A major part of Nickels' plan is an agreement with Simon Property Group that, if approved, would include a major redevelopment at the mall and the conveyance of about 3 acres to the City at no cost. Specifics on the redevelopment were not immediately available.
"…We will get rid of land-use rules intended to help Northgate but which did just the opposite," said Nickels. "They've failed. They've got to go."
Nickels is referring in part to a rule instituted in the 1990s that requires a "General Development plan" for large Northgate sites. No other Seattle neighborhood has such regulation.
Nickels says the rule was intended to improve traffic management and building design, but didn't. In the decade since, nothing has been built under it, according to Nickels. "This is the sort of thing we should and must do during a recession," says Nickels.
Sam Stalin, the mall's general manager, says the new agreement provides the framework "to allow us to continue to upgrade the retail and restaurant mix within a highly competitive environment…."
Removing the General Development Plan rule will also allow new transit oriented development, a component that received the backing of King County Executive Ron Sims. "By tightly integrating housing, retail, entertainment and a public transportation hub- all within close walking distance- we will create the kind of environment that allows people to live and work in one place while making it easier for residents, shoppers and commuters to use public transportation."
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