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-It's all about arts and culture,
everything we do is about activation and expression
and SDOT director Adiam Emery.
Thank you for being here as well
and your great transportation leadership,
which is gotten some attention, some good attention lately.
I also want to thank Lincoln Property
for hosting us here today at the state of the art 225th building.
This is amazing, isn't it?
I'm talking about the weather by the way.
This site is amazing,
the architectural statements that are made, the feel of it
and most importantly
what we're trying to do to activate this area.
And support the growing life sciences and biotechnology
hub here in South Lake Union.
We know that this is an incredible industry,
one we do not take for advantage -- for -- take,
What's the word I'm trying to find?
For granted. It's been a long week so far.
Creating over 25,000 jobs in the sector here in King County,
Washington and just do amazing work for global health
and regional health and the kinds of things
they're working on.
You know we get criticized from the other Washington
for some of our commitments to things like equity and gender
fairness, and climate change.
We get attacked for our belief in science and how we are,
we believe in the benefits of research grants at a time
where we have to fight for this kind of commitment.
And I have leaders around me that will talk more about that,
but the fact is, is housing, jobs,
and a diversity of small businesses
are critical to our economic vitality.
Critical to us being vibrant here in downtown
and a little north of downtown.
Downtown runs on people.
On small businesses, on ideas.
And our downtown activation plan,
that I'm very proud of the planning
that we did,
but most importantly the implementation as well.
And I want to thank our Office of Economic Development
and that regard as well.
We are making progress again to make downtown safe,
thriving, vibrant, and critical neighborhood for residents,
workers and visitors alike.
So, the first piece of legislation
we'll be signing this morning
will help fill vacant storefronts by expanding
ground level commercial uses.
Which will in effect boost our economy
and activate our streets with more people.
In this particular facility, again in the biotech space,
we couldn't be more excited.
This will broaden the pull of tenants for ground floor spaces
and allowing more entrepreneurs,
and free thinkers and small business owners
to call downtown Seattle home.
And we actively recruit these types of tenants
and we're excited about what we're seeing.
New businesses will be allowed on ground floor areas.
This will include medical offices,
research and development,
laboratories, food processing, horticultural operations,
crafts, manufacturing, art installations and many more.
And again I want to thank SDCI for their wisdom
in thinking about how we can think outside of the box.
And indeed, Chief Operating Officer Marco Lowe
and his group for the housing work.
The housing ideas that have come forward in this work.
The second piece of legislation
will extend building permits for projects previously vested
under our old codes.
And this will in effect allow projects to proceed
without the time and cost of applying for new permits.
We think this is a critical strategy,
which by extending these permits,
it will prevent hopefully the potential loss
of 29,000 planned units of housing.
Including many affordable housing units and housing
projects planned for downtown.
And you'll from Chris Persons later.
And I want to thank Chris and his organization,
Community Roots, for doing the work that they are doing.
These affordable housing units and housing
projects planned for downtown not only house people,
which is the most important thing,
they also produce about $13.4 million in sales tax
and $75 million in MHA fees.
So it's a win-win scenario
when we're trying to do this kind of work.
So we know that in a challenging economic environment right now
and that's why I'm so pleased to see my department heads here.
We have a One Seattle approach trying
to look at our entire system and think, what makes sense
as we deal with some of our fiscal challenges.
So, I close by thanking Councilmember Mark Solomon
for his leadership in sharing the land use committee,
he's been focused on its expanding economic opportunities
and creating new housing
and supporting small businesses throughout the entire city.
And of course he's been with the city for a while,
making sure, in the public safety realm,
things are going along the way,
he wants to see them as a crime prevention specialist,
a subject matter expert.
And now he uses his expertise in other areas.
And so as land use chair,
council member Solomon has been strong work
to get this legislation over the finish line
and we look forward to continuing our with him.
And I present to you Councilmember Mark Solomon.
-Thank you, Mayor Harrell.
[ Applause ]
Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here.
I'm happy to be here with you
today to celebrate this new piece of legislation.
Which will help revitalize key areas of downtown Seattle.
Today we're introducing new law
that allows for more flexible uses of ground floor spaces
in key areas of our city's court.
And this legislation opens the door for a broader range
of vital police defining businesses
and creative commercial designed.
Making it easier for entrepreneurs,
scientific research groups and local vendors
to bring fresh ideas to our downtown streets.
And as we continue recovering from the impacts COVID-19,
we know that reestablishing the character
of our changing downtown, is imperative.
What people want and need from our city spaces is evolving.
And this law responds directly to that shift.
In a powers property owners
and small business owners with more freedom
to shape their spaces in ways that serve the community.
Whether that means a pop-up shop, or a small restaurant,
or a ground floor
which contributes to the research and development.
That will alter how we interact with our world.
Or even something we haven't imagined yet.
Very critically I want to thank many stakeholders
who helped shaped this policy and the SDCI staff
and the Mayor's staff.
Who worked extremely hard,
turning stakeholder feedback in a new legislation
to revitalize our downtown.
I also got to give a shout out to my policy guy,
Thaddeus Gregory.
Who did a heavy, a lot of heavy lifting on this himself.
I'm not going to let the fact that he worked on
this go unnoticed.
So, thank you.
Together we're building a vibrant downtown.
It's not just recovering, but finding new vibrant life.
And paving the way for a stronger, more resilient future.
So, thank you.
-Thank you Councilmember Solomon.
[ Applause ]
And I also, Nathan I didn't see you standing there,
I want to recognize Nathan Torgelson,
who is the SDCI Director,
thank you for your leadership and your groups leadership.
Next you'll hear from SungYang,
I think many of you know who he is,
Chair of the Downtown Seattle Association Board
and the Principal at Pacific Public Affairs.
And has over two decades of experience
managing public policy. Sung every time I introduce you,
you just omit the part that you work for the City of Seattle,
I don't know what your slow plan is on this here.
As where I met you.
A former public servant Sung has been a champion for arts
and economic development in our downtown neighborhoods
and thank you for your consistent
and strong leadership.
Sung Yang. -Thank you, Mayor.
[ Applause ]
Good morning, everybody.
I do want to start by thanking Mayor Harrell
for this legislation.
And also for really his unwavering dedication,
commitment and hard work.
Nobody works harder at making downtown thrive
than Mayor Harrell and I want to truly thank him for that.
I also want to thank Councilmember Solomon
for spearheading this effort at the council
and for rallying his colleagues around its approval.
And everyone else here in this room
that brought us to this really historic occasion
of the passage of these two pieces of legislation.
Downtown's revitalization,
continued revitalization is critical for the entire city.
As the regions economic engine
what happens in the core of Seattle,
radiates far beyond its footprint.
As you walk through the heart of downtown
you will see foot traffic reminiscent
of pre-pandemic times.
And many of our public spaces full of activity and vibrancy.
But far too many of our storefronts remain empty
and that doesn't send a message
that matches with the trajectory and reality
of downtown's upper trajectory.
This legislation will help fill vacant ground floor spaces
in downtown neighborhoods.
Filling gaps in our urban fabric,
producing even more activity on our streets.
And driving our revitalization efforts forward.
Downtown needs to have a diversity of businesses
to serve its diverse population of residents,
workers and visitors.
By allowing new business types to be located,
here, we are also creating opportunities
for entrepreneurs to call downtown home.
And setting up shop,
downtown should feel like an attainable goal.
Here today at a new state of the art life sciences facility
we are recognizing how our downtown is also a hub
for research and development.
A critical industry in our city,
that can now expand to ground floor spaces
under this legislation.
Downtown has made a tremendous comeback over the last few years
under the Mayor's activation plan, Mayor's leadership,
the work of the council
and of the Downtown Seattle Association.
Data from Downtown Seattle Association downtown's
revitalization dashboard shows that in March
we saw a post-pandemic high of nearly 101,000 workers downtown
on an average per day.
In the third month of Amazon's return to five days a week
in the office, the South Lake Union,
in the Denny Regrade neighborhood,
saw daily worker foot traffic of nearly 48,000.
Numbers that are trending closer to pre-pandemic conditions.
And in a significant, significant development,
local visitors and these are people
who live within 10 miles of downtown
are coming to the center city at an increasing rate.
In fact,
in March 2025 the number of local visitors
to downtown surpassed pre-pandemic levels.
So working with the city and our partners,
we will continue this momentum
and we're excited to welcome new business to downtown.
Thank you very much.
-Thank you, Sung.
[ Applause ]
Thank you, Sung.
Next you're going to hear from Alex Aigner,
who is the Executive Vice President of Development
at Lincoln Property Company.
Overseeing the firms redevelopment projects
throughout Washington and Oregon including right here at 225th.
And Lincoln's development pipeline
in the pacific northwest
includes over 1,500 multi-family units.
And more than 500,000 square feet of commercial,
retail and life science developments.
This is the, Lincoln's exactly the kind of company
we recruit and we want to stay here,
because there is such a vital,
they play such a vital role in our success.
Alex, please take the mic.
-Thank you. Good morning.
Thank you Mayor Harrell and Councilmember Solomon.
Thank you for everyone involved at the city
for all your hard work to push this legislation through.
Thank you to Ian Morrison,
our Land Use Council at McCullough Hill Leary
for all the hard work that you've done as well.
My name is Alex Aigner,
I am an Executive Vice President at Lincoln Property Company.
And with our partners,
Intercontinental Real Estate Corporation,
we developed, own and manage this life science building.
We want to express our sincere appreciation to the Mayor
and to Council Solomon for your leadership
in passing this important legislation.
By expanding the types of street level uses permitted
in our buildings,
you're helping unlock opportunities for innovation,
activation and connection in key parts of our city.
This is a kind of regulatory flexibility,
it's exactly what we need right now to bring new life
into our ground floor spaces. These uses attract foot traffic,
create jobs and contribute to a more engaging
and walkable urban experience.
At 225th we're matching the city's
forward thinking policy by reimagining
how space can be used.
So we've launched CoLabs,
a biotech incubator designed
to support early stage life science companies in Seattle.
Through CoLabs we provide flexible lab space
and operational support to help startups grow,
attract investment and scale.
Our goal is to ensure the next generation of biotech companies,
not only start in Seattle,
but grow here and thrive here.
And help position Seattle as a key hub in the nation
for medical research.
Thank you again Mayor and Councilman
for taking this bold and thoughtful action.
This legislation is a meaningful step to a more vibrant,
resilient and inclusive downtown.
And Lincoln Property Company and Intercontinental
are proud to be a part of it.
-Thank you, Alex.
[ Applause ]
Next our closer.
Do you remember the show, this is bad, this here's 222,
do you remember the show Room 222?
Do any of you remember that?
-I do.
-You are, you and I are the only ones to remember that.
You remember it too, okay, it was a popular show,
I was going to try to weave that into the room.
Okay, so that's what I first thought of
when I saw that address.
-I was very young.
-You were very, I was in college, no I'm just kidding.
So as many of you know because the great work
that Christopher and his organizations done,
he's the CEO of Community Roots Housing since 2007
and he's led the organization through significant growth.
And many award winning housing projects and.
We know he'll be retiring later this year
and we want to thank you Christopher,
you're just untiring energy and commitment
to affordable housing
and a strong partnership with the city of Seattle.
And all the work you've done to address housing affordability.
So closer, Chris, take us home.
Alright. -Thank you, Mayor.
[ Applause ]
Thank you, all.
Again, my names is Chris Persons,
I'm the CEO of Community Roots Housing.
We own and operate 46 properties in Seattle
comprising almost 2,000 affordable apartments.
We also have three new projects under construction
today comprising nearly 400 more.
And our future development pipeline includes
more than 700 additional homes.
Community Roots Housing has been developing
and operating affordable multi-family properties
in Seattle for 50 years.
And every year it gets harder and more expensive.
I tell, if you've got IT professionals that work for you,
or an IT team this might resonate with you.
I tell my IT director, who I love, I tell him, all the time,
just make it easier for me to do work.
All I want to do is work and get my job done.
As a prominent affordable housing developer,
all I want to do is build more affordable housing.
Make it easier for us to do our work.
And that's what this legislation does.
Thank you to City Council and Mayor Harrell
for making this no-nonsense legislation happen.
By allowing Community Roots projects
that have temporarily stalled due to pandemic related delays.
To allow these projects to move forward
under the very stringent energy codes,
they were already designed for,
saves us millions of dollars in redesign and development costs.
And allows our projects to move forward.
Ensuring that affordable housing will be delivered
to low income communities.
Seattle remains one of the most environmentally
sustainable city's in the country.
The buildings
that Community Roots Housing has developed based on a 2015
and 2018 codes are greener
and more energy efficient than at any time in history.
And they all
comply with stringent
Washington State Evergreen
Sustainable Development Standards.
As we continue to work together to resolve the housing crisis
in our city,
I look forward to continuing to work closely with Mayor Harrell,
the City Council and the entire city.
To rapidly develop affordable housing,
while never compromising on our commitment to sustainability.
Thank you. -Thank you, Chris.
[ Applause ]
Thank you, Chris.
So we're going to sign some legislation.
And I want to,
again, thank you for the community leaders and
housing leaders in potential tenants doing this great work.
And particularly our departments here.
Our One Seattle Approach you're going to see right
where we need it to be, which is vibrant, active, fun,
joyful on a great day.
So thank you for being here,
and let's sign some legislation so I can -- Pass me some pens.
Okay.
-Right here, Mayor. One, two, and three.
One, two, and three. Thank you.
-Yay!
[ Cheers and applause ]