City Sponsored Meeting on Roosevelt Zoning Issues

On January 31, 2009 approximately 70-80 people met at Calvary Christian Assembly to take part in a Seattle Department of  Planning and Development informational meeting. Displayed on one wall of the large room was a series of posters delineating the Roosevelt Neighborhood Plan.

Mark Troxel from the DPD explained the plan and what the purpose of the plan is. Roosevelt first developed a plan in the 1990's when there was talk of a light-rail system.  The Roosevelt Community lobbied heavily for the proposed route of the system to be along 12^th Ave NE and that has come to pass. Since then the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association www.rooseveltseattle.org has made adjustments and assigned priorities to the plan. The plan is one of 37 plans from neighborhoods in the city submitted to the City of Seattle for consideration in the management of growth in the years to come. The full text of the plan can be found on the website.

Accompanying Mr. Troxel were representatives from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and the Seattle Department of Transportation. Also in attendance were City Council members Sally Clark and Jean Godden.

The discussion progressed from the general information about zoning priorities to specific questions the Roosevelt neighborhood and many nearby Ravenna neighbors had concerning the Roosevelt Development Group's (a developer, not a community group) plan for properties in the area which they have leased from Hugh Sisley. In particular, the RDG has disclosed that they plan to apply for a Contract Rezone of the block immediately south of Roosevelt High School. The crux of the discussion concerned when and how neighbors would be able to comment on the proposal.  Sally Clark, the Chair of the Planning, Land Use & Neighborhoods Committee answered many questions for those on hand and she will also be at a meeting on February 10^th at 7:00 PM in room 242 of Roosevelt High School. This meeting is the normal assembly of the Roosevelt Zoning Committee, but all concerned neighbors are invited and encourage to attend.

Thanks to the City DPD for hosting this meeting.

Another RDG sponsored meeting will be held at the Calvary Christian Assembly on Feb 17^th at 7:00 PM and the developer will hopefully provide more details about the proposed development.

Feel free to contact me for more information and for ways that you can let your voice be heard as the neighborhood reshapes itself with the advent of light-rail and growth. RavennaRooseveltZoning@gmail.com. People on the list will receive notices of upcoming meetings and information about action taken.