Gotta love the overall “this is doomed” tone from the conservative Seattle times. Converting buildings is challenging, but this is prime waterfront real estate near the light rail/amtrak. There are likely hundreds of old office buildings that could be converted into thousands of apartments/condos if the will is there, which would help solve real issues in Seattle.
Its a silver bullet if we can get the conversion process streamlined or improved. More housing means more people downtown, which means more business and culture and improved tax revenue for city improvements while retaining all the traffic, climate and employement benefits of work from home. The downtown becomes a place for people, making seattle more walkable and liveable.
This location is not close to the Amtrak station and isn't especially close to the light rail, but it does have some other public transit, mostly buses. And it's not too crazy to walk to the light rail, just not really close.
It's still a good location with lots of amenities, just not super for light rail/train service.
Source: I live here, have been to the area many times using public transit/walking.
That general area is absolutely fantastic for public transit. I used to live in the International District, and the easy access to transit was really fantastic. Everything right there: light rail, streetcar, Amtrak, and for the drivers, I-5 and I-90. Also walkable to a lot of locations. Really great, livable neighborhood overall. Too bad it tends to get neglected.
