Downtown Residents Unite to Advocate for Downtown Livability!

Downtown Residents Alliance

PRESS RELEASE                 For Immediate Release          

Downtown Residents Unite to Advocate for Downtown Livability!

 Seattle, Washington, March 22, 2016 –  With poorly planned,  intensifying development in downtown Seattle, many current residents are deeply concerned about the future of downtown. As a result, we have banded together to make our voices heard; and today we are announcing the founding of the Downtown Residents Alliance and launch of the Downtown Residents Alliance blog: seattledra.squarespace.com.

“We believe that everyone, no matter their economic status or where they reside, is entitled to a healthy, livable environment that includes reasonable access to daylight, open space, and privacy.”  -Beth Bennett, Downtown Resident

Robust growth in downtown is causing increased congestion and overcrowding, and stronger residential development standards are urgently needed to keep pace.

We would like to be able to support the Mayor’s HALA agenda for affordable housing and livability, but we see the current plan of more girth as further eroding light, air, and privacy, essential elements of Livability. But there is a solution that would work for everyone…and put the “L” in HALA. We are calling for new and stronger residential development standards that protect livability and offer better-planned development.

By incorporating more stringent development standards similar to those established in much of Belltown, South Lake Union, and First Hill, such as tower spacing, wider alleys, and maximum floor plate sizes, the future of downtown will be healthier and more livable for all current and future residents. 

We know the Mayor’s HALA agenda is on a fast track to respond to Seattle’s urgent need for more housing affordability, but let’s get this right. Fairness and justice demand it. There are better solutions than the ones we’ve seen, and we have some good ideas for improving downtown and achieving what we call “density done right”.

Please see our just launched blog [seattledra.squarespace.com] and see where we stand on many of the important issues affecting the future of downtown. To set up an interview, please email: draseattle@gmail.com.

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