CITY OF SEATTLE
RESOLUTION __________________
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A RESOLUTION establishing the City's support for a new Memorial Stadium at Seattle Center to be developed through a public-private partnership between The City of Seattle, Seattle Public Schools, and a private partner.
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WHEREAS, in 1946 The City of Seattle (City) donated the land for Memorial Stadium to Seattle Public Schools (SPS) for SPS to construct, operate, and maintain an athletic facility that has served SPS students and the community as an essential venue for athletics, educational, entertainment, and civic uses for 75 years; and
WHEREAS, SPS and the City have joined in partnership for a shared vision for a Memorial Stadium Redevelopment Project (Project) to create a new stadium that is a financially sustainable, state-of-the-art, multi-purpose sports, educational, and entertainment facility of prominent design, centered on students and youth, and fully integrated with the Seattle Center campus; and
WHEREAS, SPS and the City have entered into an SPS-City Partnership Agreement (November 2017), a Letter of Intent (October 2021), and a Memorandum of Agreement (November 2022), which convey details of both parties’ intent to form a partnership to achieve their shared vision for the Project; and
WHEREAS, Seattle voters approved $66.5 million in the SPS 2022 Building Technology Athletics and Academics (BTA V) levy for the Project; and
WHEREAS, the City Council approved a $21 million investment for the Project in the 2023 City budget and also unanimously adopted Statement of Legislative Intent CEN-602-A-002 (SLI), which expressed the Council’s intent to work with the Mayor and SPS to identify additional funding above the $21 million in the 2023-2024 budget, with the goal of reaching a combined total contribution of $40 million consistent with the timing in the SLI; and
WHEREAS, in April 2023, the Washington State Legislature approved $4 million for the Project in the State capital budget; and
WHEREAS, the City and SPS jointly issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) on March 20, 2023, seeking a private partner to invest in, redevelop, operate, and maintain the Project, in partnership with the City and SPS to achieve the vision for the Project, collaborate on an equitable, inclusive community engagement process, provide student career development opportunities, attract high-quality entertainment and civic events, provide capital and operating investments to ensure the Project is well-managed and maintained, and reduce the necessity for SPS funding for operations over the long-term; and
WHEREAS, the Project will be a transformative benefit to the heart of the Seattle Center campus, fulfilling important City goals identified in the 2008 Century 21 Seattle Center Master Plan to increase open space, complete the August Wilson Way cross-campus pedestrian connection, and provide essential operations facilities; and
WHEREAS, the Project will be a significant investment in the lives of students, youth, and the community, and will preserve SPS’s ownership and use of the facility for student athletics, graduations, and other educational purposes; and
WHEREAS, Memorial Stadium commemorates the SPS students who lost their lives during World War II, the Project will provide for the restoration and maintenance of the existing Memorial Wall; and
WHEREAS, the Project will have a strong commitment to equity and ensuring that the community will be engaged in its development; and
WHEREAS, the Project will contribute significantly to the economic, cultural, and social vitality of Seattle Center, the adjacent Belltown, South Lake Union, and Uptown neighborhoods, and the greater Downtown to the benefit of the City and SPS; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SEATTLE, THE MAYOR CONCURRING THAT:
Section 1. The City Council endorses and supports the vision and purpose of the redevelopment of Memorial Stadium (Project) to provide new public open space, be welcoming to all, and offer unparalleled athletic, educational, cultural, and entertainment events. The Project will also complete the August Wilson Way cross-campus pedestrian-bicycle connection, provide Seattle Center operations, maintenance, and storage facilities, and provide community opportunities in the heart of Seattle for generations to come, all as described in the Request For Proposals issued on March 20, 2023, and outlined in prior agreements between the City and SPS.
Section 2. The City Council finds that the Project will enhance the City’s mission at Seattle Center and expand the City’s capacity to support Seattle Public School students. To that end, the Council recognizes the work that has been done to build this strong foundation and requests that following the selection of a successful proposal by the School Superintendent and Mayor, the Mayor negotiate agreements necessary to implement the Project and transmit legislation to authorize the agreements for the Council’s review and action. These agreements will address the property and use rights between the City, Seattle Public Schools (SPS), and the selected partner, will address the design and construction of the Project, the financial terms, and all additional terms outlining the legal obligations and responsibilities for the long-term operation of the Project (the “Agreements”). The Agreements will be subject to review and approval by the Council and the Seattle Public Schools’ Board of Directors.
Section 3. The Council acknowledges that beginning in the fall of 2021, the City and SPS engaged in a series of brainstorming and discussion meetings about the vision and purpose of the new stadium, consulted with specialists in the fields of design, sports facility financing and management, and sought the perspective and opinions of key stakeholders, including Seattle Center resident organizations, representatives of the Seattle Center Foundation and the Seattle Center Advisory Commission, and SPS athletic and capital project staff.
Section 4. The Council requests that Seattle Center, in collaboration with SPS and the selected partner, implement an additional community engagement process that helps to refine the Project’s design and programming to help ensure that the Project supports Seattle Center, welcomes and serves students and youth, fosters equity and inclusivity, and recognizes the importance of the site’s history.
Section 5. Clerk File 322645 is filed with the City Clerk and includes SPS-City Partnership Agreement (November 2017), Letter of Intent (October 2021), Memorandum of Agreement (November 2022), and Request for Proposals and Exhibits 1-12 (March 2023).
Adopted by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2023, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its adoption this ________ day of _________________________, 2023.
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President ____________ of the City Council
The Mayor concurred the ________ day of _________________________, 2023.
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Bruce A. Harrell, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2023.
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Elizabeth M. Adkisson, Interim City Clerk
(Seal)