Seattle Press on Line - Library Board Narrows Northgate Branch Site List

Library Board Narrows Northgate Branch Site List

Jan 31, 2002 -- The Seattle Public Library Board voted last Tuesday to narrow the list of potential sites for the new Northgate branch library. Of the six sites considered, the Board is now looking at only two: the south parking lot of Northgate Mall, currently owned by Simon Properties, and the Bon Tire site on the corner of Fifth Avenue NE and Northgate Way.

If the audience present for the packed meeting is any indication, Northgate residents strongly favor the south lot site. A court ruling dictates that Thornton Creek, currently buried in a culvert under the parking lot, must be daylighted. Northgate's Neighborhood Plan calls for a new Community Center as well as the branch library, and many neighborhood activists see the South Lot as an ideal space to co-locate both amenities. Testimony during the public comment period was heavily weighted towards this choice.

In a move that frustrated many present, the Library Board voted to take advantage of a present opportunity to purchase the Bon Tire site. Board members explained that the decision does not mean the south lot is out of the running. The purchase is simply a safeguard to ensure that the Library will have a site to build on if plans for the south lot complex prove too problematic.

"You can't meet Mr. Right when you're dating Mr. Wrong," said Jane Motter, a member of the Maple Leaf Community Council, adding that the the Bon Tire site is poor in all but accessibility and current availability. "The south lot has everything going for it."

Jan Brucker of Citizens for a Liveable Northgate concurred, saying, "Find the best site, don't just make do."

All but one person testifying came down solidly in favor of holding out for the south lot site. The Library Board members agreed, but said they would hold the Bon Tire site. City librarian Deborah Jacobs said, "We can't afford to buy the South Lot site alone, so we will buy the Bon Tire site as insurance."

Reader Comments

Discuss this article in the forums!


ROBERT CHASE	Jun 30, 2004	NORTHGATE SEATTLE WA	CUSTODIAN
HOPE YOU GET ALREADY GO NORTHGATE LIBRARY, WE NEEDS FROM NOW TO GO SEATTLE DOWNTOWN LIBRARY AND ALL BUILDING FROM NOW