The City still needs applications for their Housing and Affordability and Livability Agenda (HALA) focus groups. The deadline is today, February 26th but, due to a lack of applications from our area, has been extended until Monday February 29th for folks in Ravenna-Bryant .
There are 65 HALA recommendations but some of the ones that might be of interest to folks in Ravenna-Bryant are:
- Anything that is currently zoned lowrise or commercial in our neighborhood could be upzoned. Single family zones are not being considered for an upzone unless they’re in an Urban Village or Center, but proposed policy changes for Accesory Dwelling Units (ADUs or “mother-in-laws”) and Detached Accesory Dwelling Units (DADUs or “backyard cottages”) could change the single family neighborhoods in Seattle. Learn more about how Ravenna-Bryant is currently zoned through these two blog posts about 35th Avenue and “Downtown Ravenna” or just look at our RBCA map.
- Urban Villages like Roosevelt would see even more growth. Currently, a dotted line for the Urban Village Boundary for Roosevelt comes into the single family neighborhood east of 15th Avenue NE; this has the potential to upzone some single family homes east of Roosevelt High School. We wrote a blog post about that here.
- An expanded, perhaps doubled, housing levy could go to ballot next year.
- Read about all 65 recommendations here. Yes, it’s 76 pages!
Do you have interest in being part of this discussion? The focus groups are facilitated not by the City but by a third party. Some land use knowledge is helpful, but not required. The focus groups meet through the end of 2016.