The Wedgwood Center redevelopment project will go before the Northeast Design Review Board (DRB) on Monday, September 29th, at 5PM. This is your opportunity to share your support or concern about the project to the volunteer design professionals that sit on the Northeast Design Review Board and who provide their recommendation to the City’s planner on the design itself and whether or not to allow five departures.
Why Show Up and Speak Up?
As a reminder, the members of the Northeast Design Review Board did not support the project at the last Design Review Board, leaving Security Properties to note that their decision “Kills Grocery.” In particular, the Design Review Board were not supportive of a curb cut on 35th Ave NE and a small parking area. These two design features require departures (Departures 2 and 3) from the zoning code and the city’s design guidelines.
Security Properties has shown up more than 15 times to speak to our neighborhood. This is an important design review board meeting. If you’re excited for grocery (Town & Country Market) to return to Wedgwood, we would encourage you to show up and let the NE Seattle Design Review Board know.
Northeast Design Review Board (DRB) Meeting Details
Design Proposal (plans to be reviewed by DRB
Meeting: https://bit.ly/Mtg3039950 (Click here to register for the meeting. You’ll get an email response with the WebEx meeting link.)
Listen Line: 206-207-1700 Passcode: 2498 537 6739
Comment Sign Up: https://bit.ly/Comment3039950 (This link to sign up for public comment – written or live – will become active just before the meeting. I think it’s usually about 30 mins before the meeting starts generally.)
Wedgwood Community Council’s Position
The Wedgwood Community Council is supportive of the proposed project and, in particular, the approval of Departures 2 and 3. These 2 departures work together to allow for a single curb cut off 35th Ave NE with a small (22 stall) surface parking area. We have been consistently supportive of the project and these 2 departures in particular for a few reasons:
- Compliance with the Future 35th Ave NE Plan. Overall, Security Properties has demonstrated an intent to comply with the Future 35th Ave NE plan, the community-developed neighborhood plan that residents throughout NE Seattle worked together to articulate a shared vision for a more walkable and inviting 35th Ave NE business district that supports the businesses that our community were eager to have in our community. At the heart of the Future 35th Ave NE plan is the recognition that in order for us to achieve a more walkable and inviting business district that better supports our community, we need to embrace some increase in density so that we have the potential shoppers that can economically sustain the types of businesses we were seeking. But more than density, the Future 35th Ave NE plan includes Supplemental Design Guidelines which emphasize the type of public spaces we want to see as well as setbacks to mitigate impacts to adjacent residents. The proposed Wedgwood Center redevelopment site plan includes setbacks to create a wider and more engaging sidewalk as well as voluntary setbacks from the back lot line to reduce their impact on the residents along 36th Ave NE.
- Returns Grocery to Wedgwood. Over the last 18 months of engaging with our community, Security Properties and Town and Country Market – the grocer intent on coming to Wedgwood – have both said that these 2 departures are needed for grocery to work logistically on-site. Security Properties has a long and successful track record of building mixed-use developments in Seattle with residential over grocery. There has been no indication that they have been disengenuious about this.
- Organizes Vehicle Movements to Minimize Impacts on Neighbors. Perhaps more importantly, we believe these 2 departures make the site work better to minimize traffic impacts on the adjacent residents and increase the safety of pedestrians and other users. The reason for this statement is that the curb cut allows commercial (grocery and retail shoppers) to enter/exit off 35th Ave NE, large freight vehicles to use the enclosed freight entrance off NE 85th Street, and allows for residents and childcare visitors to enter off NE 82nd Street. This both organizes and distributes vehicles to different places based on use. Without the approval of Departures 2 and 3, all vehciles would have to enter a shared private alley behind the building where the opportunity for conflict between vehicles is great. While a shared, private alley makes sense for smaller sites, it does not for this multi-block development. A shared, private alley behind the development would also significantly impact the residents along both NE 85th Street and NE 82nd Street, which would see the use of those streets skyrocket, and further impact the residents along 36th Ave NE, behind the development, which would have the noise of all of those vehicles (including the back-up beepers of freight) projected into their backyard the whole day.
We believe it’s for these reasons that more than 1,000 people have signed our peition to allow Departures 2 and 3 (e.g., a single curb cut off 35th Ave NE and a small surface parking area) and we hope that you’ll consider expressing your support for the Wedgwood Center redevelopment and the requested departures at Monday’s Northeast Design Review Board Meeting.
What happened at yesterday’s meeting? Did the design review board adjust its requirements?
Can we please have an update?
Earlier this week, the Design Review Board issued a 24 pp report in which it summarized its recommendations as follows:
After considering the site and context, hearing public comment, reconsidering the previously identified design priorities and reviewing the materials, the four Design Review Board members recommended APPROVAL of the subject design and departures with the following conditions:
1. Work with the Planner to mitigate impacts on lower-scale development to the east where the Zone transitions to NC3, exploring a reduction in ceiling heights for some east-facing units, additional upper-level setbacks, targeted reduction of parapet heights and other strategies to create a more sensitive transition to the neighborhood context [citations to design guidelines omitted].
2. Maintain as a minimum the percentage of retail use at the street edge as shown in the recommendation design packet [citations omitted].
3. Maintain clear vision glass without obstruction or opacity at the street edges as shown in the recommendation packet [citations omitted].
4. Street facing entries must remain open to the public during standard business hours [citations omitted].
5. Demonstrate the adaptability of ground floor commercial space to be subdivided into smaller retail units by providing complete documentation of the storefront glazing pattern, entrance locations, and associated supporting details in the final permit set [citations omitted].
6. Provide complete drawings and specifications demonstrating how the design prioritizes pedestrian use and minimizes conflict between vehicles and pedestrians [citations omitted].