Neighbors Complain Plan is 'Too Urban'

22 July 2008 - 6:00am

Residents of Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood are complaining about plans to redevelop nearby Fort Lawton which includes housing for seniors and homeless.

"At a final community meeting Saturday at Fort Lawton, those living near the Army Reserve base said they didn't oppose housing for the homeless, but they worried that the total number of homes proposed and the percentage of units for the formerly homeless were both too high for their quiet, remote enclave next to Discovery Park."

"The controversy over how to reuse Fort Lawton, nestled in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood, is part of a grand debate playing out across the nation in hundreds of communities as the U.S. military continues to consolidate bases under a process begun in the 1980s. In its fifth and final wave of closures, the military will close about 180 installations by 2011."

Source: The Seattle Times, July 20, 2008