The Design Review Board is meeting with the developers of the new Greenwood Fred Meyer project for an early design guidance meeting.
Plans for the new development include a larger one-story Fred Meyer with a parking garage and 200-300 apartments, as well as retail space to be occupied by small, boutique retailers and restaurants. “Plans also include a public plaza for community gatherings and events,” says a Fred Meyer spokesperson.
Last week, Fred Meyer presented their plans to the community. About 100 people attended to see those plans close up. PhinneyWood has an extensive write-up here on the meeting and discussion.
Tonight’s meeting is one of the first steps in the permit process and is the first official public forum for voicing opinions with the proposal. One group, the Greater Greenwood Design and Development Advocacy Group, believes the current design needs improvement and has sent specific concerns and recommendations to the developer and the Design Review Board. You can read their document here (.pdf).
The meeting will be held tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Ballard High School Library.
I'll be there tonight.
That GGDAC doc is interesting. It portrays the tension here as between the developers wanting to build spaces that will encourage people to go into the shops, and the community wanting legitimately community-oriented spaces. Does the community have any real leverage to get the developers to create something community-oriented?
The GGDAC's recommendation to stack more of the Fred Meyer to reduce the footprint seems like a good one.
there is no leverage.
even the so-called 'public plaza' is about as community oriented as your local mall. I'm sure any real demonstration or protests there would be met with Fred Meyer and his bull-horn to “get off my weed farm.”
Listening to community concerns is one thing. Addressing them is quite another.
If anyone is interested in more info about what the GG.DDAG is doing, see their website here: http://www.greenwoodcommunitycouncil.org/greenw…
They can also be reached directly at GG.DDAG@gmail.com
This was a pretty good event. I didn't stay until the end, but the developer/architects made a pretty good case for their design, and the community made a lot of pretty good cases for a dozen different ways in which it sucks.
To my mind one of the most pressing concerns is how cars are going to get in and out. This development would mean a net increase in car traffic to that area, and the design only shows a couple of reasonable entry/exit points, one in the middle of the block on 85th. 1st Ave. would see a huge increase in car traffic.
Better than blacktop, but that's a false dichotomy.