On the evening of July 31st an enthusiastic crowd of seventy people turned out for the third and final workshop in the Future of 35th Ave NE project. The presentation of the evening can be viewed on the project page.
In coordination with Seattle’s Citywide Design Guidelines, workshop participants reviewed what could potentially be built at the major intersections of NE 65th, 75th, 85th and 95th Streets along 35th Ave NE. Zoning and streetscape recommendations were listed so that future developers will be made aware of features requested by the community.
Everyone is invited to review the zoning recommendations and streetscape design guidelines, and send in further comments by Friday, August 15. Comments can be sent to 35thplan@gmail.com or use the link on the project page.
And take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions page of the 35th Ave NE project (FAQ) to get answers to questions on how this project got started (was it, or was it not initiated by developers?), whether tall buildings are being promoted, whether there will or will not be bike lanes, and how traffic and pedestrian access will be handled. In September there will be public presentations of the project’s conclusions and recommendations.
Looking ahead, we need more trees and more spaces to grow food in cities. And more capacity to absorb CO2. What if new buildings had roof garden space. There could be trees but also sunny parts for growing food. The roof could function as a community pea patch, with rentable planter boxes for those who wanted to grow vegetables.
Also, in European cities, large apartment buildings are being built with a growing wall. Balconies hold deciduous trees and plants and a drip watering system is in place to keep things green. Apartment owners don’t have to take care of plants but the capacity to absorb CO2 is increased as well as protection from sun in summer.