City targets boat-supply store to fix "Mercer Mess"

Seattle is seeking possession of a popular boating-supply store along Mercer Street, even though the city remains $88 million short of the funds it needs to carry out a street reconstruction project there.

West Marine is to be condemned and torn down to make room for a 60- to 70-foot road widening along Mercer Street in an area commonly called the "Mercer Mess," according to the city's plan.

King County Superior Court Judge John Erlick ruled Monday the condemnation is legal, because the City Council has determined the project serves a public purpose. Hearings will determine how much the city must compensate Albert Heglund, who owns the building and leases it to West Marine.

The site is among the busiest of West Marine's 370 stores in North America, including 13 in Washington, said James Abel, regional vice president. The company will look for another Lake Union site, he said, but with high real-estate costs there, "it's easier said than done."

Before his ruling in court Monday, Erlick drew comparisons to the defunct Seattle Monorail Project, which bought 34 properties it never used. Voters canceled the monorail in 2005, which forced the agency to sell nearly all the sites on the open market after several owners and tenants had moved out.

"Why is the city here [in court] now, as opposed to getting the funding, and then going through the process?" Erlick asked.

Bill McGillin, an attorney for the city, told the judge that private contributors won't commit money for the project until Seattle secures the right-of-way. Of the missing $88 million, the city is negotiating to get $36 million from nearby businesses that would benefit from the $201 million rebuild.

An attorney for West Marine criticized the city's actions as premature.

In an interview during a court break, Catherine Clark said the convenience of donors isn't her client's problem. Before the city takes land from someone, it ought to provide a known finance plan, she said. Otherwise, not enough information exists to show whether the Mercer plan serves a public purpose, or private interests.

Heglund, an 83-year-old North Seattle resident, in past interviews complained the city caters to special interests. He receives $22,500 a month in lease payments on the site, which has an assessed value of $2.7 million.

The City Council approved money in May for the purchase of land and engineering for the project, while setting a deadline of March 31, 2009, for Mayor Greg Nickels to show progress toward full funding.

For two generations, commuters have complained about the Mercer Mess between Interstate 5 and Seattle Center. The city plans to add lanes for two-way travel on Mercer, which now goes eastbound to I-5. Valley Street, now an arterial, would be reduced to two lanes.

A study for the Seattle Department of Transportation predicts that drivers would save minutes leaving I-5, because they would gain a straight route on Mercer westbound, instead of navigating a curve to Valley. Overall, there would be little change in congestion, the study says; but bicycling and walking conditions would improve greatly, while landscaping would make the area more pleasant.

Mike Lindblom: 206-515-5631 or mlindblom@seattletimes.com