Mayor, council member support Seattle Center improvement bond measure
Mayor Katie Wilson and Councilmember Rob Saka came out in support Monday of a capital bond for Seattle Center, likely appearing on the 2027 ballot, though possibly earlier.
If passed with 60% support, the measure would fund improvements to the aging campus, such as an overhaul of its HVAC and electrical systems, as well as a possible renovation of its centerpiece Armory building.
The two elected lawmakers introduced a joint nonbinding resolution Monday that makes clear their intention to ask taxpayers to fund the revitalization of the center, "a central civic, cultural, and economic asset for The City of Seattle."
"We do know that we need to do something, and we need to do something ASAP," Saka said in an interview.
The size and scope of the measure is unclear. The resolution kicks off a process to decide how much to ask of voters and how that money would be spent.
Saka said he doesn't want to be overly prescriptive this early in the process, though the resolution states a preference for a makeover of the Armory building and an expanded veterans' memorial in a "prominent location."
Saka also said he would like private dollars to match public at least one-to-one and perhaps as much as three times what the city invests, though it's not certain that much money is available in the private and philanthropic world.
The push for a Seattle Center ballot measure dates to 2024, when a group of prominent civic, business and arts voices began meeting to map a 10-year plan for the campus.
The center's history dates back to the 1920s, but became what it is today thanks to the 1962 World's Fair.
Though private investment since then has been plentiful - powering the construction of Climate Pledge Arena, KEXP studios, MoPOP and more - public spending on basic infrastructure has been spotty. The last major capital push was in 1991. As a result, the grounds are a patchwork of sparkling facilities next to buildings that have outlived their usefulness by decades.
Most pressing are the estimated $500 million in backlogged maintenance needs for the basic functions of the campus, including heating, plumbing and electrical, that have made it difficult for the center to meet its potential, backers say.
Boosters initially suggested a $1 billion measure, funded through a property tax ballot measure. That pitch grew to a $1.5 billion bond earlier this year, as polling came back overwhelmingly positive, and folded in other cultural institutions around the city, such as Benaroya Hall, The 5th Avenue Theatre and the Paramount.
Monday's resolution doesn't commit to any dollar amount nor say whether the bond should fund more cultural facilities beyond Seattle Center. Saka said that will be decided in City Hall deliberations before a formal proposal is made.
"The mayor and myself and the council are going to have to get together to finalize the scope," he said.
Rob Johnson, head of the Seattle Center Foundation, said it's "a wonderful statement of support from City Hall about the critical nature of investments that need to happen here at Seattle Center."
As for whether the measure would include other cultural facilities, Johnson said, "We're still working collaboratively with those other cultural institutions to find a pathway in for them."
The decision to propose a bond - essentially a loan to be repaid over time - rather than a straight property tax measure carries some political risk. Bonds require a 60% threshold to pass and must be spent on capital projects, not operations.
But Seattle is nearing its state-imposed limit for standard tax levies. A bond, meanwhile, does not count toward that cap and Johnson is confident they could win 60%.
Johnson and others pegged 2026 as their preferred date. Turnout is likely to be enthusiastic in a midterm election and waiting any longer risks bumping Seattle Center into other competing priorities. Pike Place Market is gearing up for its own capital request, likely in the $200 million range, and the previous mayoral administration considered a levy to fix aging police and fire stations.
Though 2026 is still on the table, the resolution focuses more on 2027.
"Even years are always the preference," said Johnson, particularly when they need to win a supermajority to pass. But, he added, "If I can't get a chance to be on the ‘26 ballot, ‘27 looks pretty good."
As for private investment pairing with public, Johnson doubted a one-to-one match was realistic.
You could make an argument that the private side has been carrying a lot of water for the public side for a lot of years, he said.
The first hearing on the resolution is Thursday, May 21.
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