City Council Approving Funding for Legislative Rezone for 35th Ave NE Business District

UPDATE: As expected, the City Council approved the budget. Stay tuned for more information on the Legislative Rezone for the 35th Ave NE Business District when we learn more in 2015. Also, please tell your neighbors and keep an eye out for information so that everyone’s voice can be heard.

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Over the past 4 years, residents in Wedgwood, Ravenna-Bryant, View Ridge, and Hawthorne Hills have been working towards a neighborood plan following the completion of the Wedgwood Vision Plan.  These residents formally formed the 35th Ave Committee in 2012 to help guide the community through a community-driven neighborhood planning process and identify what the community wanted for its business district in the future.  The goal of the neighborhood planning has been to create a foundation for the 35th Ave NE business district to accomodate innevitable change in such a way that benefits:

1. the neighbors and residents in close proximity to the business district,
2. those who use and shop in the buisness district,
3. those who own buisnesses along 35th Ave NE, and
4. the landowners and future developers along 35th Ave NE.

At the end of July, the 35th Ave Committee unveiled their recommendations for streetscape design guidelines, supplemental design guidelines, and zoning recommendations at its third and final public workshop.  A public comment period was held to solicit additional feedback and revisions were made to that plan.  Following these revisions, the final plan was presented to both us (the Wedgwood Community Council) and to the Ravenna-Bryant Community Associaiton for approval.  Both groups formally endorsed the plan and the recommendations included.  During that presentation though, the 35th Ave Committee explained that there are defined process for the streetscape design guidelines and supplemental zoning recommendations to be approved or used by the City in the future.  However, there was no defined process for implementing the zoning recommendations that were developed by the community unless the City took on a legislative rezone process (a corridor or area-wide analyis and rezone process conducted by the City).

According to the 35th Ave Committee, the City Council is set to vote on a budget today which includes funding for the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) to conduct a legislative rezone for the 35th Ave NE Business District between 2015-2016.  The budget includes time for DPD during 2015-2016 to analyze the 35th Ave Committee’s final zoning recommendations, conduct additional public outreach, and prepare the legislation for the rezone. This is a unique process the City is taking on as they are responding to a community’s request for additional, modest height increases in cerain locations to support more retail diversity that better serves the surrounding neighbohrood.

More information on the legislative rezone can be found on the 35th Ave Committee’s website.