Seattle City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen is crafting legislation that would create Neighborhood Conservation Districts, which would allow neighbors to agree to preserve the unique character of their communities. He is hosting a meeting at 6 p.m. tonight (Wednesday) at the Phinney Neighborhood Center tonight, 6532 Phinney Ave. N., to explain the concept and receive community input.
Here’s an overview of Neighborhood Conservation Districts from his website:
A neighborhood conservation district is an area with clear and consistent character defined by geographical boundaries. Typically a neighborhood conservation district board is established that includes neighborhood representatives and design professionals to make recommendations and decisions consistent with the authorities delegated to it by the city’s elected officials. The districts are established with the specific intention of conserving the neighborhood character of the designated districts, and would be individually established by a vote of the Seattle City Council.
A conservation district would provide guidelines, support and potential incentives for the conservation of important neighborhood buildings and design characteristics, but would not be as prescriptive as the landmark and special review districts that the city currently uses.
If you can’t make the meeting, you can share your thoughts with Councilmember Rasmussen by emailing [email protected] or calling 206-684-8808.
