May 26th Meeting Recap
This month we heard from SDOT about new pedestrian safety improvements for people crossing the street along Stone Way N. We also had a lively interactive session with the developer and architect of the former Ballroom site on 36th between Dayton and Francis.
View the meeting Livestream on Facebook
Stone Way N Safety Improvements, Madeline McCort, SDOT
Neighbors had been asking for pedestrian crossing improvements on Stone Way for quite some time, and community advocacy is now getting results. Five intersections are scheduled for improvements such as marked crosswalks, daylighting for visibility, pedestrian islands, flashing beacons, bike corrals and new bike markings. Improvements are starting this year at 36th, 38th, and N Allen Place. Work at 41st and 42nd will happen after a large private development is completed. Details and Madeline’s contact info are available at the SDOT project website.
There were questions and concerns about issues such as diversion of speeding traffic from Stone Way to Woodland Park and the loss of the Neighborhood Street Fund. There is a new fund with a long name: Neighborhood Initiated Safety Partner Program. Each Council Member also has a small fund for projects in their district. Madeline didn’t have all the answers but will try to get back to us. You can also make contact through the website.
After the meeting Madeline looked up answers she didn’t have at the meeting and sent this to FNC.
Request for more traffic calming on more of Woodland Park Avenue.
We have collected traffic data on Woodland Park Ave N and are keeping it in mind for future projects or funding opportunities. It doesn’t prioritize for the neighborhood traffic calming program at this time based on speed, volume, crash, and equity data.
Request for signal changes at Stone and 40th
I have shared this request with SDOT’s signal team for consideration. Thanks for the feedback!
Will there be a new bike lane right after you go over the Fremont Bridge? Do you know if that will be protected/painted?
Yes, a new protected bike lane is planned for Fremont Ave N between N 34th st and N 35th St as part of the Route 40 TPMC project. More info here: https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/projects-and-programs/programs/transit-program/transit-plus-multimodal-corridor-program/route-40---transit-plus#fremont
How are projects prioritized? Why was Stone Way N a priority?
Programs use a variety of inputs to determine which projects advance on what timeline. These include projects prioritized in the Seattle Transportation Plan (a 20-year plan for the City), constituent requests, areas with documented safety concerns, high equity areas, along frequent transit routes, near schools, in alignment with grants, and in partnership with other major projects.
This project was prioritized based on community requests, documented crashes, transit accessibility, safe routes to schools, and observed pedestrian demand.
Holland Partner Group and Weber Thompson Architects on the Ballroom block project
There is a great write-up complete with the project presentation slides at Fremont Neighbor!
Cole from Holland Partners started off with some stats: The building will be 7 stories with 178 units ranging from studio to 2-BD, with 40 affordable units. The same amount of retail area will be provided as what has been there in the past. They expect utilities and demolition work to start in June and construction to begin in September.
Architects from Weber Thompson (located in Fremont!) talked about neighborhood character: Off-beat, eclectic, art, approachable, pedestrian joy. They will retain the neon Ballroom sign in a prominent spot on the building and include a variety of art and whimsical signage. There are five ‘chevron’ storefronts with tile in different colors; these can be separate or combined depending on the types of retail that come in. On the east end they are inset to allow covered sidewalk dining areas. There will be a large mural on the east face of the building.
There were two questions requesting audience participation using an app called Mentimeter that generated word clouds based on audience response. The first question: What types of retail would you like to see? Pharmacy seemed to be the most popular, along with grocery, community space and food options. Public Toilet had a life of its own. The second question: What sort of art would you like for the mural? Fremont Solstice Fair anda call for local artists and for the Fremont Arts Council to be involved stood out. Public Toilets made another appearance too. There were a number of questions regarding parking, construction parking, dust and noise mitigation, amenities for children and dogs, appreciation of street trees and sidewalk dining, and others. Questions and feedback can be emailed to: Fremont@hollandpartnergroup.com
Announcements
Mer: There is an opening at FreHouse, a cozy 4-person co-living house in Lower Fremont with a large bedroom available in mid-July for $1,145, open house May 30 and June 13 from 11 to 5. Apply at bitly.com/FreHouse-Details
Brandon: No regular meetings in July and August. We would like to bring back a Movie in the Park, we are trying to do fundraising, reaching out to FCC and businesses. If you have any business contacts we would love your help. We appreciate any help or direction you have.
Evgeny: We are having two board elections today, Zac Hanson and John Luethe. They have attended at least two board meetings as members. I am also the new Vice President as of today. Move to appoint both John and Zac to board. Second. Election passes.
Casey: Creating B.F. Day Emergency Hub. Bringing community together around emergency preparedness. Chat with me if you would like to volunteer. We have an email: bfdayhub@gmail.com
Board Business:
Motion to nominate Evgeny for Vice President. Second, discussion in favor, motion passes.
Motion to approve April minutes, second, approved.
Presentation of Treasurer Report. Discussion of Money Market, many questions to be resolved. Question on Movie Night. Motion to approve report, second, approved.
B.F. Day Emergency Hub. Casey and Paige talked about the City emergency hub system and the hub proposed for B.F. Day. They are writing a grant request to the City to get the emergency box, and to hold a community event, a grand opening to get the work out and get volunteers. They need a fiscal sponsor to administer the grant and are asking FNC to serve as sponsor. Discussion of Hubs, what a fiscal sponsor does, and how FNC would handle that role. Motion to approve FNC as fiscal sponsor for the B.F. Day Emergency Hub, motion carries, approved.
Block Party on Dayton Ave in Upper Fremont: The organizers would like help with funding this community building event. Costs are typically $700-800 for permits and signs to block the street, food and drinks. There are questions about whether FNC can fund this sort of event but can serve as fiscal sponsor. They will apply for a small sparks fund while FNC grant considerations are being determined.
Detailed minutes of past meetings can be found here!