Seattle Fair Growth bringing timely issues that affect our community to your inbox
An Important Community Announcement from your friends at Seattle Fair Growth
You’re invited:to the following panel and audience discussion:
"Can the ‘Ave’ and all our city's neighborhood business districts survive upzoning, runaway growth, and gentrification?”
Join Small Business Leaders, Councilmember Lisa Herbold who heads the committee responsible for addressing small business needs, and former Councilmember now Port Commissioner Peter Steinbrueck.
Monday October 15th 7:00-8:45 PM, University Methodist Church (Fireplace Room), 1415 NE 43rd, enter northend of building at 15th Ave. NE and NE 43rd St The Panel (with ample time for audience participation):
Peter Steinbrueck: Former City Councilmember, current Port Commissioner, head of “Urban Strategies Consulting” will present the results of his survey of small business needs in the UDistrict - a model others can use to assess small business needs in their community that highlights challenges for all neighborhood business districts now facing runaway growth.
Rick McLaughlin, Owner of The Big Time Brewery and Alehouse and leader of the UDistrict Small Business Association will talk about challenges they’ve faced but also their successful organizing efforts that postponed planned Ave upzoning
Lisa Herbold, City Councilmember heading the committee addressing economic development and committed to addressing small business needs will review viable strategies she’s considering to prevent displacement of small businesses in our city's neighborhoods
Cliff Cawthon will moderate: Cliff teaches Political Science at Bellevue CC, a journalist and frequent contributor to local publications like the South Seattle Emerald and Outside City Hall focusing on displacement issues, and a leader on race and justice issues now President of the Tenant Union.
The problem: The City’s Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda or HALA calls for upzoning nearly all of Seattle’s neighborhood business districts, promising to drive up property values, rents and leases, and in many cases cause the demolition of older affordable buildings and storefronts. Runaway growth already has impacted our neighborhood businesses districts and the planned upzones now threaten to greatly accelerate displacement of many more independently run often minority owned shops and stores across our city.
University District small businesses, two years ago, put together an organizing effort that caused the City Council to postpone any HALA zoning changes along the historic “Ave” until solutions could be identified to prevent small business displacement – it’s a model other neighborhood business districts could emulate. Councilmember Herbold is leading efforts now to find solutions to help not only the Ave but all small business districts. Join us to learn more about the problem, hear about solutions.
Please join us to hear from our distinguished panel with ample time for audience discussion/participation/response:
Event sponsored by Seattle Displacement Coalition's News site " Outside City Hall ", and KODXKODX-LP 96.9 Seattle : part of their series of discussions on “Who Rules Seattle”. The event will be broadcast on KODX and video-taped for later distribution. For more information, contact jvf4119@zipcon.net.
