The Port of Seattle (Port) today filed an appeal in King County Superior Court to overturn the Seattle City Council’s decision to permit a major residential development in the heart of the industrial area supporting Seattle’s deepwater port. Port operations support 46,800 maritime-related jobs and contributes $16.3 billion in economic activity through international maritime trade as a part of The Northwest Seaport Alliance in partnership with the Port of Tacoma.
The Port believes the Ordinance is an unlawful spot rezone. It appears that substantially all of the developable land covered by the Council’s action is controlled by one property owner. Other parcels covered by the Ordinance are fully developed for railroad or stadium uses. It is clear the obvious target for this amendment is to the benefit of this one owner.
The Port and its coalition partners, through this appeal, ask for the implementation of the ordinance to be blocked and to be found in violation of state land use policies.
“The Port feels we must take these actions to defend industrially zoned lands critical to our economic development and job creation mission,” said Port of Seattle Executive Director Steve Metruck. “The harmful impact to maritime and industrial operations caused by this spot rezone were not dutifully considered and there are many inconsistencies with state, county, and local land use regulations.”
“The impact this spot rezone will have on freight mobility will directly impact our brothers and sisters who have dedicated their careers to the movement of goods in and out of our deepwater port,” said ILWU Local 19 President Mark Elverston. “These family wage union jobs have supported our members for generations and it’s a disappointment to see our livelihood and our working waterfront be put at risk for a spot zone for one property owner.”
“Our truck operators depend on efficient and dependable routes to bring goods to and from the port and this spot rezone will cause irreparable harm to key freight routes,” said Sheri Call, Washington Trucking Associations President and CEO. “Our members already plan around events at the stadiums due to the traffic congestion. This amendment will only increase the safety and traffic impacts that will make it harder to ensure freight mobility and protection of our livelihood to bring goods to our deepwater port.”
“In the Duwamish Valley, we live the impacts of environmental injustice every day — surrounded by industry, burdened by pollution, and too often excluded from decisions that shape our future," said Duwamish River Community Coalition Executive Director Paulina López. "Placing housing next to freight corridors isn’t justice — it echoes the legacy of redlining, pushing low-income communities and communities of color into the most polluted, least protected areas. We cannot call it a solution if it puts families in harm’s way. If local leaders are truly committed to equity and affordable housing, they must step up as real partners — investing in safe, healthy, and free from pollution initiatives. Our communities deserve better!”
“Cargo customers around the world want to quickly get goods through ports into the hands of consumers,” said The Northwest Seaport Alliance CEO John Wolfe. “We are concerned that this action may create unnecessary and unneeded risk to our operations, as well as greater uncertainty for our customers to get Washington goods out of our region to the rest of the world, which may impact the trade economy statewide.”
Contact
Perry Cooper | SEA Airport
[email protected]
