South Lake Union Upzoning and SLUFAN Board Elections

A double feature at tonight's SLUFAN meeting, where board members were set to vote on upzoning proposals and three open seats on the board.

In the first vote, SLUFAN unanimously approved three alternative upzoning proposals for submission to the Mayor.

The plans range from dense, 125 ft to 400 ft – to less dense – 85 ft to 240 ft.

Under the higher density plans, development would take the form of pin towers on a podium base and be focused around the major transportation corridors (Dexter, Westlake, Fairview, Mercer and Density). Specific attention is given to limiting the number of towers by enforcing a certain amount of spacing or limiting the number of towers per block.

The lower density plan calls for a step down effect, with buildings decreasing in height as they approach Lake Union.

The board would not say which alternatives they were gunning for, but you can take a guess.

In exchange the upzone, SLUFAN is calling for additional public benefits including:

• Community facilities such as libraries, schools, community centers, play areas and recreational spaces
• Open space
• Historic preservation
• Arts space and public art
• Streetscape improvements
• Affordable housing
• Day care
• Mid block and thru-block crossings
• Wider sidewalks

What's next? The plans will rung through the environmental impact study (EIS) process, and if all goes well the zoning will be in place before 2010.

SLUFAN also voted on three board positions – two board-appointed, and a tie-breaker vote for a community-elected position between Noel Franklin, representing the United Indians of all Tribes Foundation, and Dianne Masson, of Pacific Retirement Services' Mirabella.

The candidates for the board-appointed positions were Kent Irwin of the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute; Mirabella director James Munn and Mirabella resident John Pehrson; architect Dan Foltz of South Lake Union-based Weber Thompson; Corey Digiacinto, communications manager for The Seattle Times; and South Lake Union resident Tim Soerens. (Thanks for getting all the names, P-I)

Preliminary results are in: your new board members will be Kent Irwin Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, Corey Digiacinto of the Seattle Times, and, in an upset victory, Noel Franklin.

Big story here is Mirabella's oh-fer. The board now has some welcome diversity, but as the P-I points out, relatively little resident representation.

The Place to be on Tuesday

SLUFAN's board is set to vote on upzoning proposals on Tuesday that would raise height limits to as much as 400 feet. The board is expected to vote for the taller buildings, but the vote isn't likely to go through without opposition or controversy.

The P-I has an account of Thursday's South Lake Union / Queen Anne Uptown "visioning" meeting, where planners explained the new zoning heading into the vote.

South Lake Union Armory Building
860 Terry Ave. No.
NE main floor conference room
4:00pm - 6:00pm

Know your SLU Detours/Closures/Parking/Transportation/Development

SLUFAN came up with a new widget on their website that's pretty cool - it's called the South Lake Union Construction Activities Map. It plots all the new development and associated detours on a map and let's you click for more detail. As an added bonus, public transportation routes and parking lots (future development sites) are also on the map.

This complements Discover SLU's Amenities map quite nicely, and as if that weren't enough—there's a SLU Green map that we've mentioned before. Looks like someone's getting some mileage on this mapping app.

More SLUFAN Drama

Reader STurner59 let us know the SLUFAN board had its own meeting behind closed doors following Tuesday's public meeting to discuss possible zoning changes and decide between two board candidates. Both agenda items were postponed until next month after discussions got a bit heated. Here's what STurner59 told us:

I was at the SLUFAN meeting yesterday, until they closed the meeting to the press and public.

...

The controversy over board positions has nothing to do with Noel [Franklin]. It was those in control of the Board, however, who chose to leave on two expired board positions rather than appoint Noel to one of them.

The reality is that the SLUFAN board is attempting to use absentee votes and the votes of expired board members in trying to remove the only representative of residential interests while adding Noel, who will become the fifth representative of the non-profit community organization constituency.

Clearly, in the meeting I attended, emotions got in the way of any analysis of the facts. The attacks on Diane Masson were unwarranted. It is outrageous to think that it is a sin to talk to the press or to stand up for the residential community.

Everyone should be aware that all of the public was kicked out of the room for an “executive session.” I understand that the attacks on Diane Masson were intensified once this session was underway out of sight of the public and press.

Shame on those on the SLUFAN board who make their attacks in a secret meeting. South Lake Union does not belong to you. You represent the public. If you are not willing to let the public see you act in your meetings, you should not purport to represent the public and should refrain from making any recommendations to the City supposedly reflecting public interest.

This revelation certainly gives more weight to a comment made by City Councilwoman Sally Clark in a recent P-I article:

"I wouldn't say that my concerns are that SLUFAN is pro-development, but that everybody be at the table and have a voice. If they are voting people in or off the board based on whether they are pro- or con-development, that would be a big concern."

I may think Diane Masson's claims are hypocritical and self-serving, but a mangled board election process and closed door power-plays are no way to combat the NIMBYist sentiment.

SLUFAN board seat still in question

SLOG has an account of the SLUFAN meeting at the South Lake Union Armory Building on Tuesday, detailing some upheaval surrounding the open seat on the board, in addition to the rezoning proposals detailed here.

A meeting of the South Lake Union Friends and Neighbors group (SLUFAN), a community group loyal to the mayor’s and Vulcan’s development agenda, last night was supposed to accomplish, among other things, two goals: to hold an “urban form discussion” about its rezoning proposals for neighborhood growth, and to choose between two candidates tied for a board seat in a neighborhood-wide election. Easier said than done.

...

In the middle of the presentation, a woman stomped into the crowded room, threw her coat at the feet of Oliver, the board president, and plopped herself down at the big table. This, it turned out, was Noel Franklin—the challenger for the board’s open seat. At the other end of the table was incumbent board member Diane Masson. But when the two were asked to introduce themselves—basically to give a stump speech about what swell board members they would make—each launched into tirades.

Masson, of the Mirabella retirement community, was furious at the board for failing to announce positions to be reappointed at the same time she sought to be reelected. “Why was I singled out—why was the decision made, and why was it not brought to the full board?” she asked. The error did violate the bylaws, conceded one board member. But, replied board member Jill Mackie of the Seattle Times, “You’re making accusations that are unfair and sad.” The crowd hung on every word and squirmed.

Then Franklin, of the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation, voiced outrage that she had been mentioned but wasn’t quoted in the PI article, specifically believing the story had cast her as supporting skyscrapers. Then she asked the stunned board, "Why wasn't I interviewed?" (The updated Web version of the article now includes quotes from Franklin and clarifies her neutrality on zoning issues). “I got broadsided so hard core today, I don’t even know what to say,” Franklin told the room. The unexpected turbulence clearly shook the board, which agreed, at Masson’s request, to delay the tie-breaking vote until June. Should be a tough call.

Read more on SLOG.