Low income housing and ‘urban rest stop’ proposed for Ballard

Geeky Swedes Ballard

It was a full house at Wednesday’s Ballard District Council meeting. Many in attendance were there to hear details of the proposed housing by the Low Incoming Housing Institute (LIHI) at 2014 NW 57th St.

The vacant lot at 2014 NW 57th St.

Sharon Lee, the executive director of LIHI did a show-and-tell of several LIHI buildings around the city, including one in Lake City, South Lake Union and a new one in the University District. “If you’re interested, I’d love to have you come visit and tour some of our buildings,” Lee told the group.

According to a letter being sent to immediate neighbors, the proposed facility in Ballard would include 40 to 60 units of affordable housing for families and individuals. The studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments would be for families and individuals with annual incomes of no more than $51,360 for a four-person household and $41,100 for a two-person household. Twenty-percent of the units would be set aside for homeless families. “Our priority would be to house the working people in Ballard and we will work with you on reaching out to people who need affordable housing in Ballard,” Lee says, “We think it’s very important to have people who work in Ballard be able to afford to live in Ballard.”

Along with with apartment units, the first floor would be a designated “urban rest stop.” Ronni Gilboa, the manager of the Urban Rest Stop at 1924 9th Avenue says, “What we’re looking at is a facility that provides showers and laundry and bathrooms for homeless people who need it.” There will also be other auxiliary services such as nurses and other health educators.

Lee believes the urban rest stop will not attract people from outside the neighborhood. “We think the urban rest stop will be most used by people who are in Ballard,” she says, including homeless individuals and car campers, poor.

To learn more about the proposed facility, LIHI will host a public meeting on October 27th at 6:30 p.m. at Swedish Ballard (5300 Tallman Ave NW) in Conference Room A. You can read the entire “Dear Neighbor” letter here. (.pdf)

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

108 thoughts to “Low income housing and ‘urban rest stop’ proposed for Ballard”

  4. urban rest stop????? none of their other residential low income housing buildings have this. The memo has got out that we’re apparently too passive and easy to pushover here in Ballard to stop this kind of thing. The truth is most of the homeless people that live on our streets and parks here came from other areas – and some very recently. I have seen them drink in our parks, yell obsenities, and not act like they live in a civil society. I’m all for low-income housing, but not this.

  5. “We think the urban rest stop will be most used by people who are in Ballard.”

    Based on what evidence, exactly? “We think” should more accurately read “we believe.”

  7. I went to the Ballard District Council meeting last night and listened to LIHI speak about the proposed low income residence they want to build at 2014 NW 57th. It would be a 40-60 unit building, with studio, 1 and 2 bedroom apartments. They would be geared toward families with a few units set aside for homeless people (women I think). And, they plan on finding low income Ballard residents for tenants. This is good.

    My concern is their current plans for a hygiene center. LIHI operates the Urban Rest Stop at 9th & Virginia in downtown Seattle. They service 500-800 people a day. Their hours of operation are 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. This would be the only hygiene center outside of downtown Seattle. This would allow the City of Seattle leaders, church leaders and SHARE to send more homeless to Ballard because we would have the facilities the homeless require. This is not a good idea and bad for a residential neighborhood.

    Please people attend the meeting on 10/27 at Swedish Ballard. LIHI’s application for the project has not yet been filed and we may be able to get it modified for the housing project only.

  8. Actually, that’s not true. They have an existing Urban Rest Stop in downtown Seattle that provides free restrooms, sevearl private shower rooms and laundry facilities (9 washer and 14 dryers). We were shown pictures of it during the meeting and at it was quite attractive. An audience member I spoke to said that he’d visited the downtown facility and was impressed by how clean it is.

    Frankly, this is a badly needed service here in Ballard (free shampoo, soap, shaving cream, toothbrushes, etc.). If it means that the homeless here will have a place to take care of these needs, then I say great. And if it helps restore even a modicum of their dignity, then I say even better.

  12. For a while I regretted not buying a home closer to downtown Ballard so I could walk there with the family and enjoy the new urban vibrancy and renaissance going on.

    Now, all I can say is, thank god I didn’t buy a house within walking distance from downtown Ballard.

    To everyone who did, my condolences, you’ve just been thrown under the Hobo Bus. If you don’t fight this hygiene center your property values will be toast.

  13. stop by the downtown rest area and see what it’s like for yourselves rather than assuming you know what will happen. not all homeless are the drunks and hobos you’re so afraid of.

  15. There are parts of Ballard 30 minutes walk from Market Street…..up near 85th. Kind of tough walking that far and back for an ice cream with a 2 year old. Maybe you have an hour to kill every day.

    Anyway, glad I’m not near the bum-zone.

  16. yep, this is getting old. so now “downtown” ballard will be packed with all sorts of facilities. nice. i’m sure the small business owners of market and surrounding streets are thrilled.

  17. this is s great project and makes me proud to be a seattle resident and very proud of ballard (although i live in queen anne).

    all the naysayers are obviously racist and/or newbie snobs who don’t have a clue about the history and character of our great city.

  19. Of course the Hobo Showers could just be a ploy. Throw that bone out there for everyone to go nuts over so they can build the new Hobo Hotel with little complaint. Classic political move.

  20. can you point out where you got the 500-800 people per day? I got this from their website: “Since the February 2001 earthquake, which resulted in the closure of another Seattle hygiene service facility, the Urban Rest Stop has provided services at its maximum daily capacity of 160 to 200 laundry loads, 175 to 225 showers and 400 to 600 restroom uses each day. “

  21. I live on 77th and make that walk with my kids often. So are you one of the ones who complains about driving? Also, 85th isn’t winning any utopian prizes these days either. Please stick to your greenwood neighborhood and leave Ballard to those who appreciate it for what it is and can be.

  22. So a methadone clinic, two bum motels, and now a hygiene center. Ballard’s going to be a bigger dump than Belltown soon. Dopers, drunks, hobos on every corner. An urban dystopia only the bleeding hearts could imagine.

  23. Give me a break! I’m sure the neighbors will love this one… we’ll all get together on our time off and grill tofu dogs and serve them while the homeless come from all over to do their laundry and take a shower. are you kidding? Ballard’s is already becoming more and more of a haven for crime… how would this help? By attracting the homeless and indigent from all over the city….. I can’t wait to take a stroll down market street after dark… I’m sure this won’t attract any more drug peddlers.. does the local community really approve of this? How about the Ballard Chamber of Commerce?

  24. Funny,I notice,mostly suburban frat-boy-persons and etc.are running up the streets kicking on things like ashcans,mail-boxes,and kiosks every night when the hip bars close..looks like,bell-town now.
    Most of these trustafarians have black-outs that mean,when they wake next day in thir frat-dump or KKondo,they think they had fun,but other nasty bums did all this damage…
    I think,after acute observations,that ballard needs to re-devolve to an ghetto with an nordic “hadrian’s Wall”to filter out migrant drunky munkies from Seattle and require an bond posting to get in-to our”vibrant bar kulture”…
    Maybe,an “stocks”and random postings of miscreants’parents/home/office addresses in an “wall-O-Shame”(Henry?Where is yer commission??)could help poor little ballard regain control of its’ down-town?
    INSTEAD of an POGROM ON UNSIGHTLY INDIGENT SCAPE-GOATS!!!

  26. Wow. Perhaps you didn’t read the very large print in the article above, but LIHI will provide studios and apartments primarily for familes earning under $51, 360 a year and couples making less than $41K. If you think that makes it a “bum hotel” then I think that says quite a bit more about you than it does about where this community is headed.

    Any why wouldn’t we want our local homeless to have access to designated restroom facilities than using the streets, sidewalks, alleys and bushes like they do now? Why wouldn’t we want them to be able to shower and clean up, brush their teeth and have a shave? You make it sound like anyone without the ability to pay for a roof over his or her head (loss of job, loss of one’s home, etc.) means that they are necessarily “dopers, drunks, hobos” and whatever else. Your broad-stroke generalizations are unbelievably hyperbolic.

    Is this a utopia? Of course not. But it’s a response to a reality that we all face in Ballard. I’d much rather see some new opportunities here that have the potential to address that problem than to watch the community just sit back, pass judgment and make inane and insensitive comments about those who find themselves in need of life’s most basic necessities.

    I welcome the new housing AND the hygiene center.

  27. We hobos already shower in the sinks at the Ballard library branch, and poop outside in the surrounding areas. Thus, we do not find this “urban rest stop” necessary.

  28. Totally agree with this – where is the evidence? Think about it. If you heard there was a place in Maple Leaf giving away free gas, do you think nobody would travel from outside that community to take advantage of this?

  31. How much ya wanna bet after the bum-bog and bum-motel opens we’ll have more homeless in Ballard? More drinking in the parks. More pissing in the atreets despite the toilet. This won’t solve the problem. When you feed pigeons you know what you get? A pigeon problem. Luckily for you they’ll probably be ***tting on other peoples’ property.

  32. It’s not NEEDED. Ballard has been attracting homeless and building this will only entice many more to come. It will be interesting to see who is going to purchase a place here knowing what resides under them. Prove me wrong please!

  35. I work next to the Compass Center downtown that has similar hygeine services. I frequently see people come in, use the services and leave the area. People don’t hang around much there – maybe because Compass Center has rules that are upheld? I’m not sure why. It is much more pleasant to walk past the Compass Center than to walk through the square a couple blocks up where you step over passed out drunks or addicts slumped in doorways. That said, I don’t think a hygiene center in a residential neighborhood is a good idea. But I think the low-income housing is a great idea.

  36. You mean walk around that area because that place affects the whole area Been there done that and at night. That is not what we want in Ballard.

  37. There are actually many hygiene centers in Seattle. I live a block from one that’s in the basement of a church, Immanuel Lutheran. The coordinator and some guys are often hanging out outside and we’ve gotten to know them a bit mainly because our kids introduced themselves. I think the area is safer with their eyes on the street, as Jane Jacobs said. Many of the people who come to use the center are having a very hard time in life, but I’m glad they at least can leave clean and refreshed. Personally a hot shower definitely helps me.

  40. This has got to stop.

    The “Homeless” are not a singular group of people. I work downtown and see 24 year olds “camping” under the doorways of department stores for example. Technically, they have no home. Chronic abusers who have no interest in joining society have given up on themselves. It’s time we give up on them.

    Ballard has to stand up to this craven nonsense. We are in an economy now and moving forward dollars spent on these people are dollars not spent on public education, infrastructure and more public services that benefit taxpayers.

    Ballard has a food bank, a new homeless hotel coming, Safeway, Library, QFC shall I go on???? It doesn’t need anything more. Ballard should be focused on the future; which means improving the public schools, street safety and crime, improving the business climate and continuing to encourage and provide incentives for people who want to invest in the neighborhood long-term.

    I’ve been a proud liberal for my whole life. But it’s gotten out of control the fetishizing of the “down trodden” and castigation of business and middle class aspirations.

    Enough already

  42. Low-income housing developments are typically funded — at least in part — by tax-exempt bonds. No income tax paid by investors = lower borrowing rates = lower rents. It’s essentially a federal subsidy in the form of foregone tax revenue. That’s on top of whatever federal/state/city grants are used in a particular project.

  43. I live in Ballard and am close to the proposed building. As of this year, my husband and I would qualify for the low-income housing offered (recent unemployment). Mind you, I still grow food for my neighbors and contribute to the food bank. I am fortunate that we own our house.
    You know, it brings me tears of joy that there may be a place where people can go to get cleaned up safely. Oh! the dignity! Eyes on the street provided by the residences above the urban rest stop will keep people in line. Given the amount of comments on this issue, no doubt these means of social control will be successful (societial peer pressure). Seriously, “Ballard Hobos” should be a brand name based on the popularity of the term–has anyone jumped on that yet?! It is up to us as a community to rise above the selfishness and remind our fellow human beings that we have a capacity for compassion.

  44. Wow. This is a ridiculous response to a really well-thought out comment. Ms. Ballard wins this debate easily.

    As she said, families making $51 K are not “bums” ,and as for the hygiene facility–where exaclty do you expect homeless people to use the bathroom and shower? Theyre human and need these services just like everyone else

  45. Not talking about the low income housing (which is already available btw the in Burien and White Center), I’m talking about the bum-motel already approved (Compass Center) and now the hygiene center.

  47. In answer to Stapler’s question, I got the 500-800 figure from a brochure they handed out at the meeting. To be precise they said 500 to 800 (in summer). The Ballard District Council meeting was quite crowded Wednesday night, very few questions were answered. People need to drive by the property and then envision 500-800 people tromping through the neighborhood to get to the proposed Urban Rest Stop. Buses in Ballard run on 24th, 15th and Market St. None of these bus route would drop people off in front of the facility at 20th & 57th. Please see for yourselves and then come to the meeting on 10/27/10. Like I posted earlier, McGinn has said that he wants the neighborhoods to share in the homeless issue and if this Urban Rest Stop is built, there will be no stopped the City leaders, church leaders and SHARE from shoving more homeless into Ballard.

  50. why are you yelling and what did I say that’s so arrogant? Andy was rather smug in his first post, but I let that fly. He can be as proud as he wants to be that he moved to Greenwood. I won’t take that away from him, but if he wants to crap on Ballard I’ll speak up.

  53. While there are many good arguments being made here I do have one question for the people who oppose the building of this center. What is your alternative? It is very easy to bash on the homeless and poor but I have not seen one person offer a constructive alternative. Simply sending them downtown, where it would be someone else’s problem, is not a solution. It is true that there would be some negative impact, however I believe the positives would outway the negatives. Providing the homeless with a place to clean up would give them a chance to regain their dignity and help them re-enter mainstream society (seems like it would be pretty hard to get a job if you havent shaved or had a shower in a month). While this may not be a perfect solution at least the LIHI is trying to help. If you have a better idea please post it and maybe we could do something about this problem instead of just wishing that it would go away.

  54. The idea of the low income housing is fine.

    However, the “urban rest stop” will destroy the living environment in and around the building.

    I feel sorry for the neighbors.

  55. Affordable housing and basic services keep the working poor working, keep people from becoming homeless, and help homeless people find a way back.

    Besides, y’all expect your barista to commute from White Center for his/her crappy no-benefits job? We need housing in Ballard that people who work in Ballard can afford.

    My family and I live two blocks from this site. Yes, we rent– we make a fair bit more than the income limits for this project, but we still can’t afford to buy where we live. We choose to live in a dense urban neighborhood, and we’re happy to welcome this project and its residents.

  56. How do I go on record as not wanting the urban rest stop in Ballard? Making Ballard a nicer place to be homeless is not the kind of progress we need….. currently we enjoy an almost crime free environment. Starting to attract more homeless people by increasing the services available will help us catch up to the U-district in more ways than one. Think about all the services available and then ask yourself if you would be comfortable with your wife or daughter walking around there at night.

  57. I live in sight of the vacant lot where this facility is proposed and walk down that street almost daily. Here’s my two cents to answer your “what is your alternative” question:
    This is a residential street about 4 blocks from any bus stop that might serve these people. It’s not a very convenient location for this kind of service. I just find it to be a strange location. It seems to me like it would just plain *work* better if it was close to the food bank, for example, which IS right next to a bus stop OR down closer to Leary & the Ballard Bridge as another example. That way it is still near lots of traffic that would act as “eyes on the street” (enjoyed the Jane Jacobs reference, by the way) yet it would not disrupt the quiet residences that are right next door to the proposed site, for example (and no I don’t live RIGHT next door, so I am not one of those neighbors who have owned their houses for less than a year and complaining about it literally being in their backyard – property values are another issue entirely).
    I think no matter how good the intentions are here, between the possibility of a methadone clinic on 56th AND this facility on 57th, we ARE going to see an increase in loitering. There are a lot of vacant parking lots with tall trees around them near this proposed site where there is little or no supervision. There is also the library and park which already have their fair-share of problems.
    I’m all for the humanity of helping people get cleaned up and cared for, but I just really think LIHI could come up with a more logical location for this facility.

  59. “What is your alternative?”

    What has been sorely missing in all these debates about providing services to the homeless is the acknowledgment that there are many different *types* of homeless, and each group needs a vastly different approach.

    The situationally homeless are mostly in need of a “hand up” – anywhere from one time financial help to get them out of a temporary rut to more intensive programs to help them with rearranging their life to get back on track. In very broad terms – most families, car campers, and healthy individuals who do not strongly identify with street life fall in this category. They usually respond well to service-intensive programs, and reintegrate back into mainstream life if they are situated in neighborhoods, or at least non-urban, “normal life” settings.

    The chronically homeless are a much more difficult group to manage, as many have drug issues, mental health issues, crime issues, or some combination. There is a usually a very strong identify with street life, and a lot of distrust of services and “mainstream life”. There are also a small minority that simply identify with the homeless lifestyle and prefer to wander, gypsy-style. Very few want to escape “the life”, and the success rate is not very high. Services for this group really belong in a highly urban setting, and away from the neighborhoods.

    This is a very broad description, and there are even more complicated needs for subgroups, such as homeless teens, veterans, woman with young kids, women with older kids, mentally ill, etc etc. But the fact remains that there is not a single solution for every homeless person out there.

    The other huge problem in this debate is the lack of political will from our city government to address this complexity, and not just go with the cheap bandaid fix. What has been missing from every single city plan or proposal is a recognition that services for the homeless need to be geared towards the specific group it is trying to serve. Urban rest stops that cater to the chronically homeless do not belong in neighborhoods, because they will become an “attractive nuisance.” Transitional housing geared towards the situationally homeless, where services are located within the same building, DO belong in neighborhoods (but spread out to reduce the load).

    The current situation that we have now, where church and SHARE funded groups determine homeless policy for the city is a set up for disaster, long term. The city goes with it because it is cheap. Period. Unless there is pressure for a more coherent long term plan that, at a minimum, begins to address the diverse groups that are being served as well as the neighborhoods, the city of Seattle will not change its stance. THAT is where the buck stops, people.

  60. I’m in favor, as long as they include bars on the windows, locks on the doors, and jailers at the front gate.

    Bread and water. Concrete “cots”. A pile of straw for a toilet. Chauffeured transportation in a “black Mariah”.

    We’ve already seen what the bums have accomplished since they took over the public park where the Safeway used to be. Smell? They’re already using the fountain, which was supposed to be for kids, as a combined shower, laundromat, and public toilet.

  61. Do you guys realize we have shower & bathroom facilities for the homeless or anyone else that wants to use them. They are called Community Centers. But the Community Centers do not let the homeless use their facilities. Does that make any sense?

  64. Fed Up has it exactly right. Urban rest stops that cater to the chronically homeless do not belong in neighborhoods. Transitional housing for the situationally homeless do belong in neighborhoods, but shouldn’t be concentrated in one. This is a really bad plan for Ballard and I would encourage everyone who is concerned with the urban rest stop aspect of this proposal to contact City reps and the LIHI organization asap.

  65. LIHI will work a deal so that most of these units will be subsidized by the Seattle Housing Authority or Sound Families money where tenants pay anywhere from zero to $500 bucks a month on rent depending on their income. (mostly will be public assistance) What will follow this development will be broken down cars, increase in car thefts, trash, transients and lots more police calls in the neighborhood. The drop in center will allow Ballard alcoholics a place to clean up and look better as they panhandle. So glad I moved out of Seattle.

  66. I’ve read the comments, and most are against this idea, rightly. The question I pose to the lefty-loonies who infest this town is this: what is the philosophical justification for your positions? What is the over-arching system of rational beliefs, internally consistent, logical and consonant with reality (including economic reality) that forms the basis for your keeping of your brothers? I see no such basis in the founding documents of this nation; I see none in the state constitution. None of you lefty hippy dippys are christians, so it cannot be a religious call to be your brother’s keeper. If you claim to be christian, you are lying because your wishy-washy, namby-pamby candy-assed beliefs don’t even come close to going far enough (read some Kierkegaard). So please. Please. Tell us all what it is. And you can’t use the word “feel”, because your feelings do not constitute a claim on my life, the fruit of my labor, my time, my taxes; nor do your feelings constitute a rational system of living on Earth.

  70. “Ever heard of John Locke”

    Ever hear of Proctor & Gamble, the soap people?

    Ever hear of public parks for little kids?

    Ever hear of getting a job?

    Ever hear of finding a room in a flop-house?

    Ever hear of “thirty days or thirty dollars” ?

    Ever hear of going to the toilet . . . in a toilet?

  71. And I didn’t even mention the fact that in the summer – when the number of people using this facility supposedly increases a lot – the park down the street is usually swimming with children (mine included). It will turn a lot of moms with impressionable young ones off to have to deal with an increased number of the more chronic homeless people who loiter there now year-round.
    …but at least the truly drunk ones will have a place to wash their hair OTHER than the fountains they currently use.
    I just still feel like these services (food bank, medical assistance and clean-up facilities) should be grouped together. It would make it far easier for the police to supervise as well.

  73. I live backing right onto a Ballard park with my boyfriend. We are a late 20’s professional couple… and I don’t like to go out at night on our streets or walk through the park even though I have a very intimidating looking 80 lb dog. The homeless (with the exception of one very nice old man in a wheelchair) have been nothing but a horrible experience. We DON’T have a Ballard police station anymore, and one day some other homeless were severely beating up an old homeless man and the cops didn’t get there for 45 minutes!!!! They drink, smoke and swear and still camp there in the evenings. This is a park that is very active with children. I approve of anything like this in a downtown “URBAN” area- this urban rest stop is in the wrong place. There have been fatal shootings, a hold out, a murder/suicide and a rape within 10 city blocks!!! The rape was less than 4 streets over! And yes, they do bring crime. Without even a police station how can we have this? 90% of the homeless may be clean, grateful and wonderful, but there is always that 10% and that 10% is enough to make me feel not safe. Thank god we are renting because enough is enough.

  74. While Locke did write on the social contract, you can’t really get to this proposal through him. You would have far better luck with a Rawlsian notion of the social contract (and even then it would probably be a stretch). Early contract theory really focused more on “how can we form/maintain a legitimate state” and less on “how can we help the disadvantaged.” This is a minor point in this particular discussion, but Locke doesn’t help too much here.

  75. ConcernedGirl you might be onto something.

    Let’s petition the city to not create any “urban rest stop” facilities, except within 1,000 feet of a fully staffed 24×7 police station or fire house.

    And at least 1,000 feet away from any school, park, day care facility, or library.

    They want a shower? Let the fire fighters hose ’em down, like in “Pulp Fiction”.

    I don’t really hate these people. My own Dad was an itinerant farm laborer ( “hobo” ) during the Depression in the 1930’s, he rode the rails looking for farm work. He knew enough to not camp out in a city park, and he knew enough to keep moving, and he knew enough to keep himself clean, washing up in whatever creek was available.

    But then again, in the 1930’s the police were around to protect people from “hobo’s”, some of whom were looking for work and others were just looking for trouble.

  76. I also forgot to add the rate of intrusion within a 5 block radius. Concerned neighbors began a watch as this summer- when windows were left open to catch some of that Ballard breeze, there were no less than 10 break-ins. TEN. And they took food, money and alcohol. A neighbor was mowing his lawn and went inside to see two homeless running out his front door. They were assumed homeless due to their hygiene, their smell and their clothing. There are also the not-so-homeless that have a set of very old derepit vans (filled with garbage) that move around the area. They come drink in the park, and sleep in the vans. (Look to the south side of Safeway they always have one or two there). It’s not all of them, but it is that 10% that WILL increase. And it is NOT safe. Yes I feel awful for them, I want them helped I think the fact our poverty level is so low is disgusting and disturbing. I am not an advocate. But I do help, I bring hot soup to them or food. I give water bottles or extra sweatshirts straight to some of them. If they have a dog I ALWAYS bring out dry kibble in a baggie and an apple or food for the person. But I do not feel safe, and that is justified. I can not be happy with this being so close. We should not shun them, or ignore them… but they are not contributing members to our society. They may have once been, their situation may be horrible and not their fault, they may have once been educated or a veteran but they are NOT contributing members of our community.

  78. “Besides, y’all expect your barista to commute from White Center for his/her crappy no-benefits job”

    Why not? I did when I was a barista. I didn’t expect a tax payer funded apartment. I woke up early and took a long bus. Builds character and motivation to move up in the world. Hell, I’d love to live in Queen Anne so my commute to work will be only 5 minutes, but since I can’t afford it, can I get a tax payer supported home?

    “Yes, we rent”

    SO can just bail when things go south and you destroy all your neighbors home values. How nice. How convenient.

  81. Wow! in what world is 4 blocks considered an outrageous distance from a bus stop? I can respect your arguments to a point, but the problem you should be focusing on is local lack of enforcement and not Low income housing. More cops on patrol actually DOING something would do much more for the neighborhood than blocking much needed services and housing for the poor.

  84. “lots more police calls in the neighborhood”

    Will this bring us “lots” more police? That would rule!

    Also, we’re glad you left, too.

  85. this post is entirely to ridiculous to justify with a well thought out response. those who wish to help others can’t be christians? those who wish to help others are wishy-washy? namby-pamby? candy-assed? And what do YOUR christian beliefs lead you to do?

    “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

  87. The locally famous adage of “Visualize Ballard” will now read:

    “Visualize drug addicted street-walkers sifting through your garbage can in your backyard and garage looking for anything of monetary value, including your identity!”

  90. “We are a late 20’s professional couple”

    Become bums and you’ll get more respect around here. Work hard, pay your taxes? Meh….

  91. Most of the ‘bums’ we see in the downtown area are not even homeless…they are simply bums, many who have somewhere to flop, but come to ballard to scam, steal, sell dope, drink beer and screw everything up.

    But some of our neighbors think they are ‘oppressed’ so will sit out and feed them like pigeons when they sh*t all over other people’s lives, the do-gooders will call you a ‘racist’ (see posting above) for complaining.

    Enough Ballard, time for push back in a big way!!.

  93. I am skeptical about the Rest Stop. I am all for anything that gets homeless people off the street though. We need to get people off the street. Homelessness is a blight on the community and on the city.

  94. I’m a bit puzzled by the statement about reserving 20% of the units for homeless “families”. I thought you couldn’t discriminate under the FHA according to “familial status”. As we already found out with the Compass Center, you can’t restrict units to homeless women.
    Thus, since the vast majority of homeless are men, isn’t it likely that most of the “homeless” units in the proposed building will go to homeless men?

  95. You think Ballard will be bum-free once the showers open up? Please, they’ll be even more buzzing around that cow-patty once it opens up than we have now. Add to that the Compass House meth clinic, food bank, Sustainable Ballard’s port-a-crapper and car camp, and the 4-5 shelters already in existence?

    Hell, we might as well just open up a pigeon park, they’re gonna come flapping in from all over town to sh*t on us. We’ll need umbrellas even on sunny days like today.

  96. Your reply is a flagrant non-sequitur if it was meant as a reply to what I said. What in the hail are yew talkin’ about? Do you or do you not want homeless people off the street? What do showers and pigeons have to do with my comment? Where’d you get yur edjamacation?

  98. what? this area is zoned to support commercial property, so why are you bitching that it’s a residential area and that LIHI with services shouldn’t be built there? have you walked down this street? What’s on the south side?

  100. please learn to read. this is LOW INCOME HOUSING and not a homeless shelter. Please visit the LIHI website and read about this and other properties like it.

    LIHI will provide studios and apartments primarily for familes earning under $51, 360 a year and couples making less than $41K.

  102. The letter says, “we will be seeking funding from a number of sources including: City of Seattle, King County, State of Washington, HUD, Washington state Housing Finance Commission, and other sources”. Taxpayers will fund this. It will be planned and executed by LIHI, which is based downtown.

  103. I think Howard Beale has a good suggestion:

    “Let’s petition the city to not create any “urban rest stop” facilities, except within 1,000 feet of a fully staffed 24×7 police station or fire house.”

    This represents is a strong and positive course of action. The comments here clearly say that an urban rest stop is not something the people of this neighborhood want…but commenting here is not enough. Please, everyone here who has voiced an opinion – come to the meeting on the 27th, and let’s say NO, collectively and definitively, to building this facility.

    And to be clear – I support the low-income housing proposal – just not the urban rest stop. For those of you bleeding-heart liberals who are appalled that we “selfish” property owners are concerned about the blighting of the Ballard…um, we have every right to live in a clean, prosperous, safe neighborhood, and to fight to keep it so.

  105. Dex Soule – you want to go on record against the Urban Rest Stoop, you need to get involved. Come to the meeting at Swedish Ballard on 10/27/10 be prepared to speak. LIHI will have a big group of supporters at that meeting–church leaders from throughout the North End, LIHI employees — we saw that at the meeting on the Ursness House. LIHI knows how to manipulate the system. I have checked with the Seattle Planning Department and LIHI has not yet filed an application on the project, therefore no person has been assigned to complain to. Once the application is filed the public has maybe 3 weeks to comment–which can be done via email. Our objections to the Compass property resulted in a hearing at Ballard High School. Compass seeded the audience with supporters — bussing seniors from local churches down to the high school. I got up and spoke — my first time because I knew it would be awkward for people to do — come prepared, have notes, get up and speak. The Compass project was passed by the City. I am in the process of filing an appeal. I am still fighting the housing development for the chronically homeless. Please get involved — appear in person on 10/27

  106. I was referring to the urban rest stop not the low cost housing. Were this just a low cost housing facility, I would have no negative comments to make.
    My point about the bus services is that no matter what LIHI says, people will bus in from other locations to use this urban rest stop and it just seems like it would be far more convenient for everyone if it was closer to a bus stop. This has nothing to do with laziness. I am so irritated by the incredible sarcasm on this blog. It is completely unnecessary.

  107. “Lee believes the urban rest stop will not attract people from outside the neighborhood.”

    That’s one heck of a belief system there. I beleive it will become a major hangout for the homeless and addicted and unless there is serious 24-hour security, it will, become a major facility for “recreational” drug use and violent crime.

    I don’t live in the neighborhood affected but I do not see this becoming anything other than an eyesore and a maintenance nightmare..where will the funds for security and the likely extremely high maintenance costs for the “rest stop” be found?

    I wish you good luck with this but I do not see it working out well at all.

  108. Yes they will all earn substantiallyless than $41 and $51K – they will be on section 8 like mostof the people in LIHI developments – supported by taxpayers. I love how LIHI says people earning up to $51k so we all get excited that this might not be your typical crappy subsidized housing projects. Maybe the best questions to LIHI will be what are your screening criteria? They have none – that would be judgemental – here comes your blight BAllard – or at least more of it.

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