The First Hill Improvement Association Working Together for over 50 years... 1958-2009
July 2009 General Meeting
Tuesday, July 14th, 6:30 pm Swedish Medical Center B-Level Conference Room #1, Across from the Main Cafeteria entrance.
Our featured speaker will be Ethan Melone, Rail Transit Manager for the Seattle Department of Transportation. Mr. Melone will give us a status update on the First Hill Streetcar, and review the routing options that are currently being considered.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
First Hill Streetcar Update - April 13, 2009
We received this e-mail from Seattle City Councilmember Jan Drago...
To Capitol Hill, First Hill, and International District residents and businesses,
On Tuesday April 7th the Seattle City Councils Transportation Committee discussed the future First Hill Streetcar. As you know, the streetcar is going to be built in lieu of the First Hill light rail station.
The City of Seattle and Sound Transit are currently working on an agreement regarding design, construction, and operations of the streetcar. The plan is for the City of Seattle to resume responsibility for the streetcar. It is anticipated that the city can construct and begin operating the streetcar sooner than Sound Transit, but agreement negotiations are still being discussed.
I, along with the majority of my City Council colleagues support the streetcar. However Councilmember Tom Rasmussen has questioned the need for the streetcar. Councilmember Rasmussen thinks additional bus service would better serve the area. What he fails to realize is that voters approved Proposition 1, which included the streetcar. And, Capitol Hill, First Hill, and the International District residents overwhelmingly supported the streetcar over buses when Sound Transit conducted the First Hill Transit Connector Alternatives study over two years ago.
I believe Capitol Hill, First Hill, and the International District will be better served by the streetcar and I do not support reversing the vote of the people. These neighborhoods have waited far too long for reliable transit alternatives. Its time to move forward, not backwards.
Please join me in supporting the First Hill streetcar. Councilmembers need to hear from you again.
Sincerely,
Jan Drago
General Meeting Schedule for 2009
All meetings will be held at Swedish Medical Center, B-Level Conference Room #1, across from the cafeteria
Tuesday, January 13th, 6:30pm Tuesday, February 10th, 6:30pm Tuesday, March 10th, 6:30pm Tuesday, April 14th, 6:30pm Tuesday, May 12th, 6:30pm Tuesday, June 9th, 6:30pm Tuesday, July 14th, 6:30pm Tuesday, August 11th, 6:30pm Tuesday, September 8th, 6:30pm Tuesday, October 13th, 6:30pm Tuesday, November 10th, 6:30pm Tuesday, December 8th, 6:30pm
A Brief History of the First Hill Improvement Association
"Welcome to First Hill...Seattle's First Neighborhood". This greeting meets motorists and pedestrians from all directions as they enter the First Hill neighborhood on major arterial routes. These signs were erected in 1992 to help raise awareness that there is a distinct First Hill neighborhood, separate from Downtown and Capitol Hill. A neighborhood that is home to thousands of residents, from struggling students to the very well-to-do; three of the city's largest medical complexes; a major university; and an organization that works in the interest of all of these diverse groups, the First Hill Improvement Association.
First Hill had it's beginnings as Seattle's first true residential neighborhood in the 1890's, and today is the city's most diverse neighborhood in terms of the variety of housing stock and the mix of businesses found in the area. The First Hill Improvement Association (FHIA) was founded in 1958 by a group of concerned residents, who fought attempts by the State Department of Transportation to have just one overpass connecting First Hill with downtown Seattle. Their efforts brought 4 overpasses, and created the foundation for a community group that has fought for the interests of the area for over 46 years.
The FHIA launched this web site in 2003 to help promote the area and keep citizens abreast of events in the community. We encourage everyone to visit often, and stay in touch with what is happening in the neighborhood, find out how it affects you, and how you can help make a difference.
We encourage your feedback. Contact us and let us know how we're doing, and what your concerns are. We'll be happy to have you join with us and help make First Hill not only "Seattle's First Neighborhood", but Seattle's BEST Neighborhood.
Response from Jan Drago, Seattle City Councilmember, regarding FHIA's recent concerns about changes to the proposed First Hill Streetcar
Click on the box to the left to view FHIA Letter to Jan Drago
Click on the box on the right to view Jan Drago's response
How to Contact Us...
Due to low utilization and the increasing use of e-mail, FHIA has discontinued its dedicated phone service. To contact FHIA Board Members, please use the following links:
For general inquiries, please use our main e-mail address: mailbox@firsthill.org
M Street Grocery is a welcome addition to the First Hill neighborhood. The M Street Project is the first of several major projects that will revitalize the lower Madison Street corridor.
For 18 months an artist's sketch filled this space, but finally the finished product is here! M Street by Holland Partners and OPUS NW.
