by As demolition crews prepared this week to tear down the Lora Lake Apartments – long the center of heated controversy over affordable housing in Burien – near Sea-Tac International Airport’s third runway, attention was focused on possible uses for this prime commercial location.
The Port of Seattle, which owns the Lora Lake complex, wants to develop facilities for airport-compatible activities there, such as air cargo, food service and warehouses, and on other property it owns within Burien’s Northeast Planning Area north of the airport.
But the vacant apartment complex is just inside the Burien city limits and several council members hope this location will anchor economic development in the Northeast Planning Area that will generate additional sales tax and other revenue for the city. Possible land uses include an auto mall and a business park.
City Manager Mike Martin said recently that results of a state Department of Transportation study for a new interchange at State Route 518 and Des Moines Memorial Drive now underway might be available by summer’s end. An interchange at that location would increase the value of the Lora Lake site for business development.
Now boarded up and surrounded by barbed wire and fencing, the 234 Lora Lake Apartments were once affordable housing.
Preparation for demolition includes mitigation of toxic contaminants in the ground at Lora Lake, which were discovered in a 2008 environmental study prior to a planned transfer of the property from the Port to the King County Housing Authority.
When the assay found hazardous chemicals in soil samples taken at depths of 7 and 14 feet, the apartment complex was determined to be unsafe for occupancy and the housing authority abandoned plans to reopen its 162 units. The site was used for commercial and industrial purposes from the 1920s to the mid-1980s. In the 1950s, it was an auto wrecking yard.
Despite the fact that Lora Lake is coming down soon, “Burien still has a major hurdle to overcome” before it can develop that location – and other sites in the Northwest Planning Area – for uses compatible with the city’s vision for economic growth, noted Councilman Gordon Shaw.
“Even after Lora Lake is done and gone, the Port of Seattle owns a large amount of the Northeast Planning Area,” Shaw said. “The Port has bought a lot of commercial and residential land under and near airport flight paths.”
That leaves Burien in the position of having to negotiate with the Port for purchase of Lora Lake and several other properties, or for other accommodations for development that conforms to the city’s comprehensive plan.
“I don’t think the Port will need all the land they’ve got, but why should they give it up?” he observed. “It’s going to be a very delicate thing for the city to work through … I don’t know what the path forward is on resolution, but I’ll be upset if all we get is a food service company and a freight handling company, and then they work with Des Moines on a 90-acre business park.”
A commercial aircraft prepares to land on the third runway, which is less than 1,000 feet away from the property.
Should Burien eventually develop an auto mall in the Lora Lake area, this would vacate the city’s existing auto row along First Avenue. Should that happen, said Deputy Mayor Rose Clark, possibilities for redevelopment of those properties might include a hotel or a convention center, or both, catering to air travelers.
Built in the late 1980s, the Lora Lake Apartments – once a 234-unit affordable housing complex – were bought by the Port of Seattle in 1998. The city, the Port and the King County Housing Authority, which managed the apartments, agreed they would remain open until 2005, at which time they would be removed. The apartments are less than 1,000 feet from the third runway.
When construction of the runway was delayed, all parties agreed the apartments would remain open until June 2007. In late March that year, representatives of the city, the Port and the housing authority discussed the scheduled June closure of the apartments. Although housing authority representatives indicated a desire to keep Lora Lake open, they recognized a “contractual obligation” and were ready to begin phasing them out.
But housing authority Executive Director Stephen Norman then sent a letter to federal and state as well as city officials, citing the need for affordable housing in King County and demanding that the apartments remain in use. Both the city and Port challenged the housing authority’s move to renege on the joint contract, and moved forward with plans to demolish Lora Lake. The housing authority countered with a suit to block demolition on the grounds that it had a legal claim to the property.
Before a hearing could be held in early 2008, the Port agreed to sell Lora Lake to the housing authority. But the sale was delayed pending the outcome of environmental testing at the housing complex.
So…what do YOU think of the future of this once-affordable housing complex? Please take our poll, or Comment below…
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Last week, a new lifesize bronze sculpture of a nude female (pictured above) was installed at the Burien Interim Art Space near the new Town Square and Library, and it’s been stirring up some controversy in our Forums:
LYNETTE: I walked through the new Burien town square today and much to my dismay I came across a bronze statue of a completely nude woman. I may appreciate the “art” in the piece but since it is very realistic it is absolutely inappropriate for a public area where all ages of children can view the statue. If that were a live person she would be arrested for public nudity. The tall woman and daughter that are very abstract are not my cup of tea but they are not realistic. If someone chooses to go into a gallery and see nudes that is their choice. Pieces such as this should not be next to a public library and a busy street. I was planning to bring my grandchildren to town for the Strawberry Festival but I will now direct them away from the city center. Public art should be appropriate for ALL the public, including the children. Thank You Lynette Storer
JILL: Yeah, a woman’s nude body is so offensive. Maybe you should lighten up and join the 21st century.
JARED: Then why do we in the 21st century still require you to be 18 to buy a Playboy?
Part of parenting is censonship. (Careful what you show your kids Jill)
CHRISTY: The human body, male or female, is not offensive when display tastefully in the right setting. In fact, it can actually be very intriguing to the eye. HOWEVER, when dispalyed for all ages it needs to be in accordance to the demographic of the community. The library is right next to the art and during the summer most of the foot traffic is going to be children, most of whom are already filled with questions. The accusation of a nude woman is inaccurate. It is not the art itself, but just simply where the art is chosen to be displayed.
Artist Mike Magrath
The sculpture, a very lifelike, detailed sculpture of a squatting, nude woman called “Paradigm Shift,” was created by Seattle artist Mike Magrath, and was originally on display at the UW’s Henry Art Gallery. Magrath installed it at B/ IAS last week, which, despite comments above, is actually a private art space controlled by Curators Dane Johnson and Kathy Justin.
“I have spent the last decade or so focused primarily on the human subject not only because it offers a hugely accessible front door, but because I perceive something implicit in the body that remains inchoate, relevant, and continuously vibrant with potential,” said Magrath in a statement. “I tell students half jokingly that the human form is the composite total of what our forebears found irresistible…For me study of the specific form and attitude of the model is a way of exploring and understanding the deeper structures of the universe.”
“Good art is often controversial,” said Johnson when he stopped by our booth at the Strawberry Festival. “So when we read or hear comments like this, we feel like we’re doing a good job.”
“And if people don’t like seeing naked sculptures, they should just avoid B/ IAS,” added Justin.
6/24/09 UPDATE: KOMO News did a story on the sculpture (thanks guys for subscribing to our RSS Feed), which you can watch here.
So…what do YOU think? Please take our poll and leave Comments below:
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According to The Seattle P-I, Burien City Manager Mike Martin was formally charged with drunk driving Wednesday (May 6th), based on his arrest on Sunday, April 19th.
As we reported then, Martin, 55, allegedly crashed his car into a ceramic planter in the 12600 block of 14th Ave South.
Apparently Martin was found outside his car, “leaning forward and swaying side to side,” according to King County Sheriff’s records. His breath allegedly smelled strongly of alcohol, his eyes were bloodshot, his speech slurred and he admitted to drinking a couple glasses of wine and two beers.
Martin also refused to hand over his driver’s license, as well as perform both field sobriety tests and Breathalyzer tests. Deputies took him to the police station, where he was cited for suspicion of DUI. An officer then drove him home and released him.
Under Washington state law, refusing to take a breath test results in automatic suspension of a driver’s license for at least one year. Martin may challenge the suspension or seek approval for an alcohol-ignition device on his car.
Martin’s license has now been suspended by the Washington State Department of Licensing, and he is scheduled to enter a plea to the DUI chage on May 15th.
This isn’t Martin’s first run-in with the law – he apparently previously resigned as Chief Administrative Officer for the city of Kent after a 2005 hit-and-run incident.
Martin has been city manager since November 2006, and his yearly salary is $135,180.
If you haven’t already, please take our poll and let us know what you think Martin should do now that he’s been officially charged:
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We heard rumors about this all summer, and now it looks like it’s true according to the City of Burien – the Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center, located on SW 152nd (with prime waterfront property on Lake Burien) is proposing to change its area zoning permit from “Special Planning Area 2″ to “Moderate Density Residential Neighborhood and High Density Multi-Family Neighborhood.”
The City of Burien will be holding a public meeting about it on Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 7pm, at 15811 Ambaum Blvd. SW (Suite C) to receive public comments.
From what we understand, the owners of the Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center are looking to develop two waterfront properties with single family homes, plus two single-family homes directly behind them. To the back and left of that would be multi-family housing. Whether or not they want lake access for the multi families or for the two houses in back is still in question.
Here are the meeting details:
- Public hearing will be Tuesday, Sept. 23rd at 7pm
- Meeting will be at 15811 Ambaum Blvd. SW, Suite C (map below) to receive public comments on the application
- The Agent for Ruth Dykeman Children’s Center is R.W. Thorpe and Associates Inc., Jennifer Lee, ASLA
- Proposed Change Comprehensive Plan map designation is from Special Planning Area 2 to Moderate Density Residential Neighborhood and High Density Multi-Family Neighborhood; as well as to change the zoning designation from Special Planning Area 2 (SPA-2) to RS-7,200 and RM-18
- File is available for viewing at Burien City Hall during regular business hours
- Any person may submit written or oral comments or testimony at the public hearing, or may submit written comments prior to the hearing. Written comments may be submitted in person, via mail, e-mail or by facsimile. All documents submitted or requested as part of this application, including the City staff report are available for review at City Hall during regular business hours.
- Contact for the City of Burien:
David Johanson, AICP, Senior Planner
Department of Community Development, City of Burien
15811 Ambaum Blvd. SW (Suite C)
Burien, WA 98166
Phone: (206) 248-5522
E-Mail: DavidJ@burienwa.gov
Stay tuned to the B-Town Blog for further developments on this, including some upcoming interviews with Lake Burien-area residents opposed to the proposed zoning change.
We just got an exclusive response from Burien Mayor Joan McGilton on this entire annexation withdrawal issue, and here’s the latest:
First, a snippet from Seattle Councilmember Richard Conlin as quoted on another Seattle-based blog:
“…unless Burien is prepared to make significant change in its proposal…”
Mayor Joan’s reaction to Mr. Conlin’s statement:
“Burien has consistently acknowledged the role Seattle has in the proposed annexation of the North Highline Area. Seattle chooses to not negotiate directly with Burien. The City of Seattle’s Position Statement filed with the Washington State Boundary Review Board for King County filed on August 18, 2008 clearly misinterprets Burien actions to move forward with annexation.
In the best interests of all parties, Burien chooses to withdraw its current request so that the Boundary Review Board can focus on the merits of annexation rather than on the procedural and legal issues.
Burien wishes to take the “high road” and have our neighbors to the north ask the probing questions so that when this comes to a vote, they are truly informed of the actions that are in their best interest as a community.”
We’ll have a full report from tonight’s Annexation Open House, which will surely provide more quotes and controversy in this ongoing political chess match of words, so please check back later or subscribe to our RSS feed for up-to-date news.
