SEATTLE — Members of Displaced Tenants for Accountability and Transparency said the city illegally renewed a master use permit for Triad Development in their work on Civic Square, a major development west of City Hall, at Fourth Avenue and James Street.
They said the permit had actually expired but was renewed against city code in December 2014.
“Somewhere in this building, someone made the decision that this developer was above the law,” said Knoll Lowney, an attorney representing the plaintiffs.
The tenants, who are affiliated with the Tenants Union of Washington State, said the chairman of Triad, John Goodman, has been responsible for displacing them as he renovates old buildings and raises rents.
Kimberly Mills, a spokesperson for the Seattle city attorney, said, “This is a case about how technical code language must be applied to a complex set of specific facts. We look forward to exploring that issue with the court. This suit does not present an opportunity to debate the broader concerns that seem to motivate the petitioners.”