Seattle Press on Line - City Hall Planners Need to Follow the Three Rs

Small Ideas for Seattle

City Hall Planners Need to Follow the Three Rs

By Dick Falkenbury

Nov 30, 2000 -- The City of Seattle officially asks all of us to reduce, recycle and reuse. Too bad they can't take their own advice. City Council should reduce the size of the new City Hall project, recycle the 57-story Key Tower we already have and reuse the old City Hall site as a meeting hall surrounded by open space.

Reduce the new City Hall to...nothing. The city, in its wisdom, bought the Key Tower across the street. Let's put the City Hall offices and staff there. If you can't fit all of the city's white-collar workers into 57 stories, you've got too many workers. Meanwhile, we are renting office space all over the city to house city workers. Now, if you asked some genius down at the city why this is, they would probably roll their eyes and, in a voice like a teacher explaining a simple math problem to an especially slow child, explain that they are actually saving money by renting office space. Anyone who thinks this arrangement can mean anything other than a net loss to the city is obviously not figuring in the costs: signing dozens of separate agreements, overseeing the rental of Key Tower and having employees walk between city offices in different buildings. Besides, no government anywhere can do anything at all without three sets of papers, a lawyer and an audit; if you reduce the number of transactions, you always reduce the costs. We do not need a new City Hall except to feed the egos of the folks in charge; and if 57 stories isn't enough to feed your ego, you've got too big an appetite for this bitty little town.

Recycle the old City Hall site. They seem almost desperate to tear this sucker down. They keep citing the earthquake danger, but conveniently forget that it went through the 1965 earthquake without any major damage. But let's assume that the old building has to come down. OK, great! Now you have a chance to add something that is sorely needed in that area: open space.

I would make one concession: This city needs a meeting place. Part of it could be in the place of the old City Hall. It should be designed to hold reasonable crowds, with an ability to expand outdoors for big shows and hearings. But most of the block should be open space. And it need not become another seedy "Muscatel Meadows," like the area at Third and Yesler on the south side of the courthouse. Careful planning and innovative management can make it work.

A note to Mayor Schell: If you move into Key Tower, please locate on the lowest floor so that we can talk to you. Whatever you do, do not move into the top floor. You talk to so few real people already; any higher and you'll only talk to yourself. No, that is a bad thing.

Write to Dick:falkenbury@aol.com.

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