“Hundreds of low cost housing units and small businesses and unique character of our diverse community – all are threatened.” John Fox, Seattle Displacement Coalition

You’re Invited: Important Community Forum on the City’s upzone plan and how it affects your home, low cost housing, and small business.

Monday, May 16th – 7:00-8:30 PM – University Heights Community Center Room 209, 5031 University Way NE

City Councilmembers and/or their staff and city planners will be there to hear your concerns.

Sponsors: Seattle Displacement Coalition, University District Community Council, Roosevelt Neighbor’s Alliance, Interfaith Task Force on Homelessness, Laurelhurst Community Council, Seattle Fair Growth, and Livable UDistrict.

City identifies on the map (above) properties likely to be redeveloped containing over 500 low cost apartments and dozens of existing small businesses – meaning  DISPLACED.

* Nearly half the small businesses along the Ave affected

* No area of U-District is left untouched

For an inventory of housing threatened in the District and a city map showing how widespread redevelopment would be and the properties likely to be redeveloped over the planning period click here:  http://www.zipcon.net/~jvf4119/

Join us for an important community forum to hear how the plan has changed and how it will affect neighborhood homes or small businesses. Hear from sponsoring groups their take & learn how together we can fight it. The future of this unique community is at stake.

More Details on their plan: This summer the City Council is expected to decide whether to upzone the District for 240’ to 340’ towers. That’s 15’ to 115’ taller than University Plaza Condominium – nearly all of our community south of 47th, Freeway to the Ave upzoned to these colossal densities. These areas are chock-full of low income and affordable 1,2, and 3 story apartments. All area north of 47th and along the Ave also would be substantially upzoned including quite possible single family areas west of Roosevelt.

Driven by developers & the U of W, they’re seeking to turn the entire community into a hi-tech hub. Adding upzones the U of W is seeking on campus and south of Campus Parkway, it’s enough for another 8-10 million square feet of office pace, more than 8 downtown Columbia Towers & more than what’s planned for South Lake Union. We’d rival downtown in character. Our diverse mix of low cost housing affordable shops and businesses all would give way to steel and glass towers!