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Capitol Hill Community Post | Holy Names Academy responds to neighborhood concerns

From Holy Names Academy 

Dear Neighbors and Friends,

Holy Names Academy is aware of public comments and concerns regarding its proposed development of a new gymnasium and parking facilities on campus. In an effort to address concerns and provide accurate information to the community, we are providing general information about Holy Names Academy (PDF) and a Fact Sheet (PDF) about our proposal that we put in a Q&A format.

As more information becomes available, we will share it with the community. Thank you for your continued support for Holy Names Academy.

Sincerely,
Liz Swift
Head of School and Principal

You can also view each document, below.

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16 Comments
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Nope
Nope
6 years ago

Blah blah blah. Almost the entire population of Meany uses public transport or takes the school bus. No one that works at Amazon drives (no parking provided). Where is the part about reducing traffic by using transit etc.

Whichever
Whichever
6 years ago
Reply to  Nope

A lot of Amazon uses public transit, I’m sure, but you’re wrong about that no one drives.

Plenty of parking in those Amazon buildings – even if they have to pay for it themselves, they’re certainly well-used.

And those that don’t park hoard all the rideshares down to SLU in the AM.

Whichever
Whichever
6 years ago
Reply to  Nope

I think the proponents of this expansion would sing a very different tune if it was an apartment building or another commercial venture….

Timmy73
Timmy73
6 years ago
Reply to  Nope

“No one that works at Amazon drives”. Actually, several hundred, if not thousands drive to Amazon every day and pay to park in the many available parking garages.

If HNA were located next to the Capitol Hill LR station, I would view there desire for parking differently.

I see HNA’s desire to contain parking on their property as a good thing instead of displacing drivers onto side streets where they will be circling and circling looking for parking.

Robert
Robert
6 years ago

Would love to see the plans or renditions for this project.

Glenn
Glenn
6 years ago

Has anyone considered the premise, if they build easy parking more of their school population will drive? Isn’t that assumption about car usage driving all of our city’s decisions about street usage, etc? That’s why we aren’t making apartment builders in urban villages build parking on-site, and making so many other decisions that de-emphasize car usage in our urban settings. Holy Names is one block from an urban village and located in a single family zone. It does not need to buikd this huge parking garage, and to do so is contrary to everything going on in this city around transportation. Tone deaf.

Local Parent
Local Parent
6 years ago

This is concerning:
“highest number of trips at the underground parking garage driveways would happen in the morning between about 7:00 and 8:00 A.M., with about 158 vehicles entering the garage during that hour. The next highest number would occur in the afternoon between about 2:15 and 3:15 P.M., with about 81 vehicles exiting the garage”
Stevens Elementary and Meany Middle School students use 21st Ave. to get to/from school during those windows. This greenway was the city’s solution for those willing and able to commute sans car. 158 cars pulling in/out of a driveway that cuts into that greenway would be hugely impactful to local public school students and seems it should be considered. Currently, cars street parking at those times are dispersed and the path is somewhat navigable.
Will SDOT provide and install safety measures for an alternate Greenway during construction, and after if needed? If so, where will the funding come from?

Nope
Nope
6 years ago
Reply to  Local Parent

Yes, but the cars are driven by wealthy students. The Meany folks had better just learn to wait at the cross walk :)

Seriously, the HNA response is tone deaf. If every student drove to school along that block it would be gridlock, and the parking garages required would be larger than the schools.

Robert
Robert
6 years ago

Meany hours will work nicely with HNA but not so for Stevens ES. This could get ugly.

dave
dave
6 years ago

We live two blocks away from HNA, and we see HNA students park on our block every day. It works fine. They park, on only one side of the street, and they walk a couple of blocks to school. There is still capacity for residents to park their cars on the street. Many of us have off-street parking anyway. IT WORKS FINE THE WAY IT IS. This proposed project will make things worse. Instead of those 246 cars and the associated traffic being distributed across many blocks around the neighborhood, this will concentrate all of those 246 cars into one single access point along 21st Ave. It will be a traffic nightmare for the adjacent neighbors trying to drive anywhere, and will be at a location and time where/when dozens of kids will be biking to/from Stevens Elementary and Meany Middle School.

I am also incredibly sad that the school leadership feels that it is necessary to destroy the lovely green space that is the north lawn. To think that they would prioritize convenient surface-level parking for visitors over maintaining that little oasis of greenery that is so treasured by the community is just really really sad.

Nope
Nope
6 years ago
Reply to  dave

They will hire a cop to make sure the Meany kids and other cars wait their turn while they exit the garage. If you have the money for a 289 car underground garage, the rest is just small change…

crosswalk the walk
crosswalk the walk
6 years ago

Mass transit is the future as our cities grow. Instill that wisdom into the student body. We’ll never reach a carbon zero future with SOV’s and parking lots. Stewards of the earth and all.

Let's Walk Bike or Bus
Let's Walk Bike or Bus
6 years ago

HNA is choosing to resolve their issue any way they feel they CAN… doing the right thing, making a sound forward thinking decision based on facts, current urban development trends, and just doing what’s right for all living things is NOT the agenda OR mission of HNA.

It’s sad to think that letters can be written, meetings attended, but in the end, HNA has the “power” and “money” to PUSH their way through and get what they want — whether it’s a good idea OR not. Just like any privileged, spoiled, IGNORANT well-off organization or person may do.

What’s even MORE sad and unfortunate?
How they do NOT lead by example… how they are setting the UNFORTUNATE low-bar example to their students and staff and community, that they have no F(@#&$&(@(#$&f to give about any of them — just a structure to build to worship an automotive nightmare industry (fueled by $$$, greed and wars) that is destroying our world, person by person, by city, by state by country.

Go ahead, HNA, build it… when you’re hating yourselves later, just remember… we all told you so. HOWEVER, in the mean time, do NOT expect any of us to support you, or your students OR anything you’re about.

Realist
Realist
6 years ago

The comments here are ridiculously uninformed. First, the concern about the cars clogging up the road and impacting the Stevens and Meany students – what? These cars are already on the road at this time of day – the only difference is going to be that they will be parking on-site, instead of circling the neighborhood looking for a spot.

Second, the snide and snotty comments about the “rich” students who should just take public transportation is ridiculous. A large number of students receive financial aid, and the student body comes from all over the city. Hello – the fact sheet notes that it serves 86 different zip codes. People are coming from EVERYWHERE. Public transportation is just not a realistic option for many people, including staff that can’t afford to live in the neighborhood and likely needs to be able to get home in time to help with their own families. AND, it already notes that nearly 70% of the HNA population carpools/takes public transit/bikes/walks. Clearly that option is just going to get harder in the long-term as the city grows more and more expensive.

Third, there is a serious safety component here. These girls are parking far away from school (sometimes as far as Volunteer park), and a large number of them have to walk in the dark for a large portion of the school year, esp if they have before or after-school obligations. The school is going to contain their footprint and pay for this themselves – why don’t you direct your ire at all of the condos going up without parking.

Candace
Candace
6 years ago
Reply to  Realist

I have lived near HNA for decades. HNA girls may have to walk two blocks to park on a bad day. Having to park as far as Volunteer Park is a joke. They are proposing to increase on-site parking to 307 spaces with an enrollment of under 700 students with many who are not of driving age.

Realist
Realist
6 years ago
Reply to  Realist

Candace – I don’t think you were seeing the significant boom from Amazon and Microsoft employees for the last two decades, nor the development of Urban Villages with zero parking spaces. As of October 2016, 31 Microsoft Connector buses alone were making pick ups along 19th Ave E: http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2016/10/microsoft-running-larger-employee-shuttles-more-often-through-capitol-hill-amid-increased-demand/
I think its safe to say that the number of buses has only increased since then. I count 41 right here: https://www.connectorride.com/WalkonPossibility
Where do you think the passengers for those buses are parking?

I also lived blocks from HNA for years, but times have changed, and we can’t say “Well, it’s worked for this long, what is the problem now?”. That isn’t realistic, especially considering how many are complaining that the city has been growing exponentially and is becoming overcrowded and overpriced.