Lake Union Opportunity Alliance

06/02/2015

There is a lot in bloom and a lot in action at the Cascade Community Gardens. Huge thanks to everyone for all your hard work and dedication this year!!

02/14/2013

Integration is better than segregation...
There are, of course, always pros and cons but, it seems that "inclusionary zoning" is the way to go. Not only for the reason of creating an entire segregated block of low-income housing in SLU, the Block 59 deal was riddled with flaws -- very happy to see it getting no traction!!

The Seattle City Council has quietly shelved a proposal that would let Paul Allen’s Vulcan build 24-story towers near Lake Union.

12/27/2012

Great points here!
There are also several interesting comments if you have the time to read them...

Mayor Mike McGinn’s South Lake Union rezone proposal under review by the City Council puts wealthy private interests of a few over neighborhood and citywide public interest, writes guest columnist Kathryn Keller.

12/19/2012

In light of the fact that, about 10 months ago, the Seattle Times was hoping to count their chickens before they hatched (http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2017562924_times22.html) by touting a rezone of up to 400', yesterdays "editorial" seems self-serving at best!

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn’s rezoning plans for South Lake Union speak to economic growth and investment in the city’s future.

12/15/2012

So, tonight, on a primarily completed Mercer St, I had to drive. I left home at 5:48pm, I got to the Mercer St on-ramp of I-5 at 6:06pm and, I pulled over to the curb of waiting bay #4 at Seatac Airport to welcome my wife home from Ottawa at 6:22pm.

Yes, you read correctly. Getting from Point A to Point B took 12.5% MORE TIME than did getting from Point B to Point C.

Who is gonna step up and explain to me how it will be that all these traffic mitigation strategies throughout SLU are expected to work anywhere other than on paper?

12/13/2012

Looks like Richard Conlin (Chair of the PLUS Committee) is pre-selling his position on the rezoning proposals for SLU. There is a Special Meeting tomorrow morning -- and it's public...

There is a Planning, Land Use, and Sustainability (PLUS) Committee meeting tomorrow and members of LUOA, the Cascade Neighborhood Council, and Mirabella will be presenting some alternatives to the ...

12/10/2012

A transportation system growing along with the City? What a novel concept...!!

Seattle is considering a major rezone that could add 22,000 more jobs to South Lake Union. While some fear that could make congestion even worse, the city thinks that careful planning could actually reduce congestion.

12/06/2012

"For all of history, except for this moment, Seattle has supported a step-down in height approach toward bodies of water."

Among other issues with the proposed rezone of South Lake Union, LUOA does not see the lake front as a place for 24-story towers and we're still working hard with the powers that be. All is not lost and City Council does still need to hear from all of you moderates out there who feel the same way!!

Welcome to The Seattle Times' online letters to the editor, a sampling of readers' opinions. Join the conversation by commenting on these letters or send your own letter of up to 200 words [email protected].

12/05/2012

Does anyone else find it less than impressive that Councilmember Conlin endorsed the rezone BEFORE the public hearing on Monday?! (IE: Yes, my voting public, it is true that you do not matter. Vulcan and other developers are my only real constituency...)

Plus there is A LOT of misunderstanding around this Block 59 issue! As stated in this article, "The proposed deal would allow Paul Allen’s real-estate firm, Vulcan, to build three towers 24 stories tall near the lake. In exchange, Vulcan would transfer almost an acre of nearby property to the city. The city could develop a block of affordable housing and social services at the site." This is NOT in exchange of anything and it NOT a "transfer" in the way you likely understand the word -- this deal is being proposed as a "sale, at market price."

Seattle City Councilmember Richard Conlin gave a generally glowing review of the proposed South Lake Union rezone in an interview with KUOW radio host Steve Scher this morning. Conlin said, “I’m excited about it,” and added that the proposal to permit buildings up to 400 feet tall is “exactly the ki...

12/04/2012

This pictures here are small -- but the message is BIG! (You can actually see the lack of step down in our cover photo above!) If you'd like us to send you the Google Earth file with this model, please send a message -- we'd love to spread it around!

There were several articles written in November that talk about Vulcan’s position that the proposed zoning ordinances in South Lake Union do incorporate a step-down in building heights from D...

11/29/2012

The hearing in this clip has passed but Peter Steinbrueck has some great insight that should be shared. The issues around the "Block 59 deal " are greatly misunderstood and the economics are currently being reviewed by City Council. It's getting close -- but it's not over yet...

A proposal that would allow for taller buildings in South Lake Union has many who live and work in the area worried that the nearly 400-foot-tall structures would hurt their quality of life.

11/22/2012

Decisions from the City are coming very quickly on these issues -- please make your voice heard! (And click that SHARE button...)

Claire Enlow of the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce wrote a nice article that sheds some much needed light on the Mayor’s proposed upzone of South Lake Union. LUOA has long maintained that ...