The appeal hearing for the proposed Ballard Urban Rest Stop has been set for February 10 at 9 am in Room 4000 of the Seattle Municipal Tower (700 Fifth Ave.).
The hygiene center is planned to occupy the ground floor of the Low Income Housing Institute's (LIHI) Cheryl Chow Court located at 2014 NW 57TH St.
The Cheryl Chow Court has 51 units and provides affordable housing for the elderly. They recently started leasing. Managers of the building reported that they are having no trouble filling the leases, despite the contention surrounding the URS. Eligible seniors need to be age 62 or older with annual earnings 50 percent or below the area’s median income ($78,500). 10 percent of the housing is reserved for homeless seniors.
The meeting is the result of legal action filed by neighbors that say the URS is a “bad fit” and should not be established.
Reasons for the appeal include issues concerning noise, the scale of the project, inadequate laundry venting, public health and safety and lack of an adequate transportation plan – to name a few.
The appeal letter, drafted by the neighbors’ attorney, states, “Our clients live less than a block from the project site and have submitted numerous comments. … (They) will be significantly affected by noise, odors, increased criminal activity, inadequate parking facilities and traffic, and general incompatibility of this institutional use in their neighborhood.”
Two major concerns listed in the appeal letter pertain to the URS not being far enough from other institutional use buildings and lack of parking.
The Seattle municipal code stipulates institutional use facilities need to be at least 600 feet apart. The proposed URS is less than 600 feet from the Ballard Public Library, St. Luke’s Church and a drug and alcohol treatment facility. Furthermore, LIHI received U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 202 funding to build the site. HUD requires a minimum number of parking spaces be provided for tenants unless it can be proven the parking is not needed.
Administrative Conditional Use (ACU) approval is needed to get around the code. An ACU waives developmental standards for projects.
The Ballard News-Tribune contacted the individuals who filed the appeal and is waiting for their response.
So why was the new location chosen as the site for the URS?
Last April, Sharon Lee, Executive Director of LIHI, told the Ballard News-Tribune that a lot of thought went into choosing the location of the site.
“We think that the site is a good one because it’s good for pedestrians, and we are not in a industrial zone. You’re not going to go across town to use the bathroom. We wanted it to be close to public amenities and transportation,” said Lee.
A recent KUOW article explored how the URS would affect those using it most and the demand for a facility like it in Ballard.
Indeed, there is a demand for such a facility in Ballard, especially for individuals living in their cars. The 2014 One Night Count of homeless people in King County reported that Seattle had 2,303 individuals, and 730 (32 percent) were found sheltered in their vehicles. Much of Ballard has parking laws that allow vehicles to stay put for 72 hours.
Look to the Ballard News-Tribune for further coverage of the issue.
