FoS.blog: The Friends of Seattle blog

At Upcoming Open Houses, the Public Can Comment on the Bored-Tunnel Plan

From the State Department of Transportation:

Learn more about the bored tunnel recommendation - Attend a public scoping open house on Feb. 23 and 24
You’re invited to attend a public scoping open house and get a first look at the bored tunnel recommendation to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct. These meetings are an opportunity to review current project information and tell us what issues- such as noise, air quality, traffic, etc.- should be considered in the central waterfront environmental document.

Last month, Gov. Chris Gregoire, King County Executive Ron Sims and Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels announced their recommendation to replace the central waterfront portion of the Alaskan Way Viaduct. The recommendation includes an approximately 1.7 mile bored tunnel beneath downtown, a new waterfront surface street, transit investments, and downtown waterfront and surface street improvements. The central waterfront seawall between Colman Dock and Pine Street will also be replaced.

At the scoping open house, you can learn more about the tunnel as well as investments in city streets, transit, and the tunnel’s environmental process. The meetings will also feature information on accessing the tunnel from West Seattle and Northwest neighborhoods such as Ballard and Magnolia.

You’ll also be able to submit comments at the open house in writing or verbally to a court reporter.

Both open houses will be held from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. at the following locations:

Monday, Feb. 23
Adams Elementary School
6110 28th Ave. NW
Ballard
 
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Madison Middle School
3429 45th Ave. SW
West Seattle

If you can’t make it in person, you can also submit comments or questions directly to the program by mail, e-mail or phone.

Mail: Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program
999 Third Ave., Suite 2424
Seattle, WA 98104

Sign up for WSDOT's email updates on the Alaskan Way Viaduct project.

Thu 2/12 - Streets for People Kickoff Forum

Seattle’s abuzz with people working to improve their neighborhood streets by making them better for walking, biking, transit and trees. What if we could all find each other, so we could learn from and support each other?  Why  –  that would be a MOVEMENT!*

Join us & connect with others who share your passion. Learn, be inspired, and help create the future we all want to see.* Friends of Seattle is pleased to co-sponsor the launch event for Streets for People, a program of Seattle Great City Initiative.

What: STREETS FOR PEOPLE Kick-off Event
When: 5-7 p.m., Thursday, February 12
Where: Armory at Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Ave N.
Speakers:

James Irwin: Organizing in the Obama era.

Learn how to tap into community values and leadership to create change.  James was trained on organizing by the same team that trained the Obama Campaign organizers, and was the lead organizer on the Sierra Club’s successful 2007-2008 campaigns, including NoRTID, No on 985, Mass Transit Now and Cool State.

Renee Espiau: New York City Streets Renaissance Campaign

Hear about the amazing changes occurring in New York as local advocates come together to work for change. Discuss how Seattle can create its own campaign to revive great public spaces and lively streets.

Michael McGinn: Director of Seattle Great City Initiative

The Streets for People Campaign is dedicated to building a community movement that enhances our quality of life by improving our streets as public places, and prioritizing walking, biking and transit as the “new normal.”  This campaign is based on the successful community coalition that passed the Seattle Parks for All Levy.

Event Host: Seattle Great City Initiative. 

Great City brings together organizations and individuals committed to making positive, lasting change by breaking down traditional barriers that can get in the way of smart planning and helping Seattle grow and thrive as a truly great city.

Event Sponsors: Cascade Bicycle Club, Feet First, and the Sierra Club.

CoSponsors: GroundswellNW, UrbanSparks, Sustainable Ballard, Friends of Seattle, Spokespeople, Sustainable NE Seattle, Sustainable Seattle, Seattle Parks Foundation, Sustainable Green Lake, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, NW EcoBuilding Guild, Transportation Choices, SvR Design, GGLO, Sustainable West Seattle, The Public Square, Unpaving Paradise, Seattle Tilth, AIA Seattle, CNU Cascadia, SDOT, and the SafeWalks Coalition.

Blog Is on Hiatus

Come back later.

“There Won’t Be Any Cost Overruns,” Promises State Transportation Secretary Regarding the Bored Tunnel

Bold. We'll see.

Anti-Bored-Tunnel Initiative 99 Is Filed

So reports the Seattle Times. I-99 sponsor Elizabeth Campbell and her comrades need 18,000 signatures by July 20.

Plan, Set Priorities, and Embrace Tolls Says Ex-Transportation Secretary

Reacting to the bored-tunnel plan, ex-Washington State Transportation Secretary Doug MacDonald wrote an excellent column in Crosscut today. He is asking the right questions:

Are we wisely capturing new technology and innovation to build a transportation system that conserves energy and serves tomorrow’s job economy? Or are we still trapped in yesterday’s thinking — building roads for cars of obsolete design to neighborhoods with unsustainable energy footprints and connecting transit systems into job centers that are miles away from job growth? And are we improving our vast paid-up asset of existing transportation corridors and right-of-way to achieve new gains in capacity and efficiency from what we already own?

Seattle Inventor's Prototype Personal Windmills Shows Promise

We've written about micro wind-power generation before, so we were pleased to see today's newstory about a Seattle inventor who has developed a clever design for a personal windmill.

Thomas Key, who works on the renewable-energy program of the Electric Power Research Institute, believes that micro wind-power generation is infeasible, and he cites city zoning restrictions as one obstacle. But the City of Seattle's proposed revisions to the multifamily housing zoning code would allow personal windmills to be built.

Other Notable Bills: Infrastructure for Electric, Greenhouse-Gas Amendments to the GMA

The Legislature will also consider a proposed bill providing for the development of infrastructure that would support electric vehicle infrastructure, which the bill defines as "structures, labor, machinery, equipment, circuitry, and electrical appliances necessary to support an electric vehicle, including battery recharging stations and outlets and battery exchange stations." Sen. Fred Jarrett (D-Mercer Island) introduced the Senate version (SB 5418 (pdf)), and Rep. Deborah Eddy (D-Kirkland) introduced the House version (HR 1481(pdf)). Hearings are already scheduled:

1/29: Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Technology and Energy & Communications at 10:00 AM. (Subject to change)

1/30: Scheduled for public hearing in the Senate Committee on Environment and Water & Energy at 8:00 AM. (Subject to change)

Also, Rep. Sharon Nelson, (D-West Seattle) introduced a bill, HR 1490, that would add several measures to the Growth Management Act with the hope of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. This one is also schedule for a hearing:

Jan 28 Scheduled for public hearing in the House Committee on Local Government & Housing at 8:00 AM. (Subject to change)

Proposed Bill Would Recommend a 3-Foot Buffer for Cars Passing Bicyclists and Pedestrians

SB 5335 (pdf), a bill introduced by State Sen. Ken Jacobsen, would recommend---but not require---that motorists provide a three-foot buffer between their vehicles and any bicyclists or pedestrians whom they pass. Do you think it should be a legal requirement rather than a mere recommendation? Email Sen. Jacobsen.

State Transportation Appropriations Bill Introduced by State Rep. Judy Clibborn

See it here (pdf).