Big Redevelopment Opportunity Pops Up in Seattle

This unique redevelopment opportunity is possible because the Washington National Guard plans to abandon a 25-acre property in Seattle, with a mandate to achieve the "highest public benefit" for taxpayers as a result of the redevelopment.

1 minute read

May 12, 2019, 9:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


The Washington National Guard is vacating a 25-acre property north of the Magnolia bridge, and the public is already considering ideas for redevelopment on the site.

According to an article by Joshua McNichols ,the potential of the site is nothing short of a new neighborhood: "The property is so big, it could form the center of a new neighborhood north of Expedia's new Seattle campus."

Members of the public gathered at a public meeting on Wednesday to brainstorm "blue sky" ideas for the site. Ideas included a community sport facility, a place for pet shelter volunteers to walk dogs, and "a gigantic homeless camp with thousands of tiny homes." Another public meeting is planned for May 15.

Building a dense, urban neighborhood on the site would require zoning, but according to McNichols, that prospect is made more likely by a planned Sound Transit light rail line that is likely to run along the property.

Wednesday, May 8, 2019 in KUOW

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