Until last week, everything appeared to be going as planned for the
South Lake Union Friends and Neighbors Community Council (SLUFAN), the
group that submitted a neighborhood plan to the city in June that would
increase density and allow towers as tall as 400 feet. But on August
28, a group of about 50 mostly white-haired residents who sternly
objected to skyscrapers in their neighborhood held the first public
meeting of a new rival group, Lake Union Opportunity Alliance (LUOA),
which is drafting an alternative plan that would dramatically lower
maximum building heights in the neighborhood.
“I would lose my view of the Space Needle, and I believe that is a
very strong part of the culture here,” Eastlake resident Brian Ramey
said.
According to the city’s comprehensive plan, South Lake Union needs
to absorb 8,000 new households in the next 16 years.
Although SLUFAN’s highest-density proposal would increase the
population more than three times that amount, one of the group’s four
proposals, for moderate height increases, matches the wishes of the new
group. So the emergence of this new rival organization isn’t so much
about the content of SLUFAN’s density proposals, but about SLUFAN
failing to incorporate neighborhood residents from the outset.
Currently, of the 13 board members, only one is a neighborhood
resident. Diane Masson, a South Lake Union resident, was kicked off the
board after she opposed the 400-foot tower plan. The rest of the board
consists of business interests, including South Lake Union developer
Vulcan, PEMCO Insurance, Sellen Construction, and the Seattle
Times.
SLUFAN president Steven Paget says he “would like to have greater
residential representation on the board.” He adds, “There was plenty of
opportunity for residents to get involved in the process.” The
organization’s bylaws, however, call for just one neighborhood
representative.
Diane Sugimura, director of the city’s Department of Planning and
Development, responded to the new group at last week’s meeting, telling
them she would “see what we can do to work with the community.” That
could require the city to spend more money providing staff and
materials to LUOA, as it did for SLUFAN, to help draft a fifth neighborhood plan. 
Bunch of old fogeys. “I’ll lose my Space Needle view.” Oh boo hoo. Kill yourself.
Ditto^^
But it’s not fair nor correct for a neighborhood to be led by a board of strangers who live outside the neighborhood. A neighborhoood association should be represented by members of its community. It’s pretty ridiculous that their bylaws allow only one residential representative. It’s an obvious abuse of power by the board to retain its power.
I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t care that their changing the neighborhood of South Lake Union. But I do care about the process of how they are doing it. Proceeding without consent of the community is like raping a disadvantaged woman.
There is nothing in the SLUFAN bylaws that limit residential representation to one board member.
This is a factual innacuracy.
There is one seat on the board mandated to be held by a member of the Cascadia Neighborhood Council as part of the inclusionary policies. THAT is part of the bylaws.
No one is excluded for being a resident.
growth will happen in South Lake Union……for the wealthy.
just an FYI, for other neighborhood districts….
the I.D. has a 7 member board, 5 elected reps and 2 appointed by nickel’s office.
that the board is made up only of commercial interests interested in the sole purpose of increasing FAR and building height, so they can increase revenue, is laughable. seriously, i wouldn’t be surprised if diane was laughing her ass of right now.
There are educators represented, community-based nonprofits as well.
Yes, there needs to be outreach, which is being planned. There is already room for residents at the table via the SLUFAN structure.
But to uniformly cast the SLUFAN board as big business is really truly incorrect.
I might point out the Ms. Diane Masson represents a multi-state development company, and does not live in the neighborhood. That the agency responsible for the “Mirrabella” development on Denny is feeding this supposed controversy is fairly ironic.
does the space needle really hold significance for people here?
It has nothing to do with the needle holding significance or whining about the loss of their view.
Bottom line, to allow developers to come in and plan/(changes to) your neighborhood where you and others of the community have resided for (possibly) decades is just plain tacky and is piss poor city planning/developing. The nay sayers say nay now, and poke at these residents, but wait until developers come to your neighborhood with a McDonalds or a Wal-Mart.
No one ever went to Paris to see a Wal-Mart. And people who have moved to that area did not do so to see the back of someones apt building.