Sustainable Eastlake

How sustainable is our Eastlake neighborhood and how can it be moreso? Below are an overview and some resources; comments and suggestions are welcome and needed, as is your volunteer help, to the Eastlake Community Council at info@eastlakeseattle.org; and to EastlakeInfo at info@eastlakeinfo.net.

Eastlake is a community of about 5000 residents and 5000 workers in the heart of Seattle, Washington. It is one of the very few neighborhoods with a jobs-housing balance, including many residents who work in the neighborhood. Eastlake has many parks, including more shoreline parks than any other neighborhood–almost all of which were built by volunteers.

The 1999 Eastlake Neighborhood Plan (done under contract with the City government, and available elsewhere on this web site) has occasioned countless neighborhood-enhancing improvements, among them safer street crossings, new and renovated parks and pathways, and freeway noise walls.

The Eastlake Community Council is almost unique among neighborhood organizations in that two of its six official purposes are to “maximize public use and enjoyment” and to “preserve the history, character, and attractiveness of” “its adjoining inland water and shorelines.” Over the years, ECC has done much to protect the shoreline, although that has not been its focus recently.

Over the years, ECC has sustained community with frequent public meetings and fun activities such as fairs, celebrations, cruises, an egg hunt, and an annual outdoor movie. These efforts have greatly diminished amidst the coronavirus crisis, although efforts at earthquake preparedness continue.

A large number of Eastlake residents and workers travel by bus, bicycle, or on foot. This concern was long reflected in the efforts of the Eastlake Community Council, but in recent years the ECC board has been notable for valuing on-street parking above the proposed RapidRide express bus line and exclusive bike lanes proposed for Eastlake Avenue.

Please review the many parts of this web site to judge for yourself the impacts of our neighborhood’s efforts. What more can we do to reach out to involve and help our neighbors? What more can our neighborhood do to have a net positive impact on the world environment? Please write to us with your suggestions. Better yet, help us make your suggestions a reality.

Toward sustaining Eastlake as a place worth calling home, please send your ideas and/or offer of volunteer assistance to ECC at info@eastlakeseattle.org) and to EastlakeInfo at info@eastlakeinfo.net.