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No Korry
No one seems to know
what's going to happen at the Port
of Seattle's Interbay
property, but it became clear this week what won't happen.
The property will not be the new home for Korry Electronics, a booming
north Seattle
aerospace supplier with 600+ employees. The Daily Journal of Commerce
reported Tuesday that Korry is terminating a prolonged effort to secure a
lease at the site. Korry announced it will leave Seattle, but the company would not say
where it will move to.
The news followed an earlier report that another north end aerospace
company, University Swaging, is leaving Seattle
for a new site in south Snohomish
County. According to
the Puget Sound Business Journal, University Swaging considered
pursuing property at Interbay, but the company determined that to get a
lease "it would have (taken) longer than anything that fit our
immediate requirements."
According to the Daily Journal of Commerce, lease negotiations for
Korry extended over a two-year period. Korry would not say why it decided
against Interbay.
"It is very sad that our community is failing to hang on to employers
like Korry and University Swaging," said Dave
Gering, Executive Director for the Manufacturing Industrial Council of
Seattle. "The Port and the City need to get on the same page."
About five years ago, the Port launched a multi-million dollar research
effort and public relations campaign to transform Interbay into a biotech
hub and a new center for condominiums and retail growth. The city turned
down the redevelopment plan. Interbay remains zoned for industrial use and
it is a significant regional hub for North Pacific seafood companies,
including Trident Seafoods.
Landmarks
Seattle isn't really the oddball
capital of the Western Hemisphere. It's
just that our civic leadership occasionally makes us look that way.
Consider the case of the Seattle
landmark board granting land mark status to the old (?) Denny's Restaurant
in Ballard at 15th and Market.
Last week, a lawsuit began moving through court to overturn that
designation while at the very same time, a demolition crew was moving
through the mammoth old brick brewery building that for decades housed
Rainier Cold Storage in Georgetown.
The brewery was built a century ago when Georgetown residents and business owners
banded together to create an independent town. They wanted to protect
themselves, their saloons and the beer brewing industry from annexation by Seattle. At that
time, Seattle
was home to a group of anti-drink crusaders, as opposed to now, when it is
home to people with pretty odd ideas about historic preservation.
Part of the old brewery will be preserved and incorporated into a new
mixed-use development along Airport
Way. We're not saying the whole brewery should
have been saved but it seems strange to save a Denny's in north Seattle while a wrecking ball swings away in south Seattle.
Click
here for pictures
It's Up To You
It's up to the business
owners and employees of the industrial areas of the city to help keep our
communities safe. When you see public resources that need maintenance,
please report them, so they will get onto the repair lists. How?
Report blown street lights to Seattle City Light at 206-684-7056 or fill
out a streetlight trouble report at www.seattle.gov/light/streetlight/form.asp
Damaged or knocked down street signs can be reported to Seattle Department
of Transportation at 206-684-ROAD (7623) or fill out a street maintenance request
form at www.cityofseattle.net/transportation/potholereport.htm
Leaking fire hydrants or blocked drains can be reported to Seattle Public
Utilities at 206-386-1800 or fill out a questions & comment form at http://web1.seattle.gov/spu/CRMIQ/ContactSPU.aspx
And So It Begins…
Each year Seattle's
Arterial Asphalt and Concrete Program resurfaces a number of streets to
improve the pavement condition, and promote smoother, safer, and quieter
streets. From May thru October 2008 SDOT will be resurfacing First
Avenue S between S Dearborn Street and S Stacy Street, and pending City
Council approval, will also repave First Ave S between S Spokane Street and
E Marginal Way S.
This is the first of an extended list of construction projects slated for
the Duwamish industrial area over the next five years. For more
information, attend the Duwamish TMA's Public Meeting on April 10,
8-9:30 am, Safeco Field Diamond Club. RSVP at 206-762-2470 or
duwamishtma@qwest.net
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