k.stineback on Dec 16th 2009 Neighborhood Planning, Transportation and Transit, Walkability
With SDOT starting their meetings about the incoming streetcar project this week there is a bunch of GREAT information and debate going on about the alignments being considered. Below we have consolidated these discussions into a list, for quick review. Check them out!
The most recent Stranger article on the "Streetcar Smackdown".
An examination of of bus service around and near the alignments on CD News .
A case against the Broadway-12th Couplet on the Seattle Transit Blog .
A post on CD News that references the lost First Hill Link Light Rail Station and its Overlay Boundaries. Original overlay map here .
A discussion of the 11th Avenue Couplet (on the north end of all three alignments) on the Seattle Transit Blog .
A poll to vote on which alignment you prefer and coverage of the first forum on Capitol Hill Seattle .
A wonderful set of maps created by the Stranger .
A less wonderful set of maps created by SDOT !
k.stineback on Dec 15th 2009 Neighborhood Planning, Transportation and Transit, Urban Design, Walkability
SDOT has finally announced the public forums on the First Hill Streetcar line, due to complete construction and start running by 2013. There will be three meetings this week and at each SDOT will present the alignments being considered and general information about the project. Alignment alternatives can be found here.
There is an alignment on the table that includes 12th Avenue, commonly referred to as the Broadway-12th Ave Couplet. This alignment is compelling for a variety of reasons, including speed of service, ability to catalyze neighborhood commercial development on 12th and consistency with the intent of the lost light rail station, which was planned for Madison, just west of Broadway.
Regardless of which alignment you support, please come out to learn about this project and how it might impact your community!
First Hill Streetcar Forums
Tuesday, December 15th 6-8pm - Seattle Central Community College
Wednesday, December 16th 6-8pm - Yesler Terrace Community Center
Thursday, December 17th 6-8pm - Union Station
k.stineback on Dec 7th 2009 12th Avenue Initiative, Neighborhood Groups, Neighborhood Planning, Real Estate Development, Transportation and Transit, Walkability
Spirit of Our Youth sculpture on the KC Youth Services Center Site (corner of 14th & Remington)
Please join us next Tuesday night for the 12th Avenue Neighborhood Meeting. The meeting will be at the Seattle University Admissions and Alumni Building at the corner of 12th and Marion. Drinks and snacks will be provided. Here is the agenda:
- KC Council Member Larry Gossett will be at the meeting for an open discussion about the KC Youth Services Center (Detention Building) on 12th and Alder and the First Hill Streetcar
- Casey Hildreth of Seattle Dept. of Transportation will attend to talk about a possible project at Union/Madison/13th Ave
- Presentation about the 12th Ave Street Furniture Project
- Presentation from Catholic Community Services regarding possible development at 13th/Spring
Got questions? Contact Bill Zosel at wmzosel@aol.com or at 206-329-3986. Hope to see you there.
k.stineback on Dec 2nd 2009 Neighborhood Planning, Urban Design, Walkability
Feet First, Seattle’s only pedestrian advocacy organization, invites you to join them this weekend as they highlight walking in the Central District through their CD Street Stories. They will also unveil their first Safe Routes to School documentary. There will be plenty of free copies of their CD walking map, part of their ongoing Neighborhoods on Foot series.
When: Saturday, December 5th 2009, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Where: Central Cinema - 1411 21st Avenue (just off Union on 21st)
Feet First worked with youth from the Central District area to combine the art of story telling with a web based tool called Yodio. Learn, share and explore how the youth view where they live, attend school and spend time with friends. Raw and uncut, these are their stories. You’ll be surprised by what you see.
Feet First Board President John Stewart will lead a short walking tour using the Central District Neighborhoods on Foot map. Following the walk we’ll return to the cinema to view the Yodios and congratulate the young film makers.
The suggested donation for the event is $25 (youth under 18 years old are welcome at no charge). Your entry includes beer, wine, non alcoholic beverages, food and one free raffle ticket with a chance to win:
1. A pound of fudge from Rocky Mt Chocolate Factory
2. Bottle of wine from AOC Travel Guides
3. $40 Gift certificate from Tutta Bella
4. Family fun pack from Woodland Park Zoo
5. Two cinema tickets from Central Cinema
6. Jewelry set handmade by local Scottish designer
7. $25 voucher from Browlick Studio
8. Ten class yoga card from The Samarya Centre
9. $25 Gift Certificate and Pure Flavor cookbook from Sugar Mountain
10. Womans Regal Delight Jacket from Columbia Sports Wear
11. Mans Voltage Full Zip Fleece from Columbia Sports Wear
12. Two Adult admission passes from Seattle Art Museum
13. Two Washington Ensemble Theatre tickets
14. Two symphony tickets from Seattle Symphony
15. Two adult all day lift tickets from Stevens Pass
16. Garden Art by local West Seattle artist Steve Nimocks
For more information about the event, contact Elaine Boyd by emailing elaine@feetfirst.info or calling 206-652-2310.
Thank you to the generous sponsors:
Central Region Emergency Medical Services & Trauma Care Council
Central Cinema
Yodio
And to the businesses who kindly donated prizes for the raffle
We look forward to seeing you there!
Cecelia on Oct 19th 2009 12th Avenue Initiative, Neighborhood Groups, Neighborhood Planning, Urban Design, Walkability
Capitol Hill Housing and the 12th Avenue Initiative received a $5,000 grant from the City of Seattle last spring to help fund a neighborhood-based street furniture project. We have a preliminary design which gained support from the neighborhood at the 12th Avenue Stewardship Meeting last week. Interested neighbors, local architects, artists and a stone mason have all been working together to help get this project going. We’re excited to be using surplus granite curbstones from the City of Seattle for the project. Here is a preliminary drawing and a mock-up.
We’re still nailing down locations but we hope to have about 5-6 benches up and down 12th Avenue between John Street and Yesler Way. Stay tuned here for updates!
Cecelia on Sep 17th 2009 Neighborhood Groups, Transportation and Transit, Walkability
Park(ing) Day is a global event where communities transform existing parking spaces along the street into temporary parks. Capitol Hill has some exciting park(ing) spaces in the works that you should check out, including one on 12th Avenue at E Pine Street. Click here for a map of Capitol Hill park locations.
You should also check out the People’s Parking Lot Central Park at 500 E Pine Street for a collection of a dozen parks by different groups including the Seltzerman, several architecture/design firms, Seattle Arts & Lectures, and our very own Capitol Hill Housing where you can get creative building affordable housing out of Legos!
There’s more info over here at the People’s Parking Lot blog .
k.stineback on Aug 27th 2009 Transportation and Transit, Urban Design, Walkability
Last weekend a group of cyclists gathered together early on Sunday morning to bike the various proposed alignments for the First Hill-Capitol Hill Streetcar. More information on these alignments can be found here.
As you may have heard, the South Lake Union Trolley (SLUT) tracks have been dangerous for cyclists; both in where they were built on the roadway and in how perfectly a bike tire fits into them. More information on this can be found here and here. Many riders have been seriously injured on these tracks and we don’t want to repeat the same mistakes with the First Hill-Capitol Hill Streetcar. This audit was the first attempt (that we know of) to investigate where there may be bike/streetcar conflicts on this newly funded line. We hope to produce a report for the Seattle Department of Transportation soon, so that it can help guide their alignment decisions. Join the 12th Avenue Streetcar Facebook Group here.
Some pictures from the ride below. We began the day at the future Capitol Hill Link Light Rail Station, on Broadway and Denny. How will the streetcar meet the station here?
The group discussing the merits of a LOOP stop on E Pine Street - stops here could cause problems because Pine is such a main route downtown for bicyclists
looking northwest up Boren Avenue, a steep hill climb - bikes come down this hill at fast speeds and could get caught in tracks at the intersection
looking east across the Boren & Yesler intersection, possibly the most dangerous alignment location for bikes and streetcars
k.stineback on Aug 24th 2009 Real Estate Development, Seattle University, Urban Design, Walkability
A nice summary on the massive storage building at 12th & Madison by Josh Mahar can be found here on the CHS blog. My belief is that this project could single-handedly improve the dreadful pedestrian experience of this intersection. And I think SU is headed in the right direction…
k.stineback on May 21st 2009 12th Avenue Initiative, Neighborhood Groups, Real Estate Development, Seattle University, Small Business, Transportation and Transit, Urban Design, Walkability
Please join us for the next 12th Avenue Stewardship Committee meeting on Wednesday May 27th at 6pm at Watertown Coffee at 550 12th Avenue . There is a lot going on right now on 12th Avenue, so come to engage more in the following topics:
- Streetscape improvements on 12th (fixing banner arms and new sidewalk furniture)
- Preliminary discussions about future James Court Pocket Park design
- SU Master Plan Update
- Capitol Hill Housing 12th & E Jefferson Workforce Housing Project Update
- First Hill/Capitol Hill Streetcar Update
Drinks and light snacks will be provided! Questions? Contact Bill Zosel at wmzosel@aol.com
k.stineback on May 1st 2009 Urban Design, Walkability
I just received word about this gathering on Saturday (tomorrow) at Cal Anderson Park in Capitol Hill. While a little last minute, it seems like it will be a nice, informal tour of what makes Capitol Hill great: walkability, activity on the street, preservation of old buildings, diversity, community involvement - all things that Jane Jacobs (RIP) taught us to love and fight to preserve in our communities.
Details can be found here.
