labor letter to sound transit

7/25/2019 Labor letter to Sound Transit

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December 22, 2015

Seattle Representatives, Sound Transit Board:

King Count !"ecutive Do# Constantine

Seattle $aor !d $urraSeattle Councilmember $i%e &'Brien

King Count Councilmember (arr )*illips

King Count Councilmember +oe $cDermott

co Board -dministrator

Sound Transit

.01 S +ac%son St/

Seattle, - 10.

R!: )roposed grocer store at Capitol 3ill T&D

Dear Board $embers,

e are #riting to e"press concern about c*oice o4 anc*or store tenant at t*e Capitol 3ill station transit

oriented development T&D6 pro7ect/

e vie# t*e Capitol 3ill (ig*t Rail T&D as t*e 4irst true lig*t rail T&D in t*e region, incorporating

planning across several sites, mi"ed8uses, Sound Transit land, and pedestrian orientation/ e also

believe it is a step 4or#ard 4or e9uitable T&D, born 4rom communit planning and including a44ordable

*ousing units, subsidied da care and communit space/ ;n man #as t*is T&D represents a model 4or

t*e region and visionar leaders*ip o4 Sound Transit 4or 4uture gro#t* in our region/

;n t*e spirit o4 ma%ing t*e Capitol 3ill T&D a model 4or e9uitable development as #ell, #e urge Sound

Transit to ensure t*at t*e commercial component o4 t*e pro7ect represents real gains 4or local

businesses and people most in need o4 economic opportunit/

e see access to 7obs 4or lo#8income communities and opportunities 4or locall8serving businesses as a

*ig* priorit 4or e9uitable T&D/ -s stated in )SRC's Growing Transit Communities Strategyreport:


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communities, additional strategies are needed to attract and retain e"isting and locall8o#ned

businesses and to lin% transit communit residents to 4amil #age 7obs/=

-s suc*, #e understand t*at t*e master developer, >erding !dlen, proposes to attract local businesses

4or smaller commercial spaces, but is not on course to do t*e same 4or t*e anc*or tenant space in Site -/

e understand 4rom >erding !dlen's proposal t*at t*e are in tal%s #it* erding

!dlen submitted its proposal/2urt*ermore, #e also note t*at >erding !dlen's identi4ied retail arc*itect,

(SR arc*itects, is t*e designer o4 man e# Seasons stores/

-s discussed belo#, #e believe t*at e# Seasons, i4 c*osen b t*e developer, could be a sub8optimal

anc*or tenant/ $ore broadl, selection o4 e# Seasons b >erding !dlen raises 9uestions about *o#

Sound Transit s*ould be assessing t*e value o4 an anc*or tenant, not 7ust to pro7ect 4easibilit, but to

communit value and principles o4 e9uitable T&D/

&pportunit 4or a (ocall8o#ned -nc*or Tenante are puled #* Sound Transit #ould agree to an out o4 region anc*or tenant #*en #e *ave several,

*ome8gro#n c*oices o4 smaller, *ealt* 4oods grocer stores t*at #ould optimie local business

opportunit/

e stand in great admiration o4 and appreciation 4or t*e local communit group Capitol 3ill C*ampion,

#*o #or%ed long and *ard to develop communit priorities 4or t*e T&D pro7ect/ e note t*at in t*eir

iegeric* and $arc Stiles,


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Seattle grocer #or%ers *ave long organied 4or meaning4ul #age scales, good 4amil *ealt* bene4its at

little cost to t*e #or%er, and a de4ined bene4it pension/ Because o4 t*is, t*e industr represents one o4

t*e 4e# li4e8long career opportunities 4or people #it*out a college degree/ T*is is particularl bene4icial

to people o4 color #it* barriers to emploment and oung people see%ing careers/ e believe t*at

#*en ne# grocer stores t*at don't up*old t*ose 7ob standards locate in an e"isting urban mar%et, #e

are losing an important opportunit 4or economic e9uit/

e also note t*at t*e e# Seasons grocer c*ain *as *ad troubles on ot*er issues related to 7ob 9ualit/

e#s sources in )ortland *ave reported t*at e# Seasons #or%ers #*o #ant a voice on t*e 7ob *ave

alleged retaliation 4or union organiing and *ave described an anti8union climate in t*e stores/.-lso, a

cursor analsis o4 violation data 4rom t*e &ccupational Sa4et and 3ealt* -dministration s*o#s t*at

e# Seasons apparentl *as a rate o4 violations 4ive times *ig*er t*an t#o comparable local c*ains, )CC

$ar%ets and $etropolitan $ar%et, combined/5

&pportunit 4or !conomic Bene4it to t*e Communit

it* si" grocer stores alread located in t*e larger Capitol 3ill area #it*in G mile o4 t*e station6, it is

possible, i4 not li%el, t*at a ne# grocer store #ill dra# mar%et s*are a#a 4rom ot*ers/ *ile t*ere

ma be enoug* gro#t* on Capitol 3ill in t*e ne"t decade to minimie mar%et impacts on t*e ot*erstores, it begs t*e 9uestion #*et*er a ne# grocer store #ill add t*e most economic value to t*e

Capitol 3ill communit/ ;n 4act, t*e most recent mar%et analsis o4 7ust t*e smaller Broad#a Corridor

indicates a surplus o4 grocer retail/H-lt*oug* t*e same stud indicates t*at a specialt brand grocer

store is missing 4rom t*e CorridorIs mi" o4 retail, t*ere are several suc* stores in t*e broader Capitol 3ill

area t*at ma be impacted/

urt*ermore, t*ere is anot*er economic 4actor to consider in selecting a commercial tenant/ ;n a 2012

stud o4 a potential almart grocer store in S%#a, )uget Sound Sage 4ound t*at a ne# grocer store

in a #ell8served mar%et t*at *as lo#er 7ob standards can cause net economic drain 4or t*e communit,

as #ages and bene4its 4all/From a public planning perspective, t*is %ind o4 potential outcome can

undermine t*e value o4 transit oriented development to our communities/ e believe t*at selection o4an anc*or tenant in a T&D s*ould optimie bot* locall serving businesses and overall economic bene4its

to a communit/

-s Sound Transit continues to e"pand and *elp our region gro# more sustainabl, #e t*in% it is critical

to consider all t*e e9uit and economic opportunit dimensions to T&D planning/ e sincerel *ope

.B 3orace Boot*rod ;;;, Seasons $ar%et, )uget Consumers Co8op, and $etropolitan $ar%et/ Time period is 5 rs, 4rom 2011 to 2015/

-ccessed Dec 15, 2015/HKidder $at*e#s,


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t*at t*e Capitol 3ill T&D serves as a case stud and model 4or care4ul consideration o4 7ob 9ualit and

local economic impacts, not 7ust in Capitol 3ill, but along t*e entire lig*t rail corridor/

it* t*is in mind, #e urge ou to engage #it* >erding !dlen about t*e anc*or commercial tenant 4or

t*e pro7ect and as% #*et*er e# Seasons optimies communit value and e9uit/ -s t*e lease*older 4or

>erding !dlen's land, Sound Transit could also re9uire t*at 4inal selection o4 t*e tenant be a 7oint

decision, #*enever t*at ma occur/ T*is #ould ensure t*oug*t4ul analsis and consideration 4or all

4actors t*at #ould contribute to t*e pro7ect's success/ >oing 4or#ard, it #ould represent et anot*er

reason 4or our communities to support Sound Transit in ovember/

T*an% ou 4or our consideration/

Sincerel,

Rebecca SaldaMa N !"ecutive Director

Puget Sound Sage

Ric* Stol N !"ecutive Director

OneAmerica

+ill $angaliman N !"ecutive Director

Got Green

Sili Savusa N !"ecutive Director

White Center Community Development Association

$ic*ael Ramos N !"ecutive Director

Church Council of Greater Seattle

S*aron (ee N !"ecutive Director,

Low Income ousing Institute

+o*n Scearc N Secretar8Treasurer

!eamsters Local "nion #o$ %%&

$att 3ane N (ead Researc*er

S'I" ( Property Services #orthwest

labor letter to sound transit

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