Seattle Sun Newspaper - Vol. 7, Issue 3, March 2003
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Opposing the Mayor's strategy
Community, Council says, don't throw out the plan
Community activists in Northeast Seattle say the General Development Plan requirement is the only way to keep developers, such as the owners of Northgate Mall, in line.
They say the City should continue to require developers to follow the vision of transforming the commercial district into a more pedestrian-friendly environment as laid out in the Northgate Area Comprehensive Plan.
"Concessions to (Northgate Mall owner) Simon Property Group could set a bad precedent for development in other parts of the city," wrote Garth Ferber and Lorena Mrachek, president and vice president of the Pinehurst Community Council, in a recent letter to Mayor Greg Nickels.
City Council member Richard Conlin agrees. Over the course of the past month, in public meetings and in press releases, he has criticized the mayor for conducting secret negotiations with Simon to remove the GDP requirement for the mall.
Conlin has used his role as City Council steward for the Northgate Area Comp Plan to position himself as an advocate for community interests who is opposed to closed-door dealing with private developers.
"If the mayor is interested in 'neighborhood revitalization,' as he has stated, then he must start with the vision of the Northgate Area Comprehensive Plan and work closely with the residents and businesses who uphold it," Conlin said.
City Council President Peter Steinbrueck, who lives between the Pinehurst and Haller Lake neighborhoods within the Northgate area, agrees that the City shouldn't grant Simon any special favors.
"I think the mall ought to be torn down," he told members of the Maple Leaf Community Council at a recent meeting.
Haller Lake Community Club member Velva Maye, at a recent club meeting, questioned whether it's right for the City to bail out Northgate Mall. She along with other citizens and developers spent four years creating the plan as a compromise to fit everyone's needs.
"It's Simon's fault that the mall has been going downhill. The reason is they don't seve the needs of the neighborhood. They have nine jewelry stores and I don't buy diamonds every day."