An amendment vote on MHA legislation will be taken by the City Council on Monday, February 25, 2019, at 2:30pm or after a City Council  Committee Discussion & Potential Vote on amendments, MHA & Comp Plan CBs, and Companion Resolution–Seattle City Hall, Council Chambers, 600 4th Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, on Monday, March 18, 2019, 2:00pm

The full Council has scheduled this as a final Council vote. On February 21 the MHA Select Committee held a hearing on the proposed legislation and amendments. In addition to raising a number of issues about the proposal by joining the SCALE appeal https://www.scaleseattle.org/appeal.html FNC has supported several proposed amendments.

The FNC joined in the SCALE appeal, and also filed its own appeal. In Fremont, the historic row of houses on 36th Street by the Troll is of major concern. There is a potential amendment to keep the zoning on the block low enough to reduce the pressure for developers to replace the historic buildings with new large boxes of tiny apartments. The amendment is number 6-18 at page 169 of the staff report on CB 119444: http://seattle.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=7026281&GUID=FD04E0A9-CB09-45B5-8480-97E93CDA25BF&fbclid=IwAR0JpMvuMEBUMRskxNUFvA8OHD-9LaCKzE7PSvSvsFWdif3_gcRFtlHjzMg

Another amendment, number 4-16, of major importance in East Fremont to protect the tree canopy and a few blocks of cottages and gardens in East Fremont did not appear in the staff report for the hearing because Councilmember Johnson had not yet agreed to sponsor it. He is reportedly still considering some version of that reduction in the upzone for East Fremont’s heavily tree canopied blocks. Several East Fremont residents spoke at the hearing, and more have been writing in support of Amendment 4-16. They asked CM O’Brien (District 6 from the troll west), and CM Johnson (District 4 from the Troll east) to support amendment 6-18 for the historic row on N. 36th Street, and amendment 4-16 for East Fremont. Your letters and calls to CMs O’Brien, Johnson, Mosqueda and the rest of the Council could be helpful.