As the Seattle Times reported on Monday, the plan for Seattle Central Community College to move programs into the Pac Med building is in no way a done deal.
For the move to take place, the state Senate and House much must reach a budget deal to fund renovations to the landmark building, now officially called Pacific Tower and mostly vacant since Amazon moved out in 2011. The House capital budget allocates money for the project, but the Senate does not have a matching measure. Time is running out — the legislative session ends on Sunday.
If the plan falls through, the Times reports that a developer has proposed converting the building to high-priced apartments. Either way, the building’s owner, the Pacific Hospital Preservation and Development Authority (PDA), needs to get a tenant in there sooner, rather than later. The PDA normally uses income from leasing the building to provide grants to nonprofit organizations providing charity health services.
If you feel strongly either way about the college leasing Pac Med, now is the time to contact your State legislators who represent Beacon Hill:
Adam Kline, Senate, 37th District; Bob Hasegawa, Senate, 11th District; Sharon Tomiko Santos, House, 37th District; Eric Pettigrew, House, 37th District; Zack Hudgins, House, 11th District; Steve Bergquist, House, 11th District.