Development in Dharma Gate Neighborhood

Posted on Posted in Member News

Dear Sangha,

Ellie, long-time member and head of the Facilities committee for MCPS, has brought this upcoming project to our attention for survey/feedback to the developers.  www.jwaseattle.com/1900-english  Ellie’s concerns are laid out in the below email to sangha members on August 16, 2018. We hope you can contribute your voice to the survey as we continue to see major change and development in the Dharma Gate Neighborhood. Feel free to contact Ellie with any questions. Many thanks,

MCPS

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From: Elinor A Graham <elinoragraham@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 16, 2018 8:41 AM
Subject: Re: Project under design review in Dharma Gate neighborhood – please give feedback

Dear Friends, I attended the “drop in” information table that JW Architects had for the 1900 23rd Ave S. project yesterday.  Here are some things that I have learned:

  • It will be a box-like structure with some setbacks on the upper stories with 6-7 stories and the ground being commercial space facing 23rd.  The Lobby will be on Holgate.  There will be about 6 rental units on each floor (1 elevator and 2 stair shafts) that will range from studios to 2 bedroom apartments.  It will take up the entire lot with about a 2-foot perimeter from the sidewalks and property lines.
  • There is no parking. Their assessment of the neighborhood is that there is currently a large amount of open curb parking on Plum and on 24th S. of Plum and this should not be an inconvenience for the neighborhood.   The fact that much of this space is currently used by homeless people living in RVs, trucks and cars was not of concern to the folks at their information table.
  • There is no community gathering or interacting space.  They might add a rooftop kitchen and space.  The architect’s website says that they especially promote community space but none is apparently planned for this building.
  • All of the trees will be removed but there will be a six-foot wide sidewalk and plantings similar to those of the building on Holgate just E of the property.
  • Energy efficiency will have to be addressed because the city just required that these multi-unit buildings need to be 15 % more energy efficient than city code for single residences.  There are no plans for solar panels.  They may have heat pumps for heating but not necessarily also for cooling.
  • They will have an indoor waste storage room and the containers will be brought out to the alley on collection day.
  • Rental rates will be market.  They met “incentives” that allow them to not have any affordable rental units for lower-income persons/families.  They couldn’t tell me what those “incentives” were.
  • There is no current involvement of the developers/architects to work with DOT to put in traffic circles or a warning light crossing at 23rd and Holgate for people to safely cross to get to the number 7 bus stop at Well Spring on Rainier.
  • Re: public review:  The city just changed regulations to not require a public hearing review if the building has less than 30,000 square feet of living space.  It was 20,000 square feet in the past.  There will be a public comment period on this project sometime this fall and the first review by the City is in Sept.

I recommend filling out their survey at www.jwaseattle.com/1900-english.  Consider writing members of city council and the mayor about some of these issues. Clearly, there is a major need for city regulations that require that developers have more community space and green space, that traffic patterns and parking capacity be carefully addressed and that affordable housing units be available in high-density areas.  Most of us don’t want to live in a city where only the wealthy are allowed and all lower income are pushed to the outer borders with more costs and time for transportation to the center where they serve the wealthy!

Currently, plans are to develop high-density multi-story units all along 23rd ave.  There will be a large shopping center located between Rainier and 23rd S. of Massachusetts at some point in the future.  It is a site with a lot of toxic waste so perhaps better a shopping center than a residential area.

 

Yours,   Ellie Graham for the Dharma Gate Facility Committee