Laurelhurst
Community Club
Serving 2800 Households in
April
1, 2003
Weldon Ihrig,
Executive Vice President
306 Gerberding Hall
RE: Mayor’s Proposal to Eliminate the UW
Lease Lid
Dear Weldon:
As you are aware, Mayor Nickels has
proposed eliminating the lease lid. The
Mayor’s proposal was developed with no involvement of surrounding communities
or CUCAC, little understanding of the successful 18-month process between the
University and its neighbors in negotiating the 1998 City-University Agreement
addressing many issues, including the lease lid, and no analysis of the impacts
of eliminating this long-term mechanism to protect adjacent communities from
the adverse impacts of University expansion.
A few years ago, you contacted the neighborhoods asking that we all work
together to revise the 1983 City-University Agreement because the City’s
proposal did not meet the needs of the University. We did that and after hundreds of compromises
in finalizing our proposal, the City and the UW Board of Regents approved the
1998 City-University Agreement. We are
now asking that you work with us to negotiate a compromise on the lease lid
issue.
Despite the ambitious timetable
established by the Council for consideration of the Mayor’s lease lid proposal,
we are hopeful that the Council will allow sufficient time for us to work
together to develop a solution that addresses the University’s needs and
concerns of the neighborhoods while considering the Mayor’s desire to
revitalize The Ave. It is possible that
prior to making a decision, the Council might be interested in the results of
the recently filed petition before the Central Puget Sound Growth Management
Hearings Board on the adopted University Master Plan as that appeal addresses
the University’s land acquisition policy and the lease lid among other
issues. Because the prehearing
conference on that matter is scheduled for May 5, 2003, it would seem that
there is time for the University to work with its neighbors.
Please let us know if you are interested
in working together to develop a compromise on the lease lid issue.
Sincerely,
Jeannie Hale, President
525-5135 / fax 525-9631
cc: CUCAC members; Theresa Doherty; Seattle City Councilmembers, Mayor Nickels