While we await word on whether or not King County Metro will cut bus service here in Queen Anne, there is news about a number of proposed streetcar services in the works citywide, including one that would connect Lower Queen Anne to downtown, South Lake Union and First Hill, and another that would link downtown to Loyal Heights via SLU, Fremont and Ballard.

A preview of the report, which serves as a blueprint for the city’s transit planning for the next 20 years, was presented to the City Council’s Transportation committee on Tuesday. A draft of the full report is expected to be presented in September, according to a report by the SeattlePI.

According to the plan, two rail lines are considered to be the preferred option for transit in the “downtown connector,” which includes Lower Queen Anne.

Line CC1 would connect downtown with Lower Queen Anne via streetcar, while CC2 would run between downtown and South Lake Union via SLU’s existing rail tracks. From the looks of the map, it appears CC1 would run up 1st Ave N from S Jackson St. through Pioneer Square and Belltown to Queen Anne, with proposed stations at Denny Way and 1st Ave N, and potential terminal stations west of Seattle Center at 1st Ave N and Harrison, and at the base of the hill at Queen Anne Ave N and Mercer Street/Roy. Both the CC1 and CC2 streetcar lines would then connect to the South Lake Union Streetcar and forthcoming First Hill Streetcar, which is set to open in 2013.

The plans also outlines a Ballard streetcar line would cost about $327 million to build, including a new rail bridge across the ship canal (which would cost about $70 million) and a retrofitting of the Fremont Bridge (which would cost $10 to $12 million). Based on the map, it looks like the proposed rail line would run up and down 36th Street through Fremont en route to Ballard/Loyal Heights in one direction and South Lake Union/downtown in the other.

Of course, don’t get too excited, it’ll take a while to get this up and running. The entire plan is set-up to unfold over the next 20 years.

You can check out much more details on the plan via this PDF link.

“The businesses featured in the campaign all deliver one-of-a-kind experiences and range from wine shops to butchers to the home of one of the largest video collections in the world,” the press release read.

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The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is scheduled to begin construction on the West Thomas Street Pedestrian and Bicycle Overpass, a project designed to improve safety and provide direct access to Myrtle Edwards Park from the Lower Queen Anne area for pedestrians and bicyclists, next month. The project was originally slated to begin in August, but was pushed up after a lawsuit over the project’s schedule, which conflicted with Seattle’s annual Hempfest festival and rally.

In advance of construction time SDOT is inviting the public to learn more about the project, including information on traffic detours and area impacts throughout the construction period, from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight, Thursday, May 26 in the Elliott Bay Room of Homewood Suites, located at 206 Western Ave W, near the overpass site. From SDOT:

SDOT project staff will be available to explain design and construction details, and answer questions. There will not be a formal presentation, so participants may show up any time between 5 and 7 p.m. Complimentary parking underneath the Homewood Suites building is available by checking in at the front desk and obtaining a key card to enter the secure parking garage.

When the overpass is completed it will provide access over the very busy Elliott Ave W and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad tracks to Myrtle Edwards Park. It will also serve as a connection for bicyclists, part of a future Lake Bay Loop – a planned bicycle route that will run between South Lake Union, Seattle Center and the existing bicycle trail in Myrtle Edwards Park.

The project, part of the Walk, Bike, Ride initiative and funded by the Park Levy I and II, grant funds from the Puget Sound Regional Council and King County, and private donations, is estimated to cost a total of $10 million.

For more information visit the project website, or review our past coverage here.

The area bounded by Denny Way, Broad, and Aurora, squeezed between the Seattle Center and South Lake Union, has been called by many names, but is probably most known as the “Uptown Triangle.” Some like to call it the “the lost triangle.”

The 36-acre area just southeast of Queen Anne, highlighted in pink above, is currently filled with wide roads and industrial buildings. But over the last year the Uptown Alliance and representatives from the Queen Anne Community Council have been working to get the city to redevelop the area, alongside development plans already in the works for the nearby Mercer corridor and deep bored tunnel projects.

In September QACC Land Use Regulation Commission and Planning chair Craig Hanway presented the City Council’s Committee on Built Environment with a plan (.pdf) to fix up the space. From the report:

A 36 acre area in Seattle’s Uptown Urban Center [is] surrounded by a vibrant community, rich with jobs, public amenities and cultural assets. However, the Triangle remains neglected and underutilized. It’s time to heal the scars created by Broad Street and the “Mercer Mess”.

At 12 p.m. on Thursday, January 27 Hanway and Uptown Alliance and QACC transportation chair John Coney will present the recent planning recommendations for the Uptown Triangle in a public forum.

With ideas on everything from building bike lanes and parks, mixed-use retail and apartment complexes, and promoting connections between the urban centers of Lower Queen Anne, South Lake Union, and downtown, Hanway and Coney envision creating a more residential, family friendly, transit-served, bike and pedestrian friendly neighborhood with its own identity. The ultimate goal of the Uptown Triangle development project is to create a vibrant urban community that serves as a crossroads between the high-tech, telecommunications, and arts and global health hubs that surround it.

Some of the early ideas being considered for the Uptown Triangle include:

• Adding a major bicycle route to John Street;
• Running streetcar lines on Thomas Street, 5th, and Republican;
• Envisioning Thomas Street as a café-lined thoroughfare with ground-floor retail;
• Townhouses on John Street, Taylor, and 6th;
• Diversity of housing types and affordability;
• Transit and walkable links to Denny Park and the Seattle Center;
• Using trees and green space to offset the urban environment at the Harrison Street portal to the SR 99 tunnel.

Thursday’s meeting will take place at GGLO Architecture, at 1301 First Avenue, Suite 301 (located on the north side of the Harbor Steps, across from the Seattle Art Museum). The QACC and Uptown Alliance are eager to hear comments from the community about the plan. For more information, contact John Coney at 206-283-2049.

If you’re planning to head over to Gas Works Park this Sunday to watch the fireworks show, then we recommend reading My Wallingford’s fireworks guide featuring the schedule, parking, road closures and other events in the area. My Wallingford will be covering the event through the weekend.

Meanwhile, Saturday is a big day in Fremont, where thousands (yes, thousands) of people will dress up as zombies and wander aimlessly through the neighborhood. It’s an effort to recapture the world’s record, which they set last year only to have England snatch it away.

The zombie walk runs 5-8 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a night of activities at Fremont Outdoor Movies. Fremont Universe has the details here, and it will post the necessary gruesome photos later this weekend.

For those of you who couldn’t make it to the Queen Anne/South Lake Union Public Safety Forum last week, Seattle Channel has video of the event and has put it up online–all 66 minutes of it–for your viewing pleasure!

Speakers and panelists at the forum included representatives from the Seattle Police Department, Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle City Council, as well as community and organizational leaders. Topics covered included public safety, Block Watch programs,  graffiti reporting–a particularly hot issue in Queen Anne right now–and more.

For those who prefer to watch Seattle Channel on the good old fashioned TV, they will be airing repeats of the cablecast at 2 p.m. today, Thursday, April 29 and 2 p.m. tomorrow, Friday, April 30 on Channel 21.

The Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce, South Lake Union Chamber of Commerce, Uptown Alliance and Queen Anne Community Council are teaming up to host a Public Safety Forum at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 21, in the Rainier Room at Seattle Center.

Topics covered will include public safety, Block Watch programs,  graffiti reporting and more. Speakers and panelists include Sgt. Paul Gracey, Terrie Johnston and Commander Captain Steve Brown from SPD, Daniel Sims from Seattle Public Utilities, Council member and Queen Anne resident Tim Burgess, and Catholic Community Services representative Eileen McComb.

Nancy Guppy, the host and producer of Art Zone with Nancy Guppy (viewable on Seattle Channel and KCTS), will be the Master of Ceremonies for the event. Here’s what attendees can expect:

Sgt. Paul Gracy and Terrie Johnston of Seattle’s West Precinct will brief South Lake Union, Uptown, and Queen Anne neighbors on how and when to report suspicious or criminal activity to the Seattle Police Department.  They will explain how the Police respond to citizens’ reports. Learn about the actual crime levels in our Center City neighborhoods. Hear about the staffing that is now available for patrols in South Lake Union and Uptown/Queen Anne. Learn how you and your neighbors can participate in the Block Watch Program to discourage criminal activity where we live and shop.

Daniel Sims of Seattle Public Utilities will brief neighbors on when and how to report graffiti and how it can be removed promptly.

Hear presentations and interact with a panel which will include City Councilmember Tim Burgess who will explain how the City Council is supporting crime prevention, safety of the public, and improved civility on our streets. Captain Steve Brown, Commander of SPD West Precinct will show how police protection for Seattle’s citizens in being improved and will answer questions. Eileen McComb of Catholic Community Services will speak about the role of shelters in helping homeless individuals and families to fit into our Center City neighborhoods.

Community members are invited to comment on public safety and civility in the community at the forum, where they will be compiled and made available to City government.

There are some new developments in the shooting that happened inside Jillian’s in Lower Queen Anne/South Lake Union over the weekend. According to SeattleCrime.com the victim, a 27-year-old who wound up at Harborview with a gunshot wound to his buttocks, has gang ties.

Seattle police records say the 27-year-old man shot over the weekend inside of Jillian’s nightclub in South Lake Union is “a member or associate” of the Mad Pack Blood Gang.

The victim reportedly also has multiple assault convictions. Read the full story here. This is the same incident after which the manager of Jillian’s was arrested for false reporting to police.

For over a year the Lake Union Opportunity Alliance has been fighting proposals from the city to raise allowable building heights to 300 feet between Denny Way and the South Lake Union waterfront. Currently the height limits are 125 feet along Denny and 40 feet at the waterfront. If these heights were to be raised, many say it would significantly alter the live-ability of the still young South Lake Union neighborhood and block lake views for those living on the facing hillsides in Queen Anne and Capitol Hill.

Anyone invested in the future of South Lake Union, or the views of the lake from Queen Anne, is encouraged to attend a public meeting on Tuesday, January 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Seattle Unity Church Fellowship Hall, located at 200 8^th Ave N, to review and comment on the revised Environmental Impact Study alternatives and voice their opinions on the development of South Lake Union.

At the meeting the city will present the draft design framework for the development of South Lake Union for the public to comment on (download PDF copy here). The Department of Planning and Development will also discuss the revised height and density Environmental Impact Study reports (download PDF copy here), and will answer any questions the public may have about the study and rezoning process.

LUOA, which represents 500 South Lake Union residents, believes that all three EIS alternatives provide excessively high building heights that would hinder the neighborhood’s growth, arguing that the first alternative, which allows for 300 foot towers along the waterfront of South Lake Union, would ruin the pedestrian experience in the area in addition to blocking views in nearby neighborhoods. LUOA says that views of the Space Needle would be blocked for many living in South Lake Union, while views of the lake would be blocked for many living on the east and south slopes of Queen Anne. The Capitol Hill Times reported last week that higher towers on South Lake Union would significantly block views from the west side of Capitol Hill.

According to LUOA board member Diane Masson, many living in Queen Anne who would be affected by the zoning changes have not even heard about the issue yet. Which is why, she says, it is so important for Queen Anne and South Lake Union residents to attend Tuesday’s meeting, voice their opinions, and send an email or letter to Mayor Mike McGinn.

LUOA is working to ensure that the final rezoning recommendation include the following:

Responsible, measured density growth that preserves the character of the neighborhood, provides for housing, income diversity and local businesses.

Step down in height across the South Lake Union basin from 240 ft at Denny Way to 40 ft at the Lake to preserve views of the Space Needle and Lake for all.

No increase in current height allowed for commercial buildings.

Tower spacing above 85 ft no less than 150 ft.

Limit podium heights to 20-40 ft.

Complete the Concurrency Plan for public amenities before rezone is approved, including community center, branch library, public school location, transportation and parking.

Provided for parks and open space to meet the Seattle Comprehensive plan of 1 acre of parks or open space per 1000 residents.

Maintain current zoning in all of the Cascade Neighborhood, including to Fairview Avenue.

Protect View Corridors toward Lake Union on Westlake, Terry and Fairview Avenues.

Although the meeting tomorrow will cover the EIS alternatives, the issue of development in South Lake Union is two-fold: Two weeks ago, the city approved a Land Use Amendment that allows building heights of up to 120 feet, plus an additional 15 feet of rooftop mechanical equipment, in the area zoned for Phase III of the UW Medical Campus. (Read what Councilmember Tim Burgess, who voted for the Amendment, has to say here. Read LUOA’s opinion here.)

To read up on the plans for South Lake Union click here, or contact Jim Holmes at jim.holmes@seattle.gov or (206) 684-8372.

Yesterday we reported that the city is considering upping the building heights to allow for towers up to 300 feet tall in our neighboring community of South Lake Union. The Lake Union Opportunity Alliance held a meeting last night to rally support for their alternative proposal and hopefully push the city to add this plan to the pool of neighborhood growth programs for City Council to vote on (one of the main issues with this proposal concerns the rezoning of UW’s Phase III Medical Center, which City Council will be voting on on Monday, January 11). LUOA board member Diane Masson, who is hoping to gain support from the Queen Anne community, reported that the meeting, which was advertised little in advance, had 90 attendees, including three City Council members and one representative for another member who couldn’t make it. She wrote,

Sally Clarke said LUOA is well respected and the City wants to connect with us whenever they have questions in the neighborhood.  Tom Rasmussen announced a compromise is on the table for UW Phase III text amendment that we oppose (it will upzone potentially 6 blocks to 125 right next to the lake).  If a compromise goes through it will be a victory for LUOA, we are waiting to hear what it is.

The city’s three Environmental Impact Study reports were presented at the meeting, however LUOA hopes to get their plan on the docket, as many residents believe 300 foot towers would not be conducive to vibrant pedestrian experience next to Lake Union at the base of Queen Anne hill. Masson wrote,

I asked the City two simple questions. First, “Your utopia of SLU sounds great and we all want to live there, but I don’t see families gathering and people jogging down the street next to 300 ft buildings. There will be no sunlight on the street.” Second, “If 85% of the public through oral and written comments supported the LUOA alternative, why did the City not include the LUOA alternative as one of the three alternatives?” Jim Holmes for the City said, “that is a good question.”

The Department of Planning and Development will be holding another public meeting on Tuesday, January 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Seattle Unity Church Fellowship Hall, 200 8^th Ave N, to review and comment on the draft framework and learn about the revised EIS alternatives. LUOA is encouraging anyone invested in Lower Queen Anne and South Lake Union to attend and give their opinion.

“We have our foot in the door and need to push it open all the way with emails, emails and emails.  LUOA will post next steps to take with emails in the next week,” Masson said. “Be there to voice your concerns. The City counts how many people attend.”

Being the oldest neighborhood in Seattle, Queen Anne-ers may sometimes forget what it’s like living in a community that is still very much in development. Our neighbors just southeast of us in South Lake Union, on the other hand, know exactly what it’s like. The Lake Union Opportunity Alliance has been fighting for months to persuade the city to reconsider current plans to allow 160 ft to 300 ft towers to be built between Westlake and Aurora. They’re holding a meeting tonight (apologies for the late notice – we just found out) from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Seattle Unity Church, located at 200 8th Ave N, and are asking the Queen Anne community for support.

“This is happening quite quickly,” wrote LUOA board member Diane Masson. “If Queen Anne does not speak up now, it will be over before we know it.”

As part of South Lake Union’s Neighborhood Plan the Department of Planning and Development has been looking into ways to height and density to bolster the neighborhood’s growth. In September 2008 the DPD proposed three alternatives for increasing height development in SLU that were evaluated in an Environmental Impact Study. However, according to LUOA, none of these alternatives are an acceptable option for South Lake Union and most of the public comments on the plans, the majority of which were against this kind of growth, were ignored. Masson writes,

What about SLU streets by Lake Union becoming wind tunnels like downtown? How is this going to affect sailing on the lake?  SLU will become an extension of downtown with two towers per block.  NO more sunlight on the sidewalks and people that depend on food from the Cascade Neighborhood P-Patch will get no sunlight to grow food. SLU park will have shade from 125 ft – 300 ft buildings across the street to the South blocking the sunshine most of the year. Will a family want to move to SLU if kids can’t run and play in the sun at their local park? Now let’s talk views.  Almost all of Capitol Hill will have their views of the Space Needle and Sound taken away by a cement wall 160 ft to 300 ft tall from Mercer to Denny. Eastlake residents, houseboats residents and Wallingford could lose their view of the Space Needle. I-5 is supposed to be view corridor to the Lake and to the Space Needle.  What about our forgotten Seniors at Mirabella?  Are they going to be surrounded by tall buildings that will block light for seniors who have limited vision?

The issue, according to Masson, is very complicated, which explains why it is hard to find comprehensive explanations in the media. The plan deals with both the rezoning of UW’s Phase III Medical Center, which City Council will be voting on on Monday, January 11, and the new draft EIS Alternatives. For more information, check out the LUOA website, the South Lake Union Neighborhood Plan,

DPD will be holding another public meeting on Tuesday, January 26 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Seattle Unity Church Fellowship Hall, 200 8^th Ave N, to review and comment on the draft framework and learn about the revised EIS alternatives.