Thanks to the generous donations of our readers, Northwest Hub and its sponsors raised over $5000 for Seattle Youth Garden Works (SYGW) as part of its Thanksgiving Charitable Giving program. This program, which was started by Pete Buck (Chairman of Northwest Hub) over 30 years ago as a way to give back to the community during the holidays, remains incredibly successful. Thanks to all of you for your contributions!
More on SYGW can be found here.
Everyone at Northwest Hub would like to extend their sincerest condolences to the family of local real estate attorney Dennis McLean, who passed away suddenly on Sunday, November 29, 2009.
Dennis, a partner with Davis Wright Tremaine, was an exceptional attorney, routinely recognized by his peers as a leader in the field of commercial real estate. More importantly, he was a valued and trusted colleague.
Jan Kirkwood, an attorney with Williams Kastner who had the privilege of working with Dennis on numerous projects, including a complicated real estate transaction involving Children's Hospital and Laurelon Terrace, says she will always remember Dennis for his leadership and hard work. “Dennis was an advocate for his client,” she said, “but he was always respectful of the lawyers and the client on the other side of the transaction.”
Dennis’s passing has left a great hole in Seattle’s legal community. He will be missed by all.
On Monday, Sound Transit hosted an open house presentation for the UW light rail station. The detailed presentation material can be found here.
Reminder - UW Station Construction Update Meeting tonight!
December 2, 2009 - 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.with a presentation beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), McCurdy Gallery
2700 24th Avenue East, Seattle
Meet the contractor and learn about the following topics:
Learn more about U-Link online at www.soundtransit.org/u-link
A lot has happened in land use over the past year. Fortunately, the good people of the King County Bar Association’s Environmental and Land Use Section (formerly the Environmental Law Section) are prepared to get us up to speed.
This section will be hosting its inaugural “What You Need to Know” CLE on Wednesday, December 9. Numerous topics of interest to the environmental and land use communities will be covered, including recent developments in water law, recent developments in CERCLA, and an overview of the shoreline master program updates that are currently taking place across the state.
Additionally, mayor-elect Mike McGinn will be stopping by to discuss his vision and ideas for land use in Seattle over the coming years.
The CLE will take place Wednesday, December 9, from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm at the Rainier Square Conference Center (1301 Fifth Avenue, 3rd floor atrium). A reception will follow.
For more information, click here.
Seattle's Planning, Land Use & Neighborhoods Committee (PLUNC) will be holding a special meeting tomorrow, November 18. Several significant items are on the agenda, including:
- Briefing and discussion on the proposed Children's Hospital expansion plan (note: because the City Council's decision on this matter is quasi-judicial in nature, no public comment will be taken);
- Briefing and discussion on the proposed multifamily code update; and
- Briefing, discussion, and a possible vote on code amendments intended to address derelict housing.
The full PLUNC agenda can be viewed here.
The meeting will take place in Council Chambers, which are located on the 2nd Floor of City Hall (600 Fourth Avenue). The meeting begins at 9:00 am.
The City of Bellevue is seeking to assist local businesses (in Bellevue and the region) that want to increase their trade with India or hire workforce from India and the India-American community.
On November 10, 2009, from 7:30-10:00 AM, the City of Bellevue is sponsoring and hosting a legal workshop on the topic of “Culture, Communication, and Decision Making in the India-US Multicultural Context.” This event will be co-sponsored by the South Asian Bar Association of Washington and will be held at Bellevue City Hall (the first 30 minutes is devoted to networking). The event is anticipated to assist attorneys in all types of business – negotiations, partnerships agreements, trade contracts, daily management of a multinational workforce, real estate transactions, and representation of clients in immigration, investment, and visa issues.
For this, the City of Bellevue has hired Dr. B.J Prashantham, Pacific Consulting Group, a consulting psychologist from India who is a well-known international expert in multi-cultural communication and organizational development. Dr. B.J Prashantham has consulted for various local companies and cities, including Microsoft, Boeing, King County, and the City of Bellevue. He is part-time faculty with the University of Washington Medical School.
To register, please contact Sahar Fathi, JD sfathi@bellevuewa.gov
For all other questions, please contact: Tom Boydell, Economic Development Manager, City of Bellevue. 425-452-4186, tboydell@bellevuewa.gov
You can also read more about Initiative India by going to the City of Bellevue website, www.bellevuewa.gov/ Economic Development/ International Trade.
As part of the SR 520 replacement project, Governor Gregoire has established the SR 520 Legislative Workgroup. This Workgroup consists of legislators and transportation officials; it has been tasked with the development of recommendations for financing and a west side design for the SR 520 corridor.
The SR 520 Legislative Workgroup will be hosting its third meeting this Tuesday, November 17, from 10 am to 2 pm. Topics on the agenda include development of finance recommendations and design recommendations. The meeting will take place in the Ruth Fisher Boardroom at Sound Transit’s Union Station offices (401 South Jackson Street). The meeting is open to the public.
The Workgroup will also be hosting a town hall meeting on Tuesday, November 24, from 6 to 8 pm. At that meeting, the public will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed finance and design plans. The town hall will take place at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st Street.
More information about the SR 520 Legislative Workgroup is available online.
The City of Seattle will be hosting a kick-off meeting for its 20-year Comp Plan update on Tuesday, November 17, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm (with a presentation at 6:30) at the Miller Community Center, 330 19th Avenue East. Attendees will include former Mayor Norm Rice, Josh Brower (Chair of the Seattle Planning Commission), and Diane Sugimura (Director of the Department of Planning and Development).
Seattle’s Comp Plan provides a 20- to-50-year vision for the City’s future. It expresses Seattle’s framework values and specific goals and policies for the environment, land use, transportation, housing, capital facilities, utilities, and other important elements for future planning. This update provides a great opportunity for the public to weigh in on Seattle’s future.
The City has also invited the public to describe in 150 words or less their vision of Seattle in 2030 or 2050. Descriptions should be sent to DPD_CompPlan2030Vision@Seattle.gov.
Seattle’s Planning, Land Use & Neighborhoods Committee will be holding a public hearing tomorrow night (Thursday, November 12) at 5:30 p.m. on a proposed code amendment that would allow additional building height in certain portions of South Lake Union. The code amendment, which can be viewed here, would increase the allowable height of certain buildings housing research and development uses from 65 to 125 feet with a maximum floor-area-ration of five and a maximum floor count of eight. This amendment has been drafted in response to a request by the University of Washington’s School of Medicine, which is seeking to develop a new research building at Ninth and Republican. (The new research building is currently in the early design guidance phase. Design renderings can be viewed here (large file).)
For more information on the public hearing, click here. It will take place in Council Chamber on the second floor of City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue.
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