Neighbors Petition

The lack of sincere communication with the neighbors has led to a lack of faith in the developers' interest in creating a Living Building that exemplifies the Living Building's Challenge "to transform how we think about every single act of design and construction as an opportunity to positively impact the greater community of life and the cultural fabric of our human communities." While we understand that this sets a high standard for a commercial developer, Aegis Living has self-proclaimed its status as building the "World's Greenest Assisted Living Community" on its website.

After design, one of the first steps in creating a Living Building will be the demolition of the three existing buildings on the site. The Living Building Challenge's Imperative to not "diminish the quality of, fresh air, sunlight, and natural waterways for any member of society or adjacent developments" needs to be adhered to. With known asbestos contamination and possibly other toxins on the site, the neighbors, some of whom live less than 20-feet from the actual site of demolition, are understandably worried about this phase of the project.

To have a third party hold the developer accountable to community safety at all stages of this project, "Neighbors for a Living Building" have petitioned the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspection (SDCI) to pay extra special attention to how the demolition proceeds, and to keep the community informed of the process.

The petition reads:

We the undersigned, Neighbors for a Living Building, request assistance from the Director of the Seattle Office of Construction and Inspections to keep the Aegis Living Project at 5252 California Ave SW accountable to the highest green building standards of a "Living Building" (see attached petition):
Whereas neighbors ranging in age from 2 to 98 years old live and play less than 40 feet from the buildings to be demolished,

⧫ Whereas the buildings to be demolished are known to contain asbestos/vermiculite, and are of an age that likely contain other toxins such as oil residues and molds,
⧫ Whereas the site and its soils has been used for housing since the early 20th century and has likely been exposed to lead paints, heating oil residues including buried oil tanks, with the soil as the long-term depository for these hazardous materials,
⧫ Whereas young children and the elderly are particularly sensitive to toxins and fine particulates (especially PM 2.5),
⧫ Whereas according to the US EPA, fugitive dust particles (30 – 100 micro-meters) at a “typical mean wind speed of 16 km/hr (10 mph)” can “settle within a few hundred feet” from the particle source, necessitating a fugitive dust control plan (in this case including provisions during takedown, crushing, and for debris piles),
⧫ Whereas noise in excess of 85 dBA can cause noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and demolition and associated machinery within 40 feet of residences can create noise exceeding this level,
⧫ Whereas a Living Building, as defined by the International Living Futures Institute, follows the tenet that: "No project may block access to, nor diminish the quality of fresh air, sunlight, and natural waterways for any member of society or adjacent developments. Projects must also appropriately address any noise audible to the public."

We request that:
1) Prior to demolition, testing of the soil for asbestos, lead, oil residues, and other potential contaminants be conducted, and the results of the testing be shared with the community.
2) We be informed if and/or how the asbestos (chrysotile, amosite, crocidolite, tremolite, anthophyllite, actinolite) in pipe insulation, air duct joints, flue pipes, cement sheeting, general insulation, ceiling tiles, floor tiles and underlayment, roofing, electrical baseboards, around water heaters will be removed prior to demolition. If not removed prior to demolition, we would like to know how the release of these materials will be abated during demolition.
3) Prior to and during demolition, wind speeds be anticipated (e.g., using the app Windy.com) and measured, to ensure that if local wind speeds exceed 10 mph, demolition be delayed or halted until the demolition can proceed during safer conditions for the neighborhood.
4) If neighborhood monitoring of 24-hr PM 2.5 exceeds the EPA limit of 35 μg/m3, that demolition be immediately halted until an investigation of the cause of the exceedance is resolved.
5) To limit noise impacts, demolition be limited to the hours between 9 am and 4 pm, and if demolition and machinery noise exceeds 85 dBA at residences or businesses, neighbors can request the demolition to cease, or noise be appropriately abated.