Affordability in Seattle isn’t just an issue for residents trying to afford the rent. The city’s small businesses need help, too. As Seattle looks at options like commercial rent control,  Lisa Herbold, chair of the City Council’s Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development & Arts committee, has a question for you:

Greetings, Businesses and Community Groups,

I’m writing to ask for your help as I develop a “Seattle Legacy Business Program” proposal, which is intended to help preserve the bars, restaurants, cafés, and shops that give Seattle its unique character and sense of community. With the recent pace of development, neighborhood gems like Silver Fork, Mama’s Kitchen, and Piecora’s  Pizza have been lost, and aren’t likely to return.

I’m working with partner organizations to:

• Survey community members to identify our most important business establishments
• Identify elements that contribute to the culture, character, and history of Seattle; and
• Establish tools to protect them.

I hope you’ll take a moment to take this quick survey, so we can learn from you what businesses in your neighborhood you’ve loved and lost or fear may be in peril.  You can learn more about the proposal here. We want this effort to inform the Mayor’s Commercial Affordability Taskforce’s efforts moving forward in determining what policies/funding support may be necessary to preserve and protect Seattle’s iconic small businesses.

Thank you for your consideration, and please let me know if you have any questions.

As usual, we encourage you to “work out loud” and share a few thoughts in the CHS comments. Feel free to nominate CHS :)

One note on the announcement of the survey. While the loss of Piecora’s was certainly a marker of nostalgia-pulverizing change on Capitol Hill, it probably doesn’t make a very good poster child for Herbold’s cause. The family behind the much-loved pizza joint did just fine in the $10.3 million acquisition of the property.