News, Urban Planning

Status update: PacMed building plans

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Seattle Central Community College is proposing locating its Allied Health programs in Pacific Tower, the former hospital and Amazon headquarters building more commonly known as PacMed. Photo by Wendi Dunlap.
Tom Byers of the Cedar River Group sent a notice this week about the current status of the proposed Pacific Tower/PacMed Building project in which Seattle Central Community College would lease part of the former headquarters of Amazon.com to host Seattle Central’s Allied Health programs including Dental Hygiene, Nursing, Respiratory, Surgical Technology, and Opticianry. Remaining space would be leased to local nonprofits such as Neighborhood House and Fare Start. For the project to move forward, the Legislature needed to include funding in the State budget.

Byers’ message reads:

Dear friends—Here are the most recent developments in the effort to establish the community health college and innovation center at Pacific Tower:

  • Amazingly, supporters of the Pacific Tower project in the legislature were successful on all fronts!
  • The State operating budget includes funding for the lease of the tower as well as provisions enabling the State to enter into a long-term lease for the building.
  • The capital budget included $20 million in funding for the tenant improvements for the community health college and other improvements at the tower.
  • State officials led by Rep. Jamie Peterson have been working with the PDA and its lawyers to agree on the terms of a draft lease.
  • Although all parties agree that a great deal of progress has been made in the last 10 days, the executive director of the PDA has indicated more time is needed to negotiate several points before the Governing Council can make a decision between our proposal and the other option they have in hand.
  • Therefore the hearing and Council vote scheduled for July 9th has been postponed. The new date is 5:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25th at Pacific Medical Center’s Beacon Hill Clinic. Please mark your calendars and plan to be there!
  • In spite of all this positive news, the success of our proposal will ultimately be determined by a vote of the PDA governing Council. Your letters of support are making a big difference, but we can’t stop now! We need to continue the out-pouring of community support.
  • Those of you who have not yet have written to the Public Development Authority in support of the proposal are urged to do so now! You can address your letters to Rosemary Aragon, Executive Director, Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority, 1200 12th Ave. S, Quarters 2, Seattle, WA 98144; or by email at r.aragon@phpda.org. She will forward your letters to the members of the Board.

Thank you for all of the support you have given this effort. We will look forward to seeing you at the hearing, and will keep you up to date on any significant developments that occur during the next three weeks.

Tom Byers
Principal/Partner
Cedar River Group

6 thoughts on “Status update: PacMed building plans”

  1. Again , I urge you to support this new project for the beautiful PAC Med Building. We can write our support to:
    Ms. Rosemary Aragon, 1200 12th. Ave. So. Quarters 2 ,
    Seattle 98144-2726.
    Or E-mail the Executive Director : r.Aragon@phpda.org.

  2. This seems like it would be a great use of the PAC Med building. Does anyone see any downsides or any reasons to oppose it?

  3. You mean other than the $20 million of State funds in a year with a budget crisis? Did I read that right? There is a high demand for State-funded development on Beacon Hill right now. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is a great plan. I just didn’t realize the public cost was so high. The need for the letter-writing campaign suggests the PDA Board is considering some of the other options. It would be interesting to hear the financial plans for the other options and who would be covering the development.

  4. Yes it is a lot of money. I for one, don’t know if that whole amount might be used. Nor do we really know if the PHPDA has received other offers, which they have the right not to devulge ,in my opinion. I’m sure most questions will be forthcoming with the answers at the 7/25 meeting. all I know is that I’m glad they didn’t accept some of the previous offers like the one regarding the Juvenile Detention Dept.
    I often walk through the grounds and note the expense of maintaining the beautiful grounds and providing security. There also will be expensive reconstruction of the interior offices that Amazon left. As for any development on Beacon Hill, we somehow seemed to get short shrift on anything, even the Gigabit thing is questionable. L

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