City committee advances Westlake regional hub resolution to full council

The Seattle City Council Human Services, Labor & Economic Development Committee on Friday recommended passage of a resolution creating a vision and guiding principles for a regional transportation hub adjacent to Westlake Park.

Interim Seattle Office of Economic Development Director Alicia Teal told the committee the draft was developed through the Westlake Civic Committee and stakeholder interviews and is intended as a starting point for how the monorail update, park renovations and the Sound Transit project might knit together. "This was developed through input from the Westlake Civic Committee," Teal said, noting that each project will have its own public process.

The committee discussed how resident voice will be incorporated. A downtown resident who spoke during public comment urged "meaningful residential involvement" and said downtown residents are subject-matter experts on how public spaces function day and night.

Chair Alexis Mercedes Rink moved the committee recommendation to pass the resolution; the motion was seconded and the clerk recorded a roll-call vote of 4 in favor, 0 opposed. The committee's recommendation will be transmitted to the full City Council for consideration on March 3.

The resolution, read into the record as "Resolution 3 to 1 9 1" during the meeting, outlines an integrated approach for functionality, safety, urban compatibility and guiding principles for future public projects adjacent to Westlake Park. OED and partner agencies emphasized that project-specific outreach (for example, Sound Transit, Seattle Center and Seattle Parks and Recreation) will continue as the designs move forward.

The committee did not amend the resolution in committee and took no other formal action beyond the committee recommendation. The full City Council will consider the resolution at its March 3 meeting.