The Department of Neighborhoods, home to our city's landmarks office (Historic Preservation Program) is facing cuts in the new year due to a $24 million projected budget shortfall over the next two years. Anticipating this, the mayor's office is proposing a reduction in historic preservation staffing and the elimination of neighborhood survey funding.

What cuts?

Over the past few years, the city's budget for historic preservation has gradually dipped. The 2002 actual budget for historic preservation was $581,992. The 2003 adopted budget was $536,509. The proposed budget for 2004 is $426,296. This is a 25% reduction over two years.

The 2004 reduction reflects the elimination of the neighborhood historic resources survey project. This initiative, which officially started with the 2001-2002 budget, provides the first step for any preservation-oriented planning effort, including landmark nominations and landmark districts. The neighborhood surveys have involved a large number of volunteers and have included teaching neighborhoods about their history - a valuable community building tool on its own.

Thus far, this funding has supported surveys of the University District, houses built prior to 1906, neighborhood commercial buildings, and a database that brings all the information together, combines it with past surveys, and makes the data easily accessible.

The initiative has also leveraged non-City funding for more survey work. Sound Transit's work in Rainier Valley has led to an extensive archaeological study and $65,000 worth of neighborhood survey work including the Mount Baker, North Beacon Hill, and North Rainier neighborhoods. These South Seattle surveys are now underway. The city-wide survey also attracted $12,000 worth of grant funding from the state.

Completely eliminating the neighborhood survey project would lose critical momentum. As time passes, the city's neighborhoods lose more and more character-defining buildings - especially single-family houses. Survey work could help prevent this by identifying significant buildings in advance of development, and help establish just how significant an individual building is relative to its neighborhood context. For instance, a building may be old, but it becomes more significant when survey work establishes it's the oldest building in its neighborhood.

The 2003 budget for the survey is $62,000. Historic Seattle has advocated for maintaining this level into 2004.

Less Staff for Pike Place Market and Ballard Avenue

The 2004 proposed budget includes a cut of .5 full time equivalent position supporting the Pike Place Market and Ballard Avenue historic districts. Historic districts established by city ordinance require city staff to work with volunteer boards who make decisions about changes to the historic fabric, changes in use, and other issues related to maintaining the historic character of the districts in question.

Pike Place Market and Ballard Avenue businesses would be significantly affected by this reduction. Permits would be slowed, and service much reduced. Historic preservation staff help volunteer boards understand city codes and landmarks ordinances so that processes are intelligible and consistent.

The City imagines the existing staff will have to share the additional work load.

For more information on the specifics of the proposed budget for 2004, visit the City of Seattle's website.

What can you do?

Speak now. The final budget hearing is Thursday, November 6, starting at 5:30 p.m. From November 12th until the 14th, City Council's Budget Committee, chaired by Jan Drago, but including all City Council members, will consider position papers presented by City staff, and eventually vote on a package. On November 24, the full Council will vote on the budget.

View last month's Public Policy article

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