SEATTLE — A Seattle food bank has been given an eviction notice. The space will be privately redeveloped into a residential tower.
Northwest Harvest's Cherry Street Food Bank has 12 months to find a new home, officials with Northwest Harvest said in a release. Read the entire release here.
The food bank, in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood, has served the community for over 35 years.
Officials with Northwest Harvest said they were sent a notice by the land owner, telling them the location would be developed into a 30-story mixed-use residential tower constructed by Caydon Property Group.
"If there were ever a story that epitomizes the downside of growth in our region – this is it," said Northwest Harvest CEO, Thomas Reynolds, in the release. "Displacing a neighborhood food bank to make space for yet another highrise is just another example of the growing inequity the people in and around Seattle must deal with."
Food bank officials said their location serves around 5,000 people each week, providing fresh fruits, vegetables, basic food staples and baby formula.
Northwest Harvest is now searching for a new location. They need a spot accessible by public transportation. If you have information on a property, call Jordan Rubin at (206) 923-7426.
There will be no immediate impact on the Cherry Street Food Bank’s distribution of food.
The land owner, Trinity Parish Church, sent KIRO 7 the following statement regarding its decision.
In 1892 Trinity Parish Church purchased the half-block site at 8th Ave. and Cherry Street in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood, and through the years built the historic church and three low-rise buildings used for office and accessory church uses. We are a worshipping community that cares about social, economic and environmental justice, and where service among the poor and vulnerable is central to our faith.
Trinity spent two years evaluating how best to address the needs of its three aging non-historic buildings, including remediation of a cracked foundation, unreinforced masonry, updating electrical and plumbing systems, and providing ADA accessibility. Upon completion of this evaluation, the Church determined costs of upgrading the facilities to modern standards far outweighed benefits. We also determined the parish did not have the financial resources to make these improvements.
After much study and evaluation, it became clear that we were putting the future of Trinity Parish at risk by continuing to pour money into these old buildings just to take care of maintenance and emergency repairs. In the near future the City of Seattle will require us to bring the unreinforced masonry structures into compliance with seismic standards, which is very costly. And, this expense would not address any of the other problems with the buildings.
At the same time, we realized there was an opportunity cost of holding on to very valuable real estate while keeping it in an underdeveloped state.
By retaining ownership of the land, but partnering with a developer to redevelop the north half of the site, we will be in a strong, long-term position to continue nourishing the communities we serve long into the future. Our new parish facilities, which will be located within the new 30-story tower on our property, will result in expanded space to increase our outreach to the neediest among us, support music and the arts at a new level, and continue programs for our thriving and growing downtown congregation.
Trinity has been a proud supporter of Northwest Harvest and the church has provided rent free space for their offices and food bank for more than 35 years. Trinity will give a 12-month notice prior to the beginning of construction once the construction schedule has been established. Trinity and Northwest Harvest continue to work collaboratively for the good of both organizations in a shared sense of mission. We expect that relationship to continue and to thrive.
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