Letters to SDOT
Following are excerpts from FOHB letters regarding the proposed hammerhead driveway application for the north property. Often referenced: Resolution 29370 and Directors Rule 12-2015 (specifically, Sec. 3). You can see our pending plan here.
“You all are on the cusp of an exciting opportunity! This is the perfect time to permanently dedicate this public right of way to the public! We aren’t making more public spaces (unless we lower the lake another 9 ft). This is your chance to save a good one!”
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“For most of the 50 years I have been using Hidden Beach, public use of this gem has been congenial with the property owners to the north and the south … SDOT should effectuate the spirit of Council Resolution 29370 and the letter of Directors Rule 12-2015 by denying this street use permit.”
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“I continue to be astonished and frustrated by Seattle government’s unwillingness to back its citizens by enforcing the laws it passes on their behalf. What these neighbors have been doing these last few years is a clear violation of the street end legislation the city itself formulated.”
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“My family urges the city to review the Roberts’ proposal and ask “Who gains here?” “Whose rights are thwarted here?” “Whose voice must have sway for the good of the city?” Please. And thank you.”
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“I, we, beg you to deny this driveway permit and to fully support the preservation of our public space; please, uphold the full extent of Seattle Council Resolution 29370 and deny Permit Application SUCONST0001878.”
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“I have lived within a block of the Harrison street end beach on 39th Avenue East since moving to Seattle in 1961 and have enjoyed the beach with our 3 children, 9 grandchildren and recently a new great grandchild. Until recently it was a haven of peace and neighborhood friendship, a respite in nature in the middle of the city.”
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“I have been a neighbor of Hidden Beach for over 50 years. My children and grandchildren have all known the magic of a summer day there. The encroachment of the Roberts’ is criminal.”
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“I am very familiar with the beach and the controversy because my wife and I have lived across the street from the street end for the past 10 years. Our garage is entered from a driveway off of 39th. We embrace it and do not try to change it, and believe most of our neighbors, and certainly the general populace of the city agrees with us.”
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“This isn't about preventing the Roberts from enjoying their home or lawfully accessing their property. It is about drawing a very clear boundary between private property and public property. Please draw that boundary.”
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“I am continually shocked at why anyone would buy a house next to a street end beach (that the public worked so hard to preserve) if they didn’t appreciate what a community treasure it is.”
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“I grew up walking distance to Hidden Beach and my earliest memories of childhood are sitting on the sand, swimming in the peaceful water, doing handstands with my sisters … Will the city uphold the public's right to access public street end beaches and enforce the resolutions passed on the public's behalf?”
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“The Friends of Hidden Beach public-access proposal … allows reasonable — even generous — access to the adjacent private properties in the form of driveways, while retaining the E. Harrison Street End (Hidden Beach) for the public.”
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“There is no justification for paving the Roberts’ driveway. The current gravel surface is fully functional and permits rainwater infiltration.”
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“All other properties to their north back out of their driveways onto 39th Ave. E. It is a quiet street and there is no reason why they can’t do so also.”
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“Their proposed extensive landscaping on this public property is a blatant attempt to privatize it – making their somewhat undersized lot appear more grandiose … it will simply discourage the public from using property it has every right to use.”
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“For way too long neighbors have been allowed to encroach on the right of way to Hidden Beach. Your only option is to remember the rules you created and STOP this ongoing struggle now!”
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“My family has enjoyed Hidden Beach for more than 50 years. It is a rare and special public space, and we have watched it bring neighbors and visitors together across generations … I respectfully ask that you uphold the public's right to this shoreline and deny the permit.”
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We encourage you to send your respectful feedback on the hammerhead application SUCONST0001878 and the pending FOHB improvement plan to:
omar.akkari@seattle.gov
erica.bush@seattle.gov
joel.miller@seattle.gov
alyse.nelson@seattle.gov
Joy.Hollingsworth@seattle.gov
alex.altshuler@seattle.gov
mercedes.rinck@seattle.gov
rob.saka@seattle.gov
you can cc FOHB if you wish:
friends-of-hidden-beach@googlegroups.com
