Commissioners approve guiding principles for
Yesler Terrace redevelopment
Resident testimony makes preferences clear
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SEATTLE—December 6, 2007—In
a unanimous vote, Seattle Housing's Board of Commissioners approved
guiding principles that will be applied to the next phase
of planning for redevelopment.
With this action, the Board committed the Housing
Authority to replace all existing
low-income units in the Yesler
Terrace neighborhood. The Board also promised
that all residents
who remained in good standing would be able to
return to the
new development.
Former Mayor Norman B. Rice chaired
the committee that drafted the guiding principles.
Recommending them to the Board he said, "These principles point to a
balance between serving the needs of current and future
residents and acknowledging the opportunities of the
redevelopment for the larger community." |
Former Seattle Mayor Norman B. Rice chaired the Citizen
Review Committee that drafted guiding principles. |
After the guiding principles were approved, Commission Chair David Bley noted they were just
the beginning of the process that lies ahead. "We have a
responsibility to the entire City of Seattle to realize a vision
here at Yesler Terrace - a vision of opportunity, diversity and prosperity that
everyone can share in. We want to help a far greater number of
people than we do now, and we also want to preserve the sense of
community here at Yesler Terrace."
More than 20 people signed up to
address the Commissioners at their meeting. They spoke about their
hopes to return to the redeveloped community, about the importance
of community gardens, and about their desire to be able to operate
small scale businesses in the new neighborhood. Commissioner Yusef
Cabdi acknowledged the concerns that many residents have concerning
their in-home daycare businesses. "I will make sure that these
issues continue to be raised," he told the residents. "And I am
convinced that Tom Tierney and Judith Kilgore will make sure that
these issues are addressed."
Resident Tesfamicael Weldesimon
(left) addresses the Commissioners with the assistance of an
interpreter.
The guiding principles were
developed, at the request of the Board of Commissioners, to guide
development that would meet affordable housing needs, be financially
feasible, serve the needs of current and future residents and
provide amenities to the larger community.
The committee developed a total of
36 specific principles grouped under four headings: social equity,
economic opportunity, environmental stewardship and sustainability,
and one-for-one replacement housing. The principles are presented in
a publication entitled
Definitions & Guiding Principles: Working Toward a Community Vision.
In 2008 Seattle Housing will
contract with an architectural firm to develop possible development
alternatives for the site.
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