Magnolia Conveyance Project Update: Crews Begin Work on 32nd Ave W Pipe Replacement
Magnolia Conveyance Project Updates
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Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Fort Lawton Army Reserve Center Redevelopment now available
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Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Fort Lawton Army Reserve Center Redevelopment now available
The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Fort Lawton Army Reserve Center Redevelopment is now available for public review on our website at https://www.seattle.gov/housing/ft-lawton. A hard copy is also available for viewing at the Seattle Office of Housing located at 700 5th Avenue, Suite 5700, Seattle, WA 98104. A limited number of CDs is also available upon request.
The Office of Housing will be conducting a 45-day public comment period with all comments due by 5:00PM on January 29th. In addition we will hold a public hearing, where both oral and written comments may be provided. The public hearing details are as follows:
Meeting Date/Time: 6:00 PM, January 9th, 2018
Meeting Location: Magnolia United Church of Christ, 3555 W McGraw St, Seattle, WA 98199
Written comments on the DEIS may also be submitted via email to OH_Comments@seattle.gov or via mail to: Lindsay Masters,Office of Housing, PO Box 94725, Seattle, WA 98124-4725.
City Government, School District to plan together on future schools, Memorial Stadium, and Fort Lawton
The office of the Mayor & Seattle Public Schools released a statement outlining future plans to work together on a number of projects, including the Fort Lawton Redevelopment process. See full details below.
SEATTLE (Nov. 20, 2017) – The City of Seattle and Seattle Public Schools today announced a historic new partnership to plan for a new Memorial Stadium and the potential of a new school at Seattle Center, provide land for a new downtown elementary school, and allow the school district to join the Fort Lawton Redevelopment Agreement process.
The agreement signed today at Memorial Stadium outlines a process for the district and the City to plan together for a growing student population, explore opportunities for the district to acquire land for educational uses at Ft. Lawton and other areas of the city, and achieve an exciting shared vision for Seattle Center. The school district and city will form joint technical teams to review school capacity issues, plan strategically for future school locations, and redesign Memorial Stadium.
The City of Seattle has added almost 100,000 residents since 2010. Nearly 8,000 additional students have enrolled in Seattle Public Schools over the last decade. The City and the district will better coordinate their planning efforts to meet future school needs for students and families.
“Making sure every one of our children has a strong, healthy, and fair start is the measure of a great city. Public education is one of the most important factors in sustaining a great city. This partnership agreement signals an even stronger relationship between the city government and Seattle Public Schools,” Mayor Tim Burgess said. “As part of our agreement, the city is committing to consider a financial partnership for Memorial Stadium’s revitalization and we will proactively help identify other potential partners. We will make land available for schools and other school-related uses. We will establish technical teams to review capacity issues and to prepare designs for the new Memorial Stadium.”
“With this agreement we are making a huge leap toward a wonderful future in which we’ll have a new stadium and school facilities at Seattle Center fully integrated with the broader Seattle Center campus,” Mayor Burgess added. “I want to thank our partners at Seattle Public Schools for having the vision and commitment to take advantage of the many opportunities this partnership agreement creates. It’s about the future, the future of Seattle’s children.
They deserve a strong, healthy, fair start and the best possible education any city can provide.”
“We are in the midst of a capacity crisis, and in some areas, we are bursting at the seams,” School Board Vice President Leslie Harris said. “We have added students faster than we could add classrooms and buildings. Finding affordable land for new schools is nearly impossible. This makes it essential for the City and Seattle Public Schools to work together to plan for how and where we build new schools.”
“This is a great opportunity for Seattle Public Schools and the City of Seattle to work together for the benefit of our city and schools,” said Seattle Schools Superintendent Larry Nyland. “With collaboration and commitment, our shared vision will turn into a better Seattle Center for our students and our community.”
“A deeper partnership between the City and the school district will benefit all Seattle students,” said Council President Bruce Harrell. “By planning together for future schools and a new Memorial Stadium, we ensure better facilities to serve the entire district and support equity of opportunity for all families across the city.”
Today’s agreement sets forth the process for the City and the school district to work together on these efforts. In January 2018, there will be a joint meeting of the School Board and the City Council to set direction for the joint planning process and involving the public.
Seattle Public Schools students are a vital presence on campus. The school district operates Center School and owns nine acres at Memorial Stadium and an adjacent surface parking lot, and is surrounded by the adjoining Seattle Center campus. Both parties agree that the school district properties at Seattle Center must be better designed into the overall campus.
At 70 years old, Memorial Stadium is deteriorating and severely outdated. The stadium is an asset to the school district and community, hosting many community and district athletic events, graduation ceremonies, Seattle Reign matches and concerts. Any renovation or remodeling plan will honor and preserve Memorial Wall, a monument inscribed with the names of former Seattle students who died in World War II.
Seattle Center, our region’s top tourism destination, receives 12 million visitors at more than 16,000 events each year. The new Memorial Stadium will be planned as part of an update to the Seattle Center Century 21 Master Plan to ensure that the facilities are fully integrated into the surrounding campus design. The partnership advances master plan goals of creating more public open space, better access and pedestrian connections, an outdoor performance venue, and a new stadium. Integrating the design of a new facility and outdoor amenities will improve pedestrian flow, transit access, and vehicle parking to serve the larger Seattle Center campus.
The City is studying options for redevelopment of affordable housing and park uses on surplus land at Fort Lawton. This agreement includes an opportunity for Seattle Public Schools to join the Office of Housing and Seattle Parks and Recreation in the planning process, with the goal of enabling SPS to obtain land for park uses.
The City recently adopted a new plan for the Uptown neighborhood adjacent to Seattle Center that includes new Green Streets pedestrian improvements, incentives for additional cultural spaces, and affordable housing requirements. Other nearby investments include the potential redevelopment of Key Arena, renovation of the Space Needle, Seattle Opera facility improvements, completion of the SR 99 tunnel, reconnection of Harrison, Thomas, and John Streets across Aurora Ave., and a future light rail station.
Letter From the Office of Housing about Fort Lawton Army Reserve
September 13, 2017
Dear stakeholder,
Thank you for participating in the scoping process for the Fort Lawton EIS. The Office of Housing has now published a Scoping Report summarizing the range of comments received during the public comment period, and finalizing changes to the scope of the EIS. We are proceeding with the range of housing and park alternatives presented in our scoping process, but have made modifications to the scope to ensure that we study issues raised in public comments. This includes studying potential impacts on Discovery Park and Kiwanis Ravine, proposed services for residents of affordable housing, and increases in school demand associated with new housing, among other items. The full report is available here.
We received numerous comments requesting inclusion of a school in the range of alternatives. In response to interest from Seattle Public Schools (SPS), the Office of Housing provided additional time for SPS to evaluate the site more closely, and determine whether it had a feasible path to include a school in the redevelopment. After closer investigation, SPS determined that it would be unable to meet federal Department of Education requirements for a property conveyance for educational use. In particular, SPS did not believe it would meet the criteria around financial ability and immediate need, based on its past experience applying for federal property, and its review of data on projected student population. A copy of the letter from SPS is available here.
The next step in the planning process will be preparation of a Draft EIS. This document will be made public later this year, which will be followed by a 45-day public comment period and a public hearing. We will publicize this step to everyone on this email list.
Finally, we have also posted a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to address some of the most common questions we received during the scoping period.
Thank you for your continued engagement, and please look out for more updates in the future.
General Meeting – June 12th
A New Taxing Entity?
The Seattle City Council has proposed a metropolitan park district (“MPD”). The Magnolia Community Council and the League of Women Voters of Seattle/King County invite you to a forum to learn more:
Thursday, June 12, 2014Â
7-9pm
Catharine Blaine School
2550 34th Ave W.
Smith Cove Park/CSO
There was an informational meeting held by King County on June 13th, 2012 to discuss the CSO (combined sewer overflow) and it’s relationship to Smith Cove Park.
The presentation that was made by King County at that meeting differed from their previous presentations to the community and the audience at the meeting reacted negatively.Â
Of particular concern to the community members present were the massing of the facility and the fencing surrounding it.
Information from King County about the CSO project can be found here.
Community members have formed “The Friends of Smith Cove Park” with the goal of combining the West Yard and Smith Cove Park into a single park. This group recently applied for funds from the Park and Greenspace Opportunity Fund.
For information on Smith Cove Park, click here.