The future of the former Fort Lawton Army Reserve Center will be the subject of a pair of public meetings, one on Monday evening at the Daybreak Star Cultural Center (5011 Bernie Whitebear Way) and a second on June 29 at the Magnolia Community Center (2550 34th Ave. W.).
Each event begins with an open house from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., followed by public comment from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Currently, the City of Seattle is considering redevelopment options to allow both housing and park uses on the 28-acre site, after entering a five-year agreement releasing the U.S. Army from ongoing property maintenance costs. During that time, the city will conduct a State Environmental Protection Act (SEPA) review and create a new redevelopment plan for city council consideration.
Four preliminary alternatives have been identified by the city’s Office of Housing: A mix of affordable housing onsite along with public park usage, market-rate housing onsite and affordable housing off-site, the development of the site as a public park with affordable housing off-site, and no redevelopment.
This period of public engagement is designed for stakeholders to express their concerns about potential adverse impacts to the area, and allow the city to address them moving forward.
Written comments can be submitted via email to OH_Comments@seattle.gov or by postal mail to Lindsay Masters, Office of Housing, PO Box 94725, Seattle, WA 98124-4725. Comments are due by 5 p.m. on June 26.
That feedback will be incorporated into the scope of the EIS. A draft EIS will be published sometime in the fall, and a public hearing will be held, with a final EIS scheduled to be published in the winter of 2018. A proposed redevelopment plan will then be prepared and forwarded to the city council for review next spring or summer. If park uses are included in the final plan, the city plans to treat that property as a land-banked site until funding is secured, at which point Seattle Parks and Recreation would conduct additional public outreach.
For more information, visit www.seattle.gov/housing/ft-lawton.