White Center Now: The blog about White Center

This Thursday night, you’re invited to the first meeting of 2020 for the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, which sent this preview:

When: Thursday, February 6, 2020 at 7 pm

Where: North Highline Fire Station at 1243 SW 112th Street in White Center

(Parking and Entrance are in the Back of the Station)

The Opportunity to Be Informed, Be Involved and Be Heard!

The first NHUAC meeting of 2020 will provide you and your neighbors a new opportunity to be informed, involved and heard about important decisions, which will determine the future of our North Highline community.

The quality of our natural environment affects the quality of our lives. Sarah Brandt, King County Parks, Open Space Program Manager, will join us to discuss the Land Conservation Initiative; why access to green space is important; and the gaps discovered when King County looked at the intersection of health outcomes, proximity to existing parks, and income. Sarah looks forward to hearing our preferences for green space and amenities in North Highline.

King County is also working on the North Highline Subarea Plan, which will guide development in North Highline over the next 20 years. The plan will focus on zoning, long-term land use, and issues like housing, commercial and industrial areas, and community character. A vision statement describes what community members want their neighborhood to be like in the future. County planners drafted this vision statement for the North Highline Land Use Subarea Plan: “North Highline is a diverse, inclusive, and family-friendly community that supports a thriving small business community, enjoys proximity to urban amenities and greenspace, and provides opportunities for people of all socioeconomic backgrounds to live, work, and thrive.” The big question is: How do we get there from here?

To discuss these important, long-term decisions, NHUAC will be joined by North Highline Subarea Plan subject matter experts, David Goodman and Kevin LeClair; Opportunity Zone subject matter expert, Hugo Garcia; and HUB Project subject matter expert, Isaac Horwith.

NHUAC is always happy to see White Center Storefront Deputy Bill Kennamer, who will update us once again about police activity in our community.

Knowledge is power.

Learn, share and help make North Highline a better place.

February 6, 2020 at 7 pm – Bring a Neighbor

For a preview of the Subarea Plan discussion, check back here tonight/tomorrow; we will be publishing a report on Thursday night’s open house.

The first Thursday of the month usually brings the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council‘s meeting, but not this month – too close to the holiday. So, as noted in our December meeting coverage, next meeting is the first Thursday in February – 7 pm February 6th.

By Tracy Record
White Center Now editor

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council‘s meetings usually yield a wealth of information.

Often it’s not even related to topics on the agenda. For example:

(WCN photo)

Those are the two “Portland Loo“ public toilets recently installed at Steve Cox Memorial Park. They were mentioned by King County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Bill Kennamer. Two more are on the way.

Now, the main topic:

LEAD: The meeting began with a discussion of Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), which will start soon in White Center. LEAD addresses “low-level crimes” committed by people who have challenges such as behavioral health, substance abuse, extreme poverty, as explained by the two Public Defender Association reps who spoke, Melodie Reece and Tiarra Dearbone, as well as KCSO Major Jesse Anderson.

It’s been available in Burien and Seattle, “and it only makes sense to close that gap” and have it be available in North Highline, too, said Maj. Anderson. “The bottom line is, we want people to turn their lives around. … It’s a great tool, like many other resources we bring in.” The collaboration with defense lawyers is with “a common goal in mind,” he added. The defense reps offered a history – it started in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood almost a decade ago, in response to the disparity of policing with offenders of color. This has become a national/worldwide model, said Reece. “LEAD is a good way for jurisdictions to try on a new approach.” This can cut recidivism by “up to 60 percent for each individual,” she said, and it “free(s) up police and prosecutors to deal with bigger cases.”

Dearbone explained that it’s a very “individualized” program, jurisdiction by jurisdiction. To make a diversion, first law enforcement will check eligibility, then hand off the client to a case manager. PDA meets twice monthly with law enforcers and talk about specific cases.”It’s a lot more eyes on the individual,” she said. Ultimately, if the person is making progress, prosecutors can opt not to charge them. There’s also a “social contact referral” that law enforcers can point them to – “it doesn’t have to be on arrest for these people.” Case managers would go out looking for the particular person; law enforcers know these people so well, they can often suggest where to find them. “The objective is …. a crime reduction program,” decreasing “their involvement in these law violations.”

What if a client is homeless? asked NHUAC president Barbara Dobkin. If they’d like to be housed, Reece said, they work with them – but often that’s not their first priority. Housing is pretty scarce right now, she added. What’s the capacity of the program? an attendee asked. Optimally, 20-25 clients per case manager, but it’s “well above that” in Seattle right now, said Reece. They’re also deciding who will be WC’s service provider. Right now in Burien, added Dearbone, they have 16 active cases.

Public money plus private donations fund the program, Reece said in response to another question.

When is it starting in White Center? “Pretty soon,” replied Reece, but they have to find a service provider for the case-management work via an RFP process. Dearbone said they’ve used REACH in Seattle and Burien but want local decisions on that.

How long do they follow people? “As long as they need,” said Reece.

When do they decide if it isn’t working? It’s up to prosecutors to decide whether to charge someone or not.

Currently they have almost 800 clients in Seattle. LEAD costs “significantly” less than the criminal-justice system’s regular process, said Dearbone. Maj. Anderson said not only are they helping the person, but likely preventing further crimes. Reece said businesses and individuals can make “social contact referrals” too. The people involved in LEAD are suspected of very low-level crimes and also have to NOT have a “significant criminal history,” they said.

What about emphasizing a specific problematic area, like downtown near the County Courthouse? asked Dobkin. Seattle Police have a lot of emphasis in the Pioneer Square area, said Reece, but many of the problem people there are not LEAD clients. “It’s a really tough location. … being close to that area, we really feel it too.” But, “we’re only one piece of the service-provision puzzle.” Dearbone added, “There’s still a need for” other programs, beyond their scope, which is crime reduction. Maj. Anderson said everyone in KCSO in this area should be trained in January, February, and then they’ll make decisions in the field.

How is it working so far in Burien? Well, they said. Dearbone gave an example of an emphasis involving the Burien Safeway, and they diverted a couple people who were breaking the law just to avoid going hungry.

“We gotta do something, because what we’re doing now isn’t working,” said Deputy Bill Kennamer. He can arrest somebody, take them to jail, but that person may be put back out on the street without even spending the night in jail.

Case managers have the right to professionally care about people who need someone to care about them, Reece observed.

Got questions? Contact the PDA..There was talk of bringing the reps back in six months or so for an update.

CRIME UPDATE: Deputy Kennamer’s title is now Community Crime Prevention Deputy. Of November, “a particularly rough month for violent crime. We have a crew running around people like crazy – violent takeover robberies.” But “that crew is being worked on.”

There’s a new hookah lounge at 1st/108th, site of a drive-by shooting last month, he noted. Bartell Drugs in WC was robbed on November 5th, a pharmacy holdup. He also listed a variety of cases involving guns, one with a suspect as young as 14. Part 1 – major – crimes are up “quite a bit”; vehicle thefts are “through the roof.” Not clustered anywhere – it’s all over the “unincorporated lowlands.”

Robberies at marijuana stores were a topic for a while; Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design could help, said Kennamer.

“Positives” – a nuisance house in Myers Way has been addressed; then he mentioned the new Portland Loos, noted above. He also had warm words for the Department of Local Services cleanup program (showcased earlier in the week). A Top Hat problem property has some changes on the way.

NOXIOUS WEED PROGRAM: Marta Olson from the county talked about the Healthy Lands Project, which is “focused on going into new conservation lands …that usually have a high weed burden” and need some initial attention to clean up before they can be used as parks/open space. The program’s had a big focus on urban areas andd has a “lot of funding available to acquire lands or easements on lands.” That means grant opportunities, or even identifying future parks. The main focus of her appearance: Seola Pond, “a really beloved informal park.” DIRT Corps has been paid to clean out blackberries, grants have gone to community leader and pond steward Scott Dolfay, and as previously announced, a big volunteer effort was planned this past Saturday.

P.S. Looking for info on noxious weeds? kingcounty.gov/weeds

FIREWORKS FOLLOWUP: Councilmember Joe McDermott was reported to have told a constituent the council will take up a proposed ban in January. Right now, passing a ban would stll mean it doesn’t take effect for a year. Local legislator Joe Fitzgibbon said the Legislature could take up something to waive that waiting period. But it needs community support. A discussion ensued – “every year it seems to get worse an worse and louder,” observed Dobkin, suggesting a vote on whether NHUAC should formally support the proposed ban. The motion passed.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS: White Center Kiwanis is selling cans of mixed nuts for $20 …The baked potato/taco bar dinner with New Start High School is January 16th, 5:30-7 pm in the gym, at the school (on SW 120th).

RIP, DEPUTY COX … The 13th anniversary of Deputy Steve Cox‘s murder was Monday. He was NHUAC president as well as deputy. “He will always, always be missed,” Dobkin said. Deputy Kennamer said Deputy Cox’s son is 16 years now and active in sports.

NO JANUARY NHUAC MEETING … since the first Thursday is the day after New Year’s Day.

It’s a hot topic in criminal justice – LEAD. If you have questions, be at this month’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council to get answers. Here’s the announcement:

When: Thursday, December 5, 2019 at 7 pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station at 1243 SW 112th Street in White Center
(Parking and Entrance are in the Back of the Station)

The Opportunity to Be Informed, Involved and Heard – Because Our Community Matters!

NHUAC’s last community meeting of 2019 is sure to be an important one. We will be joined by KCSO Major Jesse Anderson and Tiarra Dearbone and Melodie Reece of the Public Defender Association (PDA), the moving force behind LEAD® (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion). The PDA recognized that a policy problem resulted in people of color being disproportionately arrested for drug crimes.

In a 2011 NPR interview about LEAD®, former King County Sheriff Sue Rahr said, “…the focus here is to spend our limited resources wisely. It makes more sense to devote the greatest amount of resource into fixing the problem. We have seen that punishing people out of drug addiction is not effective. Now, with that said I want to be clear – this is a system where you use the carrot and the stick. We still have to have the stick. There still has to be a legal consequence for not going along with the program, but we want to offer the carrot first because the carrot is less expensive and more effective.”

The LEAD® National Support Bureau describes LEAD® as ”a community-based diversion approach with the goals of improving public safety and public order….” It empowers law enforcement to offer drug treatment, housing and other opportunities to people facing arrest and prosecution for low-level drug offenses and prostitution. LEAD® was first launched in 2011 in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood and recently started in Burien. Now, LEAD® is coming to North Highline. Wonder why we have been chosen to have LEAD® in our community?

Deputy Bill Kennamer will be back to update us about what has been keeping KCSO busy in North Highline.

Community involvement and input are essential to the success of LEAD® and North Highline.

Everyone Is Welcome! Please Join Us To Learn, Share and Help Make North Highline a Healthier, Stronger Community!

December 5, 2019 at 7 pm

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for White Center Now

Improving housing opportunities and increasing awareness of local crime issues were key topics last Thursday night at the November meeting of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council (NHUAC) at the North Highline Fire Station.

As mentioned in our preview of the meeting, special guests were Helen Howell and Dan Watson from King County Housing Authority and Major Jesse Anderson who leads Precinct 4 (southwest King County) from the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Howell and Watson provided an overview of the Creating Moves to Opportunity (CMTO) program, which is a joint “housing mobility” project between Seattle Housing Authority and King County Housing Authority. The program is offered to eligible families from the Housing Choice Voucher waitlist, and aims to support families struggling with poverty to help them move to “opportunity neighborhoods.” According the CMTO website:

Howell and Watson said $20 billion is spent annually in the United States on low-income housing vouchers, but 80% of voucher holders are housed in high poverty neighborhoods, which in King County are mostly concentrated toward the south.

CMTO aims to change that dynamic. It’s a multi-year randomized study (currently in its 2nd and final phase) designed to “develop and test which strategies most effectively support opportunity moves by families with young children using a Housing Choice Voucher”:

• Baseline Phase: Jan 2017 – Mar 2018 (Planning, design, and pilot testing)
• Phase I: Apr 2018 – Jun 2019 (Randomized test of bundled intervention strategies)
• Phase II: Jul 2019 – Dec 2020 (Randomized test of isolated intervention strategies)

Howell said participants are supported by 3 key elements: customized search assistance, direct landlord engagement, and short-term financial assistance. The study has involved 499 families and 430 vouchers, 209 in them in the control group (which received vouchers) and 221 of them in the treatment group (which received vouchers in addition to resources to support moving into high-opportunity neighborhoods). Howell added that the results of the earlier phases have been very positive thus far, with 54% of participants in the treatment group opting to move into the opportunity neighborhood (compared to 14% from the control group), and said the current project phase will further examine the impact of individual components of the CMTO services (financial assistance, informational toolkit, and coaching/resources).

“We can’t afford to provide all but services we’d like to give,” Howell said, “but the results will tell us the best way to spend our resources.”

Helen Howell, King County Housing Authority

Howell said the project is an important next-step for public housing efforts in areas like White Center, with developments like Greenbridge and Seola Gardens, and the focus on families with young kids is particularly important. “We are doing our best to equip children with tools and opportunities they need to succeed in life,” Howell said.

Watson then talked about the “deconcentration of poverty” effort, noting that some of the highest poverty rates in King County had traditionally existed in White Center, largely because of WW2-era housing. “What we’ve now been doing for 20 years,” Watson said, “is to make every attempt to deconcentrate poverty and to encourage low-income households to not reside in high-poverty areas,” citing the extensive research showing that low-income families do better if they live in high-opportunity areas. He said a major goal of the Greenbridge vitalization was to rebuild WW2-era derelict housing and to reduce the concentration of lower-opportunity areas.

Dan Watson, King County Housing Authority

Watson said there is a much smaller percentage of low-income families living in Greenbridge now than the number that lived in older WC developments such as Park Lake, and that the number of low-income units in White Center is actually decreasing. He contrasted that with Bellevue, where “we’ve actually been growing our inventory of low-income housing.” He added that housing vouchers that are “tenant-based” are portable and can be used anywhere in the area, and after one year the recipient could even use them to move out of state. Some recipients opt to continue living where they are, but an increasing number do take the opportunity to move.

Q&A with attendees:

• Q: Are these properties single-family homes? A: Generally no, these are rental units.
• Q: How do you define high-opportunity neighborhoods?  A: Leading researchers like Raj Chetty generally use sources like IRS and census data, tracking how participants are doing from childhood through 30s, and sometimes proxy data is used, but generally it’s based on outcomes.  It can be hard to define, no doubt safety and quality of schools contribute to it. Chetty’s research was nationwide and we were lucky that King County was already working on offering choice to low-income families, as a result the impact has been considerable here (see a recent Vox article).
• Q: What’s the difference between the control group and the treatment group? A: The control group had access to vouchers but didn’t have the same support and education regarding opportunity neighborhoods.
• Q: What’s the status of Greenbridge and Seola Gardens?  A: Seola Gardens has been completely built and sold. Greenbridge in still in progress, the market will only absorb so many sales, 170 houses can go on vacant property but we still have houses there that aren’t sold yet.  The houses on the northwest corner have already sold.
• Q: Comparing concentration of low-income housing between White Center and Bellevue doesn’t make sense because Bellevue is so much bigger. A: That’s true, but regardless the trend is that White Center has less low-income housing while Bellevue is gaining more and more. We’ve reduced the concentration in WC a great deal. Areas like Shoreline and Redmond are also growing as it relates to subsidized housing.  Follow-up Q:  The data I’ve seen shows that most of the low-income housing in Bellevue is actually for people who are in the workforce. A: Yes, in Bellevue most of it is “workforce housing” for those with lower income but they do have jobs.
• Q: Are there options for how the vouchers are assigned? A: Yes, we can “project-base” the vouchers.  Some of them are “hard unit” vouchers that are fixed to the unit, such as some of the Greenbridge units which are apartments that are permanently subsidized with very low rents.  The average household size of those using vouchers is 2.5 people.
• Q: What is “shelter burden” as it relates to low-income housing? A: It’s the percentage of your income that you spend on housing, we look at the percentage of households paying more than 30% and 50%. Based on that metric, there is a higher percentage of low-income households with 30% and 50% shelter burden in areas like Bellevue than there are in White Center.
• Q: What about the Wind Rose site at Greenbridge (northeast corner)? A: Fur us, what we’re talking about is the big building near 4th and Roxbury, next to the Connor Homes development. Watson said they have no immediate plans for it, just conceptual ideas, the areas once had an auto repair shop and a convenience store that were demolished. Generally speaking, senior housing or assisted living is most likely, a building of that density wouldn’t make sense otherwise, it could hold accommodate approximately 80 1-bedroom units but only 15-30 larger units for families.  Follow-up Q: Would the usage be limited to housing or could it be a live-work development with retail? There’s not much in that area for shops and food. A: Again, no formal plans exist, the area could be anything, we could potentially sell it for development but options are likely a bit limited, there isn’t a lot of parking. Follow-up question: When will the homes at Wind Rose be completed, and what about other projects?  A: Wind Rose will likely be built and sold within the next 12 months. There are also townhomes down toward the bog, and the developments between 4^th-6^th won’t go on market until later.
• Q: What are the criteria for a family to take advantage of the housing vouchers, and what’s their value? A: To get a voucher, you have to be added to a very lengthy waiting list, the last time we opened it up for new applications we had 20,000 applications for 2,500 available vouchers.  It’s challenging because we have so many shelter-burdened families, rents have gone up but wages have gone up so little. Regarding voucher value, it changes and is relative, if the voucher is a fixed dollar amount then people will go where rent is cheaper, but our approach is to adjust the value so that it’s worth more if you want to live in high-opportunity area, we recognize that this means we have to pay more but the research certainly tells us it’s worth it.
• Q: Does your program have funding to sustain and grow? A: Growth is challenging. A lot of our work has been federally funded but that amount isn’t increasing, but some state and local resources are increasing, we have to be creative, we can’t really “grow” but we can redirect funds and use them wisely.  Trying to focus on families with children. Follow-up Q: White Center also has projects like Unity Village (WCN coverage here), and other private projects like Southside by Vintage, there are more than just those worked on by the housing authority. A: We’re finding that there’s such an overwhelming need for housing that it gets built in places that we normally don’t expect it to go. This prompted a discussion about gentrification in areas like the Central District where demographics have really changed. Watson said approximately 65% of very low-income households now live entirely outside of the city, they’re priced out, and there’s a lot of concern about people leaving White Center and King County.
• Q: How many low-income homes are on the tax rolls? A: Almost half of the land that was off tax rolls is coming back on, and eventually all of the homes will be back on tax rolls.  Those homes are selling for $500k-$700k, while homes in Seola Gardens started at $300k and the Conner Homes are $600K or more. According to project data, by 2026 there will be 481 new taxable homes built out at Seola Gardens and Greenbridge combined, worth $200 million and generating $2.78 million in annual tax revenue.
• Q: What about the maintenance of Greenbridge and Seola Gardens such as streets and roads? Originally the federal government provided that money. A: We have contracts with the federal government, but now the streets are public and should be maintained by county, although we maintain landscapes and even some of the hardscapes because the county doesn’t have a lot of resources. There is also a homeowner’s association, so private owners put money in the pot that helps with maintenances.  The buildings themselves are largely maintained through rents (not just subsidies). Follow-up comment from an attendee: While walking around Greenbridge it seems like there’s a line between where the street maintenance ends and the homeowners’ maintenance ends, which means there are stretches that never get maintained and need replanting every year.
• Q: Does the housing authority get to control building designs? For the most part, the designs have been very good. A: We have a say in the lot sizes, design guidelines, covenants and rules and regulations.   We agree that the designs have been good, with the help of the community.
• Q: What about the problematic intersection at 4^th Ave and Olson? It’s dangerous.  A: That’s the city of Seattle, we have designed it up to a point, Seattle DOT has plan to fix that intersection, hopefully they’ll take out some cement. It’s a problem and the city knows it, we actually talked to the city today and asked that it be moved up to be a higher-priority project.
• Q: How long can a family receiving vouchers continue to receive them? Is there a time limit? A: There’s no timeline, we don’t see a point in enforcing a limit but we hope that people will successfully transition from receiving a voucher to buying a home.  The problem is that costs are going up and people with vouchers have a hard time making that leap. We’ve had discussions about enforcing a time limit but haven’t gone for that, we feel there’s something wrong with potentially cutting people off after we get them properly housed.
• Q: Do subsidized properties get privatized?  A: We generally anticipate owning the properties forever, there have been some criticisms nationally in instances where subsidized properties are privatized, but Watson said “that won’t happen here as long as we’re around.”
• Q: It seems like entities involved with housing support should also be fighting for a livable wage, since that’s a huge part of the problem. Maybe we need to get a lobbyist? I heard it costs an average of $202K to live in Seattle now. A: Yes, we certainly try to support those efforts where we can, but it’s important to note that in some cases the individual getting our support has a disability and isn’t eligible to work. Follow-up Q:  I know someone who has been on subsidies for 20 years. Do you maintain a job board or send job opportunities to those who are receiving housing benefits and could be eligible to work? A: Yes, we have a resident services department with programs for education and finding jobs. We often say that people have a better opportunity to find work if their housing situation is stable and can take classes, etc.

Next, Major Jesse Anderson talked about criminal activity and trends in the area:

• There was an incident on Halloween night in which 4 juveniles stole a car, drove into Burien and were “shooting at cars and people with a pellet gun.” Officers followed up on it that night but couldn’t find anybody who wanted to press charges at the time. After the event hit the news, then one victim came forward. There is now one individual who may be charged, but Anderson said “it’s not a particularly solid case because there were 4 people in the car.” Anderson added that his office has seen an increase in incidents (one had happened that same day) in which victims don’t want to press charges, which could be for a variety of reasons — fear of retaliation, not wanting to ruin anyone’s life, etc. “It doesn’t help us out if we as a community aren’t willing to go to court,” Anderson said, “but we need to have a victim for property crimes; someone willing to testify.”

Jesse Anderson, King County Sheriff’s Office

• There’s been progress at 98^th and 13^th SW which was a well-known drug house. The property has been “red tagged” and the water shut off, with orders to vacate, and if not honored then officers can go back and make arrests for trespassing. It’s possible that the person who has control of property could fight it, but if they go back they could be arrested. Anderson said he gave directions to the sergeant overseeing it that we could take people to jail and we won’t allow illegal activities to happen in that area — it wasn’t just drugs, it was also car theft and juvelines assaulting people. At another nearby address not far west of that location, similar illegal activity has decreased and someone has been arrested due to a probation violation.
• There was a robbery at 110^th and 1^st at the grocery store involving juveniles, at least some of whom were also involved in other incidents, and three of them were booked into juvenile detention.
• Anderson said his office is currently working on a collision reduction program, looking in unincorporated areas for distracted drivers (like texting and driving). Similarly to how we’ve identified “top crime areas,” we also have “top collision areas” including Roxbury between 96^th-98^th and between 4^th-17^th, Skyway and Boulevard Park.
• We work with Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD), which will be discussed further in the NHUAC group’s next meeting in December. We getting started with the program and have made progress, once we get policy and training figured out we’ll take the next step. It’s an ideal program to deal with people committing low level offenses with no criminal history, we can refer them to mental health services if they agree to follow through. It’s a tool and a resource, Seattle and Burien have been doing it for quite some time.

Q&A with attendees and Anderson:

• Attendees mentioned or asked about a few other incidents, including a robbery at Bartell Drugs last week in which someone jumped over the counter, as well as an incident at Proletariat Pizza in which a worker was taking out the garbage and was accosted by someone on a bike with a gun, and an incident of vandalism in which a house was burned.
• Q: It seems like there have been more issues lately with meth instead of heroin, and it’s hard to watch people melting down. I recently drove an 8-mile loop (near 104^th and 120^th by Ambaum) and saw all kinds of issues (like chop houses) and it seems like a lot of residents (particularly the elderly) don’t know what’s going on. There are challenging areas such as around Fred Meyer, it really has changed for the worse, there are some good things but I see problems especially by lakes and waterways.  A: We’re trying to make progress in areas where we can make a difference such as dealing with derelict motor homes and trailers and cars, trying to clean up as much as we can under the law, and working with code enforcement.  Follow-up comment/question: If we simply react and don’t offer meaningful help, then what are we really accomplishing? A: Efforts like LEAD will help, but if people are convicted felons then they’re not eligible for LEAD but we can always make social referrals. An attendee mentioned Ricky’s Law (which went into effect in April 2018 regarding involuntary treatment) and Anderson said if officers can show that someone is a danger to themselves or others then they can offer voluntary acceptance but we can also do involuntary intervention.
• Q: The last time you came and talked at this meeting, you said that your office was doing a sweep, what can you tell us about that? A: It was very successful, we made 7-8 arrests and stopped one person who we know was heavily involved with drug sales, we could impound and search cars, got some guns off street. Was a great example of departments combining resources. Follow-up Q: Of those 7-8 arrests you made, how many are still behind bars? A: I’m not sure, but would guess most or all of them are out. The attendee said “that has to be frustrating for you,” and Anderson responded that juvenile detention centers have restrictive criteria, and adults booked into jail are frequently released due to capacity issues. I do feel good about my job, I know that we’re doing our part and we’re one end of criminal justice system and we work with the prosecutors and courts. Violent offenders are kept behind bars.
• Q: What about the recent South Park homicide near Donovan and 8^th  A: Not familiar with it, was in Seattle jurisdiction.
• Q: Have there been any issues with marijuana stores?  A: No major problems recently. We did take care of an illegal one off 16^th, but our undercover folks aren’t aware of any others at this time. A couple of attendees asked about traffic around one of the pot shops being an issue.
• Q: Do you expect you can increase the numbers of deputies as part of the new budget coming out, with more population in our area?  A: To be honest, in unincorporated King County we have more officers than other areas do, I used to work in the northeast precinct which had a huge area to cover but different issues.  In White Center we have 2 district cars 24hrs a day, a storefront deputy, a housing deputy, and dedicated CSO and other resources available. We can also get resources from Burien and Boulevard Park.  The county doesn’t have much funding but we do what we can. We have a gang unit and want to build on it. And you have to remember that you’re only seeing uniformed officers, that doesn’t include plainclothes officers. Attendees agreed that deputies are almost always available to help, with a good response time.
• Q: Are there conflicting goals between the prosecutor’s office (trying to put people in jail) and programs like LEAD (try to keep people out of jail)? A: No, the primary goal is to solve the problem, which sometimes means jail but sometimes means using the tools we have to make referrals.
• Q: I attended a recent southwest precinct meeting about how to avoid getting scammed, with a presentation from the attorney general’s office, and they may be invited to a future NHUAC meeting. A: In 2007 we unfortunately had to do away with the fraud unit. On occasion we cover cases of fraud against the elderly, but we generally don’t have capacity to do that. The same commenter also talked about ways in which she’s interacted with neighbors about barriers to reporting crime, and how people are confused about who to call (she noted that she can relate, living 700ft from one border and 400ft from other).

Other announcements and comments:

• Willow Fulton from the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee reminded attendees about their upcoming community meeting (as we previewed here) on Thursday, November 21st to review options for the camp, which recently had its permit extended until March 2020. Fulton encouraged attendees to take a tour of the facility if interested, to visit and get involved.  She also mentioned their regular committee meetings the first Sunday of each month. A few attendees discussed the positive differences near the camp since the area had been cleaned up.
• NHUAC secretary Pat Price mentioned the White Center Library Guild’s annual fundraiser from 10 am-3 pm on Saturday November 16^th at the library, to raise funds for teens and children.
• White Center Kiwanis is doing their annual fundraiser, selling nuts for $20 per can with all proceeds going to help kids in White Center.
• Jerry Pionk from King County Local Services encouraged residents to send questions, comments, and concerns to asklocalservices@kingcounty.gov, and to connect on social media with the group.

The next NHUAC meeting will be December 5^th with a presentation from the Seattle-King County LEAD program (Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion), and likely a representative from prosecutor Dan Satterberg’s office.

From safety to housing policy, another wide-ranging discussion is ahead at this month’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting:

North Highline Unincorporated Area Council Meeting

When: Thursday, November 7, 2019 at 7 pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station at 1243 SW 112th Street in White Center
(Parking and Entrance are in the Back of the Station)

The Opportunity to Be Informed, Be Involved and Be Heard!

Good news — the Seahawks are NOT playing this Thursday and you are cordially invited to NHUAC’s November 7th community meeting. If you were watching the Hawks on October 3rd, you missed an informative meeting. We learned about the Micro-Housing Demonstration Project planned for White Center and North Highline’s Subarea Planning. KCSO rounded out the evening with King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht and Storefront Deputy Bill Kennamer. Topics included an arrest in the murder of a 16-year-old girl in 1991, fentanyl, gangs, staffing, and current crime stats. White Center Now has the story at:

whitecenternow.com/2019/10/09/housing-zoning-crime-safety-more-north-highline-unincorporated-area-council/

Although Sheriff Mitzi won’t be back for a while, KCSO is not letting us down. Major Jesse Anderson will join us for the second time since taking command of Precinct 4.

According to a recent City Lab article, “Research has shown this tremendous disparity in the likelihood of living out the American dream across space,” says Christopher Palmer, assistant professor of finance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “There’s tremendous differences in where you grow up that help determine the likelihood that you will have a higher standard of living than your parents did when you grow up.”

“In American cities that have become ever-more segregated by race and wealth, good schools, green spaces, lower crime, and public amenities tends to cluster in exclusive and mostly white bastions of privilege. That exclusivity has serious impacts, especially on the lives of children: Exposure to better neighborhoods (as opposed to exposure to poverty) makes a world of difference in a child’s future earnings and education level.” Palmer adds, “It just begs the question: What can be done? Isn’t there something we can do?”

NHUAC is pleased to welcome Helen Howell, King County Housing Authority’s (KCHA) Senior Director of Policy, Research & Social Impact Initiatives, and Executive Director and Chief Development Officer, Dan Watson, to our November 7th community meeting. Join us and learn what KCHA is doing to make that difference and improve lives!

Knowledge Is Power. Learn, Share and Help Make Our Community A Better Place.

Thursday, November 7, 2019 at 7 pm

Bring a Friend!

King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for White Center Now

Issues related to housing, zoning, crime, and safety took center stage Thursday night at the October meeting of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council (NHUAC) at the North Highline Fire Station, featuring a visit from King County Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht (who last appeared at NHUAC just over a year ago).

There was a good crowd at the meeting despite its overlap with the Seahawks game — in fact, while Johanknecht was speaking, a chorus of fireworks could be heard from around the neighborhood after the Seahawks’ victory, prompting chuckles and comments like “aren’t fireworks illegal?” from around the room.

Toplines from the meeting are below, including links to two surveys (one that closes October 13) for the public to share feedback:

NORTH HIGHLINE SUBAREA PLAN (website here): First on the agenda was David Goodman (pictured below), subarea planner from King County Department of Local Services, to give an update on the one-year North Highline Subarea planning process that began in July. Goodman said the planning is part of an effort to initiate new subarea plans across the county for various service areas such as North Highline. Plans include detailed assessments of the area’s land use, demographics, population and development. Goodman said the existing plans are very dated and haven’t changed in 25 years, and even those most recent changes from 1994 were limited to areas west of Highway 509 (east of 509, the plans are even older).

Goodman walked attendees though the area’s zoning map (digital version here) and explained that most of the area’s land (56.7%) was designated as “R-6-Residential” which means up to 6 dwelling units per acre. He noted that as part of the planning process, residents can “help decide what we want the community to look like in the future.”

NHUAC President Liz Giba and others in attendance asked about the White Center Community HUB project being planned at the former Public Health Center site at 8th Avenue SW & SW 108th Street (which could break ground in 2022 if things go according to plan), as well as the upcoming 2021 expansion of the RapidRide H Line (which will replace the extremely busy Metro Route 120). Goodman, along with other officials in attendance, answered audience questions about those initiatives and confirmed their importance as part of the overall vision and planning for the area.

Goodman said the planning process runs through next May and that his team plans to be back at NHUAC at least once more during that timeframe. In the meantime, he encouraged attendees to visit the project website and fill out their survey (click the “Take Our Survey” button) to share feedback. (Note: We had posted about this survey a couple of weeks ago as well.)

An audience member asked about ADU (accessory dwelling units) or “mother-in-law” dwellings. Goodman and other officials in attendance said that these are units which are 1000 square feet or smaller, not officially part of property it’s adjacent to, and without its own address. ADUs must be registered with the county.

WHITE CENTER MICROHOUSING DEMONSTRATION PROJECT: Next up was Mark Ellerbrook (pictured below), division director for King County Housing & Community Development, to give an update on plans for a WC-based Alternative Housing Demonstration Project (website here) that is currently in “public comment” period until October 13. Ellerbrook encouraged neighbors to give their feedback on the project by visiting its website.

The White Center project is one of two proposed sites in the area (the other is in Vashon Island) aimed at providing affordable housing options.  Per their website, “the county started by asking: ‘What innovative housing types could create more affordable housing, but aren’t allowed under existing regulations?'” Ellerbrook said the projects aim to tackle two key issues:

1. Housing crisis and availability of places to live. “Our estimate is that in the next 21 years we will need 240,000 additional units of affordable housing to meet demand and growth,” Ellerbrook said, adding that the median cost in King County is $1800/mo, and in order for citizens to be successful “we need housing of all types; what people want is evolving. A single-family home with a yard isn’t necessarily what everyone wants.”
2. Displacement and gentrification. Ellerbrook said he’s heard repeatedly from the White Center Chamber of Commerce and local businesses who say that they have employees who work in White Center and would love to live here but can’t afford it —  rental costs in WC are $2200/mo and have increased a lot in last few years, Ellerbrook said.

Ellerbrook said the proposed developer for the WC project is Seattle-based Neimen Taber, which has developed similar projects like The Roost, and the proposed location would be somewhere in the urban center at 102^nd/16^th. If approved, the decision regarding where to develop the property would happen in mid-2020. Ellerbrook stressed that “this is not a subsidized housing project; it’s looking for a way to create lower cost housing in a way that doesn’t need to be subsidized.” Ellerbrook said the goal is to have the target cost be $650-$1000/mo for residents. “For someone making minimum wage, $650 would be one-third of their income,” he said.

Questions from the audience:

• “Will residents of this property pay taxes?” Ellerbrook said yes, absolutely. Follow-up question: would residents pay impact fees (one-time fees connected to school-building costs)? Ellerbrook wasn’t sure, but said it may be unlikely that families with children would live there, based on trends seen in the similar Roost development.
• “What about parking?”  Ellerbrook said that’s being discussed; for a development like this, is parking required for every unit? There are many transit options available in the proposed development area.
• “Is there actually land available in the proposed area?” Ellerbrook said the developer would be looking for available property there. It would require a 5000-6000 square-foot lot (smaller than a block).
• “How does this relate to the signs I’ve seen over by Greenbridge about a new high-rise?” Ellerbrook and other officials in attendance said that those would be managed by King County Housing Authority (a different entity) similar to low-incoming housing options at Seola Gardens and Greenbridge. NHUAC president Liz Giba said that a representative from KCHA would be be attending NHUAC’s next meeting.
• “Don’t we want diversity in the types of housing we have, which means we want higher-priced homes as well, not just lower-priced?” Another attendee noted that people in Central District were priced out and have been moving to WC where affordable housing is — is that a desirable trend? Ellerbrook and others noted that housing prices in WC have more than doubled in 5 years ($200K to $440K), and that Seattle has been a national leader in striking that balance, with property tax levies to fund affordable housing going back 30 years. Follow-up comment: It seems that residents are keeping their single-family homes and seeing them go up significantly in price, but then as “megaprojects” for low income is completed, the balance is thrown off and “we’re going downhill; a healthy community needs all types of housing.” Ellerbrook again stressed that this latest WC project is for market rate housing (not subsidized housing).
• “We keep hearing that this project is for our community, but for other recent projects we asked if we can prioritize them for local residents, but were told we can’t.” Ellerbrook: We can’t legally restrict any housing unit for a particular neighborhood, because of fair housing.  What we can (and will) do is “affirmative marketing” to work with local business owners to market this new building to people who live in the community.

COMMENTS FROM THE SHERIFF: Next on the agenda was a special guest, King C0unty Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht. “Sheriff Mitzi” has been with KCSO since 1985, served as commander of Precinct 4 and was the first woman to lead the county’s SWAT team, and was elected sheriff in 2017.

Johanknecht began with some big news that made national headlines: an arrest made as part of a 27-year-old cold case (King5 story). Back in 1991, 16-year-old Sarah Yarborough was found dead at Federal Way High School, but her murderer was never found. Johanknecht said years of hard work (using exhaustive forensics and DNA evidence) led to last week’s arrest of a suspect. She said that she has a goal of creating a dedicated “cold case unit” (the county doesn’t currently have one; investigators dedicate time when they can) to help with the approximately 300 cold cases that the county has.

On a less positive note, Johanknecht made note of the recent wave of fentanyl-related deaths, primarily from counterfeit prescriptions. She said her office is doing what it can with regard to outreach and education, but the concern is real. “If you’re ordering something on the internet and it doesn’t come from a pharmacy, it’s risky,” she said. Johanknecht encouraged community members to watch for troubling changes in life patterns for friends, family and acquaintances, and offer peer support whenever possible.  An attendee noted that in the past, drug-related issues associated with people living in the wooded area near Myers Way had largely involved meth, but in recent years the trend had been more about opioids.

A question from president Liz Giba: How do you ask for more cops, to serve a larger population that needs it? (She referenced a housing development at Top Hat, and said when they applied for permits they expected 620 residents, but as it turns out there are 800 residents.) Johanknecht said this is definitely a priority, citing a staffing study her office is working on that shows what policing in King County (which has a wide range from rural to urban) should look like, to help inform staffing and budgets. She said that she was asked to make budget cuts when she first took office, but she pushed back on that and actually added resources (such as gang and violent crime violent crime specialists, many working in the south end). She said she is slowly building the department to meet capacity, and hopes the staffing study helps with that. Johanknecht cited strong support from several King County Councilmembers, and looks forward to continue working closely with them.

“Our job is to team up and talk to the people who build budgets and legislate them,” Johanknecht said, “and we’re happy to have your support in that process.” She said 60% of her budget is “revenue-backed,” so the support they’re typically looking for is only about 40%.  Question from the audience: When you do reports about staffing, do you look at the number of officers you have compared to the population in the area they serve? Answer from Johanknecht: That’s easy to do in a city, with blocks that tend to have high population density, but much harder in more remote areas of the county (near Snoqualmie Pass, or in rural areas with 2-lane roads). She cited successes her department has had with using data from computer-aided dispatch that is entered into private vendor databases, and are able to use that data along with “anecdotal stuff” to help with the budget and resourcing processes.

A particularly serious set of questions from the audience: What about the impact of drug cartels and drugs coming into our area from “gang members who may be illegal immigrants,” “why don’t you enforce the laws,” and “why did you take down ICE-related links from your websites?” (KIRO story here)  The questioner also mentioned a family friend who was “murdered by an illegal immigrant.” Johanknecht offered sincere condolences, but explained that King County does have an ordinance that prohibits officers from asking about immigration status, and “I have rules that I have to follow.” However, she noted that “we arrest people all the time” who commit crimes and “we usually don’t need that immigration information” to make those cases. With regard to the links that her office removed from their websites, Johanknecht explained that those were associated with the LinX national database, and that she made the decision to temporarily remove LinX access because after a series of issues that occurred she was concerned that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) personnel could use information in the database to deport undocumented immigrants, which she said was a clear violation of county ordinances. However, she noted that the system access was restored just four days later, not because of publish backlash but because an active investigation needed to happen to ensure that the info-sharing was being done properly. She also noted that in addition to individuals who were critical of her decision to take down there links, there were also individuals who were “waiting to come after me for keeping the links up,” and people “paying both sides of the aisle,” but stressed that “those were decisions we had to make.”

Other audience members commented about cars in the area that are stolen and “dumped:” If cars get stolen in unincorporated King County, rather than in a city like Burien, the criminals know that the jurisdictions are different and they just dump cars in other areas to avoid getting caught or drawing attention to themselves. Johanknecht said that her department “knows about the common places,” where stolen cars tend to be abandoned, and said that state and national databases definitely exist to help officers determine if particular vehicles have been stolen.

Another question: What are the best ways to find out about crimes in the area, and report them? Johanknecht mentioned crimereports.com as a good resource but said the system has been offline while a data-migration process happens, but she will notify the public as soon as that process is done.  For reporting crimes, she said that as a former communication center commander, she always tells people to “call 911 and report it, even if it’s just a shady-looking guy on the street” and the dispatchers will do their job. She said every 911 call generates a tracking number, then as it moves through the process there may be other numbers involved (like case numbers), but at any rate the number of calls helps her department with metrics and data and resourcing, so people shouldn’t hesitate to call. Another audience member expressed skepticism that criminals actually face consequences, asking the sheriff “how long does someone’s rap sheet have to be before you arrest them?” Johanknecht said the question was “largely rhetorical” but stressed that “I tell my people to go after bad guys and take them to jail,” although she acknowledged that only 10% of cases nationwide tend to actually go to trial, but her department will do what it can to help. She added that she recently went to Washington D.C. to meet with officials about their CAD-X system for computer-aided dispatch, and she has asked a WA state delegation to support adopting such a system to alleviate concerns about who to call and when. She also reminded attendees that 911 callers can report anonymously, or can report it by name but say that they don’t want to be contacted.

WHITE CENTER CRIME INFO: To conclude the meeting, White Center Storefront Deputy Bill Kennamer (pictured below) provided a quick update on crime statistics and cases in the area. He said that year-over-year, violent crimes are down but property crimes are up. He noted that they just shut down an illegal marijuana shop near Hung Long Asian Market, prompting audience members to ask about how law enforcement can more actively crack down on places like this. Kennamer said it can be difficult, noting cases like the August raid of Todd’s Trading Post in White Center, and said that prior to that raid “we just couldn’t get in there.”

An audience member mentioned that a pedestrian had been struck by a vehicle on 108th, and Kennamer acknowledged that the person was “hit hard” in that case. On the subject of calling law enforcement for help with reporting a crime, Kennamer suggested being aware of where you are — if you know that you’re in unincorporated King County when you call, say “I need the county sheriff’s department,” but if you’re in Seattle then say “I need the Seattle police department,” but the important thing is to just call and not worry about it. Regarding graffiti in the area, Kennamer noted that there’s no ordinance against it, but that many residents have taken it upon themselves to clean it up. Regarding trouble spots in the area, Kennamer said the building on 110^th/1^st “with crappy trailers sitting around” was recently sold, and will become a “manufacturing plant for circuit boards on one floor, and an African restaurant on the other.” He also noted that a prior problem area with old abandoned cars at 108^th/1^st has been greatly improved. An audience member asked if law officers can help with issues involving boxes near houses that are in disrepair, and Kennamer said that “if it’s on the right-of-way, we can deal with it.”

Jerry Pionk from King County Local Services (along with colleague and community liaison Bong Sto. Domingo) put in a plug encouraging residents to contact asklocalservices@kingcounty.gov with questions or concerns, and to connect with the organization on social media.

NHUAC meets first Thursdays most months; watch nhuac.org for updates.

(WCN photo from September 2018)

Got a crime/safety concern? Bring it to the Sheriff herself on Thursday (October 3rd) at the next meeting of the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council. Just announced:

North Highline Unincorporated Area Council Meeting

When: Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 7 pm
Where: North Highline Fire Station at 1243 SW 112th Street in White Center
(Parking and Entrance are in the Back of the Station)

The Opportunity to Be Informed, Be Involved and Be Heard!

Were you at last month’s North Highline Unincorporated Area Council meeting? If so, you know that our community is struggling. Fear, anger, and frustration are felt by many. Deputy Bill Kennamer and Major Jesse Anderson of the King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) spent much of the meeting listening to concerns and responding with information about what is being done by KCSO to try to deal with chronic issues found in our community.

This month, we will be joined by the woman who puts Sheriff in KCSO. It’s been a little over a year since Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht last joined us. Sheriff Mitzi has been with KCSO since 1985. Her history with KCSO includes being the first woman to command KCSO’s SWAT team and serving as the Commander of Precinct 4. She was elected in 2017. This will be a good opportunity to learn about her plans, challenges and goals. Do you have questions and thoughts you’d like to share with Sheriff Johanknecht? This is your chance!

The Comprehensive Plan is King County’s long-range policy for land use, regulations and regional services such as housing, transit, parks, trails and open space. After nearly two decades, King County has initiated a new subarea planning program for each of the county’s local service areas, including North Highline. This planning includes an assessment of the area’s land use goals, population changes, new development, and other demographic and socioeconomic indicators.

King County’s David Goodman and Mark Ellerbrook will share some of the plans King County has been working on for our community, including our Subarea Plan and a micro-housing project. This will be an opportunity to ask questions and make comments about the long-term, far-reaching plans, which are sure to mold our environment and future.

Once again. White Center Storefront Deputy Bill Kennamer will update us with news and crime statistics from KCSO.

Then , the floor will be open for announcements.

Knowledge is power. Learn, share and help make our community a better place!

Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 7 pm

Bring a Friend!