Here’s What City Council Candidates Think About Lidding I-5

District 3 Support for Lid I-5

Friend,

We’re excited to share that all candidates for City Council District 3 support the Lid I-5 initiative. Below are their answers to the question, “How would you support lidding I-5?”, courtesy of the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog candidate questionnaire.

The Lid I-5 team does not endorse candidates, but with your support we engage on a continuous educational campaign. This year we’ll be reaching out to all council candidates who run for the November general election, along with continuing outreach to King County officials and our state legislators.

District 3 covers Capitol Hill, First Hill, Central District, Madison Valley, Montlake, and Mount Baker – and is bordered to the west by Interstate 5. Check your mailbox for your ballot today and send it in by August 6! Ballot mailing is free or you can use a neighborhood dropbox. See the King County website for more election information.

— Candidate responses (unedited and in full) —

Logan Bowers: “Yes! Lidding I-5 would create a lot of space to expand much needed urban services such as parks and subsidized housing. Because this land could be sold at a premium, selling a limited amount of it could help to finance the construction of these needed services.”

Zachary DeWolf: “I would advocate for both local dollars as well as working with State and Federal partners to identify funding opportunities. I love the Lid I-5 idea (Capitol Hill Community Council was an early endorser!)”

Pat Murakami: “As far as I know, a feasibility consultant has been hired, but we are still a long way from being able to really know what this project would entail. Provided no major issues surface from the feasibility study, I support the lidding of I-5. We already created a bottleneck with the Convention Center, so we might as well create better east-west access, parks and open space, while reducing noise and dust to those along the I-5 corridor.”

Ami Nguyen: “I would ensure that low-income, immigrant and communities of color are not left out of the conversation or development.”

Egan Orion: “Yes! We need more green space in Seattle. If the studies find it’s feasible, I fully support this idea. A park between downtown and Capitol Hill? Less pollution and noise from I-5? Sign me up!”

Kshama Sawant (incumbent): “I support the feasibility study currently being conducted by the City of Seattle. However, I believe what’s needed is to provide a viable, attractive and sustainable alternative by massively expanding public transit and making it a highly convenient and free at the point of use. Seattle’s affordable housing crisis is pushing people further away from their jobs and is exacerbating the traffic gridlock and impact on climate. In addition to a massive expansion of free public transit, we need rent control and we need to build tens of thousands of units of social housing – paid for by taxing Amazon and big business – to prevent the huge damage being done by longer and longer commutes.”

Saturday: Freeway Park Fountain Festival

Celebrate another summer in Freeway Park at the annual Fountain Festival! The event is this Saturday, July 27, from 12:00 PM – 3:00 PM. There will be activities for all ages to enjoy including water games, sweet summer treats, live music, coffee, and facepainting. The event is free and open to public. Learn more at the Freeway Park Association website.

Community Open House Recap

The community came out strong at our 2019 Community Open House. Thanks to those who could make it and hear project updates from our volunteer team and the City leaders making the lid feasibility study happen. We also shared our progress on two books: one documenting the 2018 Collaborative design work, and another highlighting the most inspiring freeway lid projects around America.

Sam Assefa, Director of the Office and Planning Community Development, said our high land values mean “we have to start thinking outside the box to maintain the livability of our city for the next 40 years.” Lyle Bicknell with OPCD and Dhyana Quintanar Solares with WSP shared the framework of the ongoing feasibility study.

Councilmember Abel Pacheco (District 4), who recently endorsed the campaign, reminded us of the region’s booming growth and the need to look at opportunities along more parts of our freeways. He is enthusiastic about lidding between 45th and 50th Streets in the University District.

Councilmember Sally Bagshaw (District 7) remarked on the early challenges of Waterfront Seattle and how to keep up momentum: “Government cannot do this alone… nothing can get done without you. Your feedback makes it happen.” We agree, Sally, and thank you for years of support and effort on this movement!