Dear friends of Seattle's public open space, URGENT - City Council to Discuss Museum Expansion The City Council has begun to discuss the Asian Art Museum expansion project. If enough people express opposition, it will make a difference. This is the last major hurdle, so the time to act is now. On Thursday morning, December 7, at 9:30 AM, the Parks Committee will consider two pieces of legislation introduced by Council member Debora Juarez: - CB 119146 – Exception from zoning code, to let the museum expand. - CB 119150 – Development agreement and 55 year lease. This meeting will have only 8 minutes scheduled for public comment. A full public hearing is tentatively scheduled for Friday, January 12. HOW YOU CAN ACT Please email the Parks Committee members below, and tell them you oppose CB 119146 and CB 119150. If you add some remarks in your own words, even better! Debora.Juarez@seattle.gov, sally.bagshaw@seattle.gov, bruce.harrell@seattle.gov, Kshama.Sawant@seattle.gov Here are some suggested talking points. See below for links to our much more detailed comments! * I oppose CB 119146 and CB 119150. * The project is harmful to Volunteer Park. * The funds are needed to fix community centers, not expand a museum. * The 55 year lease is a bad deal for the public. Please think about coming to the public hearing, tentatively scheduled for January 12. RSVP to pvpinfo@protectvolunteerpark.org so we can provide you with updates on this and other Council meetings. If you can come to council chambers tomorrow on December 7, at 9:30 AM, it will be great to see you. There are only 8 minutes allowed for public comment, but we will have a small sign you can hold up to show support. Bookmark our City Council page for the latest updates on public meetings and email advocacy opportunities: http://protectvolunteerpark.org/citycouncil/ OUR COMMENTS ABOUT THE DETAILS The zoning bill creates an exception from land use code for this project, allowing more height, less parking, and less Landmarks Board consideration. The lease agreement commits the City to pay SAM "operating support" for 55 years, with no option to end early, plus pay $19 million for construction, and continue to charge zero monetary rent for the building over the 55 year term. For much more detail, you can read Protect Volunteer Park's comments submitted to the Council: Lease agreement: http://protectvolunteerpark.org/lease-comment/ Zoning bill: http://protectvolunteerpark.org/comment-zoning-bill/ Thank you for your interest in protecting Seattle's Volunteer Park and precious public open space. Best regards, Jonathan Mark and the members of Protect Volunteer Park http://protectvolunteerpark.org