The Queen Anne Community Council meets tonight at 7:30pm at Queen Anne Manor (100 Crockett St), and if you haven’t had a chance to get up to speed on the Ballard to Interbay Corridor project yet, the meeting is offering the Queen Anne community another chance to learn about the future of Interbay.

Here’s tonight’s agenda – all are welcome to attend:

• 7:30 – Adoption of Agenda, Approval of Minutes, and Treasurer’s Report
• 7:35 – Open Forum- Comments
• 7:45 – Duwamish Cleanup- Heather Trim
• 8:10 – Picture Perfect Queen Anne
• 8:15 – Ballard to Interbay land use corridor study
• 8:45 – Committee Reports:
  • LURC/Planning, Parks, Transportation, District Council, NAC, Communication, Social Issues, Police & Crime
• 9:20 – New Business
• 9:30 – Adjournment

The Elliott Ave/15th Ave corridor connects Queen Anne to Ballard via Interbay, and Monday’s Queen Anne Community Council meeting will help fill you in on Seattle Department of Planning and Development’s (DPD) vision for this key corridor that connects our neighborhoods.

The QACC’s Land Use Review and Planning Committee (LURC) meets at 7pm on Monday, April 15th at the Queen Anne Manor (100 Crockett St). The topic of this month’s meeting is the DPD Ballard to Interbay corridor plan. DPD representatives will provide a presentation and gather feedback and input from the community on the Ballard to Interbay Land Use Corridor Study.

The study encompasses a 3-mile corridor along Elliot Avenue W and 15th Avenue NW from Interbay to Ballard. According to DPD, the goal is to develop a vision for the land close to this heavily travelled, multi-functional route.

You can read more about the Ballard to Interbay planning efforts on Councilmember Richard Conlin’s web site. If you’re interested in the future of this vital corridor, attend Monday’s meeting, it’s open to all.

The Queen Anne Community Council meets tomorrow, Wednesday, April 3rd at the Queen Anne Manor (100 Crockett St). The meeting is open to all. It begins at 7:30pm and the agenda is as follows:

• 7:30 –Adoption of Agenda
• 7:35 – Open Forum- Comments
• 7:45 – SDOT Guest Speaker, Jonathan Dong
• Topic: Denny electric trolley/Broad St bus lane
• 8:30- Committee Reports: LURC/Planning, Parks, Transportation, District Council, NAC, Communication, Social Issues, Police & Crime
• 9:20 – New Business
• 9:30 – Adjournment

The Queen Anne Community Council meets tomorrow, Wednesday, January 2 at the Queen Anne Manor. This month’s meeting has two key items on the agenda – a report from the Seattle Police Department and an update from SDOT on the Mercer Corridor Project. SPD hasn’t confirmed yet, but the QACC did get a verbal commitment from the West Precinct a couple of weeks ago. The public is welcome to attend, so if you have questions or concerns about crime on Queen Anne or the even messier Mercer mess, mark your calendar.

Key Details

• What: QACC January Meeting
• Where: Queen Anne Manor, 100 Crockett Street
• When: Wednesday, January 2, 7:30pm
• Agenda:
  • 7:30 – Adoption of Agenda
  • 7:35 – Public Comments
  • 7:45 – Seattle Police Department (not confirmed)
  • 8:15 – SDOT- Update of Phase II Mercer Corridor
  • 8:45 – Committee Reports
  • 9:15 – New Business
  • 9:30 – Adjournment

There are plenty of research studies that show learning new languages as a child is much easier than as an adult, and there are positive benefits for kids who know more than one language. If you’d like to expand your child’s language abilities and enhance their dialogue with native speakers, the New Year brings new classes at the Queen Anne Community Center.

Starting next Saturday, January 5th, there’s a Russian language class at the QACC designed specifically for kids and led by a native Russian speaker. Classes are held each Saturday through the end of the month, 10am-noon each Saturday. Two additional courses are scheduled for February and March.

Ages 4-6 and 7-12 are welcome; the class is designed for all levels of students, from children who don’t know Russian at all to those who understand it but can only respond in English – and all children interested in learning Russian are welcome.

Each course is $70, register online with the following barcodes:

• January course: #97802
• February course: #97803
• March course: #97804

If you have any questions, contact the QACC at 206.386.4240 or the instructor, Leona, at 206.802.8370

The Queen Anne Community Council meets tonight, Wednesday Nov 6, at 7:30pm at Queen Anne Manor. In addition to the regularly scheduled committee reports, the new Queen Anne Helpline director, Lisa Moore, is on the agenda.

No additional information was provided by the QACC, but as always, everyone is welcome and there are 10 minutes set aside up-front for public comments.

7:30 – Treasurer’s Report
7:35- Public Comments
7:45- Queen Anne Helpline- Lisa Moore, Director
8:15- Committee Reports (next individual meetings called out below)
- Communication
- LURC/Planning – next meeting 11/19, 7pm, Queen Anne Manor
- Transportation – next meeting 11/28, 7pm, Queen Anne Manor
- Parks – next meeting 11/13, 7pm, Queen Anne Manor
- Neighbors in action – no individual meeting planned
- District Council
- NAC – next meeting 11/21, 4:30pm, Port Headquarters
- Social Issues
- Police & Crime
- New Business

The next Queen Anne/Magnolia District Council meeting is scheduled for November 12, 7pm, at the Magnolia Community Council, and the next QACC meeting will be on December 5th.

If you’re interested in what’s happening with developments on Queen Anne, then the Queen Anne Community Council (QACC) Land Use Review Committee (LURC) is your go-to QACC meeting. The LURC meets tomorrow, Monday, October 15 to review two key agenda items, the South Lake Union Rezone and Aegis’ plans for 3rd W and Florentia St.

The descriptions of each agenda item are below, followed by meeting details. As always, these meetings are open to the public, and I encourage you to attend if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!

South Lake Union Rezone: The QACC must forward their opinion on this legislation “very soon” – net: the Department of Planning and Development (DPD) has been working with the SLU Community to develop proposals for allowable heights and development density. The proposed South Lake Union rezoning allows for 12,000 new housing units and 22,000 jobs. More details and relevant materials are posted online.

Aegis at 2900 3^rd Ave West: A review of the most recent Aegis plans at 3^rd W & Florentia St; Aegis has been reviewing a potential trade of their current parking lot on the west side of 3rd W for an unused portion of Parks land between the field and the Aegis site. An update on progress will be provided at this week’s meeting.

Key Details:
- What: QACC Land Use Committee meeting
- When: Monday, October 15, 7pm
- Where: Queen Anne Manor, 100 Crockett St

The Queen Anne Community Council‘s monthly meeting is happening tonight, Wednesday, July 6 at 7:30 p.m. at Queen Anne Manor, at 100 Crockett Street. There is no scheduled guest for tonight, so the meeting should conclude earlier than usual. Take a look at what’s on the agenda this month:

• 7:30 p.m. – Adoption of Agenda, Approval of Minutes, Treasurer’s Report
• 7:35 p.m. – Open Forum – Comments
• 7:40 p.m. – NAC letter – Kirk
• 7:45 p.m. – Community Center report – Jim Cunningham
• 8 p.m. – Committee Reports

1. Election – Nicole Pastarnack
2. Transportation – Glenn Avery
3. LURC/Planning – Craig Hanway
4. Parks – Don Harper
5. Communication – Michael Lapin
6. District Council – Mike Warren
7. NAC – Kirk Robbins, Jim Smith, Glenn Avery, Don Harper
8. Social Issues – Kirk Robbins
9. Police & Crime – Allen Panich

• 9 p.m. – New Business
• 9:30 p.m. – Adjournment

Here’s a list of upcoming meetings happening in the community:

• Queen Anne/Magnolia District Council: July 11, 7 to 9 p.m. – Interbay P-Patch
• Parks Committee: July 12 7:30 p.m. – Queen Anne Manor
• LURC/Planning Committee: July 18, 7 p.m. – Queen Anne Manor
• NAC Committee: July 20, 4:30 p.m. – Port Headquarters
• Transportation Committee: July 27, 7:30 p.m. – Queen Anne Manor
• QACC: Sept 7, 7:30 p.m. – Queen Anne Manor
• QACC Election/Annual Meeting: Sept 21 – Queen Anne Manor

As usual, tonight’s meeting will be taking place in the social room at the Manor. Attendees are reminded to please sign in at the front door upon arrival, and exit the building as quickly as possible after the meeting concludes so as not to disturb the residents. To get to the social room, take the elevator at the end of the hall down to the basement. The room will be at the left end of the hallway.

The June Queen Anne Community Council meeting last Wednesday night was highlighted by a visit from Seattle Police Department’s West Precinct Captain Joe Kessler and Sergeant Paul Gracy – both natives of the Queen Anne/Magnolia area.

The crime rates in Queen Anne remain relatively low, said Kessler.

“Overall Queen Anne is one of the safest areas around,” said Kessler.

Violent crime rates are down only a little from the same time last year, but Kessler said they weren’t that high to begin with. Car prowls and car thefts are down significantly from the same time last year. Burglaries, however, are up slightly.

“Burglaries are one of those tough ones for us,” said Kessler. “Personally, I hate burglaries. Short of a violent crime, I think one of the worst things that can happen to you as a citizen is to have a burglary.”

Burglaries tend to come in bunches and are often perpetrated by the same individuals, so that once a burglar is caught it often brings the number of burglaries down, said Kessler. The SPD has been working with the prosecutor’s office extensively to  target repeat burglars under the Repeat Burglary Initiative.

“We’re concentrating on the prolific guys that need to be in jail for a substantive period of time,” said Kessler.

Concerns over budget cuts and staffing were also discussed. The number of department staff is expected to remain stable despite budget cuts, said Kessler. SPD is firm on not cutting any of their patrol officers, and the current numbers are the highest they’ve ever been, said Kessler. However, increases in overall officers, like they’ve seen in previous years, is likely to stop.

The Crime Prevention Coordinators, who coordinate block watches and other neighborhood actions, may be phased out at the end of this year, said Kessler. It hinges on what the budget looks like for mid-year, but those positions will probably disappear, Kessler said.

“They do an incredible service, and they help the officers out tremendously,” said Kessler. “It’ll be a difficult thing for us to replace that … I don’t know how we will.”

It was encouraged by Kessler and Gracy that residents take advantage of the SPD’s online resources, in particular the SPD Crime Blotter for the West Precinct and the crime statistics on My Neighborhood Map. The King County online sex offender search was also mentioned.

Council Chair Ellen Monrad brought up the issue of the 7-Eleven the sells high-octane alcohol drinks on the hill. Gracy said officers have met with owner to discuss the problem, as well as notify the liquor control board. Stings to try to catch staff selling alcohol to minors have been performed, and they are working on an operation to address homeless buying alcohol for minors, said Gracy.

A few councilmembers discussed the problem of car speeding and drag racing along 10^th Avenue West late at night. Gracy said they would make local patrol officers aware of the situation, and it was recommended that residents petition SDOT for a mobile speed monitor.

After the talk by Kessler and Gracy, the council discussed briefly the elections coming up in September, and Councilmember Nicole Pastarnack volunteered to be chair of the elections committee.

The committee reports followed, including:

The Queen Anne Community Council’s monthly meeting is happening tonight, Wednesday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the social room at Queen Anne Manor, located at 100 Crockett Street. Here’s a look at what’s on the docket for this month’s meeting:

• 7:30 p.m. – Adoption of Agenda, Approval of Minutes, Treasurer’s Report
• 7:35 p.m. – Open Forum – Comments
• 7:45 p.m. – Captain Joe Kessler, Seattle Police Department
• 8:30 p.m. – Committee Reports

1. Transportation – Glenn Avery
2. LURC/Planning – Craig Hanway
3. Parks – Don Harper
4. Communication – Michael Lapin
5. District Council – Mike Warren
6. NAC – Kirk Robbins, Jim Smith, Glenn Avery, Don Harper
7. Social Issues – Kirk Robbins
8. Police & Crime – Allen Panich

• 9:25 p.m. – New Business
• 9:30 p.m. – Adjournment

Here’s a look at upcoming community meetings and events happening in the neighborhood over the next month.

• District Council: Monday, June 13 , 7 to 9 p.m., Queen Anne Community Center
• Parks Committee: Tuesday, June 14, 7:30 p.m. Queen Anne Manor
• NAC: Wendnesday, June 15, 4:30 p.m., Port Headquarters
• LURC/Planning: Monday, June 20, 7 p.m., Queen Anne Manor
• Transportation: Wednesday, June 29, 7:30 p.m., Queen Anne Manor
• QACC: Wednesday, July 6, 7:30 p.m., Queen Anne Manor
• QAHL Fun Run: Saturday, July 9

Attendees are reminded to sign in at the front door at Queen Anne Manor Manor, and bring questions on any neighborhood safety issues to pose to meeting guest Captain Kessler.

The Queen Anne Community Council Transportation Committee is having a meeting on neighborhood transportation issues and concerns at 7:30 p.m. this Wednesday, May 25 at Queen Anne Manor, located at 100 Crockett Street.

At the meeting the committee plans to cover current transportation issues affecting Queen Anne, including the proposed reduced service cuts along several Metro routes that go through the neighborhood, upcoming traffic studies, and other concerns of community members.

The meeting will be held in the Queen Anne Manor dining room. Attendees should enter on the Crockett side of the building, sign in at the reception desk, and proceed to the right down the hall and left at the main dining room. The private dining room is located in the back. Parking is available in a free parking lot or on the street. Attendees are reminded not to linger in the halls after the meeting concludes so as not to disturb manor residents.

Appropriate to the recent “green” holidays, the May Queen Anne Community Council meeting dedicated much of its time to guests speaking on behalf of trees and forests last Wednesday night.

Kay Napton, a member of the Seattle Planning Commission and FOLKpark, spoke on the need of FOLKpark to raise money to fund their $1.5 million project.  The amount raised from grants, about $850,000, falls well short, said Napton. She asked the QACC to help broaden FOLKparks breadth of contacts, such as leaders in the community and environmental groups, that can help raise the remaining funds needed to renovate Lower Kinnear Park.

Plant ecologist Michael Yadrick spoke about the Green Seattle Partnership and their efforts to enhance the tree canopy across the city. He said the organization was six years into its 20-year plan to reforest 2,500 acres, which include the Northeast, Southwest and Kinnear Park Greenbelts. Much of the work is done through volunteers, and Yadrick said Green Seattle Partnership will be looking to engage and recruit citizens in the area to be involved in the reforestation process.

Queen Anne resident Judy Leshner spoke about her development of Queen Anne tree tours based in part on the work of Arthur Lee Jacobson and his book “Trees of Seattle.” Leshner has created five self-guided Queen Anne tree tours to date, but still needs to finalize the tours by verifying some of the information with an arborist.

“I wanted to come up with something that was of interest and use to the Queen Anne community,” said Leshner. “As a former school teacher, I thought would be interesting to school children … and to those in the community and outside, who may go to businesses once they’re here.”

Greater Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce Director of Marketing Mary Chapman said she was interested in putting Leshner’s tree tours on her organization’s upcoming “Visit Queen Anne” website. She was also given ideas by council members on grants and city and organizational contacts.

Apart from the Earth Day and Arbor Day concerns, the transportation committee report headed by committee chair Glenn Avery discussed two letters addressed to SDOT and other interested parties that was passed in a vote at last week’s transportation committee meeting. Both letters were also passed by the council.

The first letter stated several points, including: QACC’s approval of SDOT’s alternative 5 for West Mercer Place; that the project be done this year; that the BAT lane south of West Mercer Place on Elliot Avenue West be converted to general traffic; and that SDOT conduct studies when finished extending the turn lanes on Elliott Avenue West to find out whether the desired results were achieved.

The second letter addressed West Mercer Place and the Mercer West Project more generally. It asked for comprehensive planning for pedestrian safety and movement throughout the Mercer/Roy corridor, as well as planning for parking requirements to sustain area businesses; the incorporation of crosswalks and traffic lights at Fourth Avenue West and Mercer Street and other corners where needed; three lanes each way on Mercer Street under the Aurora Avenue North underpass; the exclusion of in-lane bus stops on Mercer Street unless there are additional unblocked lanes; no construction to take place while the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement, including the Viaduct demolition, is underway; and comprehensive review of the project when it’s finished to find out whether it’s working or if it needs changes.

In addition, another “stronger” letter specifically addressing parking in Uptown with respect to the Mercer West Project will be written.

Councilmember Kirk Robbins also spoke about the possibility of Lake City’s temporary tent city moving to one of two sites in the Magnolia/Queen Anne area. The mayor convened a panel that picked seven possible sites for a permanent tent city, said Robbins, including one at the West Yard down on the waterfront and another on a Seattle City Light site in the West Dravus Street area of Magnolia. All of these sites are “back on the table,” and the evaluation process by the Seattle City Council was extended into July, said Robbins. QACC Chair Ellen Monrad said that they will continue to monitor the city’s decision making on the permanent tent city, and council members floated the idea of writing a letter.