Monorail dead! News at Eleven!

[John Frieh]

the Tri-Met Streetcar rails are the nemesis of every bike commuter.

no, just the uncoordinated ones, and maybe those dorks in the recumbents. Otherwise agreed - Max rocks!

 

Word up! The MAX s! You SEA kids better move to PDX soon before housing prices go up anymore

 

They were talking last week about how low emissions in PDX were thanks to all the mass transit options.

[mattp]

I really don’t think we know what drives Seattle area public policy and planning decisions, but I sure as hell don’t think it is any overriding sense of what is a good idea. I’ve lived here for over twenty years (does that make me a native?) and it sure seems to me that the overriding principal here is that THE DEVELOPER ALWAYS WINS.

 

Could it be that the Monorail is failing because it won’t generate the government-sponsored largess that other large-scale developments have? I’ve seen the big building boom in the 80’s, when Martin Selig seemed to pretty much have his way with the City and, for example, he was allowed 20 extra floors on the Columbia Tower (what do they call it now?) because he gave “concessions” like all that “public space” on the lower 5 floors so he was allowed to build above the existing cap on building heights to 40 stories or something like that. Then there was the Norsdtrom parking garage – who benefited from that? And then the Microsoft campus had a highway built just for it alone (sort of), and the Westlake Mall was built as a “city park” when in reality it was a private development. Who is paying for that wonderful highway exit and access road for the Issaquah Highlands? Paul Allen offered to build a “commons” but we the voters turned it down (maybe that was a good decision and maybe not) but isn’t the City going to let him do whatever he wants? And we’re going to have “exclusive” housing development in the middle of Discovery Park, last I heard.

 

Is it perhaps the case that the Monorail is being shot down because it is good for “the people” but not good for Mr. Big? I don’t know if the City/County/State officials are getting rich off of any of this, but I bet the developers are! I also bet that we, the taxpayers, are contributing mightily to every one of these projects.

 

I really don’t know the truth of any of this, but I wonder.

[archenemy]

 

Is it perhaps the case that the Monorail is being shot down because it is good for “the people” but not good for Mr. Big? I don’t know if the City/County/State officials are getting rich off of any of this, but I bet the developers are! I also bet that we, the taxpayers, are contributing mightily to every one of these projects.

 

 

I believe this to be true. I also believe this happens on a large scale throughout the country. I bet people could cite many examples that back this observation up.

[mec]

And we’re going to have “exclusive” housing development in the middle of Discovery Park, last I heard.

 

For now this has been canned, and the property is going to be turned over to the city as an extension of the park. however, as we all know this could change.

[Cobra_Commander]

I recommend more arcing freeways that go nowhere

[cj001f]

I recommend more arcing freeways that go nowhere

Once again following California's lead.

[mattp]

And we’re going to have “exclusive” housing development in the middle of Discovery Park, last I heard.

 

For now this has been canned, and the property is going to be turned over to the city as an extension of the park. however, as we all know this could change.

 

How'd that come about? That's good news! Too bad they already built the sewage treatment plant there, though.

[mec]

not sure how this happened, but it did. I think they are still trying to secure funding.

 

THE CITY AGREEMENT WITH AMERICAN EAGLE TO PURCHASE CAPEHART

 

The Navy-American Eagle partnership, Pacific Northwest Communities (PNC), will transfer ownership of the Capehart land to the City of Seattle on payment of $9 million plus the transfer of a piece of city-owned real estate (approx. value $1 million) to be determined at a later date. PNC will demolish above ground structures at their cost, leaving only concrete slabs and pavement so that the City doesn't have to fence the area off or be responsible for an unsafe site. The City will remove the concrete & utilities as funds become available.

 

Community leaders agreed that $2 million from the West Point Settlement Funds could be used to partially find the purchase price. These monies were the result of litigation by environmental and community groups over the expansion of the sewage treatment plant by King Co. Metro. The litigation stipulated that the monies be spent directly on habitat improvement in Discovery Park. The State included $1 million dollars in its capital budget toward the purchase of Capehart thanks to the efforts of the 36th District legislators Mary Lou Dickerson and Jeanne Kohl-Welles. The City has proposed obtaining $2 million dollars from the King County Conservation Futures fund. It has not proposed contributing any money from City funds or made specific plans on how the remaining $4 million dollars would be raised besides suggesting an unspecified amount might come from the federal government.

 

The historic homes on Officers' Row and Montana Circle owned by Pacific Northwest Communities may be sold but their historic features will be preserved (they are on the National Register of Historic Places and protected by the City's Landmarks Ordinance) with appropriate restrictions and controls to prevent alteration of their facades by subsequent owners. There will be no new development on the land on which the Historic District houses are located and there will be permanent restrictions to prevent further development of the land.

 

[Fairweather]

You seem at least equal to me, at least as far as arguing for entertainment. Don't give up!

 

 

Oh Matt. You're too modest!

[cj001f]

You seem at least equal to me, at least as far as arguing for entertainment. Don't give up!

 

 

Oh Matt. You're too modest!

He manages to drag out the troll, he deserves the ego.