Sally Clark
Sally Clark
Seattle City Council
Position 9
2007 CITY OF SEATTLE CANDIDATE QUESTIONNAIRE
1. Building public awareness: What priority do you assign to Seattle's efforts to educate community residents about the importance of historic preservation?
X High Priority □ Medium □ Low □ No opinion
Statement: I believe that effective historic preservation should be a key part of our overall growth strategy. From my work with neighborhoods, both on the Council as chair of the Economic Development & Neighborhoods Committee and in my previous work as a neighborhood development manager for Southeast Seattle with the department of Neighborhoods, I worked to ensure that retention of our history through great buildings and other neighborhood icons was part of our overall urban village growth strategy. Currently i think many people feel overwhelmed by the pace and scale of new development in Seattle. We must ensure that new community residents understand how to work with developers and the city to protect historic assets and neighborhood character.
2. Revitalizing neighborhoods: What priority do you give to assuring that Seattle has the financial resources required to play a significant role in revitalizing historic neighborhoods?
X High Priority □ Medium □ Low □ No opinion
Statement: As chair of the City Council's Economic Development & Neighborhoods Committee I have worked hard to ensure the City is a partner in creative reuse and preservation of buildings in neighborhoods with historic character. In the International District and in Columbia City I have worked with property owners, residents and developers to find the right funding for development that rejuvenates historic buildings. Most of this money is federal and is used as bridge or float loans. I think this is a role the City must continue to play, but I think we can do more in terms of development incentives to make historic preservation and reuse a better business decision.
3. Preserving designated City landmarks: What priority do you give to sustaining Seattle's designated landmarks and saving other landmark-eligible historic places as properties that enable residents to see history and learn from it?
X High Priority □ Medium □ Low □ No opinion
Statement: I appreciate the buildings that cue people to the history of the city and its neighborhoods. I may be one of the few people to appreciate the Queen Anne Blob. I mourned the loss of the Emerald Theater. I wish we still had buildings like the Seattle Hotel and the Arlington. This is a bit of a tangent, but I love the Kalakala, as well. We lose too many of these buildings and icons. I give sustaining our landmarks high priority while also recognizing that reuse has to make financial sense for owners. We must work to make it the best choice.
4. Protecting Seattle's heritage in court: What priority do you assign to the work of the Hearing Examiner and City Attorney regarding the preservation of designated City landmarks and landmark-eligible properties?
X High Priority □ Medium □ Low □ No opinion
Statement: These are important processes that must be respected.
5. Advocacy for historic homeowners: How do you rate Seattle's efforts to influence public policy and public perceptions around the benefits of preserving significant historic residences?
□ High Priority X Medium □ Low □ No opinion
Statement: I greatly appreciate the care that has gone into establishing the Harvard-Belmont District. it's a fantastic example. However, we've had less success recently with the idea of historic conservation districts. Fears about restrictions and loss of property value has prompted some people to resist any discussion of these districts.
6. Influencing public policy: What priority do you place on Seattle's work to foster preservation-friendly policies and funding?
□ High Priority X Medium □ Low □ No opinion
Statement: I think we can do more to make historic preservation part of our growth management strategies. We have had some success with transfer of development rights, but I think we can do more.
7. Supporting historic preservation: What priority do you assign to sustaining and funding Seattle's Historic Preservation Program in the Department of Neighborhoods?
X High Priority □ Medium □ Low □ No opinion
Statement: I believe we must have a strong program in order to succeed even modestly with our goals.
8. Funding for preservation projects: What priority do you assign to the provision of grants and revolving loans for Seattle's private historic preservation projects?
X High Priority □ Medium □ Low □ No opinion
Statement: I think this is a key way for the City to support historic preservation projects. The trick is in quantifying the public benefit of the preservation or reuse so as to satisfy constitutional tests and public scrutiny of loans to private entities.
