Memorial Stadium Open House - Done on the Downlow?
I am going to sit in on the brief Board "special meeting" today on the process of curriculum adoption in Washington State. I did ask about any attached documentation but I received no answer and there is still nothing there.
But I did want to note something that came up rather quickly - one day's notice - of an "Open House" on the renovation of Memorial Stadium.
I first saw this in a tweet and was surprised I had not seen it at the district's calendar. But the Board office sends out THEIR calendar and an update was sent out on the 16th for this open house and a possible quorum of directors attending. The link the Board office provided is just a general website about the renovation with no scheduled events.
As well, this event was not on Seattle Center's calendar.
However, it does say under Community Engagement:
Initial outreach began in 2022 with student and cultural groups, Seattle Center staff and resident organizations, tribal representatives, Veterans groups, and dozens of community-based organizations. Now, equipped with an initial concept, students and the community are again invited to provide input on plans for a re-envisioned Memorial Stadium through an expanded community engagement process – including a series of open house events – beginning in Spring 2024. The equitable and inclusive process, guided by best practices used in other successful civic and school projects, is based on strong commitments to racial equity, inclusion, and access. Visit this site for information about the next open house events as soon as they are announced.
Anybody here part of those groups? And how come this open house was not advertised?
The person who tweeted about it said this about what was said at the open house:
It sounds like:
👎the surface parking lot is going to stay
👎there won’t be a new connection from 5th Avenue to August Wilson Way
👎there won’t be an extension of the 5th Avenue PBL across the property frontage
On the bright side, it seems like the redevelopment partners are shooting for a stadium that is less walled off from Seattle Center and they will be widening walkways on the west and south sides.
One replying tweet called the parking lot "a public piazza." No, it's not. It's a parking lot. I based that on being someone who lived in Italy and has been to lots of piazzas. (Also, that phrasing is akin to chai tea, just wrong.)
I will make a few calls tomorrow to gain clarity but from what I'm seeing, public input/public engagement on this project will be minimal. Just as Seattle Schools and the Board like it.
Comments
operate, maintain, and manage the new stadium would provide the additional capital necessary for
this legacy project, beyond"
So this yet another stadium that is being financed by the public for what can be boiled down to a bunch of hedge-fund owners?
SPS could also just sell the property, put a rider on the sale giving them access to whatever is built, and then use the money pay down some of the massive debt it is building up.
Of course if they sold it, then the hedge-fund owners would then need to pay for what they want built out of their own pockets.
I realize that TicketMaster already has their own little building thanks to all of the public dollar dumped into Key Arena, so getting them to kick in more would be difficult.
What a boondoggle.
Signed,
- Remember Kingdome