A flyer at 12th and John.
  • ANNA MINARD
  • A flyer at 12th and John.

A group calling itself Seattle Speaks Up has been flyering Capitol Hill mailboxes and telephone poles for a little while now, sending people to their website, a simple Wordpress site with "too much building, not enough sky," in big green letters at the top and that picture, from the flyer, of a building under construction.

They're calling for the rollback of 2010 city zoning rule changes that allowed for taller buildings in some residential neighborhoods; they provide contact info for all the city council members and a list of actions the reader can take, like "Post the flyer on your block. Email us, we'll send you a prototype" and "Vote for a mayor who supports preservation of Seattle's neighborhoods."

Like a lot of density-fearing neighborhood groups, the people behind Seattle Speaks Up remain totally anonymous, ignoring requests for comment and saying only that they're "your neighbors." But you can lose yourself in their rhetoric, full of moments like this:

No-one wants to live next to a monolithic building that towers 20 feet or more above them, casting shadows that could put them into darkness much of the year. Imagine what your life would be like if that 5+ story building went up next to your 2 or 3 story apartment or home: The backyard garden you planted would be in shadow all summer. Your sunny bedroom would lose its natural light. Your favorite window would look out at a monolithic wall rather than at trees, sky, and sun.

TOO MUCH CONCRETE, NOT ENOUGH TREES!

I might be the most neighborhood-activist-friendly person in the office, but this gives me hives.