While previously there has been great support from the public at large against the proposed 24-unit apartment in downtown Edmonds, they have only been looking at the Main Street view. I’m asking all of you to come out again to support me at the special Edmonds City Council meeting March 29 regarding the Interim Design Standards to address the situation of the proposed apartment’s size, density, location and visual impact of it sitting directly on the lot line of the alley. Pedestrian and vehicle safety also needs to be addressed. Nothing would have happened at all if you had not spoken up.

I was told by a member of the city council that it is “an administrative problem” and it definitely is. Zoning and the Comprehensive Plan should have been addressed decades ago. Again, the developer says in his proposal that:

“Structures on the adjacent parcels do not support the intensity of development under the current zoning and comprehensive plan and are anticipated to eventually be replaced with higher-density development. The proposed project is seen as a guide for future redevelopment allowed and encouraged by the comprehensive plan”.

First, there is the issue of combining 605 and 611 Main. Does this not have to have a hearing or has it just been pushed through without proper notice to the surrounding properties? LUPA (Land Use Petition Act) is legally required for this two-lot combination. Has this application for a lot line adjustment been timely and legally applied for, sequenced, documented and noticed to the neighbors of these two lots? Why spend all this staff time on this design if the lots could not be legally allowed to be combined in the first place?

Monday, I spoke with Kernen Lien, the interim planning manager, who has told me that they are not addressing the location of the proposed apartment on the alley and that the “interim design standards” will be presented to the council on March 29.  A preview will be available on the city council agenda webpage at the end of the week.

My fear is that the city is going to allow this to go through without addressing the back side of the building on the alley and that those of us most affected are going to be the “sacrificial lambs.” What is really needed is setbacks on both sides and the back of the building as there is everywhere else on this square block.

Please use your imagination to see what I, and all my neighbors, will see and have to contend with.

My husband and I were very fortunate to be able to purchase our Condo at 600 Bell Street. Our unit is one half of the second floor facing east, south and west with full direct sunlight and a view of life. It is my forever home. I have 27 windows, which, all but three, have full direct sunlight from sunrise to sunset. For me, if this is approved, it is going to feel like being inside a prison – my view will be of a very close, impenetrable 40-foot (four-story) solid wall between 23 and 25 feet from my windows and I will not be able to enter or leave freely and safely from my garage. I will lose all privacy, direct sunlight and enjoyment of my home. Every time I look out my windows, I will see “The Wall.”  The architect said that the height of the building wouldn’t affect direct sunlight on the surrounding buildings or the ability to have solar panels, but that is definitely not so.

There are three garages on this side of the condo.  My garage, on the southeast edge of the building, is 18 inches lower than the alley with a raised garbage/recycling enclosure level with the alley that blocks my view. There is a berm, put in by the city, along the alley in front of the garages to divert drainage water that I have to bump over. Once I start backing up the incline, I have no visibility of what is behind me, or who might be coming and a limited turning radius along the enclosure. “The Wall” will be 15 feet away. A car exiting the underground garage at this proposed development will literally have to be in the alley before they can see either way, as it is a zero-lot line with obstructions from both sides. A proposed tiny mirror is not a safe solution, as you are at a steep angle to exit.  Cars exiting 601 Main are also in the same situation with no visibility. A required setback would make it safe for all of us.

Kernen Lien told me previously that “Alley use is discussed in the staff report and has been reviewed by the city’s traffic engineer” but all I can find in the report is this from page 4 of the staff report: “Traffic impacts are mitigated though traffic impact fees collected in accordance with ECC 3.36.125.”

The traffic study apparently said that the traffic count in the alley at “peak times” was in the threshold where it would be safe to have another 24 vehicles entering and leaving. This was done in November/December when many people are away for the holidays and the winter. It also doesn’t take into consideration that It is already difficult to drive in the alley as twovehicles cannot pass unless there is a setback that you can drive into.  24 additional vehicles, plus moving and delivery trucks, will make it much more difficult and unsafe. Almost all the condos on Main Street in the same alley block have onsite loading and unloading areas with even fewer residents than this apartment. This should be a requirement for any large housing development in this compact zone.

At the ADB meeting, the city said that they wouldn’t allow a loading zone on Main, which means that the alley will be totally blocked for hours every time one of the 24 units moves in and out, ad infinitum. They will probably be parked directly in front of my garage and even if they are not, they will be blocking my neighbors and I will not have the turning radius to leave my garage. The architect said that they would book two-hour slots. This is not acceptable! I should be able to enter and leave my garage freely. Do I need to make an appointment to get in and out of my garage? Do I need to back out along the alley onto 6th into the oncoming traffic? There needs to be a setback to accommodate the moving trucks and for safety.

Visibility at both ends of the alley is very poor because of cars parked too close on either side to the narrow alley entrances both on 6th and 7th.  Picture this: a moving truck parked, vehicles coming in at both entrances to the alley and one or more other cars trying to get out. This is a narrow, sometimes steep alley. How are we supposed to deal with that? There needs to be a setback for safety.

Interim design standards should be in keeping with the surrounding neighborhood with safety in mind. Faulty zoning is not an excuse to allow this higher-density oversized development to go ahead putting a permanent stain on our beloved historic downtown.

The citizens of Edmonds want our downtown historic community to remain “The Gem of Puget Sound.”

Respectfully,

Lynda Fireman
Edmonds