There was finally a glimmer of hope that the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections [SDCI] is finally “seeing the light”, if the recent 'Correction Letter-Transportation DPD-Cycle5' ,dated April 12, 2019, is any indication. For several years now, we have diligently challenged every new downtown high-rise development application that has inadequate and/or non-functional loading and waste design. The First Light project at 2000 3rd Ave. [#3026416], right across the alley from Serious Pie, certainly fits into that category.

Finally, SDCI is requesting the Applicant to address most of what we’ve been asking for years. Specifically, it states “Please also indicate the expected frequency of commercial deliveries and of residential move-ins/move-outs. As the project will provide three loading bays, please provide turning movement diagrams demonstrating that each bay can be accessed when other bays are occupied. Please also indicate whether and to what extent trucks using the loading bays will extend into the alley when ramps or lift gates are deployed….” You can read the full text here.

Without some material improvements in the current loading and waste design of First Light, they will not be able to successfully comply with this request.

This request is long overdue for this project; and SDCI should make a  similar request for every application now pending downtown. We already have serious traffic issues in streets and alleys in the downtown core, so honest design and complete and accurate Transportation Impact Analysis [TIA] is a must before these projects are approved or we will have unmitigated disaster.

We won’t get a “do-over” for generations once these towers go up, so we must get them right!