April 2017

Polygon Northwest has filed a Land use Application for 3420 SW Graham Street to allow eleven, 3-story townhouse structures with a total of 52 residential units. Parking for 57 vehicles would be provided on site.

This is part of the High Point Phase III, block 9

This project has been in development for over a decade and public comment for the project ended in 2015.
Quoting from the decision this project, "has been designed to reflect the redevelopment goals of the High Point Community as stated in the High Point Design Book, through a collaborative effort with SHA. The High Point Design Book, created by SHA (Seattle Housing Authority) , City of Seattle and Design Consultants, contains very detailed Design Standards for each block in the High Point Community Plat and also cites general architectural, landscape and drainage design guidelines. Design development reflects the influence of the City of Seattle Design Guidelines, the High Point Design Book and SHA.

By Gwen Davis

Looking for a way to get involved and make a difference in your community? The next Highland Park Action Committee (HPAC) meeting is coming up — perfect opportunity to get your feet wet.

April's HPAC meeting is slated for Wednesday, April 26, from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Highland Park Improvement Club.

The Seattle Police Department will provide an update on crime stats, as well as give an overview of what to expect for Highland Park’s “Find It, Fix It” walk scheduled for May.

The meeting will also include discussion and planning for the HPAC Neighbor Fun/Work Day and of the neighborhood effort for Pothole Palooza!

Attendees will be updated on the HPAC outreach campaign, the Neighborhood Parks and Streets Fund Highland Park Projects, and the Myers Way Encampment and Community Advisory Committee.

HPAC meetings are held on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

Email the chair at hpacchair@gmail.com for more information.

information from King County Metro

Metro is considering two options for changing bus fares for adults* to make them easier to understand, speed up boarding, and reduce fare disputes. We want to hear which option you prefer.

*No changes are being considered for youth, senior, disability, ORCA LIFT, or Access fares.

Our current adult fare structure includes extra charges for travel during weekday peak commute hours (6-9 a.m. and 3-6 p.m.) and for trips that cross a zone boundary during those peak hours. Riders can pay $2.50, $2.75 or $3.25, depending on when and how far they travel.

We’re considering two options for making adult fares simpler:

Option 1: A single $2.75 fare for travel any time, any distance
Option 2: A $3 peak-period fare and a $2.50 off-peak fare, with no extra charge for two-zone travel

A settlement has been reached in one of two lawsuits brought against West Seattle homeowners in the case of the unauthorized tree cutting that took place 2015 in a greenbelt area near the north end of 35th Street SW.

"The money will go to removing the damaged trees, stabilizing the green belt and replanting trees. The benefits to our urban forest are indisputable," Murray said. The amount agreed upon is $440.000. $100,000 will go to youth summer programs youth green jobs and 2017 Youth Green Corps. The remainder will go into hillside restoration in a five year program.

Mayor Ed Murray was joined by District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, City Attorney Pete Holmes, and Seattle Park Deputy Superintendent Christopher Williams.

There will be no criminal prosecution in this first case as part of the settlement. The second case is a civil case so criminal charges are not contemplated at this time.

Williams said an essential role of his department is to protect the city's greenbelts and natural areas.

information from Southwest Seattle Historical Society

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society soon will seek a new executive director to succeed heritage advocate Clay Eals, who has resigned after four-and-a-quarter years in the position.

In a letter to the organization’s board, Eals wrote that his decision to step down stems from “a desire to spend more time focusing on other aspects of my life.”

His departure will be effective in mid-July. The board plans to begin advertising for the full-time position later this month and hopes to fill the position in time for the successor to overlap with Eals, who has been involved with the historical society since its founding in 1984.

Eals became the historical society’s first executive director in January 2013. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity, adding that he is confident that the organization’s mission, track record and board leadership will result in continued organizational success.

The author, historian and ex-journalist wrote in his resignation letter that the timing of the transition would be “as good as it gets” for the organization.

Two women, a goddess and a mortal one, try to get it right in marital dramas

At Burien Actors Theatre

In two plays at Burien Actors Theatre, Hera and Carol are being themselves, trying to make things better in that most ubiquitous and freighted of human relationships, marriage.

They Walk Among Us, by Kirsten McCory, is a half-hour one-act. The main course is a full-length play, Escorting Tom, by Duane Kelly. They are presented as a double header, running through April 23, at Burien Actors Theatre (BAT), 14501 4th Ave SW, Burien, as part of BAT’s 2017 Playwrights Festival. A different pairing of shows, Winter People and The Law of the Sea, will run from April 28-May 7 in the Festival. T

Two couples are muddling through to an unknown end, mixing the storied and eternal with the brutally and hilariously real. It’s a rich evening of laughs and moving moments, mixing the timeless with the heartbreakingly temporal, ancient with modern.

Everyone is invited to a screening of new work by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program. The Ballard Film Festival (BFF) will be on Saturday, June 3 in the Ballard High School auditorium. The screening will feature short comedies and dramas, news features, advertisements, and the documentaries students produced for IMAX. Tickets ($10 for adults and $5 for students) will be sold at the door.

Films that first premiere at the BFF routinely win honors from prestigious national and international film festivals, the National YoungArts Foundation and the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Funds raised will benefit students in the Digital Filmmaking Program. For more information, visit www.bhsvideo.blogspot.com.

Two short films by students in the Ballard High School Digital Filmmaking Program have been named Official Selections of the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY). This competitive, international festival showcases outstanding work by filmmakers age 24 and younger. NFFTY is a rare opportunity for high school students to share the spotlight with college students from our nation’s best undergraduate and graduate film schools. This year NFFTY will feature films from 27 countries. NFFTY opens at the Seattle Cinerama Theater on Thursday, April 27 and continues through Sunday, April 30 at the Seattle Center.

by John Wilson
King County Assessor

It’s that time of year again: property tax statements have recently come out from King County. Taxes are going up, and it’s important to understand why, and it’s also important that we begin discussing some of the problems that are emerging with our property tax system.

Property taxes are complicated. King County’s job is to collect property taxes for the state, the county, the cities, and all of the school districts and other special purpose districts within the county. Generally, over half of property tax revenue goes to our schools.

Most people don’t realize that the fluctuating value of your property has less to do with changes in your tax bill than measures approved by voters. Decisions made by voters and elected officials, determine the total amount of tax to be collected in your area; the value of your property determines your share of that total amount.

by John Wilson
King County Assessor

It’s that time of year again: property tax statements have recently come out from King County. Taxes are going up, and it’s important to understand why, and it’s also important that we begin discussing some of the problems that are emerging with our property tax system.
Property taxes are complicated. King County’s job is to collect property taxes for the state, the county, the cities, and all of the school districts and other special purpose districts within the county. Generally, over half of property tax revenue goes to our schools.

Most people don’t realize that the fluctuating value of your property has less to do with changes in your tax bill than measures approved by voters. Decisions made by voters and elected officials, determine the total amount of tax to be collected in your area; the value of your property determines your share of that total amount.

Each local government can only increase property tax revenues by 1% per year – unless voters approve a special levy. Today, due to a lack of other options, governments are being forced to rely on special levies for basic operations.