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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Nickels wants Seattle to guide reuse of Ft. Lawton
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
6/12/2006 4:00:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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Nickels wants Seattle to guide reuse of Ft. Lawton
Federal government has final say on what happens at the site
Seattle - Mayor Greg Nickels announced today he will submit legislation to
the City Council authorizing the city of Seattle to develop a reuse plan for
the Fort Lawton Army Reserve Center being surplused by the federal government.
If approved, Seattle will serve as the “local reuse authority” which
is allowed in the “Base Closure Community Redevelopment and Homeless
Assistance Act of 1994.”
As the local reuse authority (LRA), Seattle will provide guidance on the reuse
of the property and facilitate public involvement in this formal, federally
governed process. The first phase of the LRA work addresses the opportunity
for certain homeless and “public benefit conveyances” on the surplus
property at Fort Lawton, such as: education, self-help housing, law enforcement,
historic preservation, and parks and recreation. The federal government is
particularly interested in addressing homeless issues.
“This is a unique opportunity,” Mayor Nickels said. “It’s
not every day we have a chance to redevelop more than 30 acres of federal land
in the heart of Seattle. We will be reaching out and getting as many views
as possible as we plan for the future of this remarkable site.”
While the LRA plan will lay out what Seattle feels are appropriate uses for
the property, the federal government has the final say on what happens. The
secretaries of Defense and Housing and Urban Development must approve the plan.
Federal law sets out a timeline and process for redeveloping the property.
City officials note the city must adhere to a complex federal process, one
that is more prescribed than what the city went through when portions of the
Sand Point Naval Station were conveyed to Seattle. Once designated a LRA by
the federal government, the city has 30 days to advertise the availability
of the surplus federal property and to seek “notices of interest” (NOI)
from state and local eligible parties, including homeless service providers.
Seattle will conduct a workshop at the site to provide an overview of the
base redevelopment planning process, provide tours of the installation, information
on any known land-use constraints, and information on the NOI process.
The city will use the NOIs, public input, and city plans and policies to develop
its reuse plan and homeless assistance submittal. Various federal agencies
will then review the plan, looking at how well the plan balances public benefit
against homeless assistance. The entire process will take no more than 16 months
from the time Seattle is formally designated as an LRA.
The land that became the site of Fort Lawton was given to the U.S. government
for military use by a group of Seattle landowners in 1898. In 2005, the Base
Realignment and Closure Commission (BRAC) determined the 70th Regional Support
Command headquarters located at Fort Lawton would close. The function will
relocate to Fort Lewis no later than 2009.
Get the mayor’s inside view on initiatives 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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