Q. Why is UPC considering development of the north properties?
A. The evaluation of UPC properties by Session is an ongoing process, as regularly reviewing how our properties support the church’s mission is part of responsible stewardship for now and for the future. The rezoning by the city to increase residential use on 15th Avenue, the need for student housing, and the underutilization and maintenance needs of the two UPC houses created a unique opportunity to do something new that benefits our ministry. More recently, the empty lot owned by the Yuan Family has posed a safety concern for the neighborhood, including for our residents currently living in UPC homes with thriving young adult ministries. A team of Session elders has been working with the City of Seattle to address these safety issues. Although ongoing communication and proposed solutions have been presented to city representatives, the safety concern remains unresolved. We encourage you to connect with Polly Yorioka, who leads our Young Adult Ministries and residential programs, to tour the block and gain firsthand insight into the day-to-day life of the residents.

Q. Who is Ryan Companies and why were they chosen as a prospective development partner? Were there others?
Ryan Companies is a family-owned commercial developer specializing in designing and building spaces for communities across various industries. The UPC Property Committee reviewed options presented by several interested parties and concluded that the proposal from Ryan was the most viable and strategic choice. Their experience, history, and financial health and organizational stability as a privately held commercial developer met important criteria to enter into a long-term agreement. They will be at UPC on Sunday, September 21^st and October 5^th to present their concept and share their reasons for their interest in this project. In preparation, you can visit their website to learn more about them here: Ryan Companies.

Q. How is the new proposal different from the previous one?
A. The first and current proposal both develop a building for college students, housing 389 students in 254 room configurations. Examples of key modifications that were calculated into new financials include the following:

• A shorter lease period: 99 years, eliminating the 50-year renewal.
• A revised lease payment schedule that increases the overall amount UPC will realize over the duration of the lease. There are also improved market adjustments that keep pace with the actual property value throughout the lease period. If there is an increase in market value, the result of the adjustments will also increase the payments received by UPC. Should there be a market decline, UPC’s revenue stream is protected, as the agreement specifies a minimum payment that cannot fall below a certain threshold.
• Other specifications: 10 parking spots reserved for UPC’s rent and use; 10 rooms reserved to house UPC college staff or interns during an academic year; rental use of meeting rooms by UPC for student gatherings. (Note: As residents, UPC interns and staff have free and unlimited access to the meeting spaces.)
• This proposal is for the north lot and the two houses. The west lot remains unaltered and retained for UPC’s parking.
• There is a longer timeline for the congregation to familiarize itself with the opportunity to discern and prepare for the congregational vote.

Q. Why is the UPC property development conversation still happening after the congregation voted “no” in March?
A. Before the first vote, the Yuan family who owns the vacant lot unexpectedly pushed for a very short timeline for Ryan Companies and UPC to make a decision. After learning of the congregational “no” vote, the Yuan family asked to resume negotiations. The rushed nature of the previous proposal did not allow for ample time to negotiate or fully understand the terms in their entirety, thereby preventing adequate preparation for the congregation. Therefore, the Session clearly stipulated to Ryan that we will not entertain a proposal or process without allowing time for prayer and discernment by the Session, as well as time to prepare as a congregation for a vote. Ryan agreed to the longer timeline and to consider the congregation’s feedback if a new proposal was to be presented.

Session’s responsibility is to continue discerning what constitutes responsible stewardship of UPC’s property assets. Therefore, the Session voted unanimously in April to further explore ground lease options for UPC property located on 15th Ave NE (north of NE 47th Street) to determine if the new terms would be significantly different enough to warrant bringing back to the congregation. After reviewing the details of the new proposal, the Session concluded that the appropriate next step was to present it to the congregation for discernment and decision.

Q. What is the college ministry opportunity with student apartments?
A: Many colleges and universities, including UW, have employed a housing model called “Living Learning Communities,” in which students choose to live in dorms with other students who have the same major. For example, one dorm might have a designated floor for nursing students, and another dorm has a similar arrangement for engineering students. Christian schools have also been doing this for years, where they train individuals to lead other students, who are then placed in residential communities as interns. We obviously do not have access to put UPC interns in UW dorms. But with UPC having access to an apartment building (units and community spaces) on our property, we can create our own Christian living community over time. This is something student leadership develops. We can sponsor students and interns, rent units, put people in positions inside the building to be mentors and to lead residents, creating our own Christian college community right at our doorstep.

This scales beyond what we can currently do in our residential houses, giving us room to grow our residential college ministry each year. And we can increase the amount of rooms and people involved in the program as the years progress, making a bigger impact in the coming decades.

Q. Where will we park if the North lot is no longer an option?
The UPC underground garage and the West lot on 15th Avenue will continue to be available for those with ADA parking needs. The UW 4545 garage is available to UPC on Sundays and during weeknight events. The UW campus lots offer free parking on Sundays.

We will communicate that those needing to park closer to the church have priority to park in the underground garage and the West lot on 15th Avenue. Those who are able will be asked to park in other nearby lots and allow themselves time to walk. As we’ve tracked parking lot usage, we do not exceed the available parking spots in the 4545 garage on an average Sunday. Looking forward, when we exceed available parking, we will offer shuttle service to move people to and from lots to UPC.

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