Some Seattle residents opposed to higher taxes to pay for waterfront improvements

Property and homeowners on Seattle's waterfront could soon be taking action over the possibility of higher taxes to remake it.

They're not the only ones who could be paying. Seattle could carve out a section where people pay higher taxes to fund the project.

That area encompasses the waterfront to I-5 with a northern border at Denny Way and a southern border at South Holgate and Royal Brougham streets in SODO. The area encompasses the heart of downtown, thousands of properties and residents who could end up paying more.

The project will help pay for parks and greenspaces that would start around Pier 62 along the waterfront and run along the current Viaduct, which will be torn down.

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A local improvement district, or LID, could hike taxes to make it happen. Maureen Miller says Seattle's once-in-a-generation waterfront project is not something some current residents feel like paying for; especially at a sticker price of $200 million.

Miller lives at Waterfront Landing along Alaskan Way. Even though a potential park would not be in front of her building, she would be taxed for the project as she falls within the LID. "Yes, we get the privilege of paying for it,” Miller said.

Miller said the building was constructed in the mid-to-late 1990s. She says some people living at Waterfront Landing are seniors who bought in 20 years ago and now lived on fixed incomes, so they’re concerned about being within a higher tax district. "They're afraid it will be an onerous burden on them,” she said.

Miller admits many residents will probably not move out, even with a tax hike, but they'll feel the pinch paying for a park used by millions of people who will visit the region,. “It's not a park for us; it's a park for tourists. If it was a park for us it would be designed to attract tourist traffic,” Miller said.

The park, greenspaces, walkways and observation areas would be an improvement over the Alaskan Way Viaduct that moves traffic and blots out the view for buildings right next to the Viaduct. Getting rid of the Viaduct would also raise property values.

Near the Waterfront, Lucas Carpenter said he had applied to live in the area because it is close to the light rail and would improve his commute. He didn't blink at paying more, for parks and greenspace on the waterfront. “I'm totally for taxation to help make a community better,” Carpenter said.

Zhenru Zhang says the Viaduct is noisy next to the tower where he lives on the waterfront, so he wants it to move.

“If it's an improvement to the area that a lot of people are going to benefit from it, sure I'm willing to pay a little bit more,” Zhang said.

Seattle hasn't created the higher tax district yet, but it could in a few months.

Residents like Miller are getting organized to speak up before paying up.

“We're only going to realize a supposed benefit from the park when we sell,” Miller said.

The city is hosting its first information session on the improvements on Thursday and Saturday. The sessions are listed online.

March 8, 2018
116 Pike Street, Seattle
5 to 8 p.m. (drop in anytime)
Hard Rock Cafe, 2nd Floor

March 10, 2018
116 Pike Street, Seattle
10 a.m. to 12 p.m. (drop in anytime)
Hard Rock Cafe, 2nd Floor (elevator available)

Cox Media Group