The Magnolia United Church of Christ (3555 W. McGraw St.) will host a public hearing later this month on the draft environmental impact statement (EIS) for the redevelopment of Fort Lawton.
The meeting starts at 6 p.m. on Jan. 9 and both oral and written comments will be accepted to help the city, “improve the completeness, accuracy, and objectivity of the analysis.”
The city published the draft EIS on Dec. 14, evaluating four options for the 34-acre site: The preferred alternative of mixed-income affordable housing and public park space (the preferred alternative), options for either market-rate housing or a public park onsite with affordable and homeless housing off-site, and a “no action,” alternative. Planning and public outreach had been conducted nearly a decade ago — with plans at the time for mixed-income housing and a park — but a court ruling that the city needed to conduct further environmental review on the proposal, and the economic downturn, scuttled those efforts.
The public comment period runs through Jan. 28 at 5 p.m., and may be submitted via email to OH_Comments@seattle.gov, or to Lindsay Masters, Office of Housing, PO Box 94725, Seattle, WA 98124-4725.
The final EIS will be published in the coming months, and a proposed redevelopment plan will be prepared — and more public comment taken — before its forwarded to the city council for review and approval.
For more information, or to view the draft EIS in its entirety, visit www.seattle.gov/housing/ft-lawton.