CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to the lease of City property; authorizing the Director of Finance and Administrative Services or the Director’s designee to execute a 99 year lease agreement with Africatown Community Land Trust for former Fire Station 6 located at 101 23rd Ave, Seattle, WA 98122, for use as the William Grose Center for Cultural Innovation to provide for culturally responsive services that support the African-American community in the Central Area to create pathways to self-determination, and for future development and expanded activation of the property as described in the lease.
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WHEREAS, the Central Area is the historic home of the African-American community in Seattle, with a diverse and inclusive neighborhood with a rich history of civic engagement on matters affecting the Central Area; and
WHEREAS, the cost of rent and economic challenges have resulted in displacement challenges for a number of businesses in the Central District; and
WHEREAS, Africatown Community Land Trust’s mission is to acquire, steward, and develop land assets necessary for the African diaspora community to grow and thrive in its historic place in Seattle’s Central District; and
WHEREAS, in 2004, the City of Seattle launched the Race and Social Justice Initiative (RSJI), led by the Office for Civil Rights, with the vision of achieving racial equity in the community and the mission of ending institutional and structural racism in City government and partnering with the community to achieve racial equity across Seattle; and
WHEREAS, the City works to create racial equity by explicitly naming and addressing the historic and current impacts of institutional and structural racism in City policies, procedures, programming, initiatives, and budgetary decisions; and
WHEREAS, Resolution 31577, adopted in May 2015, affirmed that the City’s core value of racial and social equity is one of the foundations on which the Comprehensive Plan is built; and
WHEREAS, Ordinance 125173, passed in October 2016, amended the Comprehensive Plan to increase its emphasis on race and social equity; and
WHEREAS, the Equitable Development Initiative (EDI), led by the Office of Planning and Community Development and the Office for Civil Rights, provides oversight and an equity framework for the Comprehensive Plan and strategies to mitigate displacement throughout City government; and
WHEREAS, the EDI seeks to directly repair the harms caused by Seattle’s history of racial exclusion and disenfranchisement; and
WHEREAS, the William Grose Center for Cultural Innovation (WGC) is one of five original Equitable Development Implementation Plan and Equitable Development Financial Investment Strategy demonstration projects; and
WHEREAS, Africatown has received a City grant to create the WGC, a catalyst to support the Black community’s rich history of innovation and entrepreneurship that has been negatively impacted by local, state, and federal government policies and private sector practices. The WGC’s activities will provide a means to help repair some of the harm that past policies/practices and current growth has created and to advance community self-determination; and
WHEREAS, the repurposing of former FS6 as the WGC is supporting small businesses, creative entrepreneurs and creating pathways to the knowledge-based economy, and provides for future activation and development of the property for community center uses, possible affordable housing and other public benefits that address City priorities of creating and advancing economic opportunity and preventing commercial, residential and cultural displacement; and
WHEREAS, the City and Africatown Community Land Trust mutually desire to activate former Fire Station 6 and develop it into the WGC through a long-term lease of the property while working toward meeting the City’s established Mutual and Offsetting Benefits criteria for a transfer of the property as a means to help repair some of the harm that past policies/practices and current growth has created to advance African-American self-determination; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Finance and Administrative Services has determined that former Fire Station 6 is not needed for use by a City department and that the use of the property for public purposes as described in the lease best meets the City’s needs; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Finance and Administrative Services and Africatown Community Land Trust have negotiated a lease of Fire Station 6 to commence when signed by an authorized representative of each party; and
WHEREAS, City Council authorization is necessary because the term of the lease exceeds the authority of the Department of Finance and Administrative Services under Seattle Municipal Code Section 3.127.010; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The Director of The Department of Finance and Administrative Services or the Director’s designee is authorized for and on behalf of The City of Seattle to execute a lease agreement substantially in the form of the Lease of Fire Station 6 (the Lease) attached to this ordinance as Attachment 1, between the City as lessor, and Africatown Community Land Trust (ACLT) as lessee.
Section 2. The City Council finds that ACLT is providing adequate consideration to the City for the use and occupancy of Fire Station 6 through mutual and offsetting benefit commitments in the Lease: (i) to provide community space and public services in the Central District; (ii) to complete improvements and to develop and activate the entire property for use as a community center; and (iii) to maintain and insure the property.
Section 3. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force 30 days after its approval by the Mayor, but if not approved and returned by the Mayor within ten days after presentation, it shall take effect as provided by Seattle Municipal Code Section 1.04.020.
Passed by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2020, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this _____ day of _________________________, 2020.
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President ____________ of the City Council
Approved by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2020.
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Jenny A. Durkan, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2020.
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Monica Martinez Simmons, City Clerk
(Seal)
Attachments:
Attachment 1 - Lease of Fire Station 6
Exhibit A - Legal Description
Exhibit B - Property Map
Exhibit C - Initial Tenant Improvement
Exhibit D - Floor Plan
Exhibit E - Mutual and Offsetting Benefit Transfer Criteria