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MONTLAKE BRANCH COMMUNITY MEETING RECAP

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, June 20, 2000
Montlake Elementary School

About 30 people attended this community meeting to begin the public discussion of siting the Montlake Library. City Librarian Deborah L. Jacobs opened the evening with introductions of Library Board members Gilbert Anderson (Montlake board steward), Betty Jane Narver, Gordon McHenry Jr. (board president), and Greg Maffei. Also present from the Library were: Ray Serebrin, director of neighborhood libraries; Sue Partridge, senior capital projects manager; Rae Charlton, Montlake Library branch manager; Jim Nelson, Montlake Library coordinating library associate; Stacy Carter, capital program assistant; Donnie Grabowski, budget and management analyst. Also present were Karen Tsao from the city's Executive Services Department and several members of the Montlake Community Club library liaison committee.

The Montlake Community Club formed the library liaison committee to work with the Seattle Public Library to help identify and research potential site options for the new Montlake Library.

McHenry reviewed the siting criteria that the Library uses in identifying potential sites. Partridge described each of the eight sites currently under consideration for the new Montlake Library and asked the community to comment on each site. That discussion yielded the following:

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR EACH SITE

SITE 1: Northwest corner of 24th Avenue East & East McGraw Street -- Includes 3 residences
OPPORTUNITIES
  • Near current site
  • Good bus access
  • Centrally located within Montlake
  • Interplay between Library & other businesses
  • Proximity to schools
  • Good traffic light for pedestrians
  • Don't have to find in-kind replacement for park land
  • Siting on 24th could create better traffic situation; catalyst for slowing down traffic
  • General comment: Any site on 24th should have good setbacks for pedestrian safety
CHALLENGES
  • Cost of acquiring residences
  • Speed of traffic on 24th, especially for children
  • Loss of housing/residences in community
  • Demolition of existing buildings wasteful
  • Parking could be challenging

SITE 2: Northeast corner of 24th Avenue East & East McGraw Street -- Includes 3 residences
OPPORTUNITIES
  • Visibility
  • Flat site
  • Easier access from McGraw
  • Siting on 24th could create better traffic situation; catalyst for slowing down traffic
  • Other opportunities similar to site #1
CHALLENGES
  • Similar to site #1

SITE 3: 24th Avenue East & East Boston Street (Montlake Professional Building) -- Includes Metro rectifier & 1 commercial building
OPPORTUNITIES
  • Near current site
  • Good bus access
  • Centrally located within Montlake
  • No housing destroyed
  • Alley access
  • Recent studies show electricity not a problem (regarding Metro rectifier)
  • Siting on 24th could create better traffic situation; catalyst for slowing down traffic
CHALLENGES
  • Health concerns for rectifier
  • No signal crossing
  • Displacing operating businesses

SITE 4: Boyer Avenue East & 18th Avenue East (next to St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church) -- Includes 1 residence
OPPORTUNITIES
  • Less busy street, but still an arterial
  • Possibly cheaper to build if parking was shared with church
CHALLENGES
  • Less central to Montlake neighborhood
  • Poor bus access at certain times
  • Visibility problems within densely built up residential neighborhood
  • Parking challenges
  • Possibly difficult to acquire sites from church
  • Parking could be compromised by church events
  • Consider relationship between church & community, which varies

SITE 5: 22nd Avenue East & East Roanoke Street (Hop-In Grocery) -- Includes 1 business
OPPORTUNITIES
  • Potential co-location for library & commercial business
CHALLENGES
  • Not very central
  • Dangerous; lots of traffic
  • Locals would miss grocery & convenience of gas station
  • Very auto-dominated site
  • Loss of 22nd removes shortcut
  • Access very challenging on Husky football game days & Seahawks games
  • Displaces teens from a popular hangout
  • Traffic noise
  • If gas station stays, would site be appropriate?
  • Air pollution
  • Only gas station between University District and Capitol Hill

SITE 6: East Madison Street & 29th Avenue East -- Includes 2 businesses & 1 apartment
OPPORTUNITIES
  • Surrounding businesses make for a nice community feel
  • Near the playground
CHALLENGES
  • Doesn't feel like Montlake neighborhood
  • Not accessible by foot
  • Bus access poor for connections to Montlake
  • Would feel like a loss to the Montlake community & the commercial zone.
  • Don't want to lose the connection with Montlake Elementary School & three nearby daycares.

SITE 7: Museum of History and Industry (off 24th Avenue East overpass) -- Includes no homes or businesses
OPPORTUNITIES
  • Potential access to lovely Museum of History and Industry auditorium
  • Unofficial word from Parks Department is Initiative 42 wouldn't be a problem
  • Library would be good partner with organization of similar values
  • Relatively good bus access
  • Does feel like Montlake community
  • Huge site; could accommodate several uses, locations
CHALLENGES
  • Left turn into Museum of History and Industry is tricky during peak times
  • Not terribly central; sort of hidden site
  • Somewhat cut off from schools, rest of community & buses
  • Feels unsafe at night
  • Possible conflicts with potential Arboretum use of site
  • Traffic modifications would be necessary

SITE 8: Montlake Community Center (East Calhoun Street) -- Includes no homes or businesses
OPPORTUNITIES
  • Proximity to community center
CHALLENGES
  • No decent bus services; access
  • Very active daycare & summer camp could mean increased traffic & noise, especially during peak time
  • Many people use playfields in spring, summer; reduced parking
  • Below sea level; wet soil; wetlands; setback issue
  • Would need to replace lost park land
  • Possible timing issue
  • Would tax already overburdened residential street (16th & 18th)

Library employees then asked community members to suggest other site possibilities that warranted investigation. That discussion yielded the following site possibilities:

GENERAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT SITES:

Q. How does the Museum of History and Industry feel about the Seattle Public Library locating a library at the museum site?
A. The Museum of History and Industry is open to the possibility.

Q. Are there plans to close Montlake Elementary School?
A. There are no plans to close the school.

At the end of the meeting, Gilbert Anderson thanked everyone for attending and reiterated the importance of public involvement in the process of siting and building a new library. He detailed the next steps.

Next steps:

Content Modified: Content Modified:7 July 2001

08/11/2006

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