Neighborhood Planning

North Beacon Hill Neighborhood Plan Update — Project Archive

For the complete history of this project, please contact us at 684-8880.

Accomplishments

Project Outcomes

From 2008 to 2010 we worked with the culturally and ethnically diverse North Beacon Hill community to update their neighborhood plan and make zoning changes to create a vibrant town center around the light rail station.

  • Engaged hundreds of community members at 38 workshops, meetings, and discussions
  • Planning and Outreach Engagement Liaisons (POELs) held 29 meetings to get input and feedback from historically underrepresented community members (such as immigrants, refugees, youth, seniors, communities of color, and people living with disabilities)
  • Created community-driven vision and goals for living, working, and enjoying life in the North Beacon Hill neighborhood
  • Updated the North Beacon Hill Neighborhood Plan
  • Developed neighborhood (urban) design concepts and zoning based on the community's vision
  • Won American Planning Association designation for Beacon Hill as a Great Neighborhood (October 2012)
  • Received a $3.6M Community Transformation Grants Small Communities grant from Center for Disease Control for obesity prevention and tobacco control in South Seattle and South King County
  • Received a HUD Community Challenge Planning Grant for a shared multi-cultural community center to serve Rainier Valley neighborhoods
  • Helped El Centro de la Raza begin redevelopment of property along S Lander Street
  • Won a Judges Merit Award for innovative civic engagement efforts in Neighborhood Planning Updates including use of POELs; this was part of the Governor's 2010 Smart Communities Awards for creating livable communities in Washington State

Key Milestones

Community Engagement

  • March 2009 — North Beacon Hill Baseline and Issues Identification Workshop
  • May 2009 — North Beacon Hill Town Hall — Places, Connections, and Building a Great Town Center
  • June to July 2009 — Meetings with ethnic, cultural, and age-specific groups
  • September 2009 — Community Open House — Draft Goals and Recommendations

Neighborhood Plan Update

  • January 2010 — North Beacon Hill Neighborhood Plan Update completed
  • May 2010 — North Beacon Hill Town Center Action Team formed
  • October 2010 — North Beacon Hill Town Center Action Team defines vision and recommendations for the Town Center
  • October 2011 — North Beacon Hill Town Center Urban Design Framework completed

Land Use Recommendations

  • April 2012 — Ordinance 123852 for North Beacon Hill zoning and land use amendments approved by Seattle City Council

Project Purpose

We partnered with the community to develop the North Beacon Hill Neighborhood Plan in 1999. That collaboration was part of a citywide effort to preserve the qualities of Seattle's distinct neighborhoods while allowing them to grow. Since 1999 there have been significant changes in the North Beacon Hill neighborhood, including the addition of light rail service, a new library, and improvements to Jefferson Park. In addition, the City of Seattle is committed to engaging historically underrepresented communities in neighborhood planning. Based on this background, the Mayor and City Council mandated a review and update of the North Beacon Hill neighborhood plan. Between 2008 and 2010, we worked with the area's diverse community to create goals, policies, and strategies to guide the future of the neighborhood. We used that shared vision to update the neighborhood plan and to develop design concepts and zoning changes for the neighborhood core.

Our neighborhood plan update process included extensive outreach and community engagement to reach a broad cross-section of neighborhood stakeholders. We used innovative and traditional engagement tools, including hands-on workshops, smaller interactive meetings, and online communication and surveys. POELs helped us engage historically underrepresented communities.

Reference Documents

North Beacon Hill Neighborhood Plan Update and Comprehensive Plan Amendments

Urban Design Framework and Rezone

Community Engagement

  • March 2009 — community identified planning issues
  • May 2009 — community focused on places, connections, and building a great Town Center
  • September 2009 — community drafted Goals and Recommendations
Last Updated:

June 13, 2012