Seattle Has Opportunity to Develop a Comprehensive Strategy for the Future of the Industrial and Maritime Sectors
Citywide Panel and Neighborhood-based Groups in Ballard, SODO, Interbay/Armory, and Georgetown/South Park to Advise Strategy
Mayor Jenny A. Durkan today announced the creation of the City’s Industrial and Maritime Strategy Council to develop a comprehensive strategy for supporting industrial and maritime jobs and innovation and planning for the next generation of Seattle’s Manufacturing Industrial Centers, which occupy about 11% of the City’s land, covering approximately 4,000 acres.
The Council will bring together individuals with a diverse set of experiences and expertise including those with deep involvement in industrial and maritime economies, transportation, workforce development professionals, and community representatives. Their work will help advise on the City of Seattle’s development of a comprehensive strategy, preparing the City to act on a suite of possible legislative and policy changes.
“Seattle’s industrial and maritime industries are at the heart of what has made our city a leader in global innovation and good-paying jobs. As we continue to build the city of the future, I am deeply committed to building an inclusive, resilient, and diverse local economy. We must make sure we have a full range of jobs and true economic opportunity,” said Mayor Durkan. “We are bringing community together to plan for the future of these sectors, how we can provide more family-wage jobs, and drive innovation in our maritime and industrial sectors and plan the future of our industrial lands.”
Mayor Durkan is committed to further improving Seattle’s position as a gateway for global trade in the maritime and manufacturing sectors. The City’s existing policies establish strong protections for areas currently accommodating industrial and maritime uses; however, it’s been more than a decade since the City updated its industrial policies. Seattle has an opportunity to take advantage of technological advances and changes across the city landscape to build a comprehensive strategy that ensures innovation and industrial jobs continue to flourish throughout Seattle.
The Industrial and Maritime Strategy Council will help plan for the future successes of these sectors with several guiding principles:
- Using the power of local workers and companies to chart a blueprint for the future
- Strengthening and growing Seattle’s industrial and maritime sectors
- Promoting equitable access to living-wage jobs through an inclusive economy and ladders of economic opportunity
- Improving the movement of people and goods to and within industrial zones and increase safety for all travel modes
- Aligning Seattle’s industrial and maritime strategy with key climate and environmental protection goals
- Developing a proactive land use policy agenda that harnesses growth and economic opportunities to ensure innovation and industrial jobs are a robust part of our future economy
- Planning for the next generation of these lands as a key pillar for the Seattle of the future
“Industrial and maritime jobs have been fundamental to Seattle’s identity and they should be for our future, too. It’s time to check if our land use rules are ensuring that vision amid technology, environmental, and other changes. I’m excited to take on this forward-looking review and plan development with Mayor Durkan’s leadership,” said Sally Clark, UW director of regional and community relations and co-chair of the maritime council.
“Seattle’s industrial and maritime land fuels our local economy and creates thousands of family-wage, union jobs. As we look toward our future, preserving these lands will keep this door to the middle-class open for the next generation,” said Nicole Grant, MLK Labor Executive Secretary Treasurer and council co-chair.
Maritime and manufacturing activities in the City have long benefitted Seattle by contributing to the City’s identity, supporting living-wage jobs, and promoting economic diversity. From the cranes and container terminals that mark the Port of Seattle, to the warehouses and manufacturing facilities within the Duwamish Manufacturing Industrial Center, shipping, fishing, and manufacturing continue to support our economic success and are a critical source of living-wage jobs, which are one of the cornerstones of a thriving and livable city.
The Industrial and Maritime Strategy Council groups will be tasked with developing recommendations to inform the strategy. Topics of discussion will include the best ways to take advantage of new opportunities, like the Port of Seattle’s plans to redevelop Terminal 46 as a cruise ship berth that will be capable of holding the world’s largest cruise ships; a proposal for creating a Stadium District with a mix of uses; Sound Transit’s development of new light rail stations in Ballard, Interbay, and SODO that will support transit-oriented development in the area; the State’s plans for the sale of the armory site in Interbay; new modern industrial development, and more.
The Citywide Advisory Panel has representatives from the Port, Stadium Authority, Public Facilities District, and the Mariners; four from labor; four business interests; two experts in planning and land development; two transportation stakeholders; two workforce development professionals; two community representatives; and the Chair of the relevant City Council committee. Parentheticals denote representation on a neighborhood committee.
- Sally Clark, University of Washington (co-chair)
- Nicole Grant, MLK Labor (co-chair)
- Brian Surratt, Alexandria Real Estate Equities (co-chair)
- Sam Farrazaino, Georgetown Safety Task Force/Georgetown Strong (Georgetown/South Park)
- Dave Gering, Manufacturing Industrial Council of Seattle
- Erin Goodman, SODO Business Improvement Area (SODO)
- Johan Hellman, BNSF Railway (Interbay/Armory)
- Alex Hudson, Transportation Choices Coalition
- Rick Kolpa, Prologis
- Marie Kurose, Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County
- Terri Mast, Inlandboatman’s Union (Interbay/Armory)
- Fred Mendoza, Public Stadium Authority (SODO)
- Barbara Nabors-Glass, Seattle Goodwill
- Peter Nitze, Nitze-Stagen
- John Persak, International Longshore and Warehouse Union (SODO)
- Fred Rivera, Seattle Mariners (SODO)
- Charles Royer, Public Facilities District (SODO)
- Jordan Royer, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association
- Greg Smith, Urban Visions
- Rob Stack, Stack Industrial Properties
- Commissioner Peter Steinbrueck, Port of Seattle
- Mike Stewart, Ballard Alliance Business Improvement Area (Ballard)
- Councilmember Abel Pacheco
In addition to the Citywide Advisory Panel, neighborhood-focused subgroups in Ballard, Interbay/Armory, SODO and Georgetown/South Park will assist in advising on local opportunities for the future of the industrial and maritime sectors, while also bringing forward the issues and needs of the neighborhoods most impacted by environmental and economic inequities.
The Council held their first meeting this week. Strategy recommendations will be to delivered to Mayor Durkan in Spring 2020.