Nickels missing mark in Northgate development, says councilmember

SEATTLE—Sketchy details about Mayor Greg Nickels’s package of proposals for Northgate development have slowly been emerging and what has been heard so far is alarming Northgate area residents, according to Seattle City Councilmember Richard Conlin.

Conlin, in a press release, cited a letter sent to Nickels by concerned Maple Leaf Community residents. The letter cited the lack of public process surrounding the apparent agreement in the Northgate development.

“The public process surrounding a possible development agreement has been lacking,” the Maple Leaf Community letter read in part.

“The lack of public involvement in the discussion of the details has led to concern and serious questions about the political will to balance developer interests with neighborhood needs. We need assurance that our long-standing goals will be considered before final proposal are agreed upon and that the public will have an opportunity for input before any agreement is finalized,” the letter added.

Last spring, Nickels announced his intention to ‘break the logjam’ in the Northgate development. Specific details have yet to be made public, however. In his State of the City Address Monday, Nickels only announced general plans to remove rules that have paralyzed Northgate Mall and to transform the urban center as an ‘attractive hub for jobs, housing, community events, businesses and recreation.’

The cornerstone of Nickels’s proposal is apparently a developer’s agreement negotiated with Simon Properties, owner of the Northgate Mall. This may include regulatory relief for the developer in exchange for property on the south parking lot of the mall and beautification of the mall entrance on 5th Ave.

“The heart of the Northgate area is in the people who live there, not in a shopping mall,” Conlin, however, said. “Proposals for change must be based on citizen engagement, not secret negotiations with developers.”

“The mayor is missing the mark on what could be a transformation from an auto-oriented, pedestrian unfriendly and boring urban landscape to a vibrant urban center that serves the needs of adjacent residential areas as well as the region,” Conlin added.

Conlin welcomed development at Northgate but cautioned Nickels to build upon ideas expressed through the public process over the last four years and in the Northgate Area Comprehensive Plan.

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