With little fanfare — and in some cases less attention than they deserved — four other notable bills (besides the Uptown MHA upzone) were passed into law by the City Council today.
Continue readingCategory: neighborhoods
The Council is holding a public hearing tonight. This one matters.
The Council’s Planning, Land Use and Zoning Committee is holding a public hearing tonight on two issues: the proposed MHA rezone of the Uptown urban center, and some potential changes to the way that design reviews are done. Many of the Council’s public hearings are perfunctory: the Council members already have a good idea how they plan to vote, and the most that commenters can hope for are to get some minor tweaks to the legislation. But as of last Friday when the PLUZ committee met to discuss the two topics, there are some big open issues that the Council …
Continue readingUnderstanding the MHA Draft Environmental Impact Statement
On June 8th, the city published a Draft Environment Impact Statement (DEIS) for the “city-wide” implementation of the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program. It’s 462 pages of dense material. Here’s your cheat sheet.
Continue readingCouncil looks to get tough on vacant buildings
This morning, the Council heard a proposal to tighten the rules and streamline others in order to prevent vacant buildings from becoming neighborhood nuisances — or worse, fire hazards.
Continue readingFort Lawton
In February of 1898, seven hundred acres on Magnolia Bluff were given to the federal government. Today, almost all of that land is back in local hands. Almost — the last bit has been the source of plans, lawsuits and headaches for ten years.
Continue readingNew AirBnB study questions underpinnings of another “gig economy” company
Last week a new report came out on AirBnB’s “home sharing” business, and it questions the view that the company is about sharing that extra room in your house.
Continue readingDepartment of Neighborhoods says more about District Councils, some of it meaningful
Today the Department of Neighborhoods posted a message from Director Kathy Nyland confirming that it had sent legislation to the Council, rewriting its charter, which is identical to what the Eastlake Community Council posted earlier this week.
Continue readingDepartment of Neighborhoods equivocates on support for District Councils, insulates itself
The Department of Neighborhoods seems determined to leave everyone guessing as to what kind of support it will provide to District Councils moving forward. And in the meantime, it’s moving to insulate itself further from accountability to the communities it serves.
Continue readingCity backpedals on dissolving ties with District Councils
In the latest reverse for the Murray Administration, the Department of Neighborhoods is now singing a different tune on District Councils and says that they will continue to receive some level of support.
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