In preparation for future SR 520 construction, crews will drill holes later this month in the roadway near the SR 520/I-5 interchange to evaluate the soil and geotechnical conditions within WSDOT’s right of way. This work is planned for the week after Thanksgiving and will occur during nighttime hours to minimize traffic impacts and protect the safety of workers and the traveling public.

WSDOT has received the necessary permits, including a temporary noise variance from the city of Seattle, to complete this work. The work will be performed using construction best management practices and sequenced in a way to minimize the duration and level of noise nearby residents may hear. Nearby neighbors may see lights and hear intermittent noise from drilling equipment.

This work will require nighttime lane and ramp closures. These closures, listed below, will take place from approximately 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. each night:

Monday, Nov. 26

• Crews will close the left lane of the on-ramp from westbound SR 520 to southbound I-5

Tuesday, Nov. 27

• Crews will close the ramp from southbound I-5 to eastbound SR 520

Wednesday, Nov. 28, and Thursday, Nov. 29

• Crews will close the off-ramp from westbound SR 520 to East Roanoke Street

If you have any questions during this work, please call the on-call SR 520 representative at 206-200-9484.

Public Meeting, pre-design study
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
6:30 – 8 p.m.
Graham Visitors Center
2300 Arboretum Drive E, Seattle 98112

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR), in equal partnership with the University of Washington Botanic Gardens (UW), and the Arboretum Foundation (AF) are engaging in a pre-design study for the building of a new Environmental Education Center at Washington Park Arboretum. This new facility will allow the current youth and adult education programming to expand by nearly double those currently served annually. The desired goal is to serve 20,000 children and adults annually from diverse communities across the region.

Donate online

Join the Montlake Community Club and Cafe Lago this December 9 from 5-9pm for a festive evening to raise money for the twinkling white lights lining the streets through our Montlake Business District. This fun night will be filled with great food and wine, incredible raffle items,(donated by our fabulous Montlake shops and businesses) and fun community. Cafe Lago will be serving complimentary treats throughout the evening, so be sure to note “WINTER LIGHTS” when you make your reservation at cagelago.com. In addition, Cafe Lago is generously donating 10% of the evening’s proceeds to help underwrite the cost to install the lights. For more details visit montlake.net or cafelago.com

There will be an opportunity for public feedback at this meeting. Having a good turnout will send the right message to our elected officials.

Nicole Macri, our 43^rd District Representative, and her assistant, Curtis Knapp will be there.

The Washington State Department of Transportation will share information about the status of WSDOT’s acquisition of the property where the Montlake Boulevard Market and 76 gas station are located. We will discuss the topics below.

• Overview of the upcoming Montlake Project elements and schedule
• Factors driving the project’s need for the property
• How WSDOT is working to address a 2018 legislative directive, which states in part: “The department [WSDOT] shall work with its design-build contractor to ensure to the maximum extent practicable that the building housing any grocery store or market currently located on parcel number 1-23190 will be preserved.”

We hope to see you there, thank you!

Join your friends and neighbors for spring bulb planting and fall clean-up at the East Gateway Park (24th and Boyer) from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Saturday, November 3rd. We have lots of leaves to rake and 500 bulbs to plant.

Bring any tools that you may have, (or tools will be provided), bring gloves, and bring your energy.

The show next spring should be great!

Your letters concerning the Montlake Market to Senator Jamie Pedersen, Speaker Frank Chopp, and Representative Nicole Macri are working. Go to https://p2a.co/wc3MPgi to write to them directly if you haven’t already.

Rep. Nicole Macri and Sen. Jamie Pedersen were successful in getting an amendment into this year’s transportation budget that requires WSDOT to do everything it can to protect the Market.  Rep. Macri has reached out to us and has expressed her concerns and dissatisfaction with WSDOT’s progress so far in trying to save the Market.

Rep. Macri concerns are such that she recently sent a letter to Washington Transportation Secretary Roger Millar requesting that he outline what WSDOT is doing, and will do, to save the Market.  The letter is below:

Dear Secretary Millar:

I hope this email finds you doing well. I appreciate the efforts of your team to keep me updated about the SR 520 project and its impact on constituents in my district. It’s a vital project for our region, and I’m grateful for your responsiveness to the concerns of the residents who are most impacted by the construction process.

I’m reaching out because I’ve received over 150 emails from constituents in the past 3 days regarding SR 520; please see an example below. I feel it’s important for me to reiterate my request to you directly that WSDOT take action to the maximum extent practicable to preserve the grocery store in Montlake.

To this end, I appreciate your prompt responses to the following questions, or directing me to someone who can respond promptly.

1. What steps is WSDOT planning to take to “work with its design-build contractor to ensure to the maximum extent practicable that the building housing any grocery store or market currently located on parcel number 1-23190 will be preserved,” as outlined in ESSB 6106 (2018)? Are there cost implications to preserving the market, which the legislature can consider in 2019?

Related,

1. What are the next steps for WSDOT acquiring the property now that the Supreme Court denied the appeal?
2. Does WSDOT have any obligation to relocate the business or assist the operator in finding another place of business under current law?  Does WSDOT have other community or business-related mitigation responsibilities?  If so, what are they?

2. What steps does WSDOT currently plan to take to “meet and confer regularly with residents in the vicinity of the parcel regarding the status of the project and its effects on any grocery store or market currently located on the property,” as outlined in ESSB 6106 (2018)?

Related,

1. SR 520 staff previously mentioned to me that WSDOT intends to hold a public meeting shortly following the selection of a ‘likely’ contractor and before the practical design workshop.  Is this meeting scheduled? If so, what is the agenda?
2. Once WSDOT owns the land, how will they communicate with the operator and provide updates on status of the building?
3. It’s critical that the outreach to the community is not simply information sharing but includes opportunities for community feedback and input to the project as it is implemented – hence the legislative direction to “meet and confer”.  What is the community outreach plan for the contractor?  How will WSDOT ensure they are responsive to the community as the project continues?
4. When is the practical design workshop and who specifically will be involved?  Is there an opportunity for public input once the practical design workshop is over, or will WSDOT and the contractor simply share results with the community?

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For those of you, who have not written, please do.  The process works. Go to https://p2a.co/wc3MPgi to write to them directly.

Jamie.Pedersen@leg.wa.gov

(360) 786-7628

frank.chopp@leg.wa.gov

(206) 381-1220

Nicole.Macri@leg.wa.gov

(360) 786-7826

For those of you, who have written, please send an email of thanks to Rep. Nicole Macri for her support. nicole.macri@leg.wa.gov

We are hoping that Sen. Pedersen and Speaker Chopp voice their same concerns.

Montlake Market and Beyond – WSDOT Needs to be Held Accountable

Now that Graham Contracting LTD. has been named the design-build contractor for the SR 520 Montlake Phase, WSDOT is one step closer of realizing their plans of demolishing the Montlake Market. Graham is a good contractor. Their resume is impressive, and they are more than qualified to do the Project. However, the way in which WSDOT is managing this process is under-utilizing Graham’s skills and limiting the potential to save the market.

Our communities have been ignored and misled on WSDOT’s plans for the market, despite our clear and passionate stance. And while Graham has the ability to produce clever ideas that we would like to review, it appears that the public will not be able to participate WSDOT’s upcoming “Practical Design Workshop” with Graham and the City of Seattle, where a final decision about the market will be made. If WSDOT is allowed to ignore our request to be an active participant, we will not have a say in how the final design impacts our community.

It appears our only play at this point is to get our state representatives, Jamie Pederson, Frank Chopp, and Nicole Macri to advocate for our position during this “Practical Design Workshop”. They are the only ones who will be able to make a difference.  It is time to contact them in mass. Go to https://p2a.co/wc3MPgi to write to them directly.  If you have specific issues, contact information is below. We will never be part of the process if we sit quietly. We need to move quickly to get the legislators involved in time to have an effect. We have 60 days to make this work, maybe less.

We need everyone to step in and advocate for the Market, the gas station, critical design issues, and noise mitigation during this final review process. Our representatives need to know that our frustration is shared among the general public. They need to know that the communities they represent need their help.

The framework of this contract will set the tone for future projects:  I-5, Roanoke Lid, and the Portage Bay Bridge. If we can’t get WSDOT to listen, our communities will continue to be sidelined for the next 10 years while WSDOT, SDOT, Graham and the other follow-on contractors are allowed to build whatever, whenever and however they want.

Jamie.Pedersen@leg.wa.gov

(360) 786-7628

frank.chopp@leg.wa.gov

(206) 381-1220

Nicole.Macri@leg.wa.gov

(360) 786-7826

We need to copy Kshama Sawant and staff so that they know that we are concerned.  The Oversight Committee that she has proposed is an important process to help control the project.

kshama.sawant@seattle.gov

Ted.Virdone@seattle.gov

WSDOT’s plans to demolish the Montlake Market have hit a speed bump. The Montlake Community Club and market owners and operators’ federal lawsuit challenges WSDOT’s and FHWA’s failure to review the environmental consequences of its current plan. The federal court case had been scheduled to be heard this December. However, after the trial was set various federal and state agencies conducted a limited review of the environmental issues. The findings caused the judge to strike the schedule. A new schedule will be developed over the next two months. A new hearing date will likely be in the spring of 2019.

The Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) are the gatekeepers working to preserve the Montlake Historic District. DAHP has asked that the Section 106 Programmatic Agreement be modified to include additional noise mitigation. The Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection is now aware of DAHP’s concerns. They have asked us to provide the documents from our objections to the noise variance as it relates to the protection of the Montlake Historic District. Not sure this will go anywhere but we will continue to monitor the situation. The trial for the appeal of the variance is scheduled for 10/8 through 10/10.  More details to follow.

WSDOT’s power is vast. The loopholes they exploit are many. It will take Legislative action to take the inconsistencies out of the Law. Our goal is not to delay the project. Our goal is to preserve the Neighborhood and to make sure that WSDOT follows the Law that should protect us. Special thanks to all who have been involved.