Times/News
SeaTac will receive land along Bow Lake for a pedestrian trail in exchange for city approval of plans for a 1,000- to 1,200-stall parking garage on International Boulevard.
The swap was part of a development agreement okayed Aug. 9 by SeaTac council members.
The parking structure is planned for 18400 and 18500 International Boulevard, site of a current Master Park surface lot.
The structure is to be finished within 10 years.
Even if the garage is not built within the specified time, the city will receive the shoreline property behind the parking site, Roger McCracken of International Boulevard LLC told lawmakers.
The Washington State Department of Transportation currently leases a strip of land along International Boulevard in front of the site.
The developers will try to negotiate an agreement to take back the land, McCracken said.
In other business, council members voted to allow the city of Des Moines to defer part of it payment for operation of the Mt. Rainier Pool in Des Moines.
Under an agreement, Des Moines was to pay $75,000 a year for the pool's operation.
Des Moines will now be able to defer paying $50,000 a year until the agreement is ended or funding is needed for a major capital expense.
According to staffers, the expenses at the pool are not as much as had been expected.
"I am not happy about Des Moines deferring, but I understand the situation," Councilman Ralph Shape observed.
SeaTac will continue to pay $25,000 per year while Normandy Park will pay $15,000 and the Highline School District, $20,000.
The Highline branch of the YMCA is expected to build a pool in SeaTac as part of a new facility on South 188th Street.
Lawmakers also formally appointed interim city manager Craig Ward as city manager. They also authorized an employment agreement for Ward.
Ward reported that Sound Transit staffers would recommend that the new light rail station in the city be named SeaTac/Airport.
SeaTac council members had recommended that the name be SeaTac City Center/Airport, but Ward said he was satisfied that the city's name was listed first.
SeaTac is spelled without a hyphen while Sea-Tac International Airport contains a hyphen in its name.
The Sound Transit board was expected to vote on the name on Aug. 11. But the meeting was canceled, due to a lack of a quorum.
SeaTac lawmakers are taking a summer break and will hold their next study session and regular meeting on Sept. 13.
