Neighborhood Plan Update moves forward

Part of the Beacon Town Center concept plan as seen in the proposed Urban Design Framework.
On Monday, April 11 the Seattle City Council approved Council Bill 117114. This bill moves the North Beacon Hill Neighborhood Plan Update “action plan and goals” into the Seattle Comprehensive Plan. (There’s other stuff in there, but this is only a summary of changes relating to Beacon Hill. Read it; it’s interesting. Really.)

Here’s the proposed Urban Design Framework for North Beacon Hill Town Center, created with input from you and your neighbors. Here’s the Neighborhood Action Plan.

Some of the “Key Action Items” include:

  • Maintain the remainder of parcels and storefronts north and south of the immediate station area along Beacon Ave. S. for new and small businesses.
  • Rezone key opportunity sites to encourage redevelopment of parcels around the light rail station in a manner that incorporates housing, commercial services (such as a grocery store and small businesses) and amenities.
  • Evaluate a height increase within the Town Center for some but not all properties that have a current height limit of 40 feet, allowing up to 65 feet with required street and upper level setbacks.
  • Where land use changes are considered, give particular attention to zone transitions.
  • Change the land use and zoning to support the envisioned mixed use development on the El Centro site.
  • Develop neighborhood design guidelines and an urban design framework plan for the North Beacon Hill station area. Framework elements could include building height options, incentive features such as affordable housing, open space, and pedestrian connections.

7 thoughts on “Neighborhood Plan Update moves forward”

  1. I do not agree with routing traffic off of Beacon Ave onto McClellan and 15th. This just makes for a longer distance traffic has to travel between two points. Traffic burning more fuel stopped at more intersections. It also just moves any problems with the current configuration to another location, affecting more road crossing, more people and more streets.

  2. Ugh. Closing Beacon Ave off is a dumb idea. Hopefully the neighborhood will remain unattractive enough to investors to keep this “vision” from ever reaching fruition.

    The best neighborhoods just happen. This is nothing but architectural self-pleasuring.

  3. Where did you read that it was recommended to close Beacon Ave to cars? I saw at least three different road configurations in the docs, all of which had car travel lanes, parking, sidewalks and some form of bike facility as well.

    There is specific language to extend the Lander Festival Street west to 15th, but it would stay open to car traffic as well, except for special events, like it does now.

  4. The Town Center plans (including/especially traffic revisions) come from our community. While there are a couple of architects in the neighborhood who’ve been involved, this is the most grassroots planning project I’ve seen.

    Beacon doesn’t work as it is currently configured. Not for cars, bikes, buses or pedestrians. It needs changes. What kind of changes make sense to you? How do you use Beacon, how could you get where you’re going faster, more efficiently?

    I always turn left on McClellan & want to see that stay easy. As a pedestrian, I want the light at McClellan to turn in a reasonable time and safe mid-block crossing from light rail/bus to bus stop/Red Apple. I want the mess at Beacon & 15th to flow better and for people to slow down and use more care when turning. I hate the merge between Holgate & Red Apple.

    The best neighborhoods happen because the best people work together to make them happen.

  5. The document doesn’t say close Beacon Ave but it does say re-route traffic off of Beacon Ave. “Key action items from the North Beacon Hill plan update. Work to complete an urban design framework (using street types as a guiding factor). Funding will be necessary for detailed operational analysis for proposed re-route of traffic on Beacon Ave S from S McClellan St to 15th Ave S).” I am for improvements to Beacon Ave but not at the detriment to McClellan and 15th Ave. This would be just moving the problem from one place to another and in this case speading it out over two sreets rather then the shortest distance between two points.

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