DOWNTOWN ZONING

During the neighborhood planning process, the five downtown neighborhoods (Pioneer Square, Chintatown/International District, Commercial Core, Denny Triangle, and Belltown) came together as the Downtown Urban Center Planning Group (DUCPG) to support significant revisions to the Downtown zoning code provisions for height and density. As Chair of the Neighborhoods Committee from 1998 through 2001, I moved the legislation through City Council that adopted Phase I of the DUCPG recommendations, revising the Bonus and Transfer of Development Rights programs to encourage more housing and make the programs more user-friendly. I introduced the legislation on April 1, 2001, and the Council approved it on July 23, 2001, after a vigorous debate that included a number of 5 to 4 votes on amendments that would have significantly changed the proposal if adopted.

The stewardship groups and I had expected Phase II, increasing height and density in certain areas, to come to the Council within a year or so of this action, but, regrettably, DPD and the Executive are only just now getting recommendations to the Council some three years later than we had hoped for. If this legislation had been forwarded to the Council in 2002 or even 2003, development now being planned would have come under the revised code.

The 275-page draft ordinance is still being reviewed by the Law Department. Representatives of the Downtown Urban Center Planning Group (DUCPG) and the Downtown Seattle Association, who are stewards for the five downtown plans, have asked me to take the lead in advocating on this issue on their behalf, and I have agreed to do so. I regard the recommendations of the neighborhood plans and the stewardship groups as my primary reference on the specific provisions of the proposed height and density changes. I will do my best to move them forward as expeditiously as possible. Because it has taken so long to get these to the Council, we may not be able to complete action in 2005.

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NEW FUNDING FOR PEDESTRIANS

On Monday, May 9, the Council unanimously approved the first quarter revisions to the 2005 Seattle budget. The Council was able to identify some $2.5 million in additional resources for capital projects (primarily due to increased Real Estate Excise Taxes from the housing price boom, revenues that are set aside for capital projects by state law).

The majority of the new capital funds were designated for transportation improvements, including $500,000 for new pedestrian signals, $500,000 for red light traffic cameras at four intersections, $1 million for street maintenance, and $100,000 for a traffic signal at NW 87th and 15th Avenue NW, a crossing in the Crown Hill Urban Village where a twelve year old boy was seriously injured earlier this year. My request for $500,000 for pedestrian signals will allow all or most of the eleven highest priority intersections in the city to receive new signals. I also fulfilled my commitment to the people of Crown Hill to provide funding for the traffic signal at the location that the community recommends.

These are important steps towards my goal of zero tolerance for 'jay-driving' - drivers who violate pedestrian space. They will help keep the momentum going towards a truly pedestrian-friendly city.

The Council also allocated $300,000 for the renovations at the Mount Baker Rowing and Sailing Center, and $100,000 for pedestrian lighting around Pioneer Square. The Council also adjusted the operating budget to fund lifeguards at Pritchard Beach, the only city beach without lifeguard services. I worked with the Pritchard Beach Community Council to help them secure the Council support for restoration of these services, which were eliminated in 2003 in response to a tight City budget.

Regretfully, the Mayor declined to sign this legislation, which will become law without his signature, because he did not agree with the funding for the Pioneer Square lighting or with installing the Crown Hill traffic signal. Under Seattle's charter, the Mayor cannot spend funds without the Council's approval, but the Council does not have the power to require that funds be expended on the items intended.

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VENDOR ZONES AND CHILDHOOD OBESITY

On Monday, May 16, responding to a request by most of the members of the Seattle School Board, the Council unanimously approved legislation prohibiting mobile vendors from setting up shop within 1000 feet of any of Seattle's public schools. I sponsored the legislation as an important step that School Board members and cafeteria workers asked the Council to take to aid in the campaign for better nutrition.

In my role as Vice-Chair of the Board of Health, I have been working on the Active Living Project, which is developing ways to increase exercise and activity among children in order to combat the growing problems of childhood obesity. Sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition have combined to increase childhood obesity, which leads to major health issues even at young ages, and presages even more serious consequences in the form of diabetes and heart disease.

As part of the drive to improve childhood nutrition, Seattle schools have moved towards more nutritious meals and eliminating vending machines that sell what a federal study characterized as "FMNV" (Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value). Unfortunately, mobile vendors have set up shop in vans and trucks selling FMNV's just off school property. This legislation expands the current requirement that such vendors stay 200 feet away from schools to 1,000 feet.

Attendees at a Board of Health sponsored conference on Overweight Prevention enthusiastically applauded the legislation as part of an action agenda to address this important public health issue.

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CASA LATINA UPDATE

Casa Latina has announced that the organization will seek a different location for its new program site. For the last several months, representatives of Casa Latina have been meeting with Rainier Valley organizations and prospective neighbors of a proposed site at the former Chubby and Tubby store in Rainier Valley. The Council had approved funds for the 2006 budget to assist Casa Latina with developing a consolidated site to replace its scattered Belltown facilities, while requiring Casa Latina to demonstrate neighborhood support for the proposed new location. I was a principle sponsor of the funding for Casa Latina, which is an effective and outstanding organization that works with Latino immigrants (many of them undocumented) to help them find work, education, housing, and social services.

The site selected by Casa Latina, however, faced significant opposition. Some were concerned about potential public safety problems from people who might be attracted to Casa Latina's day laborer program but not follow the rules and stay with the program. Others believed that this site was an important site for economic development in the Rainier Valley, and that Casa Latina was not the best fit for the community's plans.

The result of the series of community meetings was an agreement by Casa Latina to not pursue this site (which was also turning out to be more expensive to renovate than had been originally thought), and an agreement by community organizations to work with Casa Latina and the City to identify locations that would work for Casa Latina. The City will also provide Casa Latina with additional assistance with the relocation.

This compromise will give the opportunity to find a win-win solution that will provide a suitable location for Casa Latina while allaying the concerns of some in the community.

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PESTICIDE RESOLUTION

On Tuesday, May 31, the Council unanimously passed a Pesticide Reduction Resolution that I initiated and have been working on for the last several months, in coordination with the Washington Toxics Coalition and Yes for Seattle. Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck was also instrumental in developing this resolution, which was co-sponsored by Councilmember Jean Godden.

The resolution calls for enhanced efforts at reduction on public property and amplified outreach efforts to encourage voluntary reduction by private landowners. The resolution also sets a framework for a possible ban on the most harmful pesticides.

In 2000, Council passed Resolution 30144 which established the goal of eliminating the use of the most hazardous pesticides, called Tier 1 pesticides, in City-owned landscapes and reducing the remaining pesticide use by 30%. The City has met those goals except in the case of city-owned golf courses. This resolution calls for continued efforts toward achieving golf course reductions and states that the City will annually revisit its overall pesticide reduction goals to identify the potential for further reductions.

Other elements of the resolution include:
Prioritizing non-chemical pest management (i.e. weeding, mulching, etc.) within 200 feet of water bodies and heavily used areas such as playgrounds.
Amplifying outreach efforts to private landowners to promote elimination or reduction of pesticides on private land.
Incentives for pesticide industry leaders to develop safer pesticide products.
Monitoring major creeks to identify incidence of pesticides.

If Tier 1 pesticides are still detected in harmful or frequent levels after two years of implementing enhanced pesticide reduction measures, the City will initiate a ban on public and private use of those chemicals starting in 2008.

Carbaryl, a popular lawn insecticide, is one of the pesticides that may be banned entirely. Since carbaryl came into widespread use in the Puget Sound Area, water samples have shown levels exceeding the National Academy of Science's guidelines, according to data from a U.S. Geological Survey. Carbaryl was detected in Thornton Creek at levels that raise concerns about possible problems with water quality. Seattle has led the way in pesticide reduction but we still have work to do. This resolution moves us further toward the elimination of the most harmful pesticides in our city's environment.

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QUOTE
"…The people who can most effectively shape decisions are those most effected by those decisions."

--Tom Attlee

DEEP THOUGHT:
"Man is by definition the first and primary weed under whose influence all other weeds have evolved."

--Jack Harlan, Crops and Man

Citizen participation and engagement are critical for maintaining democracy -- fostering it is a key task of elected officials. It's my hope that this newsletter will inform you about issues, inspire you to get involved, and that together we can make things work better in this great city. Please send me your feedback, so we can keep things lively, interesting, and useful. And please forward it along to friends who might be interested. You can get more information or send me feedback through the City Council website at http://cityofseattle.net/council/

Richard Conlin
Your Seattle City Councilmember

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