Stewing over SLU

My wife works in South Lake Union, and we argue about the Streetcar, which will hold its grand opening tomorrow.

Me: “It’s another over budget, dead-end piece of public transportation that serves very few people. Couldn’t the money be better used to expand an integrated system?”
Her: “But I like the Streetcar.”

Today’s Seattle Times highlights the rapid expansion of South Lake Union:

With South Lake Union’s location in the geographic center of Seattle, quick access to Interstate 5, Highway 99 and downtown, its redevelopment has been considered inevitable. But it took Vulcan, which assembled 60 acres stretching from Lake Union to Denny Way, to make it happen at warp speed.

“What happened is pretty much what everybody expected, but it’s occurred in five years instead of 50,” said Mike Foley, who was a neighborhood activist and sometime Vulcan critic until the company bought his property for $21 million in 2003.

But not everyone is happy about a multi-million dollar discount currently on the table for Vulcan. Paul Allen’s development company wants to put up a few buildings that exceed current height restrictions. The Mayor has proposed a discount for Vulcan that would save the company $2.6 million — money that would have gone toward developing affordable housing in the area.

Says Councilmember Steinbrueck, also in the Times article, “I’m not prepared to carve out a special exception for one property owner.”

Is South Lake Union and/or Vulcan getting special treatment? Am I bringing up ancient history to recall the stadium wars?

Other folks are up in arms about the Mayor’s latest budget allocations, which heavily favor South Lake Union. [via] Commenting on the proposed budget, The Beacon Hill News reported last month:

A search of the new budget and capital improvement plan found SLU mentioned 67 times. At least 20 major capital projects for SLU are referenced, with expenditures from 2008 through 2013 in excess of $500 million. By contrast Beacon Hill, an area five times the size of SLU, is mentioned 12 times, with expenditures of $10 million for the same five-year period.

Meanwhile, you can’t stop a moving train. Tomorrow’s opening day will be celebrated with parties along the Streetcar route.

• All December long the ride is free, and check out some rider incentives available from December 12-16.
  
• If you’re a little more ambivalent, you can always wear your “Ride the S.L.U.T.” t-shirt from Kapow Coffee.
• Stuck at the office? Watch the Seattle Times’ video of their ride on the Streetcar.