By Brooke Fisher
Enterprise editor
SHORELINE — As the North City story continues, Council members are deliberating two options proposed by city staff, as well as other potential ways to proceed with the North City Project.
The overall consensus is that a compromise is needed, but the details are still unknown.
The Council members’ next move comes after an Aug. 23 decision to not award a staff-recommended $5.8 million contract to Wilder Construction Inc. to complete all elements of the project.
An Aug. 27 memo to Council members by public works director Paul Haines outlined two options for the project that as proposed includes changes to 15th Avenue NE on lighting, street trees, pedestrian crossings, under-grounding utility lines and restriping to a three-lane roadway with a middle turn lane.
The first option suggests modifying the roadway design to keep four lanes of traffic. That portion of the project would then be re-bid this winter.
Meanwhile, city staff would proceed with other pieces of the North City Capital Improvement Plan, such as traffic signals at 150th and 147th streets and neighborhood mitigation measures. Those items are funded independently of the North City Project.
Under this option, if the road bids are too high, a different strategy would then be identified. A neighborhood meeting to address issues would also be conducted.
The second option would postpone road construction until a schedule and design is adopted as part of a 2006-11 Capital Improvement Plan. This option also recommends continuing with the traffic signals and neighborhood mitigations.
According to Haines’ memo, both options require a funding evaluation.
Haines also said Seattle City Light officials are considering rebudgeting $1.7 million in funding for the under-grounding of utilities. City staff was concerned this funding might be lost if the project was delayed.
“It sounds favorable, but is not a done deal,” Haines said. “They have to go back and look at the budget.”
Some Council members, however, feel that the best way to proceed is to schedule time to discuss the issue and decide on a compromise.
“It provides us with useful information,” Ransom said about the memo, “But we need to sit down among ourselves and talk about what we are willing to compromise on and not compromise on, and what we do with the division.”
Ransom said that despite the common financial concern, there are disagreements about how much of the road should be four lanes, with some favoring four lanes either just from 175th to 180th streets or further, from 145th to 180th streets.
“Four lanes is yet to be worked out,” Ransom said. “And what we can do for less cost is yet to be clear.”
Ransom said that Haines’ memo did not address some financial concerns, such as if money will be saved by reconfiguring the roadway for four lanes of traffic.
Council member Rich Gustafson said he supports the project and the modified design option included in Haines’ memo, even if more money is needed to complete the project.
“I am in favor of the project, in favor of the modified option; I am willing to go to four lanes from 175 to 180th streets,” Gustafson said. “I just think the vision has been set, people have been moved into North City with the thought that this was going to be a new community.”
Council member John Chang favors modifying the current design in order to come up with a consensus. He said the project should not be delayed, but he is concerned that more than $9 million is needed for construction.
He said timing is very important, and if a decision is not made in the next few months, the project may not come to fruition.
“We’ve got to find a compromise,” Chang said. “I am going to take one step backward and listen to others and see how we can really come to a fruitful outcome.”
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