The Sites:
Then There Were Three
These are the three sites under consideration for the new ballpark. Details can be found on each site by clicking the corresponding details link. The detail pages contain mock-ups and photos of the sites. Also included is the PFD's site evaluation criteria in a convenient table form.

NORTH KINGDOME
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The north Kingdome lot is attractive to many because it is believed a good design would be an asset to the neighboring communities of Pioneer Square and the International District, and therefore benefit the city and region. Transportation access is good, with rail, bus, trolley and highway access nearby. Pedestrian access is the best of all three sites.

The site is small. At 13.3 acres it would be a feat to build a retractable-roof stadium on the site and still meet criteria for design compatibility with the historic buildings. And the entire site is subject to an 85-foot height restriction and Pioneer Square Preservation District use and development regulations. As with parts of the south lot, a conditional use permit or rezone would be required to accommodate a structure that is over 200 feet high.

This site, too, has strong opposition from the Pioneer Square business community. They fear the congestion resulting from simultaneous ballpark and Kingdome events would suffocate their businesses, and many are convinced that the size of the ballpark would overwhelm the low-rise brick buildings in the area.

SOUTH KINGDOME
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On the south side of the Kingdome itself, the South Kingdome site shares many advantages with the North Kingdome site. One obvious advantage is the fact that a stadium is already there, with access and support issues well understood. Parking is available, no contamination is known to exist and no height restrictions apply east of Occidental Avenue.

But putting a stadium on this 15.4-acre site would require closing Occidental and displacing some businesses and jobs on that street. And west of Occidental an 85-foot height restriction is in place, requiring either a conditional use permit or a rezone from the city -- in an area where Pioneer Square Preservation District use and development regulations apply.

ACKERLEY SITE
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Located on the south side of Royal Brougham Way but west of the BN tracks, the Ackerley site, is the largest of the three at 19.4 acres. It is big enough for construction staging and parking. Transportation links are good, and pedestrian access to Pioneer Square and downtown is feasible. There is no height limit for the entire site.

Train traffic would be an issue at this site. To build a stadium with a sunken field would be an expensive proposition at this location, as the water table is close to the surface. And it would require moving a buried eight-foot-diameter sewer pipe that runs the length of the 710-foot property.

This site also has some vocal opposition from the community, mainly because the businesses now located on it would be forced out. The two main employers on the block, Filson and Thaw Corp., both manufacture sewn goods and say they would be unable to move their workforce elsewhere.

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Copyright © 1996 Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce.