Laurelhurst
Community Club
Serving 2800 Households in
Council President Peter Steinbrueck and
Members of the
1100
600
RE: UW Lease Lid
Dear Council President Steinbrueck and Members of the Council:
The Laurelhurst Community Club Board
of Trustees continues to monitor Council efforts with regard to the UW lease
lid. Unlike the University, our group
has at all times been willing to compromise—to sit down and develop a solution
that works for everyone—the City, the University and the surrounding
communities. We believe it is important
to allow the University flexibility to meet its needs, but loss of housing and
the impact upon surrounding communities must also be addressed. We support the alternative proposed by
Councilmember Licata.
The “Drago/Nicastro” solution was an important start in retaining
provisions in the City-University Agreement relating to ground floor use, in providing
oversight by CUCAC and preventing leasing in neighborhoods outside the
University District. We believe that
proposal fell short, however, in addressing the impact upon existing affordable
and low income housing and in other areas.
What began as a good start at Thursday’s committee meeting eroded into
what appeared to be support for virtually no restriction on UW leasing. We were disappointed that a representative
from the University was allowed a place at the table to promote the
University’s position, while communities were left out and unable to respond. In response to legitimate concerns about what
would happen if the City begins to lose housing and retail as a result of UW
leasing, the only response from the UW representative was that the City could
pursue another amendment to the City-University Agreement at that
time—certainly not an easy undertaking.
Councilmember Licata’s compromise proposal provides a generous addition
to the allowable lease limit and real incentives to promote housing. The University indicates it has no interest
in producing housing, yet one of the chief features of the UW’s Tacoma master
plan is a proposed $21 million housing and parking complex at South 17th and
Market Streets that will include 94 apartments and a 300-space garage. This could happen in the University District
with incentives such as those proposed by Councilmember Licata.
We urge you to support Councilmember Licata’s proposed compromise. In the alternative, we ask that you hold this
matter over to allow community groups to meet individually with councilmembers. Thank you for considering our views and for
your continued efforts in addressing issues related to the Mayor’s proposal to
eliminate the UW lease lid.
Sincerely,
Jeannie Hale, President
525-5135 / fax 525-9631