September 8 2026 Beacon Hill Council Meeting Notes

Beacon Hill Council Community Meeting 

6:30 pm Tuesday, September 8 

Meeting Notes 

Attendance:   

BHC Amy, Gerry, Kalia and Maria 

Presenters:  Nate Moxley, Anjali Grant and Lyle Bucknell 

Community:  Andrew, Barbara, Chris Z, Daniel, Francesca, Kathy, Katie, Lisa, Mario, Rita, Roberta, Tyler 

Organization:  Beacon Arts Betty Jean Williamson, Robotics Donna Lew, Port of Seattle AJ McClure 

6:30 Welcome Neighbor – Introductions and icebreaker “What brings you joy the next couple of weeks?” 

6:50  Presentations & Speakers: 

1)Trees Project in Beacon Hill. Nate Moxley Office of Sustainability & Environment Foresting Seattle Program Manager 

• Background on grant: 

• 5-year US Forest Service Grant IRA money to boost engagement re Forestry. 

• OSE was able to hit the ground running because already working on forestation. 

• Focused on CID and BH chosen because areas low tree canopy, high heat, high pollution.  Racial justice priority neighborhood.  South Park is on the radar. Has greening Duwamish Valley program. 

• 3 program areas: 

• Neighborhood teams – elevating community voice in decision making by recommending where to put trees and type of trees.   

• Wrapping up CID with 200 people engaged in the project. 

• Setting up neighborhood teams. 

• Coordinated Urban Forest Restoration and Community Engagement by working across Seattle Parks, Rising Star Elementary & Seattle Housing Authority. Already: 

• Planted 6,000 trees in 40 to 50 acres 

• Removed invasives 

• Moving to SHA and Rising Star Elementary  

• Parks Youth Green Corp – job training for youth 

• Details on Neighborhood teams  

• Grant from July 2024 until July 2029 

• Year 1 CID, Year 2 Beacon Hill 

• Outcomes  

• develop the community Urban Forestry recommendations 

• co-design and co-lead on broader increase tree stewardship in the community 

• implement tree planting, tree care and community partnerships. 

• Coordinated Urban Forest  

• Cheasty Greenspace 8 acres– owned by SHA & Parks –  

• Partners ECOSS, Mountains to Sound Greenway at Rainier Vista & Rising Star 

• to fund ongoing activities for light restoration.  

• Movie nights, tree walks 

• Seattle parks-Youth Green Corp originally begun by Chukundi Salisbury 

• Youth 18-24 training, job experience, wrap-around support services, neighborhood youth. 

• New youth cohort 18-24 want to join the youth green corp. 

• What’s next in BH? 

• Exceeded goals already from 25 acres, now worked on 40 to 50 acres 

• Tree planting 

• Extra funds put back in.  

 Q&A  

• Kathy Q:  Forest steward for restoration in Cheasty with schedule published in Green Seattle Partnership website.  Ask that project folks collaborate with current folks: 

• Nate: GSP stewards also work in non-GSP zones.  Ideal scenario – wrap up in 2028 and 2029 to collaborate then. Bring in all bikers, bird folks, Rainier Vista. 

• Anjali Q:  Wondering if looking at mini forest? 

•  Miyawaki - Came up in the CID contentious project because of encampments. Finding space for it in public and private land also. 

•  Maria – potential interest in getting a Miyawaki demonstration forest. 

• Betty Jean Q: Chief Sealth bike trail needs trees to cover cyclist and walkers in south BH.  

• Nate: This is on their radar. Lots of restrictions – small trees – connect with Juneau Street Resiliency pod.  Working with Whit Bouton from Seattle City Light 

2) Community Assemblies on Climate (EJ) Resiliency Planning for Central District, CID, Beacon Hill, South Park & Rainier Beach. Possibly Camille Gipaya, Seattle Urban League Advocacy Program Manager.    Maria gave the briefing: 

• Seattle is updating its Climate Action Plan.  Urban League is convening people of color neighborhoods to share City climate related resources, get together and talk re 2050 vision for the neighborhood and vision for 2035 that will guide how to get to the 2050 vision. 

• Maria  attended part 1 August 20 session for BHC.  Part 2 session will be on October 15.  

• BHC intends to develop an Environmental Justice Plan similar to Duwamish River EJ Plan for closer collaboration with the City. 

3) Design Review Reboot Coalition, Anjali Grant, Architect based in Beacon Hill and Lyle Bicknell 

• Anjali introduced Lyle Bicknell – teaches at UW.  Both have served on the Design Review panels. 

• Background: 

• Design review came out of 1990 Growth Management Act to prevent city sprawl over last bit of field and forest by setting growth boundary lines. 

• 1993 Design review Program – how do we densify in a way that is desirable basic principles: 

• Development standards flexibility 

• Improving communications in the neighborhood 

• Members of the public participate in a meaningful way.  

• Recently, design review was thought to be contributing to lack of affordability – Council suspended the program. 

• From Allied Arts and ad hoc group has good parts that we don’t lose those 

• Half dozen neighborhood boards – difficult to staff, inconsistency, few projects that have been reviewed too long.  

• State at the legislative firm boundaries – allow for 1 design review meeting and curtail public input. 

• Concern from constraints and set by state law- thinking how to continue design review.  

• Wanting to know BH design review process and public input – private development conforms to neighborhood efforts.  

• Q&A:  

• Lyle:  Character of the neighborhood reflects our needs. As we grow and densify build in communities that want to live in – best urban design practices  

• Maria Q The common issues she hears are needing trees integrated with housing, not building single room occupancy buildings, and vouchers 

• Lyle:  Those are outside the bounds of the Design Review; they are more along zoning issues.  

• Mira: Lyle part of creating guidelines for BH – what happened to it? https://www.seattle.gov/Documents/Departments/SDCI/About/NorthBeaconHillGuidelines.pdf  

• Lyle:  Frustrating, it did not go anywhere. 

• Roberta Q - what does design review cover – commercial and residential – 4 or 5 story projects next to a single-family neighborhood that can benefit from a design review.  

• Lyle:  All of the above 

• ASKS:   

• Council will take up the issue in 2027.  Ask for BHC to let city council members know (Eddie Lin is on the fence) that Beacon Hill can benefit from design review. 

• ANJALI – willing to help BH interpret design or zoning laws. 

• Mira – thanks for finding the link BH Plan that was done 25 odd years ago – probably some things in the plan don’t apply anymore. Example of design review can impact on a 6-story development: 

• have all mechanicals on top all visible – ugly – hide it so not visible. 

• Cornices can comment on 

• Finishes e.g. brick – carry forward in the design – ECDLR incorporates. 

• (Does not cover parking)  

• Lyle Closing remarks:  Design review ensures vision for the community gets done. Good design and housing should not be an either or.   

7:30  Announcements: 

• Beacon Hill Street Fair – 50th anniversary of starting the Cherry Blossom festival. 

• Music at Baja Bistro 6 to 10 Pm Sept 10 and 24 – might be a standing event. 

• Beacon Arts support use of buildings and house at 17th & Walker street park – stop the demo of the building, but no commitment on how to access use of the building. Talk to non-profits – Expat Robotics Donna Lew program need space and machine part.  

Adjourned 7:40 PM 

Beacon Hill Council Meeting 9-8-26 7:40 

Amy, Gerry, Kalia and Maria.  Absent Adam and Joseph 

Discussed presentations and decided next steps 

1. Beacon Hill Foresting Project  

1. BHC recommended folks for the BH neighborhood team.  

1. Mary Ann Lipinski Plants at ECDLR  

2. Action:  Maria to ask Nate for updates as needed. 

2. City Climate Action Plan Community Assemblies 

1. Discussed and passed motion to: 

1. Ask BH Clean Energy and Climate Resiliency Task Force members agreement to expand Task Force and Invite Beacon Arts/garden Club, Beacon Business Alliance and Juneau neighborhood resiliency group. 

2. Develop the BH Environmental Justice Plan 

Gerry moved, Amy second, Vote unanimous. 

3. Design Review 

1. Council to bring this up in 2027 – at that time, Gerry has no problem writing letter (for public comment)  Decided that Maria: 

1. Ask Anjali – updating BHC as things develop. 

2. Ask Mira if she wants to get involved in this area.  

Discussed BHC Council: 

1. Safety Committee Simon resigned. He will be missed.  No one stepping up to take on the chair.  Current Safety Members – Gerry, Amy (Scott, Simon).  Updates: 

• Maria gave update on ICE activity – went to 908026 8AM meeting – increased ICE activity, what are the gaps in what’s getting done.  

• Gerry on south BH Encampments – been a murder there. Andrew sent 1400 emails to the city.  Unified care team took out 400 pounds of debris. Folks in encampment cutting down the forest and burning it. Andrew, Peter, Gerry, Cliff Holland and Maria met with Mark Solomon).  South BH leaders met with KOMO and news was aired last Th and Fri report on the website.   

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVCaGIt3c3k  The impacted neighbors organized local letter/email writing. 9-7-26 U-Haul and 3 police cars  went in the encampment, and it looked better.  Note: From the elected officials, only Joy Hollingsworth sent a reply.  Guns, dogs, people in the encampment and lots of trash and burning the green belt.  – were told “low priority”.   

• Kalia shared north BH on Jose Rizal Park, trees and shrubs cut so can see better what is happening in the encampment. 

• Gerry:  Encampment is spread out in right of way and private property. Sept issue of  The Atlantic magazine entitled “Cities that Said Yes to Drugs”  has lead photo is of Jose Rizal Park. Concerned that fire threat to the neighborhood.  

2. Meeting Notes for March, April, May, June and July adopted.  Kalia made the motion, Maria seconded. Unanimous vote.  

3. Tyler Wong will be the Seattle Dept of Transportation engineer for mid-BH bike trail. 

4. Logistics: 

1. Maria to follow up with Jefferson Community Center regarding rent for BHC Community Holiday Party 

2. Gerry to put together the 2027 monthly meeting schedule with August and December breaks. 

3. Amy, Gerry and Maria, possibly with Kalia to check the BH Lawn Bowling meeting space this Friday at 5 pm. 

Adjourned.