In November of 2002, voters approved an 14-mile monorail system connecting Ballard to West Seattle through our downtown. Since then, monorail staffers and paid consultants have been gathering community feedback and data to comply with federal, state and local regulations governing development projects on this scale. The impact of the new monorail will be significant; there is no getting around it. Large transportation projects, including Sound Transit's light rail line, or developments like the new stadiums, create complex impacts necessitating professional analysis.

The draft environmental impact statement considering these potential impacts is now available from the Seattle Monorail Project on CDROM, or hard copy, at a cost of $95.

The multivolume set, thousands of pages in length, details how Seattle will be effected by the monorail's construction and presence, and what existing regulatory frameworks protect our architectural landmarks. Buildings will be demolished. Views to significant, iconic landmarks, like the Pike Place Market sign, will be obstructed. The city's oldest historic district, Pioneer Square, will see some of the most significant, direct impact. Potential impacts are described, to some degree, in the DEIS.

Anyone interested in providing comments to the Monorail Authority throughout the planning process should review this document. Preservationists should spend time reading Appendix N, the Cultural Resources Report, to discern potential gaps and to better understand possible impacts.

Here Today, Gone in 2006?

Demolition is generally a part of all development in urban areas. Buildings on the Green Line route will be demolished. Many aren't historic. Some are old enough to be landmarks, but are too altered for landmarks consideration based on the National Register for Historic Places criteria, which has been the standard used for the EIS document.

Though the City of Seattle's landmarks criteria vary slightly from the national in that resources older than 25 years may be eligible, local guidelines for significance - including required "integrity" - are closely parallel.

Sometimes using National Register criteria as a guiding principle for local work is misleading, or misses potential preservation impacts. The 1962 Monorail, for instance, qualified for landmark status under the local guidelines, and was designated as a city landmark by the Landmarks Preservation Board. The demolition of the 1962 Monorail, loved by some, loathed by others, will be a direct impact to a historic resource not covered in the draft EIS. While mitigation to this impact (in the form of saving the cars and preserving them somewhere) has been discussed throughout the landmark proceedings, this sort of activity falls under the category of mitigation and impact, and needs to be included in the final EIS.

Here is an abbreviated list of older buildings with historic character slated for demolition in one or more alternatives explored in the published analysis:

-- Delmasse Apartments, 26 West Harrison Street

-- Fat City Motors, 508 Denny Way

-- Sheridan Apartments, 2011 5th Avenue

-- Griffin Building, 2005 5th Avenue

-- Centennial Building, 1900-1910 4th Avenue

-- Green Tortoise Hotel, 1521 2nd Avenue

-- Eitel Building, 1511 2nd Avenue

-- Federal Reserve Bank Building, 1015 2nd Avenue

-- Pioneer Square's historic areaways, depending on the location of the guideways on Second Avenue Extended

Other Impacts

Most of the historic resources affected by the construction of the monorail will not be demolished. The majority of resources included within the EIS are structures along the route that will be affected in a variety of ways.

Construction impacts tend to be complex. Not only is there disruption of business, traffic rerouting, and loss of access to some buildings, but the vibrations caused by pile driving and other construction activity may weaken more sensitive historic structures.

Pioneer Square is especially vulnerable because of the nature of the soils there and the age of the buildings. The neighborhood is working hard to survive economically during the current down market, and was significantly affected by the 2001 earthquake and the emotional fallout of that year's Mardi Gras.

Communities are typically compensated for "indirect" impacts such as these by mitigation funds to affected neighborhoods. One of the most generous examples of this was fund established for Pioneer Square, the Chinatown - International District, and SODO to offset the impacts of Seahawks Stadium's development. The South Downtown Foundation was established to manage this fund which has enabled a number of community development projects, lighting programs, public spaces improvements, and public safety initiatives.

Sound Transit's work in the Rainier Valley has generated money for a number of community projects, including a survey of historic resources that tracks with the city-wide survey begun in 2001. While public funds for this survey are extremely restricted, mitigation funds will help the neighborhoods surrounding the south Seattle light rail link plan for the future. This is small but significant compensation for loss of businesses, and some destruction of historic character.

Mitigation funding for transportation projects has its root in federal policy. In the early 1990s, the severe impact of interstate construction on historic places provoked policies to make up for some of what was, and still will be lost. First called ISTEA (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act), the program has paid for "Rails to Trails" and other environmental enhancements, as well as historic preservation projects involving transportation-related resources. King Street Station has been allocated $5 million for its rehabilitation from this fund.

Recent news reports suggest that the Seattle Popular Monorail Authority overestimated revenues to support its costs. Budgets for large scale projects like these tend to expand rather than contract -- the new agency will have to make tough decisions about how to handle (and pay for) the line's myriad impacts. The final EIS will provide guidelines for implementation, and should be taken seriously.

The comment period for the draft EIS ends on October 14, 2003. Written comments may be sent to Ross Macfarlane, Seattle Monorail Project, 1904 3rd Ave, Suite 105, Seattle, WA 98101 or by email to eis@elevated.org.

View last month's Preservation & Environment article

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