Expected behavior: As with all RBCA events and meetings, it is expected that participants treat each other with respect. We are all neighbors who want a welcoming, thriving, safe, diverse, and connected neighborhood. Treating others with respect includes:
• Listen to what others are saying.
• Refrain from making negative comments and assumptions about others.
• Disagreement with others is okay. Making personal attacks is not.
• Hear and respect minority opinions.
• Be courteous and sensitive to the feelings of others.
• Good allies speak up. Do not ignore inappropriate behavior.
Expected behavior: As with all RBCA events and meetings, it is expected that participants treat each other with respect. We are all neighbors who want a welcoming, thriving, safe, diverse, and connected neighborhood. Treating others with respect includes:
• Listen to what others are saying.
• Refrain from making negative comments and assumptions about others.
• Disagreement with others is okay. Making personal attacks is not.
• Hear and respect minority opinions.
• Be courteous and sensitive to the feelings of others.
• Good allies speak up. Do not ignore inappropriate behavior.
May 14 Annual General Membership Meeting: What’s Happening in Ravenna-Bryant
Electronic Media Assessment & Recommendations
Land Use Committee: Accessory Dwelling Units
Sharing & Announcements
Expected behavior: As with all RBCA events and meetings, it is expected that participants treat each other with respect. We are all neighbors who want a welcoming, thriving, safe, diverse, and connected neighborhood. Treating others with respect includes:
• Listen to what others are saying.
• Refrain from making negative comments and assumptions about others.
• Disagreement with others is okay. Making personal attacks is not.
• Hear and respect minority opinions.
• Be courteous and sensitive to the feelings of others.
• Good allies speak up. Do not ignore inappropriate behavior.
University Green Stormwater Infrastructure Project
Executive Committee reports
Nominating Committee report
Annual General Membership Meeting
– Select a date: March 19 or May 14
– Who’s inviting who
Land Use Committee: Accessory Dwelling Units
Sharing & Announcements
Expected behavior: As with all RBCA events and meetings, it is expected that participants treat each other with respect. We are all neighbors who want a welcoming, thriving, safe, diverse, and connected neighborhood. Treating others with respect includes:
• Listen to what others are saying.
• Refrain from making negative comments and assumptions about others.
• Disagreement with others is okay. Making personal attacks is not.
• Hear and respect minority opinions.
• Be courteous and sensitive to the feelings of others.
• Good allies speak up. Do not ignore inappropriate behavior.
The Seattle Department of Transportation received over 300 submissions during Phase 1 of the Neighborhood Street Fund (NSF) 2019-2021 Program Cycle. Click here for a map of all projects proposed.
Projects proposed by Ravenna-Bryant neighbors include:
Traffic calming and biking improvements on 30th Ave NE between Blakeley and NE 55th Streets
Traffic circles or speed humps on 36th Ave NE between NE 57th and NE 60th Streets
A greenway on 27th Ave NE between Blakeley and NE 68th Streets
Pavement repair along 20th Ave NE bike corridor between Ravenna Blvd NE and NE 65th Street
Pedestrian safety improvements for crossing NE 65th Street
Now it’s time to prioritize.
Rank the projects proposals online or at a Community Prioritization Meeting January 28 – February 22. Top-ranked projects will proceed to the voting phase in the spring.
The meetings will run 90 minutes, beginning with a presentation of each project proposed in the district. Visit the SDOT website to find a meeting near you. In Ravenna-Bryant, a Community Prioritization Meeting will take place Monday, February 11, 6-7:30 p.m. at the NE Branch of the Seattle Public Library, 6801 35th Ave NE.
Can’t make it to a meeting?
A link to rank projects online will be available on the Neighborhood Street Funds website January 28 – February 22: www.seattle.gov/transportation/nsf.htm.
3 Tips for participating in this phase:
Plan ahead: if you will be joining a community meeting, plan to arrive no later than the meeting start time.
Do your research: in-depth project proposals will be available on the Neighborhood Street Fund website January 28. Get to know the projects proposed in your district prior to attending a meeting or ranking online.
Share: invite friends, family, and neighbors to participate.
President – 2019 workplan, 2019 annual general membership meeting
6:50 Transportation Committee
NE 50th Street sidewalks
35th Avenue NE project update
25th Ave NE/Montlake pedestrian environment
7:20 Land Use Committee
University design guidelines impacting “gateways” to Ravenna-Bryant: http://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/OPCD/OngoingInitiatives/UDistrictUrbanDesign/UDistrictDesignGuidlines62918.pdf
Accessory Dwelling Units
8:00 Sharing & Announcements
Expected behavior: As with all RBCA events and meetings, it is expected that participants treat each other with respect. We are all neighbors who want a welcoming, thriving, safe, diverse, and connected neighborhood. Treating others with respect includes:
• Listen to what others are saying.
• Refrain from making negative comments and assumptions about others.
• Disagreement with others is okay. Making personal attacks is not.
• Hear and respect minority opinions.
• Be courteous and sensitive to the feelings of others.
• Good allies speak up. Do not ignore inappropriate behavior.
RBCA Board Meeting Tuesday, December 4, 2018, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center
AGENDA
6:30 Welcome & Introductions
6:35 Transportation Committee
NE 50th Street sidewalks (SDOT)
#Fix65th Update: NE Seattle Greenways Neighborhood Street Fund application
35th Avenue NE facilitated conversations summary
7:15 Land Use Committee
Development project at 4715 25th Ave NE (Greystar)
Accessory Dwelling Unit support letter – review of vote
7:55 Executive Committee Reports
Secretary – minutes
Treasurer – bank balance
President – 2019 workplan draft
8:15 Sharing & Announcements
Expected behavior: As with all RBCA events and meetings, it is expected that participants treat each other with respect. We are all neighbors who want a welcoming, thriving, safe, diverse, and connected neighborhood. Treating others with respect includes:
• Listen to what others are saying.
• Refrain from making negative comments and assumptions about others.
• Disagreement with others is okay. Making personal attacks is not.
• Hear and respect minority opinions.
• Be courteous and sensitive to the feelings of others.
• Good allies speak up. Do not ignore inappropriate behavior.
NE 50th Street sidewalks (SDOT)
Bus stop changes (Metro)
Adaptive signaling pilot NE 45th Street/Montlake Blvd (SDOT)
25th Ave NE paving project (SDOT)
Advocating for traffic calming & pedestrian infrastructure south of NE 55th Street (All)
7:45 Land Use Committee: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) http://www.seattle.gov/council/adu-eis
8:00 Executive Committee Reports
8:15 Sharing & Announcements
Expected behavior: As with all RBCA events and meetings, it is expected that participants treat each other with respect. We are all neighbors who want a welcoming, thriving, safe, diverse, and connected neighborhood. Treating others with respect includes:
• Listen to what others are saying.
• Refrain from making negative comments and assumptions about others.
• Disagreement with others is okay. Making personal attacks is not.
• Hear and respect minority opinions.
• Be courteous and sensitive to the feelings of others.
• Good allies speak up. Do not ignore inappropriate behavior.
RBCA board members are often asked, “How do you find out about what the City has planned in the neighborhood?”
One way is to attend RBCA board meetings, the first Tuesday of the month, 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center. Meetings are open to everyone and guests often provide updates about what’s going on in the neighborhood. This week, the meeting included updates about proposed housing developments in the University Village area along Union Bay Place and along 25th Avenue NE. In November, the meeting will include information about new sidewalks planned for NE 50th Street south of Calvary Cemetery.
Below are resources for keeping up with what’s planned and what’s currently going on. This is not an exhaustive list but provides a place to start.
Seattle City Council
The Seattle City Council emails agendas prior to each of their committee meetings and full council meetings. It’s easy to sign up to receive these messages. Emails always include links to online agendas and supporting materials. Supporting materials often provide a great deal of information including timelines and public comment periods.
The Seattle Department of Transportation maintains a website with a list of current projects as well as individual project webpages with email notification sign-up forms:
Sound Transit will be opening three new light rail stations in NE Seattle by 2021. Information about these and other light rail projects is available online.
Land Use Resources
Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan is the overarching guide for growth. To find specific information about what is happening in the neighborhood:
Zoning GIS map can help identify what kind of development is allowed on individual parcels of land. Some areas within the neighborhood are zoned as Pedestrian Retail Areas.
Boards & Commissions
The City of Seattle has multiple boards and commissions which provide input and advice on a variety of programs and issues. An online meeting calendar provides information about when the following boards and commissions, as well as many others, meet:
6:35 Land Use Committee – Presentations re: planned developments in University Village area
25th Ave NE
Union Bay Place
7:45 Executive Committee Reports
Secretary – minutes
Treasurer – bank balance
Vice-President – neighborhood bus stops
President
2019 workplan
2019 board leadership
2019 space rental
Communications – website/blog content, emails, posting on city website, neighborhood flyers
8:15 Sharing & Announcements
Expected behavior: As with all RBCA events and meetings, it is expected that participants treat each other with respect. We are all neighbors who want a welcoming, thriving, safe, diverse, and connected neighborhood. Treating others with respect includes:
• Listen to what others are saying.
• Refrain from making negative comments and assumptions about others.
• Disagreement with others is okay. Making personal attacks is not.
• Hear and respect minority opinions.
• Be courteous and sensitive to the feelings of others.
• Good allies speak up. Do not ignore inappropriate behavior.
The U District, Roosevelt, and Northgate Link light rail stations will arrive in 2021, which means these neighborhoods will be better connected to each other and the region. Three-quarters of Ravenna residents said they plan to use the Roosevelt light rail station when it opens, according to a 2013 RBCA survey.
Join U District, Let’s Go for an evening of sharing ideas and resources to prepare for these changes. Learn what our neighborhoods are already doing to get ready for transportation investments coming soon. Let’s learn from each other and build on our collective creativity as we get ready for 2021.
RBCA Board Meeting Tuesday, September 4, 2018, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Ravenna-Eckstein Community Center
Everyone welcome!
AGENDA
6:30 Welcome & Introductions
6:35 Executive Committee Reports
Secretary’s Report: July meeting minutes
Treasurer’s Report: Bank balance
President’s Report: Transit Talk October 4, website & social media content, Membership Chair open
6:45 Transportation Committee
NE 65th Street Metro bus stops
NE 50th Street Sidewalks
7:15 Land Use Committee
25th Avenue NE developments, site walk
Union Bay Place developments
Seattle Tree Ordinance
8:00 Sharing & Announcements
City University Community Advisory Council
Ravenna-Eckstein Advisory Board
Expected behavior: As with all RBCA events and meetings, it is expected that participants treat each other with respect. We are all neighbors who want a welcoming, thriving, safe, diverse, and connected neighborhood. Treating others with respect includes:
• Listen to what others are saying.
• Refrain from making negative comments and assumptions about others.
• Disagreement with others is okay. Making personal attacks is not.
• Hear and respect minority opinions.
• Be courteous and sensitive to the feelings of others.
• Good allies speak up. Do not ignore inappropriate behavior.
In July, changes to the City of Seattle’s design review program went into effect. All development projects going through streamline, administrative, or full design review now must conduct community outreach before their early design guidance (EDG) meeting.
According to this new policy, “The outreach should establish a dialogue with nearby communities in order to share information about the project, better understand the context, and hear community interests and concerns about the project. The outreach must include print, digital/electronic, and in-person methods. Applicants must demonstrate that they completed the required outreach before SDCI (Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections) will schedule their EDG meeting. Previously, some applicants would voluntarily conduct outreach to the neighborhoods near their projects, but it was not required as part of the DR process.”
On Wednesday, September 5, a community outreach event will be held to provide information about a proposed development at 4907 25th Ave NE, across the street from Jiffy Lube/Office Depot where a Chase Bank branch is currently located.
Join neighbors on September 23 to celebrate Seattle’s Freeway Revolt!
What was the Freeway Revolt? From the City of Seattle Municipal Archives:
In the 1950s, the City of Seattle began developing plans for a freeway between south Seattle and the Meadowbrook neighborhood. “By 1958 a four-lane expressway was proposed along the east side of Capitol Hill, roughly following a route between 28th Avenue East (Martin Luther King Jr. Way) and 29th Avenue East south of the ship canal and 24th and 25th Avenues north of the canal. A tunnel would have carried traffic under the ship canal.
Citizens Against the R. H. Thomson (CARHT) was formed by neighborhood and environmental advocates to stop the north-south section paralleling I-5 named the R.H. Thomson Expressway. Their efforts culminated in a June 1, 1970, vote by City Council to remove that proposed highway from the city’s Comprehensive Plan.”
Seattle ARCH is hosting an event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the revolt. Below is information from Seattle ARCH about the celebration.
SEPT. 23 EVENT TO CELEBRATE SEATTLE’S FREEWAY REVOLT
A community-wide open house celebrating the 50th anniversary of Seattle’s Freeway Revolt will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday, September 23, at the Central Area Senior Center, 500 30th Avenue South, Seattle.
The Ravenna-Bryant Community Association is one of six Seattle community councils co-sponsoring the event along with Seattle ARCH (Activists Remembered, Celebrated and Honored). According to organizers Anna Rudd and Allan Davis, the open house aims to inform current residents about the citywide movement that helped quash plans for a dense network of freeways in Seattle. Rudd and Davis are among several former activists who will be on-hand to talk with visitors.
The free event will feature information on the planned freeway grid as well as materials from the citizens’ resistance, including, including maps, flyers, letters and more. A special preview of the forthcoming documentary by filmmaker Minda Martin, “The Ramps to Nowhere,” will also be shown. Light refreshments will be served.
Visitors are welcome to stop by any time between 3 and 6 p.m. The program schedule includes:
3:00 p.m. Doors open, displays and information available
3:30 p.m. Welcoming remarks
3:45 p.m. “Open Mike” – former activists and others are invited to share their recollections and thoughts about the freeway revolt
4:30 p.m. Preview of “The Ramps to Nowhere” freeway revolt documentary
Communities across Seattle can be proud of their role in helping Seattle remain the vibrant, livable city it is today, say Rudd and Davis. “We wanted to create an opportunity to celebrate this amazing grassroots movement and honor those who did so much to save the city,” says Rudd. “We hope their actions will be a source of inspiration to current and future generations.”
Anti-freeway activists helped to defeat or dramatically reduce three planned freeways: the RH Thomson Expressway, a major north-south freeway parallel to I-5; the Bay Freeway, which would have connected I-5 to the Seattle Center along South Union; and a massive,14-lane I-90 bridge (downsized to 8-lanes with two earmarked for transit).
Participants included communities from Mt. Baker to Lake City and organizations ranging from Allied Arts to the Citizens Planning Council, League of Women Voters and Black Panthers.
The Ravenna Community Association, as it was then know, took an early role in opposing freeway plans. RCA chairman Bill Frantilla was among the early leaders of “Citizens Against the RH Thomson” (CARHT), formed in 1968. Later that year, the RCA joined six other Seattle community councils in endorsing a CARHT resolution opposing the RH Thomson Expressway and third and forth Lake Washington bridges. In 1969, the RCA was among twelve community councils that signed a letter protesting the “slumlording” of State Highway Department-owned homes in the RH Thomson Corridor.
Citizen opposition culminated in Seattle voters’ defeat of the RH Thomson and Bay Freeways in 1972 referendums. Battles over I-90 continued into the decade, as citizens successfully fought for design modifications that dramatically reduced its scope and impact.
Other sponsors of the September 23 open house include the Laurelhurst Community Club, Leschi Community Council, Montlake Community Club, Mt. Baker Community Club, and the Portage Bay/Roanoke Park Community Council.
More information on the freeway revolt is available in an online publication, Seattle’s Freeway Revolt: A Directory of Historical Resources, hosted on the Seattle Public Library’s special collections online. The directory was funded by a grant from 4Culture/King County Lodging Tax Fund.
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is gearing up to start implementing safety improvements to NE 65th Street this summer. This Vision Zero project is the result of advocacy activities lead by the Fix 65th Coalition, a collaboration between RBCA, the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association, and NE Seattle Greenways in response to the many people walking, biking, and driving cars who have been injured and killed on NE 65th Street.
RBCA Board Meeting
Tuesday, July 17, 2018, 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Seattle Public Library, NE Branch
All RBCA meetings are open to everyone and neighbors are encouraged to participate.
AGENDA
6:30 Welcome & Introductions
6:35 Executive Committee Reports
Secretary’s Report: June meeting minutes
Treasurer’s Report: Bank balance
Vice-President’s Report: CM Johnson D4 meeting re: homeless services
President’s Report: No August meeting; board vacancies; social media & website content.
6:45 Transportation Committee: NE 50th Street sidewalks
7:00 Land Use Committee
University Prep expansion
25th Avenue developments
7:30 Sharing & Announcements
NE 65th Street businesses public nuisance complaints
City University Community Advisory Council
Northeast District Council
Ravenna-Eckstein Advisory Board
Friends of Ravenna-Cowen
Expected behavior: As with all RBCA events and meetings, it is expected that participants treat each other with respect. We are all neighbors who want a welcoming, thriving, safe, diverse, and connected neighborhood. Treating others with respect includes:
• Listen to what others are saying.
• Refrain from making negative comments and assumptions about others.
• Disagreement with others is okay. Making personal attacks is not.
• Hear and respect minority opinions.
• Be courteous and sensitive to the feelings of others.
• Good allies speak up. Do not ignore inappropriate behavior.
Night Out is a national event promoted locally by Seattle Police Department Crime Prevention. It is designed to heighten crime prevention awareness, increase neighborhood support in anti-crime efforts, and unite our communities. To participate in Night Out and to have your street closed, you must officially register your Night Out event with the City of Seattle. Registration is open until August 6.
Most Ravenna-Bryant neighbors plan to use the Roosevelt light rail station when it opens, according to a 2013 RBCA survey. To learn about the transit-oriented development project planned for the light rail station area, neighbors are invited to an open house at Roosevelt High School next week.
All RBCA meetings are open to everyone and neighbors are encouraged to participate.
Expected behavior: As with all RBCA events and meetings, it is expected that participants treat each other with respect. We are all neighbors who want a welcoming, thriving, safe, diverse, and connected neighborhood. Treating others with respect includes:
Listen to what others are saying.
Refrain from making negative comments and assumptions about others.
Disagreement with others is okay. Making personal attacks is not.
Hear and respect minority opinions.
Be courteous and sensitive to the feelings of others.
Good allies speak up. Do not ignore inappropriate behavior.
The Your Voice Your Choice (YVYC) program collects ideas for small-scale park and street improvement projects from Seattle residents and then asks people to vote on which ones should be implemented. In 2018, $3 million has been allocated for chosen projects.
Ideas were collected in January and the ones identified by community members as top priorities during a project development phase are now going through a feasibility review, scoping, and design by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Seattle Parks & Recreation (SPR).
In the Ravenna-Bryant neighborhood, four project ideas are currently under review. All have to do with creating a safer environment for people either by reducing the number of people driving too fast or by installing painted crosswalks.
1. 20th Ave NE between 65th and Lake City Way: Speed bumps to slow traffic. “Cars drive over the speed limit and there is no check of their speed or stops between the traffic lights to calm traffic. This street is lined with homes and is in constant use by pedestrians and bicyclists. Something needs to calm traffic from just racing through from north to south and vice versa as pedestrians/bicyclists try to use (cross) the street. All community members who use NE 20th Ave [would benefit]. Drivers will be more safe and pedestrians/cyclists will be more safe.”
2. 20th Ave NE from NE 65th to Lake City Way: Crossing improvements at 20th Ave NE & NE 68th, NE 70th and/or NE 82nd. “To improve traffic conditions on 20th Ave NE: lower speed limit to 25; paint crosswalks; add stop signs at NE 70th & maybe NE 82nd; add radar speed sign; possibly add flashing ped lights. Vehicle speeds are dangerously high; peds are at risk, esp children near Community Center – also people entering parked vehicles on drivers’ side. All residents on 20th NE (200 households); children accessing Ravenna Eckstein Community Center & Playground; parishioners at Reformed Presbyterian Church” would benefit.
3. Intersection of 21st Ave NE & NE 77th St: Traffic circle to prevent drivers from speeding. “This is a very dangerous intersection with the hill.” It is a “very dangerous uncontrolled intersection with commuters speeding through to get to 75th. Multiple car accidents there over the years. Residents, children in the area [would benefit]. Also commuters unfamiliar with the intersection who are less cautious and at risk of getting into an accident.”
4. NE 77th St and 25 Ave NE: Crossing improvements. “Despite the presence of a park directly intended for children, there is only one [painted] crosswalk adjacent to the playfield. Neighborhood residents should not have to choose between crossing a busy street at a corner with no [painted] crosswalk or walking the long way around (a double block up and then back down through the park to the playground) in order to access the park. Children and parents walking from the Ravenna neighborhood to Dahl Playfield” would benefit.
Voting for top priorities will take place in June and July.
Earlier this year, one of our neighbor’s YVYC project idea was implemented: a painted crosswalk at 30th Ave NE and NE 55th Street. Like projects proposed in 2018, the goal of the painted crosswalk is to provide a safer street crossing for pedestrians.
The concerns reflected in the YVYC project ideas are the same as concerns expressed by neighbors in a survey RBCA conducted in 2016. The survey indicated that the top mobility concerns among neighbors have to do with drivers speeding and not yielding to people crossing the street. Since NE 65th Street was identified as particularly unsafe, RBCA joined with the Roosevelt Neighborhood Association and NE Seattle Greenways to advocate for traffic calming and a safer pedestrian environment on NE 65th Street.