Editorial
Unburden Northgate

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive

A majority of the Seattle City Council refuses to go along with the deal between Mayor Greg Nickels and the Simon Property Group over the expansion of Northgate. Council members say their objections can be quickly accommodated. Nickels' director of policy, Mary Jean Ryan, says this appears to wreck the deal so carefully wrought.

This page supports the deal — not because it is perfect, but because it is good enough and it is done, and Northgate needs to move forward. Seattle's oldest mall is becalmed. Bon-Macy's, né the Bon Marché, has suffered steadily declining sales since 1999.

"We haven't put any money into it since then," says Jan Jacobs, regional vice president. Bon-Macy's does not proceed because the mall does not proceed, and the mall does not proceed because the city does not proceed.

Ronald LaFayette, president of North Seattle Community College, considers his neighbor and says, "What are they going to do up there, other than nothing?"

That is the question.

The Nickels agreement breaks the deadlock. The city would repeal a layer of rules, unique to Northgate, under which nothing has been built for 10 years. Simon would knock down a movie theater and medical building and put up a two-story Barnes & Noble and other things.

The big investment would come on the South Lot, now vacant. Seattle's Bruce Lorig would erect an urban village of shops and apartments. An adjacent slice of property containing Thornton Creek would be given to the city of Seattle.

The creek is now in a pipe. The city could daylight it or build a runoff pond.

Among the objectors, Council President Peter Steinbrueck says the city should not take responsibility for the runoff, which is the developer's problem. Councilman Richard Conlin would like to see the creek daylighted, and wants retail buildings along Fifth Avenue Northeast. They and three other members — Nick Licata, Heidi Wills and Judy Nicastro — call for another round of studies and public hearings. They also want to keep the extra blanket of regulation but rip a hole in it to accommodate new negotiations.

If that were possible, it would be all right. But the odds do not look good. Simon Property says it is "not interested" in negotiations. Lorig says that without knowing the city will get the creek property, "We're sitting here, doing nothing."

None of the players says they want to pull down the tent, but Jon Bridge of Ben Bridge Jeweler says, "We're very close to that right now."

This is a Nickels deal. The job of his people is to save it. Maybe Simon can bend a bit; surely the council will have to back off from at least some of this, including the extra layers of studies and hearings. We can have them later. There will be many more expansions at Northgate, if we can keep the mall healthy.

Right now, says Deputy Mayor Tim Ceis, "There is about $100 million of investment, ready to go."

Northgate needs it. Seattle needs it. Let's not block it.

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company