The 20-year saga of the hole across from Seattle City Hall
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For nearly two decades, Seattle City Hall has stood across from a gaping hole in the ground. For now, that's not changing.
Why it matters: The razing of the city's old public safety building in 2005 created "a gap in the urban fabric" that for years has "marred the downtown landscape," writes the Pacific Coast Architecture Database.
The latest: Plans to build a 58-story tower with condominiums, retail space and a public plaza at the site "are in a holding pattern," Bryan Stevens, a spokesperson for the city's building department, told Axios on Oct. 31.
- According to a report filed with the city last month, "significant construction activity ceased in July 2022" at the site, which occupies a full city block between Third and Fourth avenues.
- Vancouver, B.C.-based Bosa Development, which continues to own the downtown parcel, did not respond to multiple messages from Axios seeking comment.
State of play: Attempts to transform the empty hole downtown have hit several stops and starts over the years.
- The lack of progress is so persistent that one Seattle Times reporter, Jim Brunner, has dubbed the project "Seattle City Hall Incompetence Plaza" in regular posts on social media.
Catch up quick: In 2007, then-Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels announced a deal with Triad Development to build a tower and public plaza at the site, which sits between James and Cherry streets.
- But the company struggled to line up financing for the project during the Great Recession, per the Seattle Times.
- By 2015, city officials wanted out of the deal, after Triad was accused of involvement in an election-related scandal.
Yes, but: The city had difficulty lining up a new developer, with then-Mayor Ed Murray announcing in 2016 that another plan to try to redevelop the block had fallen through.
- In 2017, the city agreed to sell the property to Bosa — but the sale wouldn't be completed for another three years, the Seattle Times reported.
- Bosa later said it expected to begin construction in spring 2022.
- But "the interest rate escalation as well as material shortages were given as a reason to postpone construction," Stevens, the city building department spokesperson, wrote in an email to Axios last week.
What they're saying: City officials are continually talking to Bosa and other downtown property owners "about how we create and maintain vibrant spaces, especially along Third Avenue, which is the 'front door' to downtown for anyone arriving on transit," city spokesperson Kristin Anderson told Axios last week.
What we're watching: Bosa recently renewed its building permits with the city, although no work could be seen happening at the site during visits last week.