Seattle City Buzz

The Seattle PI posted an article today about the lack of family-friendly living in the downtown core. Parents cite lack of larger units, developers cite lack of schools and schools cite lack of demand; an unenviable catch-22. Yet, I’m not sure there is an easy solution.

Certainly, bringing schools to the area will provide a foundation for families to consider urban living. But, should the city invest into a new school that currently would have very little demand, especially at a time when other schools are closing? Will building larger units, as some parents claim, bring them to the downtown area? Considering that 2-bedroom units at Rollin Street Flats & Escala start at $800,000, it reasons that only uber-wealthy families could afford a 3-bedroom “family-sized” condo. And, would children who live in million-dollar condos attend public rather than private schools?

The PI had an accompanying article about how downtown family living works in Vancouver, BC. The article cited downtown schools and the fact that many of those families came from areas where high-rise family living is common and that’s why it works. Which may certainly be true. But, Vancouver’s downtown area, and I’m talking about the West End (between the financial district & Stanley Park), is essentially residential with a mixture of low and high-rise residential buildings, single-family homes, parks, schools and quiet tree-lined streets. Families lived in this part of downtown long before the explosion of high-rises along False Creek and Burrard Inlet.

The fact of the matter is Seattle isn’t Vancouver and never will be.  Plus, Vancouver has something Seattle doesn’t, a long-established downtown residential neighborhood with infrastructure and community services to support it. Rather than compare ourselves to Vancouver, Seattle (the city) needs to look inward to determine if the downtown area can truly support urban family living for all classes. And, if so, the city needs to develop solutions rather than rely on developers or the wait endlessly before the demographics change.

To some, Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct (elevated portion of Highway 99) is an eye sore, a disaster waiting to happen, an endearing piece of Seattle’s history. Either way, it slices downtown from it’s waterfront limiting access and views. The 2001 6.8 magnitude Nisqually Earthquake damaged the viaduct which has been undergoing continuous repairs to keep it up and functional. And, experts predict the viaduct may collapse during the next major earthquake.

Several proposals are under consideration from burying Highway 99 underground and creating a street level promenade, rebuilding another viaduct, creating a grade-level thoroughfare or just retrofitting it. Costs range from $800 million to $4 billion.

The city’s preference, and the most appealing & expensive, is tunneling Highway 99. This would open up the waterfront skyline and attach the waterfront to downtown. But it is controversial because the area is landfill that’s supported by a retaining sea wall. The proposal calls for rebuilding the sea wall, thus adding to the cost and closing one of the main North/South thoroughfares for 3 years.
But it has an uphill battle. Seattlites voted down the 14-mile monorail after the $1.7 billion price tag ballooned to $11 billion. One wonders, if the city is pitching a $4 billion proposal today, what exactly is the true cost? Though, if implemented, many condos and lofts along the viaduct will see increased values and may even spur new housing developments.

Before:

After:

Will the real Seattle please stand up.

Recent developments have got me thinking…it seems Seattle is in an identity flux. For generations, Seattle was content being the big fish in the small backwater Northwest pond, overshadowing Portland and Vancouver, BC. Somewhere along the timeline the politicos and business hawks dreamed of the big time. Hey, Seattle had a symphony, ballet, three professional sport teams, Boeing and Microsoft afterall. Grand civic projects were built - a new symphony hall, a sparkling award-winning library, a new city hall and two world-class stadiums. Chicago West? Boston North? New New Amsterdam?

In our not too distant past, politicians envisioned “Cascadia” - a mega metropolitan trifecta consisting of Seattle, Portland and Vancouver with Seattle at the helm.

In the late 1990’s the little city that could got it’s big chance to shine on the world stage. But something went horribly wrong. For a few days in 1999, Seattle became a war zone. Neighbhorhoods were tear gassed, mass rioting ensued, overzealous police beating on the citizens. It was not quite the image leaders wanted to project to the world.

Then, Boeing left. Portland became a model US city and Vancouver is now what Seattle always wanted to be, a gleaming world-class city.

Time heals. The engines of progress are churning again and Seattle is getting another chance. Developers are investing hundreds of millions to revitalize the urban core. But, in the process, are we losing our identity?

Though it’s highly unlikely those 49 proposed high-rise condos will be built, many will, forever changing the landscape and culture. But, who’s skyline is it? By all account, if you listen to the developers and look at the renderings, it’s Vancouver, BC being transplated south of the 49th parallel. The new buzz term being thrown around lately is “Vancouver-style”.

And South Lake Union? Vulcan’s grand plan is to transport Portland’s Pearl District to the shores of Lake Union, street car and all. Should the Sonics skip town, perhaps Mr. Vulcan will transfer his Trailblazers up I-5. Sound Transit’s light-rail & the failed monorail - both modeled after Vancouver’s Skytrain and Portland’s light-rail system.

Welcome to Seacouverland!

As Vulcan gears up for it’s residential developments, the South Lake Union street car broke ground today. The $51 million 1.3 mile project will run from the Westin Hotel to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center on East Lake Union, passing Vulcan’s Veer, Rollin Street, Enso and 2200 projects.The street car is based on Portland’s street car and the South Lake Union development after Portland’s Pearl district.

Unlike other hotly contested transportation projects - the Monorail and Sound Transit’s light rail - the street car is being paid by a private/public partnership. Half of the cost comes from a tax on properties in the area and the other half through regional/federal grants, advertising and sales of city-own land.

Predicitons estimate that South Lake Union will gain 20,000 jobs and 17,000 residents by 2020.

Read full article at Seattle Times.