We endorse the Alder map
Have you been following the Independent District Commission’s (IDC) work and its draft maps? The Roseway Neighborhood Association endorses the Alder map because it keeps a given neighborhood such as Roseway in a single district. The other two draft maps have parts of Roseway represented by different districts. We believe that this would make it harder to work with the city on important projects that improve the neighborhood.
If the IDC or city council considers other maps, we might support it if it is drawn along neighborhood boundaries.
Call to Action
Please use the IDC’s public comment period to make your voice known. Let them know if you support the Alder map and healthy neighborhood representation.
To submit your comment online, go to this IDC webpage.
To attend a public hearing (virtual or in-person) between now and July 16, go to this IDC webpage.
To learn more, go to the IDC draft maps page.
Public comments are due before July 22, so act now!
Our Reasoning and Process
How did the Roseway Neighborhood Association decide on this endorsement? We had discussions in three public meetings spanning the last month. At our June community meeting, we introduced the topic and learned more from IDC co-chair and Roseway neighbor Josh Laurente. We had a special meeting on June 26 to discuss the pros and cons of the different maps. Josh helped us to understand the criteria that the IDC needed to consider, and the benefits of each map. We continued that conversation in a shared document.
It was difficult to project all the consequences given that the city defining how the districts and their offices will operate. However, early indications are that the city is thinking about neighborhood engagement along district boundaries. Proposals such as Neighborhood Solutions assume a neighborhood is in a single district.
We acknowledged that in some circumstances, having parts of Roseway represented by different districts could help, especially for large and highly visible projects that will probably span districts anyway. But the general agreement was that for most neighborhood-level city projects and requests, contacting a single district office would be more efficient and effective. At the July 11, 2023 community and board meeting, the board voted to approve the Alder map, and the preference that any map have boundaries around neighborhoods.
