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BALLARD LIBRARY COMMUNITY MEETING RECAP
October 21, 1999 7-8:30pm
 Swedish Medical Center, Conference Room A

City Librarian Deborah Jacobs opened the meeting with introductions of Scott Clark, Chair of the Committee for a New Ballard Library, Library Board members Linda Larson (Ballard Branch steward), Gilbert W. Anderson, Gordon McHenry (Board President) and Betty Jane Narver. Also present were Alex Harris, SPL Capital Program Director, Ray Serebrin, SPL Director of Neighborhood Libraries and David Kunselman, SPL Capital Projects Manager.

Alex Harris took input to identify the north/south/east/west boundaries of the Ballard community, with the idea that the new library would be sited within what the community identified as core Ballard. Public input yielded the following suggestions: Leary/Market/15th, 8th, 20th, 58th, 65th, 80th, 24th, 26th, and areas well served by transit. The core was further identified through comments of specific sites.

Next, community opinion was requested on each of the six sites previously identified for possible library siting. That discussion yielded the following:

 

 

PROS AND CONS FOR EACH SITE

SITE 1 & 1A: THE FENPRO PARKING LOT & THE BROILER SITE (site 1)/combined w/the north parking lot (SITE 1A)

OPPORTUNITIES
  • GREAT LOCATION
  • UNLIMITED POTENTIAL FOR SITE

CONSTRAINTS

  • ISOLATED
  • NEXT TO LUMBER COMPANY. FORKLIFTS ETC RAISE SAFETY ISSUES.
  • UNABLE TO EFFECTIVELY MONITOR PEOPLE WHO PARK IN LIBRARY LOT IN ORDER TO GO TO LOCKS
  • FENPRO PARKING LOT
  • DISPLACEMENT OF RESTAURANT (being remodeled) & PARKING FOR GROWING BUSINESSES, SOME WITH 10 YR LEASES
  • CITY POLICY PROTECTING INDUSTRIAL ZONES (THIS IS INDUSTRIAL BUFFER) BETWEEN INDUSTRIAL & HOUSING
  • TOO FAR AWAY FROM POPULATION BASE
  • POOR VISIBILITY

 

SITE 2: THE CURRENT SITE

OPPORTUNITIES
  • SITE IS OWNED BY LIBRARY, DECREASING ACQUISITION COSTS
  • LOCATION WOULD BE MORE CENTRAL, PENDING MOVEMENT OF OTHER BUSINESSES AND THEIR PLANS
  • CURRENT SITE WITH 2 ADDITIONAL 10,000 SQ FT PARCELS WOULD BE PLENTY BIG
 CONSTRAINTS
  • RELOCATIONS OF CURRENT LIBRARY DURING CONSTRUCTION
  • UNDERGROUND PARKING WOULD BE NEEDED & IS COSTLY
  • ON A BIG ARTERIAL; BAD PEDESTRIAN & BIKE ACCESS TO LIBRARY

 

SITE 3: BARTELL DRUG STORE SITE

OPPORTUNITIES
  • CENTRAL LOCATION
  • GOOD PEDESTRIAN ACCESS
  • CONNECTION TO HUB/URBAN VILLAGE
  • 1 BLOCK FROM BUS
  • CLOSER TO POPULATION THAN SITES 5 & 6
  • SITES 3 & 4 ARE CLOSER TO NATURAL CORE OF COMMUNITY
 CONSTRAINTS
  • EFFECT ON TIMING OF THE LIBRARY (eg. Is QFC moving??)
  • DON’T WANT TO LOSE BARTELLS
  • IT IS CONTINGENT ON MANY OTHER VARIABLES
  • CONGESTED AREA FOR DRIVING
  • NON-LIBRARY USERS AT MUNICIPAL CENTER PARK USING LIBRARY’S PARKING LOT

 

SITE 4: THE U.S. BANK SITE

OPPORTUNITIES
  • LIBRARY & PARK CREATE A NICE PEDESTRIAN STREET ON 22ND
  • BIG SITE; ROOM FOR FUTURE PLANNING
  • BIGGER THAN LIBRARY CURRENTLY NEEDS, BUT LIKE A CLOSET, LIBRARY CAN GROW INTO SPACE
  • CONNECTION TO HUB/URBAN VILLAGE
  • GOOD VALUE COMPARED TO #3
  • CLOSE TO ALL BUS LINES & PIZZA PARLOR!
  • ONE BLOCK OFF MARKET, CLOSE TO BUSES

CONSTRAINTS

  • TWO BLOCKS TOO FAR TO WALK FROM BUS WITH CHILDREN
  • CONGESTED SITE

 

SITES 5&6: THE 20TH AVENUE & RUSSELL AVENUE NW SITE (5) & 20TH AVE w/ LEARY AVENUE NW (6)

OPPORTUNITIES
  • NO PROS LISTED

CONSTRAINTS

  • LEARY IS A BUSY STREET TO CROSS
  • DOESN’T FEEL CENTRALLY LOCATED; FEELS LIKE WRONG SIDE OF MARKET
  • CONGESTED SITE, POOR VISIBILITY
  • ANGLED INTERSECTIONS MAKE IT DIFFICULT FOR PEDESTRIANS
  • REMOVED FROM CORE COMMUNITY, POPULATION CENTER

 

At this time, the library solicited ideas & suggestions from the community of other site possibilities that folks felt warranted investigations. That discussion yielded the following site possibilities:

 

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Content Modified: Content Modified:28 October 1999

12/30/2005

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