Historic Seattle is the voice of historic preservation advocacy in this community. Last autumn, we sent the following letter to Mayor Nickels as his Center City Strategy was being reviewed for inclusion in the 2006 budget. We worked with both the Mayor and City Council members to ensure that the Center City Strategy's proposed increase in downtown height and density would not adversely impact historic buildings that were not yet protected as designated as City landmarks.

The issue was complex and required that the members of Historic Seattle's Council and staff be articulate and concise about their recommendations. The letter was successful as City Council approved a budget on November 28, 2005 that allocated $200,000 for a downtown survey to be conducted by professional historians. This survey will determine which buildings are eligible for the protection of a landmark designation. To read the City's 2006 budget online, visit: Seattle City 2006 Budget

October 20, 2005

Mayor Greg Nickels

City of Seattle

P.O. Box 94749

Seattle, Washington 98124-4749

Dear Mayor Nickels:

SUBJECT: Center City Strategy

Historic Seattle has been an active participant in the development and review of your proposal to increase downtown height and density. We were pleased by the inclusion of a number of changes that recognize the value of retaining and improving landmark buildings as a part of our special downtown neighborhood. We believe that your proposal will be strengthened and that a better outcome will be assured by adding three additional components. We believe that these will provide owners and developers with increased predictability as future development is proposed.

1. Fund the landmark Transfer of Development (TDR) bank. We strongly recommend funding the landmark TDR bank with a beginning and minimal amount of $300,000 accompanied by reviews for possible replenishment during each budget cycle.
   
2. Fund an inventory of the downtown built environment. This work should be accomplished under the direction of, and implemented by, the City Historic Preservation Office staff. We believe that $150,000 should be sufficient resources to undertake the survey and prepare materials for consideration of Landmark designation for all eligible buildings or districts.
   
3. Fund an additional staff person in the City Historic Preservation Office to implement an accelerated landmark designation program for those properties found to be historically significant in the survey. Additional budget resources in the amount of $75,000 per year should be dedicated until the designation project is completed.

We believe our request to fund the City's TDR bank is a modest approach to a significant preservation program. The TDR program was previously employed for major performing arts facilities in the amount of $3.9 million for eight projects. Funding the TDR bank is a good investment but, like the housing TDR bank, it will pay no returns with out forward investment by the City. Historic Seattle would be pleased to support the inclusion of such funding for the landmark TDR bank in the 2006 budget.

Information in the Environmental Impact Statement for your proposal disclosed that eighty-five buildings appear to meet the criteria for a City landmark nomination. These properties have not yet been prepared as nominations for consideration by the Landmarks Preservation Board. Historic Seattle is concerned that properties eligible for landmark designation remain at risk under the terms of the Center City Strategy and may suffer unintended adverse consequences of additional development downtown. It is crucial that protection for these properties be in place before the Strategy is implemented.

This significant number of buildings not inventoried illustrates the fact that there is no comprehensive survey of the potential landmarks in Downtown. However, before the Center City Strategy can be implemented, a definitive survey and inventory of the downtown area is necessary to identify and designate all the historically significant buildings. This effort will remove uncertainty from those properties that are found to lack historic or architectural significance and are not eligible for a designation, but will extend protection to those that qualify as a landmark. Survey and designation of eligible buildings must be part of the downtown height and density proposal to assure the protection of the community's heritage as a quality-of-life issue.

Historic Seattle recommends that the downtown survey of the built environment include the area bounded by Denny Way southward to the International District, and Elliott Bay eastward to First Hill. This process can be conducted in three steps:

1. Conduct a downtown survey of the built environment. Although this effort would examine thousands of buildings, structures, and objects, portions have already been accomplished with the Waterfront Viaduct-Seawall Replacement Project environmental review, and the Sound Transit Light Rail Project environmental review.

2. From the results of the downtown survey, establish an inventory of those structures found to have historical or architectural significance. This effort must be accomplished with the expertise of the members of the City's Landmarks Preservation Board and staff.

3. Prepare a landmark nomination for each significant structure for review at the City's Landmarks Preservation Board accomplished with local professional historical consultants with assistance from Historic Seattle, Seattle Architectural Foundation, and Seattle AIA. Historic Seattle recommends that the Landmarks Preservation Board review groups of nominated properties at each of their meetings to speed the process. Historic Seattle strongly recommends that this accelerated designation process be completed prior to the effective date of any changes to downtown zoning.

Historic Seattle is dedicated to improving the quality of life in all urban neighborhoods and find that there are significant opportunities for dynamic change in Seattle’s downtown. We are available to meet to further discuss these suggestions and our reasoning for presenting them.

If you have any questions please call me directly at 622-6952.

Sincerely

/SIGNED/

John S. Chaney

Executive Director

cc: Diane M. Sugimura, Director Planning and Development Department

Yvonne Sanchez, Director Department of Neighborhoods

Please visit Historic Seattle's website at More on downtown height and density for a January 2004 background piece about height and density downtown.

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