MEMBER NEWSLETTER
May 2015
May Newsletter 2015 - In This Issue:
Greetings!

   

We hit the ground running this month, starting with our first annual Alley Spring Cleaning on May 1st and are blazing through another clean-up on May 9th right ahead into StreetFair! We also have the opportunity to meet with members of SoundTransit and learn about the U District Link Station. And of course, we have a number of wonderful community announcements as well as an article from the Puget Sound Business Journal giving the U District a little love.   

 

Enjoy, 

 

The U District Partnership Staff 

Save the Date for Picnic in the North Precinct
July 11, 2015
As part of the Ballard Seafood Fest
Mark your calendars for July 11th for the annual Picnic with the North Precinct! Join us, fellow neighbors and many local businesses in getting to know our police officers. The event will include a variety of activities and information for families and people of all ages.

For more information about the event and sponsorship opportunities for your business visit the Seattle Police Foundation website!
Excavation for the Underground Light Rail Station Continues
SoundTransit Construction Update: U District Station
Over 135,000 cubic yards of soil will be removed from the site to build the underground light rail station. As of March 2015, approximately 60 percent of the station has been excavated.

 

 

Crews have excavated down to approximately 55 feet below ground on the northern end and 45 feet below ground on the southern end of the light rail station box. Crews will dig until they reach about 95 feet below ground. Excavation will be ongoing through summer 2015.

 

Activities this spring include: 

- Excavating dirt and materials from the station box

- Installing wood planks or "lagging" between the vertical metal piles

- Drilling for tie-backs and soil nails to hold the station walls during excavation

- Installing rebar and concrete on the east wall

- Hauling materials offsite using Brooklyn Avenue Northeast

Stabilizing the soil in advance of the tunnel boring machine's arrival (anticipated fall 2015)

- Pouring concrete at the base of the light rail station box

- Other project-related activities include surveying and installing ground and building monitors above the future light rail tunnels.

U Heights to Bring Performance Venue to the U District
U Heights wants to know your hopes for the new performance space!

   

University Heights is seeking to engage the community in designing and renovating their iconic auditorium to provide programming to the neighborhood that will be accessible to all.  The main goal is to bring together diverse communities across the neighborhood to engage in cultural, civic, education and arts events, classes and programming. 

 

U Heights has served as a meeting place for artists, activists and educators of all ages and cultures for 113 years. The purpose of renovating the north end of the building, including the auditorium, is to continue the rich cultural tradition of serving as a community hub, while reactivating a historic site and bringing in new audiences into the U District to engage in innovative and avant-garde activities.  U Heights plans to host a diverse array of performances, including music, theater, lectures and more. 

 

To learn more about the project and how you can get involved, email [email protected].  

 


Achieve Smart, Bold & Accessible Small Business Gains with the SBA
By Small Business Association (SBA) Regional Administrator Calvin Goings
The following is an excerpt from this month's SBA guest column. To read the full article, click here!

Government may be historically slow to adapt, but adapt we must. We've rebranded the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to stand for "Smart, Bold and Accessible." The private sector implemented smart systems years ago. Now it's our turn to catch up; America's 28 million small businesses and many more potential entrepreneurs are counting on us.

 

We are working smarter and harnessing the power of technology to bring the SBA fully into the 21st century. On the debt financing side, we've implemented LINC, an online SBA platform connecting lenders with small businesses and entrepreneurs. We've established a predictive credit scoring method for our underwriters. And soon we'll fully automate our loan application process under a program called SBA One.

With Rents Like These, Why Isn't Everyone Building Office Space in the U District?
Article by Marc Stiles, originally published in the Puget Sound Business Journal on April 22, 2015
The University of Washington says it will pay nearly $142,385 a month in rent for a new off-campus office building in Seattle, and that's just for starters.

 

This base rent - plus fees for property taxes, insurance and maintenance - means that initially the UW will pay an annual rent of around $42 per square foot for the first year. Rent will increase to around $50 a foot at the end of the 10-year lease.

 

 

     

That $42 figure is more than what landlords in the U District currently are asking for Class A space, but less than the asking rents in more popular neighborhoods, such as South Lake Union. The owner of one big new building where Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) is moving is asking between $46 and $52 a foot. According to commercial real estate company JLL, the asking rent for Class A space in the University District is currently $35 a foot, including the cost of taxes, insurance and maintenance.

 

Last month, Seattle-based Blume Company Real Estate said it had started building a six-story office addition to the University Center, a mixed-use property at 4501 Roosevelt Way N.E. that's home to Trader Joe's, Performance Bicycle and Sundance Cinemas. Blume said the UW is leasing the nearly 53,400 square feet of office space, but didn't say how much rent the university will pay. 

 

Top-quality office space in the U District is very difficult to find. According to JLL (NYSE: JLL), which tracks the U District and Ballard as one submarket, only 2.4 percent of the Class A space in the neighborhoods is available for lease.

 

This is why the UW leased up the Blume project even though it doesn't yet know what it will do with the space that's being built on top of University Center's existing parking structure.

 

"Our rationale is there is no sizable office space currently available in the [University] District," said Norm Arkans, associate vice president, Media Relations and Communications, at the University of Washington, last month. "We are leasing it to take advantage of a unique opportunity."

 

On Wednesday, Arkans said the UW still has not yet decided what departments it will house in the building that will be done in about a year.

 

The UW's monthly rent starts at just under $142,385, or $32 a square foot a year. Arkans said the UW also will pay the cost of the taxes, insurance and maintenance, and that this will add $10 a foot to the rent.

 

During the last year of the 10-year lease, the UW will pay nearly $177,820 a month in rent. That works out to a base annual rent of just under $40 a foot plus the $10 for expenses.

At the end of the lease, the UW has options to lease the building for two more five-year periods, Arkans said.

Send us your updates!

Please send us information, updates, and events to include in our monthly newsletter.

 

Is your business using Facebook or Twitter? Find us online so that we can share your posts and tweets!

 

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter View our profile on LinkedIn

 

For more information, to send in content for the newsletter, or to ask any questions, please contact The U District Partnership at: 

206-547-4417 or

administrator@udistrictpartnership.org 

 

StreetFair Returns to the U District May 16th & 17th!
Saturday, May 16th, 10AM - 7PM
Sunday, May 17th, 10AM - 6PM
Now celebrating its 46th consecutive year, the U District StreetFair is the longest running festival of its kind in the nation.

In 1970, community leaders established the StreetFair to heal our community after protests, street riots, and violence disrupted the community. Originally a blanket-vending event with lots of free live music, the U District StreetFair has developed into a regional event that features products that are hand-made by individual artists and craftsmen in the USA. In celebration of the international flavor of our community, we invite food vendors to participate along with our many local restaurants to supply an around-the-world food experience.

Come celebrate with us in the U District on May 16th & 17th! For more information, visit the website
U District Clean-Up
Saturday, May 9th, 2015
University Heights
NW Parking Lot | NE 52nd & Brooklyn Ave NE


















This spring we are full of cleaning! Join us for some community building as we continue to bring out the beauty in our neighborhood.

9 AM | Continental Breakfast & Check-in
9:30 AM | Neighborhood Clean-up
12 PM | Pizza and Trash Contest!

To sign up: sites.google.com/site/udistrictcleanup
Questions: [email protected]
Link Light Rail Drop-In Meetings
Meet with members of SoundTransit who will answer your questions about the future light rail service from UW to Northgate!






















First Annual Alley Spring Cleaning was a Success!
Co-Sponsored by our friends at Cafe Allegro, ROOTS and the Peoples Harm Reduction Society held on May 1st














On Friday, May 1, dozens of community members banded together for the first Annual Alley Spring Cleaning. It was a huge success in both beautifying the neighborhood and bringing people together.



The Next U District Open Forum is Around the Corner
Monday, June 15th, 5:30PM -7:30 PM
University Heights, Room 209
5031 University Way NE
Seattle WA 98105
What does the "Business Improvement Area" mean for our neighborhood? What upcoming projects will impact the look and feel of the U District? Join us on June 15th to learn more!

Please join us at our quarterly U District Forum to hear reports from Sound Transit, University Plaza and the U District Partnership. Reports will focus on projects that impact both the physical space and function of our neighborhood.

Following the reports, there will be small break-out group sessions for further discussion and an opportunity to provide feedback.

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at (206) 547-4417.
Social Media Shoutouts
Special recognition to those who actively promote the U District through social media
The above image is a tweet by @thomast_nguyen about his amazing experience at Samir's!


The above image is a tweet by @_christinetran about her U District Adventures.


The above image is a tweet by @ScenesfromSeatt looking out on the water in the U District.


The above image is a Facebook post by the University Presbyterian Church of the building in 1912.

Thank you for taking the time to read this month's newsletter!

 

Sincerely,

UDP Staff

  

Elizabeth McCoury, President and CEO

[email protected]

 

Lea McKee, Event Manager/Community Engagement

 

Danielle Andre, Bookkeeper and Accountant  

Alexandra Zelle Rettman, Communications Coordinator   

 

Raezel Ann F. Arca, Urban Design & Development Intern  

Anuv Vaghul, Social Media Intern  



4516 University Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
206-547-4417