Slog
News & ArtsFriday, April 24, 2009
Boom The Mall on Dearborn Street
Posted by Dominic Holden on Fri, Apr 24, 2009 at 6:20 AM
Smarter Neighbors says it's canceled:
Today, the Steering Committee of the Dearborn Street Coalition for Livable Neighborhoods (DSCLN) was informed by the developer of the Dearborn Project of the Goodwill site that the development project has been canceled due to the economic downturn.
If built, the mall would have contained 200 housing units and 696,000 square feet of retail (the equivalent of seven Westlake Centers). Last week I got into the problems with shopping malls (they're failing all over the country), why Dearborn and Rainier is a poor place to put a new mall, and what some neighbors say should be done at that site instead.
Smarter Neighbors says, "What's surprising about this turn of events is that there actually had been an agreement made between the developer and the Dearborn Street Coalition." However, former members of the Dearborn Street Coalition, representing interests of local merchants and housing, say they were shut out of negotiations after they dissented from the agreement. So this isn't so surprising after all.
1
THANK GOD that this development will not be around to threaten the unique cultural enclave that is little Saigon. We are now able to avoid the cultural genocide that Sound Transit inflicted on the minority-owned small business community along MLK.
In squashing this, I hope that we can find a new appreciation for urine soaked alleys, inadequate wiring, and shoddy construction. I also hope we will all realize that erratic driving, jaywalking into busy traffic, and careless operation of forklifts are a cultural value of a minority people, and needs to be both nurtured and protected.
DOWN WITH BIG BOX STORES!!!! PRESERVE LOCAL MINORITY OWNED SMALL BUSINESS!!!
In squashing this, I hope that we can find a new appreciation for urine soaked alleys, inadequate wiring, and shoddy construction. I also hope we will all realize that erratic driving, jaywalking into busy traffic, and careless operation of forklifts are a cultural value of a minority people, and needs to be both nurtured and protected.
DOWN WITH BIG BOX STORES!!!! PRESERVE LOCAL MINORITY OWNED SMALL BUSINESS!!!
2
NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY.
NIMBY.
NIMBY.
3
There have now been at least 10 consecutive posts on slog that are NOT about gay marriage / gay stuff. What the FUCK? Yall are slacking. Please make up for this horrible negligent lapse and post at least 20 gay and gay marriage related articles by the end of the work day. Thanks.
4
Sigh... I live up Dearborn a bit and was looking forward to having more stores to walk to oh well guess I'll keep driving. I do like their picture of what appears to be million dollar condos over some high end retail. But I am sure in their mind there is no reason a multi level unit with a greenhouse or solarium attached will be affordable. It's the same logic that demands buildings look nice and have fancy environental features, but then expect them to cost 150 grand.
God I hate these kind of groups.
God I hate these kind of groups.
5
Here's the thing. You guys whine on and on about how great it would be to have all this urban cultural stuff...but you know what? When they build some of it, no one uses it!
Case in point, I went to the cafe that is catty corner from Benaroya Hall for some gelatto and a doppio. It was a warm sunny afternoon and there was a row of tables and chairs facing the sunshine. I sat there with my Dell mini 9 and book ("Proust Was a Neuroscientist") waiting for the concert.
Was there anyone else there? Nope.
Seriously, being an urbanite in Seattle is like being a ballet dancer in at a square dance. People here need houses and shopping malls, not condos and charcuteries.
Case in point, I went to the cafe that is catty corner from Benaroya Hall for some gelatto and a doppio. It was a warm sunny afternoon and there was a row of tables and chairs facing the sunshine. I sat there with my Dell mini 9 and book ("Proust Was a Neuroscientist") waiting for the concert.
Was there anyone else there? Nope.
Seriously, being an urbanite in Seattle is like being a ballet dancer in at a square dance. People here need houses and shopping malls, not condos and charcuteries.
7
@5, and here I thought you used the term catty incorrectly....
Caddy-Corner, Catty-Corner, Cater-Corner, Kitty-Corner
This expression, meaning “diagonally opposite,” was formed from a misspelling in English of the French word quatre (“four”) prefixed to “corner.” Although the word has nothing to do with cats or kittens, in various dialects all three spellings are acceptable: “catty,” “cater” or “kitty.”
But unless you have somebody holding your golf clubs permanently stationed in the corner of your room, you shouldn’t use the spelling “caddy corner.”
Caddy-Corner, Catty-Corner, Cater-Corner, Kitty-Corner
This expression, meaning “diagonally opposite,” was formed from a misspelling in English of the French word quatre (“four”) prefixed to “corner.” Although the word has nothing to do with cats or kittens, in various dialects all three spellings are acceptable: “catty,” “cater” or “kitty.”
But unless you have somebody holding your golf clubs permanently stationed in the corner of your room, you shouldn’t use the spelling “caddy corner.”
8
Let’s talk about the real reason Slog opposes this. It would gentrify and significantly infringe on the drug supply coming out of the nearby freeway homeless camp thereby increasing the cost of your next dope fix. What about the rights of crack-heads? That whole giant block is a piece of wasted shit.
9
@7 - Um... OK, by the time I got here (8:15 am) #5 was spelling it "catty corner," which according to you is not incorrect. Meanwhile, nobody goes after Mr./Ms. Snob-troll for misspelling "gelato"?
Anyway...
I grew up not far from Dearborn & Rainier. Maybe it's just that that intersection has looked pretty much the same for 35 years, but I can't imagine a mall-like entity such as the one proposed succeeding there. Maybe something could, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't it.
Anyway...
I grew up not far from Dearborn & Rainier. Maybe it's just that that intersection has looked pretty much the same for 35 years, but I can't imagine a mall-like entity such as the one proposed succeeding there. Maybe something could, but I'm pretty sure that wasn't it.
10
speaking of development deals gone sour, does anyone have an update on Colombia Center and the St. Gobain site in Columbia City? Are they still moving forward or dead in the water?
11
sup w/the Nimby comments? The way I read it, it was stopped due to $$$$$, not because of cultural sensitivity.
I live nearby and want that mall (or even better... FRED MEYER!) more than you, but don't for a minute think the nimbys ever had any power or control over the development.
I live nearby and want that mall (or even better... FRED MEYER!) more than you, but don't for a minute think the nimbys ever had any power or control over the development.
13
That's a shame. I barely use my car as it is - a tank of gas will last me over a month. But when I do have to drive it's usually a Target run for their brand of nicotine gum (cheaper and works fine) because two buses would take forever. It would have been nice to have walked there - sure it may have taken as long as two buses to Northgate but I don't complain about time when I'm walking (NEED it). In the 10 years I've lived here, I've never shopped in this area. And during several of my urban hikes just around the corner from that Goodwill, there's Rainier Avenue - litter and boarded-up buildings. OK, so have fun preserving that "cultural charm."
14
@13 call me insane..but can somebody drive this child to costco and get them a box of nicotine gum and they won't have to walk anywheres.. don't they carry nicotine gum at uwajimaya's ..or maybe that new bartell's on rainier and mc clellan ?.no wait the gum at target is cheaper. i get that.and all you see is litter and boarded up buildings. have you noticed the traffic snarl ?
i too live on king street, two blocks from dearborn, and the traffic nightmare during rush hour is already a bit of a clusterfuck. add the madness that happens five blocks west that occurs during game times ( now three sports teams instead of two ) that impacts bus service or the weekend shopping at the various vietnamese markets - those 'small buisnesses that many drive to that don't live in that hood. and you wish for a mall -
' the equivalent of seven westlake centers ' . you don't see any problems that would personally impact you for because it would mean that you woudn't have to take two buses up to northgate ?
i too live on king street, two blocks from dearborn, and the traffic nightmare during rush hour is already a bit of a clusterfuck. add the madness that happens five blocks west that occurs during game times ( now three sports teams instead of two ) that impacts bus service or the weekend shopping at the various vietnamese markets - those 'small buisnesses that many drive to that don't live in that hood. and you wish for a mall -
' the equivalent of seven westlake centers ' . you don't see any problems that would personally impact you for because it would mean that you woudn't have to take two buses up to northgate ?
15
@8 Scoring drugs from a homeless camp? How gauche! I will have you know I have my dope cooked for me first-hand in the most gorgeous full-service drug lab by a lebanese mad-scientist with a beautiful beard and piercing eyes.
16
NIMBY is an acronym that stands for "not in my backyard" - meaning "you can put it wherever the hell you want, as long as it's not impinging my view / shading my lawn/..." The opposition to this project has not struck me as nimby at all. A lot of the people and groups in opposition first got involved because it was in their neighborhood - however, their broad-based opposition has been focused on, and fueled by, the fact that this particular development had no place in the urban neighborhood policy allegedly espoused by the city (along with the many other issues that spanned the local to the national). I for one am pleased to see that there is the opportunity for a really needed development on that corner (and the alternative proposal, which I saw presented, while it looked good, was NOT focused on gelato shops and the like - the main thing I saw there was significantly increased affordable housing, especially for families - and, yes, room for Fred Meyer / Target / whatever - shame that the current mall-building model sees the rental of such stores subsidized by their small business co-tenants). Something that I'm excited about - those who have had a sustained and disciplined opposition to this particular project have shown their willingness and capacity to work hard with neighborhood and city goals in mind, and with a future-oriented vision - unlike those who have taken the time to say how much they'd like a Target, or hate crackheads and trash, these are the people who I'm guessing will continue working and help us and the Goodwill come up with a MUCH more viable development there. Kudos, and thanks.
18
You will be seeing a lot more of this.
The banks are pretending they have capital, but it's all smoke and mirrors, and they're not lending capital and have no incentive to do so.
The banks are pretending they have capital, but it's all smoke and mirrors, and they're not lending capital and have no incentive to do so.
21
@14 Figures you'd live on King Street and then whine about it. Was "the madness that happens five blocks west" of where you live a total surprise when you looked at the apartment address? You give up your right to wag your douche-bag finger in anyone's direction if you're bitching about living in the ID and congestion.
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