A consultant hired by the city has chosen an Interbay Golf Course overflow parking lot as the top pick for replacing Fire Station No. 20 on 13th Avenue West. Second- and third-place picks are on Seattle City Light property at the corner of 17th Ave. W. and W. Bertona St. and on Northwest Label property at the corner of 20th Ave. W. and W. Bertona St., respectively.
The EnviroIssues recommendation flies in the face of objections made earlier this year by Fleets and Facilities and the Seattle Fire Department, which said any location on 15th Avenue West was unacceptable because of traffic concerns and that any location west of 15th Avenue West was unacceptable because the area would be subject to liquefaction in an earthquake.
Seattle City Council member Tim Burgess, who chairs the Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee, doesn't see a problem. "Liquefaction, in my mind, is not a fatal flaw," he said.
Concerned Neighbors of Fire Station 20, a group of neighbors near the station, raised alarm about the plan when it was first announced and spent hundreds of hours researching the issue, according to member Valerie Paganelli.
"It's not just about saving homes," she said.
The estimated cost of a new station has been pegged at $7.3 million, but Fleets and Facilities has estimated that it would cost an additional $1 million plus to build at the golf course site because of soil conditions, according to the briefing.
A traffic light is already in place at the entrance to the golf course parking lots at the intersection of 15th Ave. W. and West Armour St., but the briefing paper notes that additional signalization may be necessary, along with emergency controls to give the fire department control of the intersection.[[In-content Ad]]
