The Wedgwood Vision Project

New and Improved WCC website

2011-03-30T17:18:00.000-07:00

Please visit the new and improved Wedgwood Community Council website! The site has been completely transformed into a newsy, up-to-date, and informative website for all things Wedgwood. There are several proposals and initiatives, as well as information on new developments, all related to the Wedgwood Vision Plan. Thanks! www.wedgwoodcc.org

City's new tree regulations now available for comment

2010-07-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

The Department of Planning and Development is undertaking a comprehensive update of private property tree regulations for the first time since the creation of the Tree Protection code (SMC 25.11) in 2001. This update is part of a city-wide effort to reevaluate existing goals, policies, and regulations to implement the Urban Forest Management Plan, released in April 2007.

More information...

Would you like one or two scoops with your Vision Plan?

2010-07-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

It was a perfect summer evening to celebrate the official release of the Wedgwood Vision Plan. Neighbors gathered outdoors on the Wedgwood Presbyterian "south lot" for ice-cream, a copy of the Wedgwood Vision Plan hot off the press, and brief presentations.

Mary Beth O'Neill, a Wedgwood Vision Project steering committee member, kicked off the meeting and read a statement from Kurt Westman, the community council president. WVP chair Randy Barnett gave an overview of the process that led to the plan, and then consultant John Owen from MAKERS facilitated a Q&A session. Randy closed the meeting with a discussion of next steps, emphasizing that the plan is only a beginning and encouraging attendees to dig into projects they are passionate about.

Thanks to all who attended and offered their support and insights as we move into the implementation phase. See you at the Wedgwood Art Festival -- also at 80th & 35th -- this Saturday, July 17!

Wedgwood Vision Plan now available online

2010-07-10T16:45:00.001-07:00

All,

The Wedgwood Vision Plan is complete and is now available online as a PDF:

http://www.wedgwoodcc.org/vision/WVP_vision_plan_0710_sm.pdf (3.3 MB)

Hope to see you Wednesday 7 p.m. at the Wedgwood Presbyterian "south lot" lawn at 35th Ave NE & NE 80th St. We'll have some hard copies of the plan available there too.

And did we mention we're starting the meeting with ice-cream social time?

The plan may be complete but making the vision reality moves ahead. Come help prioritize some near-term projects!

- The WVP steering committee

The official release of the Wedgwood Vision Plan on 7/14

2010-07-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

Wedgwood Vision Project

3rd and Final Community Meeting
(plus ice cream social!)
Wednesday July 14, 7:00pm-8:30pm

On the lawn across from Wedgwood Presbyterian Church

NE 80th & 35th Ave NE

(or, in case of rain, downstairs in the church)

Come help celebrate the completion of the Wedgwood Vision Plan!

As a result of hosting several successful community meetings and conducting a neighborhood-wide survey, the Wedgwood Vision Plan is now ready to be presented to the community.

Copies of the Vision Plan will be available to attendees and the event will begin with an ice cream social at 7 pm. We will present a project overview and field questions, along with discussing "what's next" for the future of the Wedgwood neighborhood.

July 1 at Town Hall Seattle -- Our Future: Walkable Urbanism

2010-06-29T21:27:00.000-07:00

An excellent panel assembled by Island Press will address ways to create walkable urban centers and encourage transit in the context of local and federal policy, as well as opportunities for architects, developers, and preservationists to consider current regulations and policy change. Thursday, July 1, 2010, 6 – 7:30pm downstairs at Town Hall Seattle; enter on Seneca Street. $5. More...

Aging in Place -- NEST gets coverage in the Seattle Times

2010-06-21T09:11:00.001-07:00

Northeast Seattle's nonprofit "virtual village" to help residents stay in their own homes and neighborhoods as they age got an excellent write-up in the Seattle Times today. You can visit NEST (for Northeast Seattle Together) online at www.nestseattle.org.

Dominos space on 35th NE now for lease

2010-06-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

WedgwoodView reports that the Dominos Pizza space on 35th Ave NE (remember when it was a Dairy Queen?) is now up for lease. See the full posting.

Wedgwood Vision Plan almost finished

2010-06-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

Recipe for a Vision Plan...

Ingredients

Input from scores of community members at community meetings.
Over 800 responses to a community survey.
Hundreds of volunteer hours.
Professional consulting by an experienced urban design firm.

Directions

Form steering committee advised by consultant to synthesize community input.
Create vision plan draft and let rise.
Knead, rework, and let rise again.
Repeat step 3.
Release final plan to the community and celebrate!

The Vision Project steering committee and Makers Architecture & Urban Design are in the process of editing a final draft of the Wedgwood Vision Plan. In the long delay since our last post, we have been following the recipe above with promising results.

Save the date: July 14, 7-8:30 p.m. outside at 35th Ave NE & NE 80th St. The public release and celebration of the Wedgwood Vision Plan! More details to come.

Results from first two public meetings now available

2010-04-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

We have posted the results of our first two community meetings for the Wedgwood Vision Project on the community council web site. These are documents prepared by our project consultant, Makers architecture+urban design.

Several community members said they would like to review the feedback gathered from these meetings, which, together with the survey results, will feed into the Wedgwood Vision Plan to be shared at the final community meeting in July.

All the documents are PDF files. Here are two summary documents:

January 14 Mapping Exercise Results Summary
April 10 Overall Results Summary

Get the full list of all the available documents at http://www.wedgwoodcc.org/vision/.

For the steering committee,

- David Atcheson

Typed survey responses now available

2010-04-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

We have now made available the typed survey responses to the open-ended questions and answers typed when a respondents selected "Other" for multiple choice questions. Survey responses are not attributed to individuals and remain anonymous (even to the survey makers).

The link is the same: summary of results.

Take a look at some of the very creative responses! We will also be doing some tallying of answers for more at-a-glance review of responses with common themes.

Summary of Survey Results Now Available!

2010-04-18T21:47:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Wedgwood Community Survey has closed and you may now view a summary of results.

At this point, results are available only for the multiple choice questions/responses. Typed comments and responses to open-ended questions are not currently available.

Excellent meeting! 60 attend on Saturday a.m.

2010-04-12T16:57:00.001-07:00

It was an experiment -- could the Vision Project draw in folks who hadn't yet participated by holding the meeting on a Saturday morning instead of a weekday evening?

Yes! More than half of the 60 or so attendees on Saturday raised their hands to indicate that they had not been to the first meeting in February.

Fortified by coffee and Grateful Bread bagels, participants got an orientation to where we are in the process and a preview of survey results. (Quick summary: this was the 2nd of 3 community meetings; the last will be in July at which the vision will be presented. The survey has over 700 respondents and will be open through April 17.)

Then, we broke into nine small groups and reviewed "alternative futures" in various categories (commercial development, transportation, residential areas), snipping out and editing statements and photos that resonated with the groups' thinking. Each group pasted items on a big sheet to create a "storyboard" of their draft vision to share with the entire group of participants, along with a brief vision statement.

Participants were constructive, creative, and enthusiastic and the groups clearly shared many common elements in their visions and storyboards.

Working together with the Vision Project steering committee, Makers architecture+urban planning will now pull together a cohesive document reflecting the input from the meetings and the survey, to be shared in July with the community at large.

We will post interim results of the meetings on this blog soon.

Thank you for your participation!

Vision Project meeting is this Saturday a.m.

2010-04-06T22:01:00.000-07:00

Just a quick reminder that this Saturday morning, April 10 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is the next big community meeting for the Wedgwood Vision Project. Like the first meeting, it will be held at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 35th Ave NE & NE 80th St. Coffee and bagels at 9:30, breaking up into small groups soon thereafter -- part of what we'll do together is come up with some alternative draft vision statements to share.

The meeting will once again be facilitated by our consultant, Makers architecture + urban design, with the help of Vision Project steering committee members. We'll also share a preview of the survey results.

This kind of opportunity doesn't often come along. Hope to see you there!

PS. If you haven't already done so, please fill out the online community survey.

City meeting on Row Houses, Apartments, and Town Homes

2010-03-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

A special meeting of the Seattle City Council Committee on the Built Environment:

Row Houses, Apartments and Town Homes: New Rules for the Road
Saturday, March 20
10 a.m. to noon
Taproot Theatre, 204 N. 85th St., Seattle.

David Neiman of the NW chapter of Congress of Residential Architects has a related op/ed in the Seattle Times today. (David presented at a Wedgwood Community Council general meeting last year.)

His column begins:

OVER the past two decades, Seattle has been inundated by a wave of poorly designed cookie-cutter town-house development. Known commonly as "Four Packs," these buildings have been a blight on our city.

In addition to being unattractive, they have also failed to fulfill the basic function of starter housing, since they are too expensive for the average citizen to afford. Thanks to a new zoning code working its way through the Seattle City Council, the era of the Four Pack may soon be coming to an end.

go to full column...

Wedgwood Community Survey is Now Online

2010-03-01T14:55:00.001-08:00

The Wedgwood Vision Project has just launched an online survey about our community that will help identify collective priorities going forward. It's another step in collecting broad community input for an eventual Wedgwood Vision Plan.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey! And be sure to join us the morning of April 10 for our second community meeting.

Get started here...

2010: Seattle's "Year of Urban Agriculture"

2010-02-26T18:23:00.000-08:00

Did you know that 2010 is officially the Year of Urban Agriculture in Seattle?

This reinforces the 2008 Local Food Action Initiative adopted by the city council to promote local and regional food sustainability and security. Look for the city to make growing food on planting strips and city land easier. Here are some places to find out more:

The 2010: Year of Urban Agriculture website

Councilmember Richard Conlin's page about the Local Food Action Initiative

The text of the 2008 Local Food Action resolution (#31019)

I know a lot of Wedgwoodians who will be doing their part to give this effort a boost!

Citywide Design Guidelines - public mtg Feb. 23

2010-02-19T17:20:00.000-08:00

Seattle's Department of Planning and Development (DPD) is updating the 16-year-old citywide design guidelines and a draft is available for review.

DPD is hosting a public meeting at which staff will present the updated guidelines and offer opportunities for public comment. Details:

* Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
* 5:30pm Open House/6:00-7:30pm Presentation and public comment
* Bertha Landes room, City Hall
* 600 4th Ave., 5th Avenue entrance

For more information, see http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/Planning/CitywideDesignGuidelinesUpdate/Overview/.

2nd COMMUNITY MEETING APRIL 10th

2010-02-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

SAVE THE DATE!

Wedgwood Vision Project

2nd Community Meeting

Saturday, April 10th 9:30am~12:30pm

Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (corner of 35th & 80th)

The first community gathering in January was a great success with everyone attending contributing to the Vision Project by voicing their opinions, wishes, and concerns about our neighborhood. Building on the first meeting, and together with the results of a neighborhood-wide survey which will launch soon,we will take it up a few notches and engage our community further in creating a future vision for Wedgwood.

The event will start at 9:30AM with a bagels and hot beverage social segment. Then get right into discussions and exercises led once again by Makers, our project consultants.

We hope to see you on Saturday morning April 10th!

Pinehurst Safeway Rebuild to be LEED Silver

2010-02-17T17:35:00.000-08:00

There's another Safeway to be rebuilt before ours, and not too far from Wedgwood. It's the Pinehurst Safeway at 15th Ave NE & NE 125th St. Take a look at the PI's North Seattle neighborhood blog for more info: http://blog.seattlepi.com/innorthseattle/archives/194811.asp. They are apparently going to build to LEED Silver standards.

Community Meeting on Parks Acquisition in Wedgwood

2010-02-16T23:09:00.000-08:00

The March 11 general meeting of the Wedgwood Community Council is all about potential park acquisition in Wedgwood. Chip Nevins, Seattle Parks and Recreation Acquisition Planner, will be there. Come prepared to listen to your neighbors and discuss:

- What kind of park should we have?

- What do you want in our park?

- Where should our park be (general area and/or specific site)?

The meeting is March 11th, 7 p.m. at Wedgwood Presbyterian Church (35th Ave NE & NE 80th St). Please email WedgwoodParks@gmail.com for more information.

Northeast Seattle Trails map is out

2010-01-31T19:47:00.000-08:00

The Northeast Seattle Trails map is now published. The mapped area extends from about NE 145th St south to NE 50th St, east of I-5. The Wedgwood/ Meadowbrook area is right in the center.

Maps are available at HomeStreet Bank (82nd & 35th NE), the Community Council news box outside Rite-Aid (85th & 35th NE), and soon to be at the Northeast Library, Meadowbrook Community Center, and other locations throughout Wedgwood and NE Seattle.

The map was put together by Feet First with input from area residents and guidance from a steering committee of volunteers. Pick up a map and plan an interesting route to Northgate, Magnuson Park, Ravenna Park, or just find a secret pedestrian-only cut-through you didn't know existed.

35th Ave NE zoning classifications in Wedgwood

2010-01-27T21:42:00.000-08:00

Want to see exactly where the Neighborhood Commercial 40' zoning ends and the Lowrise 3 zoning begins? We've stitched together a few excerpts from zoning maps on the City's website so you can see Wedgwood's 35th Ave NE zoning all at once. There's a legend at the top left.

For more on what the classifications mean, see:

residential zoning definitions PDF

commercial zoning definitions PDF

See the earlier post on multi-family building code changes in the works... some aspects of the lowrise codes may be changing soon.

Safeway at 35th & 75th - planning in the works for demolition and reconstruction

2010-01-25T15:46:00.000-08:00

Seattle's Department of Land Use and Development website shows several project files related to a planned demolition and reconstruction of the Wedgwood Safeway at 7340 35th Ave NE. Wedgwood Vision Project participants had discussed the Safeway site and potential opportunities when the site was eventually redeveloped. Looks like it's not so eventual!

To see the project files, visit DPD's Permit Status and Complaint pages and search by address or by project numbers 3007731, 3009877, 6203804, 6147344, and 6237436.

CORA NW study on new, proposed multi-family building codes

2010-01-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

Changes to Seattle's multi-family building codes will affect how new, multi-family housing in Wedgwood will look and function.

CORA NW is the Congress on Residential Architecture, NW chapter. Architect David Neiman is a member and has kept us in the loop on their feedback to the city on proposed changes to multi-family housing codes.

Their September 2009 of how the proposed codes may be expressed is online:
White Hat / Black Hat: An Analysis of the Multi-Family Update (13 MB PDF document)

Timeline: David reports that we can expect hearings as early as March 2010 on the proposed changes. Then the Department of Planning and Development will incorporate changes and do a SEPA review, with a final vote expected sometime in June. Something to keep up on!

See also the CORA NW blog.

Skatespot at Dahl is open

2010-01-20T17:36:00.000-08:00

The skatespot at Dahl playfield is now open -- and getting lots of use!

A few years back, the Wedgwood Community Council helped facilitate dialogue between skatespot proponents and others who were concerned/opposed.

Today there were about 20 skaters with about a 25-year age range enjoying the new facility.

Great turnout for Vision Project meeting!

2010-01-14T23:28:00.000-08:00

Wow! Thanks to the approximately 60 community members who turned out tonight to participate in the Wedgwood visioning process! The first photo below shows the "dot exercise" where each person had 4 dots to put on neighborhood characteristics of most importance to him or her. The second photo shows a small group exercise where we stuck notes and photos on maps to illustrate specific features, problems, and discussion points. More soon!

Flyer for January 14 meeting available

2010-01-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

Click the flyer image to open a printable PDF of the flyer for the upcoming Wedgwood Vision Project meeting on January 14. Hope to see you there!

Community meeting set for Thursday, January 14

2009-12-07T10:37:00.000-08:00

Join your neighbors for interactive discussion and breakout sessions on crafting a vision for Wedgwood!

When: We'll start at 6:30 p.m. with coffee and snacks (if you can, bring a food item to share), then begin the meeting portion at 7 p.m.

Where: Wedgwood Presbyterian Church, 35th NE & NE 80th.

The Wedgwood Vision Project steering committee and our consultant, MAKERS architecture + urban design, will serve as the evening’s facilitators.

Help shape the vision!

Vision Project launches a blog

2009-12-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

We envision this blog as a good way to provide timely updates of Wedgwood Vision Project activities and, more importantly, to provide neighbors an additional way to interact with the project by commenting on the posts. We look forward to the exchange!

Project steering committee organized

2009-11-12T13:00:00.000-08:00

Six members of our neighborhood have agreed to become members of the Vision Project Steering Committee, leading us in this effort. Together with Makers consulting and WCC chairing the committee, they will begin work next week.

The Steering Committee is comprised of members from our neighborhood with diverse interests and backgrounds, including residents at large, schools, small business, and religious organizations. They will actively engage our community in creating a vision for Wedgwood in the months ahead.

Read the full November 2009 update as a PDF file.

Project consultant selected!

2009-11-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

We are pleased to announce that MAKERS architecture + urban design has been selected to help Wedgwood accomplish the Vision Project. Makers has many years of experience in consulting and planning neighborhood-based efforts, especially in land use and design with inhouse tools to facilitate a project like ours. John Owen (Partner-in-charge) and Dara O’Byrne (Planner, AICP) will be working directly with us on the project.

The selection process of a consulting firm was no easy task. We received proposals from a far greater number of very qualified candidates than initially expected. Final selection has been made just in time, as the newly-formed project steering committee will have their first meeting next week.

The September 2009 Update is now available

2009-09-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

WCC trustee Randy Barnett has prepared a Vision Project "News and Updates" document for distribution at community meetings. You can view the September 2009 issue as a PDF file.

Wedgwood Vision Project awarded $15k grant

2009-08-15T12:00:00.000-07:00

As a result of diligent work by members of the Wedgwood community including David Atcheson, Jeanne Carpenter, Brian Swanson and many others, the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods awarded a grant of $15,000 for the Vision Project. The duration of the grant (thus deadline to complete the project) is one year. The primary use of funds will be to employ a community affairs/community building consultant to help create the Project. The effort will be led by the Wedgwood Community Council. Randy Barnett (trustee) will represent WCC in this endeavor.