In the News: MOHAI Agreement With the City

• September 20, 2010
• No Comment
• Preservation in the News

On September 16th at the Seattle City Council Parks and Seattle Center Committee meeting, six Councilmembers voted to recommend passing Council Bill 116995 (there was on abstention), related to the redevelopment of the old Naval Reserve Armory Building at the south end of Lake Union and amending the development agreement between the City of Seattle and the Museum of History and Industry, or MOHAI. The museum is slated to relocate to the armory building because its current building in Montlake will be demolished as a result of the SR 520 expansion.  MOHAI will receive substantial mitigation money from the State for the major cost of relocating its museum and rehabilitating the landmark Armory Building.

MAin2 first posted about this issue on September 2nd. At the Sept 16th committee meeting, Council Chambers was filled with MOHAI supporters from a broad spectrum. The full City Council vote on the MOHAI agreement will be on September 27th. Parks and Seattle Center Committee Chair, Councilmember Sally Bagshaw, has an update on her blog. The local media and blogs have been following the issue. Here are some interesting links to follow:

• The SLOG in The Stranger (September 16, 2010): “Acerbic Council Says MOHAI Will Get All the Money.”
• Seattle Times (September 16, 2010): “McGinn Balks, but committee OKs $7 million for MOHAI.”
• Crosscut (September 19, 2010): “MOHAI: Is the Mayor Looking Ahead?”
• The Conversation on KUOW (September 9, 2010): “Bye-bye to MOHAI?”
• Crosscut (September 3, 2010): “The Mayor, the MOHAI, and the moolah.”
• The SLOG in The Stranger (September 1, 2010): “MOHAI Rejects Mayor’s Request to Give Up Funding.”