The Ballard Avenue attorney has dropped the appeal to stop the construction of the hotel proposed by the Olympic Athletic Club at 5214 Ballard Ave NW.
Michael Kahrs filed the appeal because of increased traffic the proposed hotel would bring. In the appeal he writes, “Traffic: 20th Ave. NW between Ballard Ave. NW and Leary Ave NW is not an arterial and is not used as such. I am concerned about what street will be used for access to the parking lot.
Today, Kahrs tells us that he and Olympic Athletic Club owner Jim Riggle have agreed to work together to address some of the issues in Downtown Ballard – including traffic and parking.
“I’m pro-business and want to see the economy of Ballard grow and prosper,” said Kahrs. “At the same time the tremendous growth and development of the area has led to some real quality of life issues for those of us who live and work here.”
“Mike and I met and we talked though the issues and his concerns,” said Riggle. “We found that we had more in common than we had realized. We both care deeply about the Ballard community and want to ensure a good quality of life for those who live and work here.”
Riggle and Kahrs plan to meet with Ballard residents and local business owners to better understand the concerns of the community. They’re guessing that traffic, parking and congestion will be high on the list of concerns.