Last night I attended a design review meeting for Aurora 48, a 45 unit project at the corner of 47th and Aurora in Fremont. Big issues brought up by one person was parking — the project has 16 required parking spots — and the impact of Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA), which puzzles the board. As the chair of the board said, there is “precious little we can do” about parking. I think that’s good. Parking never has and shouldn’t be part of design review. As for MHA, this board expressed concerns about what it is approving since MHA could add a floor.

The board seemed anxious about reviewing a 40 foot tall building, approving it, but then having it turn into a 50 foot tall building. Even one of the board members said, though, that it doesn’t really matter. At the end, they seemed to come around to agreeing that the regular and MHA versions are affected by the same issues about design and landscaping and relationship to various external elements, none of which would have very much value to the people who will live in the building. 

It always amazes me that housing projects get run through such a costly process — costly in time and money — when the code itself is already a gauntlet. After the presentation and comments (mine are below) the board talking about issues of inches and feet — literally a couple feet here and there. In the end, design review is an iterative process at the margins. At best it might slightly improve the appearance of a building; at worst the process just raises the rent. In the end, all the beard stroking and speculating and tweaking of landscaping gets paid for by the people that live there. Would they pay extra for all this “nuance of scale” if they had a choice? 

I am Roger Valdez, Director of Seattle For Growth a non-profit advocacy group for more housing of all kinds in all neighborhoods for people of all levels of income. And that’s why I am here, to speak in favor of this project; Aurora 48 is a perfect example of our mission and what we’re for.

In 1991 I lived at 4711 Fremont Avenue North, and while there are more people living in the neighborhood now, able to access local retail, the zoo, the park, and transportation options, it is in many ways much the same as it was back then, a mix of single-family and multifamily homes along with retail.

The new project will give 45 new households a chance to live near frequent transit service along with amenities and some parking for cars and bikes.

Aurora 48 will integrate well with the residential community into the neighborhood that has a mix of housing types, including single-family homes with yards, some single-family homes converted into apartments, townhomes, and larger apartment buildings. The project will also add more pedestrian traffic, more customers for local retail, and provide a range of options from studio to three bedroom homes.

I am not a design professional. But having lived in this neighborhood and worked across the city as a neighborhood activist, as a Neighborhood Development Manager, and now as an advocate for more housing, I can say that this project works; that is it will do its part to provide more options for people to affordably live in our city with access to transit and amenities.