(Images: CHS)
What would you include if you could make a wish list for Capitol Hill? Cleaner streets? Safer public parks? Affordable housing? CHS commenters have no shortage of ideas, for sure. But on Wednesday evening, dozens of people—including Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck and a representative for Councilmember Joy Hollingsworth—gathered inside the Hugo House’s Lapis Theater for the Capitol Hill Community Council’s (CCHS’s) Great Ideas Festival to brainstorm what they would like to see the recently revived neighborhood group pursue.
During the 90-minute meeting, attendees jotted their ideas down on Post-It notes and displayed them on a wall under nine categories ranging from public safety to parks, transportation to planning development, arts & culture to sustainability, and more. Hands down, the most interesting board included ideas for the catch-all “Everything Else” category—rename Capitol Hill to Capitol Mountain, bring back the Mystery Soda Machine, and open a combination yarn store and sex shop. Visitors were invited to take the stage and share their ideas toward the meeting’s end during a one-minute “lightning round.”
Closing East Barbara Bailey Way to vehicle traffic earned applause, as did more public restrooms, rapid flashing beacons for pedestrians crossing 14th Avenue East and East John Street (like the crosswalk four blocks west near the Link light rail station), and changes to the Pike/Pine nightlife district, such as reducing crowd sizes by closing bars at staggered hours instead of all at once at 2 a.m. and turning sections of Pike/Pine into pedestrian-only corridors during certain times. Popular ideas for Cal Anderson Park included more lighting for evening volleyball players and a dedicated area for dogs. On Broadway, installing planter boxes filled with seasonal flowers and removing empty newspaper boxes proved popular with the group.
After going dormant roughly five years ago, the CHCC relaunched last September, mainly under the leadership of Capitol Hill resident Chris Paulus. In December, the group hosted a holiday party and collected warm clothing for Lowell Elementary School students.
The CHCC’s history dates back more than 50 years, when the group formed to challenge a revision to the city’s comprehensive plan that would allow high-rise apartment buildings along 15th Ave East, according to an article published on February 6th, 1968, in The Seattle Times. The group went on to help create a successful neighborhood block watch program in the 1970s, lobby for the creation of Metro Route 8 during the 1990s, and champion the mixed-use, five-story, 44-unit Broadway Crossing affordable housing development during the early 2000s.
Unlike 50 years ago, Seattle’s current process around its comprehensive plan update was not a hot topic during the “great ideas” conversation. That could change. In nearby Madrona, groups are forming to oppose upzoning in the neighborhood as Seattle leaders say more areas of the city need to rise to meet the city’s housing and affordability challenges.
The Madrona neighborhood, they argue, should be treated differently than the rest of the city when it comes to efforts to increase density.
“LR3 zoning would forever alter and potentially erase the historic character and charm of the existing, tiny business district and neighborhood, where many homes are over 100 years old and lovingly maintained,” a new petition against the rezoning plan concludes.
Hollingsworth will be in the middle of the debate. The District 3 representative has taken on what will be an increasingly challenging role as chair of the council’s Comprehensive Plan committee.
The CHCC will review ideas gathered Wednesday during a public meeting via Zoom on Thursday, February 6th, at 6:30 PM. More information is available online here.
HELP KEEP CHS PAYWALL-FREE
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you.
Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for as little as $5 a month.
So much brain storming these days and ideas but where is the action to improve safety and living quality?
You realize this just happened last night, right? It’s going to take more than half a day…
If you’d just pay double the current property tax I’m sure Seattle would manage it :)
Maybe you would like to share how much you pay in property tax
Ever heard of the King County Parcel Viewer?
Yes I have post your address or your account# and I will look it up!!
My property taxes for my house last year were $14,364.76.
If they took action to actually improve safety and quality of living, then everyone would protest that the community didn’t have input!
seriously?
Safety and quality of living is not really their wheelhouse. That’s the city councils responsibility.
If you noticed? Most are cheap and easy. Or a joke. When you have just started and have no funds raised? What do you expect? World peace?
I’d start with getting rid of the Pike/Pine flags on light poles. They are nasty. ripped to shreds every one of them. Yarding out the paper machines would be nice.
Smart move Joy…I wouldn’t have showed up either. Not very popular these days are ya?
It’s either that or she’s on some weird power trip…neither are good lol
It would have been helpful to provide a name for the rep of Hollingsworth. I have interacted directly with our CM group through email. I have had prompt response from a staffer or a follow up (from I believe) CM Hollingsworth directly with the staffer cc’d on email.
The response has always been direct and referenced my question topic. I have never not been answered when emailing a direct inquiry.
(reference: I am not a bougie business owner, I am not a landlord. I am a beyond shameful in income, clinging on, resident that is a busybody and puts my nose in many things. I don’t campaign for anyone.)
I like trouble makers :O)
Mostly good ideas. But yarn and sex shop? Will they call it All Tied Up?
Soap on a rope
Knotty But Nice :)
We have a winner. Honestly ,this sounds like a good title for a Hump submission
I’d be on board with a name change if we go back to the previous ‘Broadway Hill,’ a much less confusing name if you ask me….
Jeez what a bunch of milquestoast suggestions.
You got to be kidding me…not a single mention about building more units for our unhoused neighbors? not a single mention of how we can protect our trans youth from Proud Boys? not a single mention of how we can root out white supremacy from the police and fire departments?
White Seattle liberals never fail to disappoint!
lol this was more about real stuff than chasing boogeyman.
grow up
I want to know what Obama was doing on 9/11. We need to get to the bottom of that. But the leftists are hiding the investigation. Claiming there was no investigation. But then, it’s the libs. So Soros is their dear leader now.
We need to focus on that stuff. Right?…lol
IKR???
Kegs at meetings was not even thought of.
Yeah our unhoused neighbors smokin’ up outside of QFFucking C and Broadway Hill Park. So fucking tired of it.
How about arresting the drug dealers that peddle their wares up and down Broadway and Nagle? Can we do that?
Otherwise your fancy new public bathrooms will be trashed and camped by addicts.
Well hate to break it to you but Donald Trump is president, so with that logic we might as well pack it in and shut down all public agencies cause he might soil them all with the swamp or whatever all the libs say.
If we implemented housing first policies we would have no issues. The problem is people who have house…not people doing drugs. People with houses do drugs all the time and I don’t see you complaining about them.
People with houses do illegal drugs in moderation until it becomes a problem and takes over their daily lives driving them into losing their homes because of their addiction.
So in reality we have two competing needs. the need for more affordable housing for those 20-60% of Seattle’s AMI (bartenders, retirees, service industry workers, teachers, employees working in small businesses, grocery store workers, community college students, working college students, LGBTQIA+ youth and those in their 20s, and etc), which is 30K-65k/year, and the need for housing for homeless folks who have needs. We need more housing for workers since that has always benefited Capitol Hill and made the neighborhood what it always has been.
I know I’ll get crap for saying this but it needs to be said. We honestly need to stop building transitional housing and low-barrier housing on Cap Hill and have it be built somewhere else in this city. We’re at capacity after the upcoming one on Belmont is built. I still am against housing those actively recovering from addiction with those who are addicts of legend-drugs who don’t give a damn about anyone else besides themselves. They should be sober living dwellings for the well being of the residents. We’re already getting reports of recovering addicts relapsing because of being in environments full of active addicts. We know that DESC and LIHI aren’t adequately staffing their facilities with resources, who get little support, who can’t keep problem-makers in check as well as keeping meth/fentanyl/heroin drug dealers away from the buildings. Surrounding neighbors have been constantly voicing their concerns online only to be shot down by virtue signalers telling them to move and that they’re just being entitled NIMBYists. It doesn’t do this neighborhood any good socially or economically and that’s been proven and we’ve seen it with our own eyes as well as experienced it first hand.
You won’t get any crap from me. I agree completely!
“The problem is people who have house…not people doing drugs.”
The hell?
we got attractive lighting.
No apparently we cannot. Last time we had public restrooms, taken over by sex trade.
Do you remember those automatic-self cleaning portable restrooms that cost 1 million dollars.
Seconds after unveiling them
unhoused city residents turned them in to “safe spaces” for using. There was by Seattle central on Broadway, and on in pioneer square. And I’m talking yuck on both those failed million dollar experiment. Let’s do that again! Also bring back jack in the box and Taco Bell to Broadway. No one needs that much bubble tea.
About Taco Bell.
I have 5 kids. I am doting husband and Dad.
ALL…And I do mean like 95% of her diet consists of Taco Bell. The other 5% is those Tums chalk things.
I went to Taco Bell at all hours. I often took a baby on a ride when they wouldn’t sleep. Becoming a master at putting kids in bed from the car under any weather conditions.
My point is this. If Taco Bell did not exist? I would have gotten a lot more sleep. I used to be pretty good looking. My hair was glorious. I didn’t bite my nails then either.
All because of Taco Bell.
I think a lot of these commenters would benefit from a CHCC Complain Fest, we can put them all in a big room together and they can yell at each other about how the other isn’t doing enough to fix the problems in the city 🙄
Uhhhh… Stitches is right next to Babeland. So far, unimpressed by the list.
21 current comments (now) resulting in nothing. Removing newspaper boxes that are often filled with garbage and are lit on fire would be a 3 year review process with hours of bickering. But but. ..
Someone put on adult pants and remove these derelict eyesores.
Broadway, south of John, east side, was so gross with poop and splats of whatever sticky that put it there til at least Pine today (1/23). Active drug whatever directly aside from camera along from Summit Community Center. Can’t we do a little bit better? Not in a MAGA GOP bullhorn accusing way, or a they stole $300m way, but in a let’s not have drug use, in front of an organization, that provides essential services way? Can we not agree on at least that?
Neighbors? Do area good. Rather than blathering here, stop the soapbox. Consider the Community Lunch Program at All Pilgrims Broadway /Republican. Review how to connect and consider how you can contribute. It is cold now and they could cold weather stuff. They do the great work for the old and new faces that you likely pass by on a regular basis. They are among the ones doing the daily work in providing a hot and nutritious (meat/veg) meal and offer limited goods (hygiene, undies, socks, T-shirts) to anyone that stops by – no judgement, no questions. Send a pack of socks, go to lunch, and actually get to know your neighbors.
Armed thugs/dope dealers are walking The Hill at any hour. Why is that energy up there? Oh yeah because it’s a soda zone. That did not even last 20 years.
Pike/pine – Cal Anderson. If you are new to Seattle just know that you are being ripped off to live on or near South Cap Hill
I’ve lived on the Hill for over 13 year now. Prior to the pandemic and the “progressive” council it was nothing like this. It used to be mostly ashamed ah shucks needle users and pot smoking long haired street kids.
Now it’s fent zombies and chop shops and armed dealers all up and down Broadway and around Cal Anderson. Nagle used to contain most of it, now it’s spread much, much wider.
Nagle? Over there by the basket ball courts you mean? People used to bring their babies and their children over there and would kick it all day around all that nonsense. And it was nonsense.
Soda zone is recent. the armed thugs have been walking up and down broadway within the last two years. they need to be arrested but SPD doesn’t want to do their job. also we don’t need additional transitional housing units on the hill. we have enough and they’ve been bringing their problems to the hill.
Earlier this week, gunshots were fired from Broadway and Harrison. One block from the SODA zone. The SODA zone should be extended to Roy street.
Wow! You said to Roy street!
I support the expansion. It is nothing like what I grew up with. It’s not a matter of looking for or finding trouble, it’s trouble up on The Hill. And it’s a total shame.the city worked really hard to make
Cal Anderson into a gem. When I was in the early 2000’s growing up, no one used that park, but the unhoused. Then around 07-08 it became a place to take your shirt off and tan a while. The Pike/pine corridor was a place to go and be The Hipster at, respectfully. Again. I support the SODA zone expansion. At least it has the potential to put a dent in the rents in the area. No one should pay that much for the hood!
Agree! There is alot of drug activity/dealing north of John…clusters of addicts doing their thing. A SODA zone is not a panacea, but it has the potential to interrupt the drug trade in certain areas.
Yes to Roy, but then the issues are being pushed east to 10th and west to Harvard, up down and all around. The residential areas then take on the issues that were pushed off Broadway. A clean Broadway Market QFC means 11th/Republican park full, library steps full, Boylston/Republican park full.
I’m all for pedestrian corridors at specific times and locations, but these corridors must have accommodations for service, delivery, business, emergency, and occupant vehicles.
This will require research on how to implement in the near term and long term; including architectural and zoning guidelines for the future.
Telescoping bollards are required at every intersection in the dual usage zones. And a Key Master for each zone.
This. This is how they do it all over Central Europe, squares are open to cars and delivery vans before 9a and access after is by card pass issued to people who need them — emergency services, mobility for the disabled services, etc.