Dear Seattle City Council,

We, the residents and neighbors of Madison Park and Madison Valley, strongly support the proposed Neighborhood Centers in Madison Park and Valley. Please retain these neighborhood centers and provide even greater opportunities for density where possible as part of the One Seattle Plan.

We are the workers and voters of the Madison Park and Madison Valley Neighborhood Centers and surrounding areas. We have a deep love for this community and want a future that supports a vibrant neighborhood for all. We support the changes to zoning proposed in this Plan, which will help make our neighborhood more affordable, sustainable and inclusive, and advocate for even greater density at and around these Centers.

*Make Madison More Affordable*
As we know, Seattle faces an affordability crisis. More than 60% of Seattle residents are renters, and nearly two-thirds of young and senior renters are rent-burdened. A bold comprehensive plan is an opportunity to start to meaningfully address this issue. The Plan allows more affordable housing types like multifamily and social housing in Madison, ensuring a place for everyone. By upzoning along East Madison St. from McGilvra to the waterfront at Madison Park and from Thomas to Mercer at Madison Valley, more housing opportunities will be available to our neighbors. The proposed plan will allow greater opportunity for housing choice, meeting a wider and more flexible variety of resident needs. We as neighbors want to be able to welcome more neighbors of all backgrounds. Rising costs push workers like teachers and service staff out of Madison. Expanding affordable housing will help them stay, benefiting our community and economy. While we support the proposed Neighborhood Centers in Madison Park and Valley, upzoning denser and expanding the radius of the upzone will allow even more of our neighbors to thrive and support more housing opportunities for all.

*Make Madison More Sustainable*
Sustainability is a value Seattle prides itself on. With the recent opening of the Rapid Ride G bus line, we have an opportunity to truly capitalize on a historic investment in our community. By creating denser development in these areas, we have an opportunity to connect more people to transit and by extension, reduce sprawl and benefit air quality, climate emissions, traffic and local waterways. We can manage this development while still protecting our local forests and trees. Sustainability is also about the vitality of our local economy. At or nearby these neighborhood centers exist many vital services and businesses exist that support our community, including banking, medical services and pharmacies, Madison Park Hardware, and groceries, along with vibrant third places such as coffee shops and great food (like our beloved Cafe Flora!). More residents can help sustain these services and important places. New housing and increased local business utilization boosts city revenue, addressing budget shortfalls and supporting vital services. Thus, retaining and expanding Neighborhood Centers like these help ensures sustainable growth to meet future needs.

* Make Madison More Inclusive *
By allowing increased density near water and parks, like Madison Park Beach and the Arboretum, we will allow more folks more opportunities to connect with nature and provide increased opportunities for recreation and healing. By offering expanded Neighborhood Centers, the Plan addresses displacement by enabling more opportunities for affordable housing in previously exclusive areas, expanding opportunities for a diversity of residents, and reducing the impact of high housing costs. The Plan emphasizes zoning changes that would enable housing opportunities like social housing to promote racial and economic integration. This is particularly important given the horrific legacy of redlining and segregation in the northern portion of Seattle, impacting the Madison area. We owe it to our City’s residents to build a future that helps correct for this legacy.

Our kids, who attend schools like McGilvra Elementary and Edmond S Meany Middle School nearby, are watching us for how we act in our values and build the city for the future. Please choose a future that will allow a One Seattle for all. This means retaining neighborhood centers like at Madison Park and Madison Valley, and pursuing even denser and broader upzones in the surrounding areas.

Sincerely,