The April Queen Anne Community Council meeting was well engaged in transportation matters Wednesday night with two presentations by representatives of SDOT and WSDOT.
SDOT Project Manager Eric Tweit gave an overview of the West Mercer Place alternatives that arose in response to problems some Uptown residents have with the Mercer West Project. He mentioned that this had become an issue because of the concerns of the community regarding increased traffic and the lack of pedestrian and bike crossings. The illustrations of alternative No. 1 and No. 2 can be seen here, No. 3 and No. 4 can be seen here, and Elliot Avenue West left-turn lane extension with the alternatives summary can be seen here.
Tweit said that since SDOT’s West Mercer Place open house they’ve been presenting the alternatives to different community groups and will continue to do so through the end of this month. In May, they will make a recommendation to the mayor who will ultimately decide what improvements, if any, will be included in the Mercer West Project.
He cautioned that the $100 million budget for the Mercer West Project doesn’t include the alternatives that are being considered, and the money for any improvement would add to the budget. This new budget would then be subject to a budget submittal process next fall for the Seattle City Council to approve.
During the question portion, residents of West Mercer Place commented on the lack of crosswalks and the effects the increased traffic has had and will have on West Mercer Place.
“I think that one neighborhood is being impacted and taking the hit on this Mercer Street Corridor,” said Freeburg. “The whole area is being devastated by this plan.”
The effects of the Nickerson Street road diet on traffic through West Mercer Place were also discussed at length. Councilmember Marty Kaplan asked Tweit if it was possible to end the road diet for the sake of alleviating some of the traffic through Lower Queen Anne.
“As far as I know, and from what I’ve heard from my director as well, it’s just paint on Nickerson, and the cost to changing it is a lot less than rebuilding the street,” replied Tweit. “That is and always will be an option … West Mercer Place conditions could play into that.”
Mike Rigsby, a consultant working for the Washington Department of Transportation, was also there to discuss the latest developments of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement Program. The information presented can be seen via their website.
An update on the Queen Anne Farmers Market was given by Julie Whitehorn after the SDOT presentation, which was concluded with a tense exchange between Whitehorn and councilmember Michael Lapin.
The position of manager for the Queen Anne Farmers Market, held by Whitehorn since 2009, has been uncertain as Whitehorn and Queen Anne Neighbors for Responsible Growth, the parent organization of the market, of which Lapin is a board member, quarrel over financial matters. The dispute between the two sides – QANRG and the Queen Anne Farmers Market Association – was being mediated by the Seattle Office of Economic Development, but negotiations broke down and QANRG is currently looking at another person to manage the market, said Lapin.
“I’m surprised that you came given the fact of all the disarray between OED, Queen Anne Neighbors, and you,” said Lapin, followed by a restrained argument between the two.
Afterwards, Lapin said that he never publicly or privately disparaged anything Whitehorn had done for the market and that she did a great job bringing the farmers market to its current success.
Whitehorn’s Queen Anne Farmers Market update included:
- The farmers market ran for 22 weeks last year and grossed $475,000, up 72 percent over the previous year.
- In 2010, there were 64 total vendors, up 36 percent.
- The market had 30,000 visitors last summer, up 94 percent over the previous year.
- They have more farms signed up for this year’s market.
- It’s running from 3 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. this summer, rather than closing at 7 p.m., and it’s being held from June 2 to Oct. 6.
Chair Ellen Monrad asked for a volunteer from the board to serve on the Office of Economic Development’s advisory panel regarding the dispute between Whitehorn and the QANRG.
At the end of the meeting, Monrad announced that Queen Anne won the Molly Moon’s contest to be the new locale for the local ice cream shop. The tentative location for the new Molly Moons will be on West Galer Street next to Top Pot donuts, said Monrad.