Last week the Pioneer Square Community Association attempted to block Real Change from relocating their offices to the neighborhood by calling on Mayor Mike McGinn to intervene (before contacting anyone from Real Change to discuss the move). Leslie Smith, interim director of PSCA, argued that the neighborhood can't support any more social service programs. Tim Harris, director of Real Change, countered that the organization isn't a social service program—it's a nonprofit business that produces newspapers for vendors to sell on the streets for $1.

Now the mayor's office is refusing to take a position and Smith is calming down, but moving Real Change to Pioneer Square isn't a done deal—yet.

"We were warned by the mayor's office that there could be permit and occupancy issues," says Harris. The Department of Neighborhood's Historic Preservation Board regulates the use of older buildings such as the New England Building, which Real Change has leased. The space is currently zoned for retail, and while Harris says it would still be a retail space—since Real Change sells newspapers to its vendors—the board might see things differently.

"If our business constitutes a change of use," Harris says, "we'd need approval from the historic board to move in." He adds that the process could delay the move, which is slated for May 1, or block it altogether. I have calls in to the Historic Preservation Board about the process.

In better news, since last week's open letter to the mayor, Smith has contacted Real Change and apologized for, as Harris put it, "going off half-cocked without sufficient information." She has since scheduled a tour of the Real Change offices, and the organization is set to begin its formal outreach campaign in Pioneer Square in the coming weeks. Despite the uncertainty of their move, "we're excited to get to know people," Harris says.