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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: City, partner to buy monorail property for a Morgan Junction Park
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
5/4/2006 3:30:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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City, partner to buy monorail property for a Morgan Junction Park
9,000 square feet of the site will go to Seattle Parks and Recreation
SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels today announced the city will share in the purchase
of a great new property for the Morgan Junction neighborhood in West Seattle.
“I’m delighted that this surplus Monorail property will include
a new park,” Nickels said. “It’s good to see the property
continue to serve a public purpose, and this helps meet my objective to provide
parks within walking distance in our urban villages.”
There are currently no parks in the Morgan Junction urban village, and the
Pro Parks Levy, approved by Seattle voters in 2000, targeted funds to acquire
land and develop a new park to serve this growing community.
At a public meeting in April, community members indicated to Parks staff that
the Monorail property was their top priority site for a new park. Seattle Parks
and Beveridge Investments LLC had each submitted bids for the Monorail property,
and community members indicated that they supported a partnership between the
two to create a new park and to preserve a popular local business.
Vlad Oustimovitch, Seattle Monorail Project board member and West Seattle
resident, said, “I’m very happy that a public plaza, first envisioned
in the neighborhood plan for Morgan Junction, has been embraced by the city.
The partnership with Gary Sink of Beveridge Investments LLC, who has long been
active in the community, is a positive example of a public-private partnership
that benefits all of West Seattle.”
Approved by Seattle voters in 2000, the $198.2 million Pro Parks Levy will
fund more than 100 projects throughout the city over eight years. Projects
include improvements to athletic fields, playgrounds, trails and community
centers and parks. Funding will also increase green spaces, support Zoo programs
and enhance park maintenance. The city is paying $747,000 for its share of
the Morgan Junction property.
The Seattle Monorail Project is selling, through competitive bidding processes,
33 of 34 land parcels it purchased to accommodate stations and other facilities.
Proceeds from those sales will repay the debt incurred during the life of the
project.
Visit the mayor’s web site at www.seattle.gov/mayor. Get the mayor’s
inside view on efforts to promote transportation, public safety, economic opportunity
and healthy communities by signing up for The Nickels Newsletter at www.seattle.gov/mayor/newsletter_signup.htm
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Office of the Mayor
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