Gotta go with the mayor’s position on protecting industrial land use zoning in Sodo.

South of Safeco Field and north of King County Airport, a tug-of-war is brewing between the city and property owners who want to convert their properties from industrial use to office-retail. The reason for this? Developers feel they can make alot more money from office-retail space than they can from industrial space.

What’s really surprising here is the mayor’s position on this, he actually wants to preserve the industrial zoning! And this is actually a good thing for Seattle because it protects an important sector of our economy, international trade and the businesses that support it.

Working in the high tech field myself, I’m always happy to see the tech business sector do well, but it’s never wise to put all your eggs in one industry basket. And, it’s kinda nice to know there are parts of town where development doesn’t equal mixed-use condo/retail buildings with coffee and burrito shops on each corner.

What’s not surprising in this debate is the position the city council is taking, which is to take no position. The Times reported,

Steinbrueck said he is considering alternatives to the mayor’s plan, such as increasing the amount of industrial development allowed on a lot, rather than decreasing other uses.

Whatever. This is just par for the council. Do they even know how to take a stand on a controversial issue anymore? Anyway, it’s just fortunate in this case that the mayor (who generally tends to ignore them anyway) is on the right side of a land use issue.