Dear Editor:
When the City of Edmonds reviews and deliberates on the proposed plan to redevelop Harbor Square, it is important that the various officials, boards, the City Council and the Mayor approach this review with an open mind. Unfortunately over the past several years, there is immediate opposition against any development proposal in the downtown area, which has building with heights of more than two stories. I am requesting that the officials and boards and City Council consider this proposed plan to redevelop Harbor Square in its totality and not reject the plan because some of the building will be more than two stories.
In closing, it should be noted it is quite obvious that the Harbor Square area needs to be redeveloped. Now is the opportunity for the Port and the City to provide a means to make that area attractive. The present proposed Harbor Square Master Plan has been approved by the Port District after an open deliberative process.
Allen Hendricks
There will be nothing attractive about tall condos! Nothing! The area will not attract people to visit and spend money here. The area will not attract ferry travelers to stop either. It won’t matter what sort of shops will be on the ground level, the height of the buildings along with the fact that there are condos there will detract rather than attract.
Once the height has been approved, nothing will stop further development with the height variance. This city will no longer be a welcoming, warm and friendly city. It will appeal to a limited few.
I’m sad that the planning board approved the plan, but not surprised. It has been a losing battle from the beginning with the so-called dollar signs being flashed about as a cure-all for all that ails the city. And, we have seen what our opinions means, haven’t we? With the continued plan for 5 Corners and the elimination of the bowling alley for another bank and a Walgreen’s.
I have never argued that the area needed improving, but there are so many ways to do that, without tall buildings that will destroy the water view for so many.
Goodbye, Edmonds, as we know it.
Patrica, The planning board has not approved any plan for HS. This is still in the early stages of discussion. The wed the 22nd the planning board will be having a workshop about HS. This workshop would give you an opportunity to find out more about the process. Although this is not a public hearing on HS it is a public meeting and citizen comments will be allowed.
The City Council page on the City’s Website has a tab for “Agendas”. This tab opens up a page where citizens can view meeting agendas. Related to the month of August, 2012, agendas of meetings of the following entities can be found:
Architectural Design Board
City Council
City Council Committees
Transportation Benefit District Board
Planning Board
Hearing Examiner
Historic Preservation Commission
Parks, Planning & Public Works Committee
When one clicks on the Meeting Agenda Date, detailed information related to the meeting is provided.
For example,the August 22, 2012 Planning Board Agenda contains 12 Attachments related to the Harbor Square Master Plan.
I encourage citizens to review this information. Attachment 1, for example, is very informative as it provides 7 pages of Port answers to earlier Planning Board Questions.
One item of note is found under Question Number 6. It is stated that Harbor Square Athletic Club has a lease through July 14, 2040. As such, the concept that “it is quite obvious that the Harbor Square area needs to be redeveloped” may be debated.
Furthermore, the anchor tenant may have to agree to redevelopment, which possibly would disrupt their business for a period of time. As a business, they may also desire that their agreed to lease rates are not increased before 2040.
This is a very complicated matter with many elements. I agree with Darrol that this is still in the early stages of discussion. I believe it will be a comprehensive discussion in many ways. I just hope the issue does not demand too much of the Planning Board’s available time, impacting the time available to address other important items.
Thankfully, I misread Mr. Hendricks letter. Thank you, Mr. Haug, and Mr. Reidy for bringing that to my attention. Whew, relief for sure. You have rekindled my hope.
Patricia, Happy to help. Ken is alway more complet on this answers and he gave a very good way for all of us to get involved. Aug 22, 7pm is the next time to add knowledge for everyone. What do you hope for? Redevelopment within the current guidelines? No redevelopment at all? A public market?
Thank you to Ken Reidy for pointing to where the documents are located for the August 22nd meeting. I really wish that this meeting, if it is being recorded, could be placed on the City website. I just don’t want to watch two hours when I can’t fast forward through the fluff…. I rarely watch broadcast TV any longer, but instead watch online or through Comcast on demand.
I’m much relieved that this project is in the early stages. It seems to me that almost a “second city” is being created with no connection to the older part of Edmonds. I can foresee a time when the vacancies in downtown Edmonds increase and the focus is shifted to the Harbor Square area. With the ferry traffic in between the two, there is little chance of a true connection between the sites. Shouldn’t we be focusing our money and energies on downtown Edmonds?
And if the Harbor Square buildings were put up in the late 1970s why do they have to be torn down? Can’t they be remodeled? What about being green?
I agree with those trying to tamper the hysteria surrounding the ‘proposed’ Harbor Square development. The beauty, vitality and future of Edmonds is not tied to this project or any potential development across the street from HS. As a city we have much going for us in other parts of town including a good mix of viable businesses, affordable housing, access to public transit, schools, healthcare and more. I assume the planning process and the many interested parties will work to make this a winner in due time.
As others have said, the Harbor Square plans have a long way to go. The Planning Board is only at the point of reviewing the Master Plan, which, while it is a big step, it’s not as big as the title might suggest. We are a long way from Code revisions.
For Tracy Tallman, you make an excellent point about opportunities to add to our precious downtown area. However, it’s not the people who decide what developments will come, it’s the landowners, and the landowners simply can’t afford to remodel significantly at this point. As they say, “it doesn’t pencil out”. There is plenty that could be done, but it’s all about the bottom line.
I am not sorry to say that the Harbors Master Plan did not provide to the city of Edmonds critical files. There is both a well marketed version of the plan in PDF and in printing and on the web. What I want to see and have access to are source files. There is no public access to the 3-D building profile in any CAD file that one could say render to expose the views in real time from let’s say Main Street from the top of the hill or Borden way, 5th or 9th. The technology is there to render what this project would look like if it moves forward. But at the very least the Counsel should ask for and demand the source files of CAD drawings and BIM (Building Information Model) and let the citizens that have the ability to render what this project means and present it. I am not impressed with the selling of the street level pamphlet and PDF slide shows I want to original file views files I know for a fact I can render the project from any point in Edmonds if I had access to source files. So it looks like a FOIA moment if these records are not there now.