransfer and swiftly moved into discussions on the 23rd Ave Union-Cherry-Jackson Action Plan, one of the CD’s largest planning efforts since the 1992 creation and adoption of the Central Area Neighborhood Plan.  The project name may be a bit clunky but Kerry Wade of Dept. of Neighborhoods and Quanlin Hu of Dept. of Planning & Development, two of the project’s leaders, were anything but as they described the process in refreshingly no-nonsense terms. The two women described the project as an opportunity for the neighborhood to collaborate with the City of Seattle in forming a shared vision for three core areas along the 23rd Ave spine at Union St, Cherry St, and Jackson St. The team is currently seeking applications for an Advisory Core Team, a diverse group of residents who will help ensure that the community’s voice is heard and documented in the City’s formal plan. More details about the project can be found at the City of Seattle’s official project website.

After the City of Seattle announcements, Amanda Bryan of the Judkins Park Partnership (JPP) shared an update on the current status of the group. JPP is currently seeking new leadership across the CD in order to forge new relationships and community support for improvements within Judkins Park. The group’s focus is on improving the park’s safety through neighborly engagement, promoting more regular programming & use by the community, and extension of the park’s usefulness to a broader range of age groups. If you are interested in helping be a part of that leadership, please contact Meg Olsen of the Colman Neighborhood at [email protected].

Last but not least, attendees rolled-up their sleeves and broke into three main discussion groups to discuss what people felt about the repurposing of Fire Station #6, the afore mentioned 23rd Ave planning project, and the Promenade 23 development.  Residents expressed frustrations and fears about each of the three projects but also suggestions for how they would like to see each project proceed. There were some tough topics that the group grappled with but what seemed important was that everyone in the room was there for the same reason: we all wanted to take part in shaping our neighborhood.

If you’ve got a voice that needs to be heard or you just want to hear what’s afoot in the neighborhood, please come join the discussion! The next meeting will be on March 26th from 6:30 – 8:00 pm at Greater Mt. Baker Baptist Church.

by: Amanda Bryan of Jackson Place Neighborhood