Some background info for the Times editorial: Nickelsville P.O. Box 2548 Seattle, WA 98111 (206) 450--9136 August 28, 2014 The Honorable Mayor Ed Murray The Honorable Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim City of Seattle 600 4th Avenue Seattle, WA 9814 Dear Mayor Murray and Deputy Mayor Kim: We the Nickelodeons are highly concerned! Last night we were shocked when the Department of Planning and Development told us that it was very doubtfull they’d issue a permit for the next Nickelsville Site. Both the Property Owner and our host, the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, feel a permit is needed. DPD leaders told us that the land we want to move to is so unstable that it might slide the way it did in Oso. They said the last reported slide, seemingly a small one, was in 1995. No one, we were told, wants us to get hurt. DPD may know about slides, but their assumptions about how Nickelsville is set up are incomplete. They thought our gardens would pump more water into the ground. But ‘the garden’ is actually 10 huge planters donated by the Department of Neighborhoods and raised above the ground. They thought we were digging our tents into the ground, when we’re actually raising them on cinder blocks. Plus we aren’t staying forever, but at most a couple years. Ironically, because Nickelsville is doing less to the land, and for a shorter period of time, we are being held to a higher standard than the Seattle Housing Authority Project next door. The Housing Authority is getting to drive trucks around the unimproved street on top of the hill, and build new housing right next to a ‘slide area. Meanwhile, the King County Assessor has no record of the supposedly enormous slide issues, and is assessing the property owner at the top end. That’s not fair. All we want to do is place 40 tents and small simple sturdy sleeping structures on it. Almost every place we move people tell us that there are problems, so we’d best stay away. That’s what they said about the Duwamish Site at 7116 SW Marginal Way. But we never got offered a meaningful alternative for that site, or this one! Nickelsville is still moving this weekend – we promised our present neighbors, and we keep our word. Mayor Murray, in May our Arbitrator from Jackson, Leon Davis, asked you directly if you’d help find us public land to move to. At that time you said you’d get back to us, but we have yet to hear from you about this request. Now we are making you an offer: Survey the suitable vacant public land held by the Seattle Parks Department, Department of Transportation, (both Seattle and State) Port of Seattle, METRO, Sound Transit, the Seattle Housing Authority, and other Public Land entities around Seattle. Commit that you will use your lawful power and influence as Seattle Mayor to the best of your ability to secure for Nickelsville a piece of land commensurate with the one at 1010 South Dearborn. Offer this land to us under the same terms ABCD Trust offered their land. If you publically make this commitment to our homeless community, Nickelsville will commit to finding someplace to stay for a month while it is worked out. What a win-win this would be. Public Land used responsibly, homeless people kept together and safe, and a crucial part of the Committee to End Homelessness in King County’s Crisis Response Plan implemented at little cost. Thank you both – Mayor Murray and Deputy Mayor Kim – for your actions to help us survive and solve homelessness. Sincerely, The Nickelsville Special Central Committee of 8/28/14
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 05:03:03 +0000
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