Highland Park Improvement Club moving forward with reconstruction plan

The new Highland Park Improvement Club Celebration Center at 1115 SW Holden.

Rendering by Wittman Estes

Thu, 08/24/2023

The Highland Park Improvement Club has applied for the next step in the creation of the replacement for the community center they lost in a tragic fire in june of 2021.

The new 6100 square foot space will offer musical performances, and events, with space for weddings, quinceaneras, birthdays and wakes, and local meetings, classes and gatherings. The space will act as an emergency HUB point for the Highland Park neighborhood and as a social focal point, builiding community connections and resilience.

The design by Wittman Estes Architects contains outdoor gardens, bar/cafe, kitchen, and performance spaces, which can expand to the outdoors by large sliding glass doors. At the core, the building can be subdivided into flexible zones that can serve as collaborative spaces for community gatherings, hosting an array of activities from art classes to educational programs. The result is a transformable space that can be adapted to meet the developing needs of the performing arts and the growing diverse population of the West Seattle area.

Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (Seattle DCI) is currently reviewing the Master Use Permit application described below.

Project Number: 3040867-LU Address: 1116 SW HOLDEN ST

Area: West Seattle Zone: NR3, LR2 (M)

Date of Application: 07/25/2023Date Application Deemed Complete: 08/14/2023

Applicant Contact: WITTMAN-ESTES ARCHITECTURE - (206) 735-7170 SDCI Planner: SCOTT REYNOLDS - (206) 386-0044

Land Use Application to allow a 2-story institution (community center). Existing building to be demolished. Parking for 20 vehicles proposed.

Comments may be submitted through: 09/06/2023 The following approvals are required:

The top of this image is north.This map is for illustrative purposes only. In the event of omissions, errors or differences, the documents in Seattle DCI's files will control.

Administrative Conditional Use to allow a community center in a Lowrise Multifamily (LR2 (M)) zone.SEPA Environmental Determination (This project is subject to the Optional DNS Process (WAC 197-11-355)

and Early DNS Process (SMC 25.05.355). This comment period may be the only opportunity to comment on the environmental impacts of this proposal.Other permits that may be needed which are not included in this application:Building Permit

Your written comments are encouraged and should be submitted to:

www.seattle.gov/project/comment

Department of Construction & Inspections ATTN: Public Resource CenterP.O. Box 34019Seattle, WA 98124-4019

Commenters providing an email address or return US mail address will be sent notice of any public meetings or hearings and notice of the SDCI decision with information on the right to appeal. All correspondence will be posted to our electronic library.

Applications requiring shoreline approvals are subject to an initial 30-day comment period. All other land use approvals listed below are subject to an initial 14-day comment period. A 14 day comment period may be extended an additional 14 days provided a written request to extend the comment period is received by this Department within the initial 14-day comment period as published in this bulletin. Any comments filed after the end of the official comment period may be considered if pertinent to the review being conducted.

The project file, including application plans, environmental documentation and other additional information related to the project, is available in our electronic library at Seattle Services Portal.

Questions about the projects listed in this bulletin can also be directed to the Public Resource Center at the email and US mail address listed above. To the extent known by the Department, other necessary government approvals or permits not included in the application will also be listed. When a building permit is listed as being necessary, this may include associated electrical, plumbing, mechanical, elevator, and other similar permits.

SDCI is now using the Early Review Determination of Non-significance (DNS) process for all applications requiring a threshold determination when SDCI has reasonable basis to believe that significant adverse impacts are not likely, and the Director expects to issue a DNS for the proposal. The DNS is not final until it is published following consideration of all comments received during the comment period.

The comment period for a project subject to an Early Review DNS may be the only opportunity to submit comment on the environmental impacts of the proposal. Mitigation measures may be imposed on projects subject to the Early Review DNS process After the close of the comment period, SDCI will review any comments and will either issue a DNS followed by an opportunity to appeal, or, if significant environmental impacts are identified, a DS/Scoping notice. Copies of the subsequent threshold determination for the proposal may be obtained upon request or from our electronic library at Seattle Services Portal.

Numbers used in project descriptions are approximations. The final approved plans will control.

A formal decision as to the meaning, application or intent of any development regulation in Title 23 (Land Use Code) or Chapter 25.09 (Regulations for Environmentally Critical Areas) is known as an "interpretation". Examples include questions of how structure height or setback is properly measured, or how a proposed use should be categorized.

Interpretation may be requested by any party during the comment period as determined above. The request must be in writing, and accompanied by a $3,940.00 minimum fee payable to the City of Seattle (This fee covers the first ten hours of review. Additional hours will be billed at $394.00.). Interpretations on some issues may also be requested later, during the appeal period, if the project decision is appealed. Failure to request an interpretation for a Type I Land Use decision can preclude raising the issue on appeal to the Hearing Examiner, but will not preclude raising it on appeal directly to Superior Court. Questions regarding the interpretation process may be sent to www.seattle.gov/project/comment (please include “Interpretation Information” in the subject line) or by calling the message line at (206) 684-8467. Requests for interpretation may be submitted to the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections, Code Interpretation and Implementation Group, 700 5th Av Ste 2000, P.O. Box 34019, Seattle, WA 98124-4019.