Dear Great City Supporters,

The last few months have been very active as Great City continues to gain momentum.  We wanted to report on our priorities, advertise upcoming events, and let you know how you can get involved. 

Issue Priorities

Parks:  Define and fund a new round of green investments:  

• Thanks to your help and the work of the Green Legacy Coalition, we’ve broken through the logjam to renew a park levy this year. The Seattle City Council is appointing a citizens’ committee to develop a parks levy focusing on “active, green, healthy places” to replace the expiring Pro-Parks Levy. A recent poll demonstrates the public is with us.
• To learn more, read  recent news items including an op-ed by Brice Maryman and Michael McGinn. To get involved, click here to learn more about the Green Legacy Coalition or email Brice. We have lots more work to do, and need your help. 

Housing: create more housing in Seattle, to serve a diversity of income levels, in vibrant, walkable, environmentally sustainable neighborhoods

• We had a provocative discussion at our third “What It Takes” Forum on “Housing: Crisis, Challenge or Opportunity,” moderated by Great City Chair Darryl Smith with panelists Tony To, Maria Barrientos, Charlie Royer, and Councilmember Sally Clark. For further discussion of the forum, see Great City Vice Chair Joshua Curtis’s blog post.
• The City Council will soon take up an incentive to build more affordable multifamily housing. We are working to ensure that this incentive is as effective as possible. Feel free to share your views with the City Council.
• To join our Housing Campaign Committee, and help move our housing agenda (including better designed multifamily housing and smart rezones) contact Allison.

Transportation:  better neighborhood streets, and local mobility

• At our March Brownbag on Local Mobility, King County planners updated us about Bus Rapid Transit plans for north Aurora, Ballard and West Seattle.  We are concerned that King County plans are insufficiently ambitious to meet our transit objectives.
• John Coney, of Queen Anne and the Uptown Alliance, gave a proposal for a new streetcar line linking South Lake Union, Queen Anne, Fremont and Ballard.   
  
• Our transportation team just met to start mapping out a multi-year strategy to get better transit and more people-friendly streets.  If you are interested in helping with the campaign, email Allison.

Organizational

• Our Steering Committee and active volunteers had a productive planning session in March. Look for several new initiatives to engage the public.
• Our Neighborhood Assistance Program  is up and running, and has successfully handled several requests. Spread the word about us; we want to help neighborhoods hit their goals. We are still seeking community organizers, engineers, planners, etc. to advise neighborhoods on local projects.  For more information click here and to get involved, email Allison.  

Announcements

The number of local groups working on sustainable development has greatly increased.  A few events happening in your neighborhoods are listed below. If you know of other events you would like us to publicize, please inform us. 

• The City Club will hold a forum entitled Climate Protection: What’s Washington’s Plan on Friday, April 25 at the Washington Athletic Club, 1325 Sixth Avenue from 12-1:30. For more information click here.

• Green My Ride on Saturday, April 26 from 9:30 am – 3:30 pm at the Phinney Neighborhood Center, 6532 Phinney Ave. N. is a fun, FREE alternative transportation fair. Come learn how to take the next step toward a greener ride! Come by foot, bike, bus, or carpool...rain or shine!  For more information click here. 

• Sustainable West Seattle is holding a Festival on Sunday May 4^th.  Michael McGinn will speak at one of the panels. For more information visit the website or email Charles.

• Sustainable Capitol Hill was awarded a Small and Simple Grant to run a summer festival to educate the Capitol Hill Community on how to further their sustainable practices. The festival takes place on Sunday, July 20 from 11 am - 5 pm adjacent to the Broadway Farmer’s Market.  To learn more about Sustainable Capitol Hill click here, and if you would like to help plan the event contact Susan.
  

• The Pinehurst Neighborhood will hold a summer social event with a sustainability focus Saturday, August 9th.  For more information about Pinehurst, visit their blog; to volunteer to help plan the festival, email Renee (who is also a Great City volunteer leader.)