FNC gets letter from Quadrant attorney

The Fremont Neighborhood Council recently issued a statement saying its attorney received a letter from a lawyer for the Quadrant Corp. saying the developer may seek to hold each board member of the citizens group personally liable for costs and attorney fees incurred by its efforts to block further development of the Quadrant Lake Union Center in Fremont.

The FNC voted in late January to pursue an appeal of a Dec. 14 ruling by King County Superior Court Judge Dean Lum dismissing the group's lawsuit against Quadrant and the City of Seattle over one of Quadrant's permits for the Quadrant Lake Union Center. The FNC claimed the permit, which was issued in 1992, was only for five years and is no longer valid. Lum disagreed, ruling that the permit should be extended an additional four years due to Quadrant's lengthy court battle with Burlington Northern over who should pay for cleaning up the railroad grade on the site.

The FNC wants Quadrant to provide greater mitigation for the impacts to the neighborhood that would be created by the addition of three more buildings to the corporate campus, which already houses a major tenant, Adobe Systems.

"Quadrant's threat is an outrageous attempt to intimidate the FNC from exercising its right to an appeals court review of the ruling," said FNC attorney Anthony Reifers, in a statement issued by the citizens group.

Council backs light rail route favored by locals

The Seattle City Council last month voted to designate a proposed light rail alignment that's popular with North Seattle residents.

The City Council unanimously approved a resolution on Feb. 23 that calls for a tunnel from Northeast 75th Street near the Lake City off-ramps to 12th Avenue NE as the "locally preferred alternative" route for the Northgate to University District portion of Sound Transit's proposed regional light rail system. The council's preferred route plan would include a station underneath the Roosevelt business district.

King County Council member Cynthia Sullivan issued a statement later praising the City Council's choice of preferred routes, saying that it meets the criteria used in the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the project more than the Sound Transit's staff-preferred alternative, which calls for placing elevated tracks along I-5 and a station three to five blocks from the Roosevelt neighborhood's primary business district.

Playground meeting generates ideas

A community group, Friends of Meridian Park Playground, held its first public meeting on Feb. 1 at the Good Shepherd Center in Wallingford. The committee is spearheading an effort to revamp park's the play area, providing safer and more varied equipment. Committee leader Lisa Kuh asked neighbors in attendance how they currently used the park, and what they would like to see in a new playground.

The meeting expressed frustration at having to drive to other playgrounds because the Meridian Playground didn't have enough to offer.

Friends of Meridian Playground will apply for a matching grant from the Department of Neighborhoods in March. The group is also seeking volunteers.

For details, call 986-2806 or send e-mail to: eskuh@uswest.net.