Modify condo plan, not agreement
Published 9:00 pm Saturday, October 22, 2005
Due diligence at the time of the 2003 negotiated agreement regarding the North Marina Redevelopment should have reflected ample allowance for a range of possible constraints upon the ultimate number of residential units, their total footprint and volume envelope, and allotment of parking spaces, in case some inaccessible portions of the sub-surface might later prove unable to support the full extent of structures, utilities, underground parking and other infrastructure intended. Whether from unforeseeable problems involving soil contaminants, salt-water intrusion, fill subsidence, undocumented debris, or faulty drainage design, the potential for reduced site carrying capacity should have been characterized and included in the port’s original proposal and subsequent agreement.
High-density residential use is neither water-dependent nor a high-priority use adjacent to shoreline, so that once actual sub-surface conditions were determined, serious effort should have been undertaken to modify the planned number of units and their envelope (including parking provisions) to satisfy the terms of the agreement, not to modify the terms of agreement to make up for inaccurate assumptions as to capacity.
Project publicity has set public expectations very high, to the point of making the community’s eagerly anticipated benefit from the entire redevelopment, including its maritime and commercial and recreational elements, appear now critically dependent upon the last $12 million worth of private investment in the condominium cluster. Neither the redevelopment project, nor the port, nor (especially) the city should be relying upon financial attractiveness of the condominiums investment to make or break the overall economic benefit to the city and the public interest. Better that the city retain the 2003 agreement and promote productive economic interaction between waterfront and cityfront via enhanced transit services to and from the entire North Marina site and the rest of the city.
Peggy Toepel
Everett
