Negotiations between the University of Washington and Seattle City Hall over redeveloping Rainier Square offer a rare look at the anatomy of a deal and raises the question: Did the city leave millions in affordable-housing fees on the table?
Stand at the corner of Fifth Avenue and University Street in downtown Seattle and you’re on University of Washington property. Drive along these blocks and the same is true.
Through a quirk of history, these holdings gave the UW a strategic edge in long-running negotiations with City Hall over the university’s Rainier Square property, where a 58-story, boot-shaped tower and a smaller hotel are planned, awaiting permits.