Shoreline Water District eases the way for new developments at old YMCA and Bingo Hall
Friday, May 25, 2012
From the Shoreline Water District
Ron Ricker, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Shoreline Water District, is pleased to announce the signing of a new development agreement for a construction project in the Shoreline area.
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| Cascade Bingo Hall in 2009 Photo from the Ronald Bog Blog |
The project will be at the old Bingo Hall at the intersection of NE 165th Street and 5th Avenue NE, where long time landowner, Development Services of America (DSA) has just signed a 10-year lease with Veolia Transportation. The District and DSA are also beginning design and construction of new water system improvement projects which will benefit the entire Ridgecrest area. Estimated date of occupancy is July 1, 2012.
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| Old YMCA Building is currently used by the New Hope Church Photo by Jerry Pickard |
A second water system improvement agreement for another development is expected to be signed next week. The project, located at the old YMCA lot at 1220 NE 175th Street, will become home to a new 165-unit apartment complex developed by the Inland Group.
The project consists of one, two and three bedroom rental units. According to the developer, there is an under-supply of quality affordable apartments for families in the area. “We appreciate the efforts of Shoreline Water District in helping make the project a reality,” said Darin Davidson, President, Inland Group.
Shoreline Water District and the Inland Group will begin design and construction on several water system improvements later this year. Building construction will begin mid June 2012, with an estimated completion date of late summer 2013. The projects will benefit North City and the surrounding area.
Before a building permit can be issued for a development, the Planning and Fire Departments require a water utility to verify whether adequate water is available. If it is not, then system improvements are identified and must agree to be completed by the developer prior to issuing a building permit, which can result in lengthy delays.
During preparation of their 2012 Water System Plan Update, Shoreline Water District had already conducted extensive long range planning to identify and schedule water system improvement projects that would be required in order to allow every parcel of land in their service area to be developed to its “highest and best use” in both the Ridgecrest and North City areas.
“In order to make sure that adequate water pressure and volume would be available for the Fire Department in the event of a fire, we spent time carefully calibrating our hydraulic model long in advance of these projects,” explained Ricker. “Then we field verified the results of the computer model to verify how much water would be available anywhere in our system under a wide range of operating scenarios.”
As a result of their proactive planning, the District was ready when the developers approached them with their proposed projects.
“Both developers will share in the cost of these water system improvement projects with the District, which is yet another win-win for our ratepayers,” said Ricker.
Shoreline Water District provides water service to residents of Shoreline located east of I-5 and residents of Lake Forest Park in the western part of the city. A copy of a presentation about the District’s Water System Plan Update is posted on our website for review.The District, which is about to begin its 82nd year of operation, welcomes development and encourages developers to contact our office before planning any future building projects. One hundred percent of the revenue collected as part of a development project goes back into improving our water system.
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11 comments:
Wow. This is great news for the Shorline area. It sounds like the Shoreline Water District has been working hard to make some big things happen. Congrats.
The city doesn't need to buy SPU & takeover Shoreline Water District to make development happen, they just need to cooperate and learn how to facilitate better relations with other agencies.
This is the way development is supposed to happen. Developers, not rate payers are supposed to pay for upgrades. Kudos to Shoreline Water District for being proactive which keeps costs down for everyone.
Publicly owned utilities provide local representation and low cost. City owned utilities have competing interests and no incentive to keep costs low. This is because the higher the rates the more taxes are also paid. Taxes that go into the general fund.
Too bad nobody is pointing out the incredibly high rates that have gone to businesses and non-profits such as the School and Churches. That they can't afford.
And by the way isn't a city "publicly owned".
Also, isn't SPU a "city owned utility".
Schools and churches don't pay property taxes, civics lessons, and they pay the same water rates as everyone else. So, what is your point here? They already get a break. Shoreline supports the public school district with one of the highest property tax rates in the state, they can't complain they can't afford it - water charges are based on actual use. Churches and non-profits (at least most of them) as 501(c)(3)s get a break in their federal income taxes, so what are you crying about - no state and local property taxes and no federal income taxes. They pay for utilities based on actual use. We, the public, should not be supporting churches by giving them free utilities under the constitution any further than we are under the separation of church and state. These are just red herring arguments and you call yourself "civics lesson?"
The Shoreline Water District is a public utility district, so once, again, what is your point?
Dear Anon @1:09,
My points are:
Business and non-profits are charged on a completely different schedule than you are. They are being charged extra high rates that recently went into use. Call the water district and ask, or ask at your church.
We may be paying high taxes to schools, but we voted for them. So what does that mean? When the school district get charged outrageous bills for water - it is you & I that are paying it. Just not directly.
Yes, the Shoreline Water District is a public utility and publicly owned. The city is also publicly owned. It appeared that Wendy DiPeso wasn't hip to that fact when she stated "Publicly owned utilities provide local representation and low cost." I believe the city also is publicly owned and has local representation.
Those are my points. Guess you didn't get it either.
Ah, I called the water district. They just changed their rates and all customers are charged the same rates, guess you don't keep up very well, civics lesson.
As for local representation, the water district elects its commissioners from local residents, so what is your point? Again, another red herring because you don't have a point to make.
Here is a good question for you, civics lesson -- the city just got the voters (in an election that the city staff who largely don't live in Shoreline but contributed 2/3 of the money for the political action committee) to tax themselves in the property tax levy lift. Take a look at the next city council agenda -- you will see that city staff miscalculated, they will run out of money in spite of their levy lift to the tune of $500K a year (that's half a million dollars) -- why should we trust a bunch of bozos like that to take over Seattle Public Utilities and run a water and/or a wastewater district?
Why aren't you complaining about the electricity the school district pays to Seattle City Light? Why aren't you complaining about the surface water fees that they pay to the city? Why aren't you complaining about the outrageous fees that King County charges for wastewater, they are going to raise everyone's rates again and the schools have to pay them. Why just limit your complaints to water, unless you have a hidden agenda here. King County is publicly owned and they are charging us for the multi-billion dollar Brightwater project that mostly benefits other districts, but they are publicly owned.
Guess you didn't want to bring up those property taxes the schools and churches don't pay, and the federal taxes they don't pay as well, did you? Here is a question for you since you are such a fan of the city -- how come the city is giving all the developers a 5 year property tax exemption for new buildings and these developers don't have to pay impact fees like they do in Seattle, King County, and numerous other localities? Single family home owners, churches, school districts (yes, school districts are adversely affected by development and should receive impact fees), fire districts, and the like but the city so near and dear to your heart won't include cover them.
You are so far in left field that you are in the bleachers.
I only spoke to water because that is what this article is about. Can you ever stay on topic?
Who says I don't complain to KC about their rates? Are you my wife?
As for the 5 year exemption, that is only for certain multi-family new construction that has low-income rents that fits certain criteria. Do you ever do complete research?
As for the local representation, for the third time, I was pointing out to Wendy DiPeso her error in stating that only public utilities are publicly owned. Do ever listen to or thoroughly read anything from anyone else that isn't repeating what you want to hear?
As for the short fall, have you heard about the economy?
Perhaps you are just such a city hater that you can see nothing else. Remember, it's just people that work there. Sort of like your neighbors. I realize that you believe yourself to be all-knowing and "practically perfect in every way" but just remember that not everyone else is.
If it is so awful here, why don't you move - please?
civics lessons - lets go to your first point:
"incredibly high rates to schools & churches...that they can't afford." no mention of limiting your comment to merely water, the article is about the water district, thus my last comment about all utiities, learn how to follow a thread.
5-year property tax exemption - am I supposed to provide a complete narrative here of all city policies, I notice you didn't mention the lack of impact fees which the fire department has had on their 5-year plan and management wanted. Impact fees are part of the comprehensive plan for transportation and surface water but the city never included them in the development code, your research is lacking as well.
As for publicly owned, Julie Underwood (the city manager) incorrectly state at a recent council meeting that the city will pay for a recent proposal to expand their commissioners from three persons to five and that they cost the CITY (not the ratepayers $22,400 a year (they do not cost the city or the ratepayers $22,400 annually), misstatements of fact like does not make me a "city hater," rather it is fact checking.
The short fall in the city budget, Debbie Tarry and the city manager's office assured the public that the levy lift would stabilize revenues for the next five years during the levy lift election even the the no on prop one committee warned them about the recession and their effects of the recession, in other words, the "economy."
No, I am not your wife just as your are not my boss and are not in any position to tell me to move. Hear about that your economy (yes, I think you have), house values are depressed (especially in Shoreline) and people are moving out. You are the hater, expecting the water ratepayers to support churches, schools, and nonprofits of your choice without any representation. You are the know it all, correctly Wendy DiPeso, using the moniker "civics lesson," and telling people to move if they don't agree with you.
Recent comments are starting to veer into the realm of the personal. Please keep your remarks to your version of the facts and keep your opinion of the other writers to yourself.
Diane, Editor
Editor
I apologize for my anger. I must admit to getting tired of hearing the same partly right/partly skewed half truths about our city. I know that people hear what they want to hear.
Of all the places I've lived and worked, Shoreline is the most responsive and most caring governmental agency I've seen. Try having your voice heard in Seattle, Everett, or an unincorporated county.
Civics lesson
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