No: It's a bad route
The Seattle City Council is considering a proposal to extend the Burke-Gilman Trail through the heart of Ballard's maritime, industrial and manufacturing area. The community-based businesses in the area support bicycling as a transportation alternative and for recreation. But this proposed route creates serious consequences relating to safety, land use, jobs and the economy.
City Council members have an opportunity to demonstrate that they want public facilities to be safe, want to protect living-wage jobs, want a healthy maritime, industrial and manufacturing sector, and are working to improve the area's economy. Council members can also show that they will ensure the city follows its land-use laws.
The proposed trail would travel along Northwest 45th Street, Shilshole Avenue Northwest, Ballard Avenue Northwest and Northwest Vernon Place. This will place bicyclists and pedestrians in conflict with an active railroad and some of the neighborhood's busiest arterials and heavy industrial traffic. The route will cross dozens of industrial and commercial driveways and loading areas. It will have to cross Shilshole Avenue — and its heavy traffic — twice.
It's also likely, according to the city, that many bicyclists won't follow the signs diverting them to Ballard Avenue, instead traveling the most dangerous parts of Shilshole Avenue. The proposed route creates a real danger that someone will be injured or killed.
The Ballard industrial and maritime area provides thousands of living-wage jobs. The proposed route's impacts will eliminate jobs. Liability insurance is a key factor. Introducing conflicts between trail users and industrial activities will increase liability. Businesses along the route have already been advised they likely will be unable to obtain affordable liability insurance. Without coverage, they will be forced to move or close.
For maritime and marine-dependent businesses, there is nowhere else to go. Because businesses in the area depend on each other for goods and services, closures will ripple through the whole community. Building a recreational trail will not replace these lost jobs, and unlike a trail, maritime and water-dependent businesses cannot locate elsewhere.
The Ballard industrial and maritime area provides millions of dollars in tax revenues to the city every year. Hurting these businesses will cut city tax revenues. A study conducted in 1989 by a noted economist and a University of Washington professor indicated that manufacturing and wholesale trade jobs accounted for 50 percent of the business and occupation tax revenue the city received from the North Seattle Industrial Area. A 1996 study by the Central Puget Sound Economic Development District indicated that average wages in the Ballard industrial area were $360 per month higher than the King County average.
The Ballard maritime and industrial area provides living-wage jobs that create real revenue for the city and help keep our economy going.
In addition, there are roughly 1,000 fishing boats that come to Seattle each year. Each of these boats contributes up to $1 million of outside investment into our economy. These boats will have to go elsewhere if they can't get the fuel, supplies, repairs and services they need.
The city's land-use policies and zoning code designate this portion of Ballard as an industrial area, giving special priority to water-dependent uses such as Ballard's fishing industry. Under these laws, maritime, industrial and manufacturing uses are supposed to receive the highest priority and protection from conflicting uses.
Recreational facilities are only allowed if they are compatible with these higher-priority uses. Routing a bike path through the heart of the maritime, industrial area ignores these policies, elevating recreational uses above industrial businesses that provide family-wage jobs. Furthermore, the neighborhood plan for the area specifies the trail extension should be located away from the industrial area.
There are serious questions about whether the proposed route complies with the state growth management and environmental policy acts, as well as Seattle's comprehensive plan, shoreline master program, industrial land-use policies and the industrial area's neighborhood plan.
A number of organizations oppose the route through Ballard's maritime and industrial area. They include the Ballard Interbay Northend Manufacturing Industrial Council, the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the King County Labor Council, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council No. 28 and Teamsters Local 174.
In no other location along its entire length will the Burke-Gilman Trail encounter more conflicts than through the heart of Ballard's industrial and maritime area. The proposed route is in almost constant conflict with heavy trucks, an active railroad, forklift traffic, loading docks, commercial parking and busy arterial streets.
A route outside the industrial area will be safer, save jobs, help the economy and adhere to the city's land-use laws. The City Council should find a better solution.
Paul Nerdrum is vice president of Salmon Bay Sand & Gravel and co-chairman of the North Seattle Industrial Association's Transportation Committee.