Progress on the “Fruit Stand Block”

Almost a year and half after their first Early Design Guidance meeting in August of 2012, the Roosevelt Development Group (RDG) will be back at the University Heights Center at 6:30 on February 3rd, 2014 to present their plans to the Northeast Design Review Board.  The meeting will also have a public comment portion, should community members have input for the board or for RDG.  Issues of zoning or parking, however, are not within the board’s purview and should instead be directed to the Department of Planning and Development (DPD).

Because the site is within the transit overlay for the new Sound Transit’s Roosevelt Light Rail Station, set to open in less than 8 years, parking is actually not required at all.  It’s up to the developers, therefore, to decide if their building will include parking or not.  (The ST station will not have parking for cars, just for bicycles).  Also, the notice states that it will be a 7-story building, in the newly rezoned 6 story portion of Roosevelt.  This, however, is just to accommodate for the slope of the parcel, and the zoning is indeed still at 65′.

 

This is the preferred design
This is the preferred design

 

Should you want to learn more about the rezone process in Roosevelt, you could read more on our site here, or on Ravenna Blog’s site here.

Unlike the developer for the project further east on  NE 65th between 32nd NE and 34th NE, RDG has not shared any new information on the package to be presented at the Design Review Board meeting on February 3rd.  There is, however, a *large* file from their August 2012 meeting that is still available.  Their preferred “Option 3” gained support from the board at that time, so we can expect to see more about this “double l” design at the February 3rd, 2014 meeting.

The properties around Roosevelt High School have been in the news recently, and the RBCA and the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association (RNA) will be working with the City to ensure that the more than $2 million dollars of fines get put to good use.  This will be on our agenda for our February 4th board meeting at Ravenna Eckstein Community Center, 7-8:45 P.M.