In the summer of 2005 three developers filed applications to upzone their Thorndyke area properties from L3 (residential, 3 story with a 30 foot height limitation) to NC2-40 (mixed commercial/residential, 4 story, over 40 foot height limitation). Their properties are located at 1966, 2000 and 2012 Thorndyke Ave. West, between West Howe St. and West Crockett St.

Since their applications, many of the neighborhood residents have sent comments to the City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development. Residents also attended a developer run meeting during which they vocally informed the developers of their objections to the proposed rezoning. Residents also petitioned the City to call a public meeting to solicit further comments and feedback.

That public meeting was held at the Magnolia Community Center on January 12th 2006 and presided over by Mr. Colin Vasquez, senior planner at the DPD responsible for these applications. About 60 residents attended, all opposed to the original rezoning proposals. One developer (Mr. Franks, owner of 1966 Thorndyke Ave. West) had modified his proposal to exclude commercial use but still maintain the NC2-40 rezoning in order to get increase height allowances and decreased set back restrictions.

Attendees at the meeting clearly felt he had not gone far enough. Of the entire audience, only one person said she would no longer object to Mr. Franks' application while another attendee said he might be supportive. The rest of the attendees remained resolutely against the rezone applications.

Developers for the other two properties (Mr. Kabir owner of 2000 and Mr. Van der Wel owner of 2012) did not attend the meeting and had not, at the time of the meeting, made any revisions to their original applications for rezoning to NC2-40.

A summary of the public meeting is available on this website, along with other background information, through the following links:  

• Click here for a summary of the Public Meeting held on January 12th 2006.
   
• Click here for a summary analysis of Mr. Franks' proposed changes to his rezone application - judged at the public meeting to clearly not go far enough for neighborhood support.
  
• Click here for a Synopsis of the original rezone application made by the three developers.
   
• Click here for a one page fact sheet covering the proposed rezone, the issues and the residents' response. (Note this is an Adobe PDF file.)
   
• Click here for more details on the situation and proposal.
   
• Click here for an analysis of the developers' application to the DPD, along with scanned copies of selected pages from their application and also responses to the developers' claims.
   
• Click here for an account of the "neighborhood meeting" that the developers held on September 13th 2005 at the Magnolia Community Center.

Many people have sent email through this website asking about next steps. The first action to consider would be sending any additional comments you may have to Mr. Vasquez, either via US Mail or via email (see link in the "Urgent" box above to directly email Mr. Vasquez from this website).

Mr. Vasquez will also be meeting with the developers to see if they are willing to further modify their applications prior to his final consideration of their proposed rezoning. He has specifically asked for any more input from the community and will pay particular attention to ways in which the proposed rezoning fails to meet Seattle's land use regulations or master use plan.

We will update people on our mailing list and through this website as we learn of his next steps or other ways in which the community can stay involved and impact these rezone applications. Hopefully the developers will respect the community input from the neighborhood surrounding their properties and scale back their applications to reach an acceptable solution. The sooner this happens, the sooner everyone can spend time on other activities.

You can join out email list by clicking here.

You can also use the Merchandise link above to get bumper stickers, T-shirts, etc. that spread the word: Say No to Rezoning!

(Note that all merchandise prices are cost - no profit is made from Merchandise.)

... Friends of Thorndyke