July 24, 2003
Accord won’t bring rush to lease off campus
Now that the UW Board of Regents and the city of Seattle have removed the “lease lid” that limited UW leases outside of campus boundaries, there is not likely to be an immediate move for the University to lease off-campus properties.
The Board of Regents, at the July meeting, adopted a new City-University Agreement. This agreement already had been voted on by the Seattle City Council and signed by the mayor.
“The University is very pleased with the City Council action to eliminate the lease lid,” said Interim President Lee Huntsman. “We have a number of people to thank for this change, most importantly the mayor and council members (Jan) Drago and (Judy) Nicastro. We look forward to working with the city and community to continue the positive change started by the city and the Ave rebuilding project.”
Theresa Doherty, assistant vice president for regional affairs, says that growth in off-campus activity “will be as a result of a deliberative process that will occur over time. There are many factors that affect the need to relocate and locate current uses or new uses off campus, including the growth of research and the availability of suitable space on campus.”
Units that have space needs must first contact the Capital and Space Planning Office, which will determine if those needs can be met on campus. If there is not a suitable campus location, the unit will be referred to the Real Estate Office, which will identify suitable off-campus locations and, if necessary, negotiate contracts.
The UW was the last major institution in the city constrained by a lease lid, which limited its ability to lease outside its boundaries. The University was limited to leasing a maximum of 550,000 gross square feet in the areas near campus. Currently, the UW leases 543,000 square feet in the University District; about 85 percent of those leases are located near University Way Northeast.
All other institutions had lease lids removed in 1996. Recent legislation passed by the Seattle City Council and signed by the mayor not only removes this lid, but acknowledges that the University can play an important role in the revitalization of the University District through the creation of jobs, which stimulates demand among local businesses. The University also can encourage the creation of housing in the district, the agreement notes.
Executive Vice President Weldon Ihrig said, “Eliminating the lease lid gives us the flexibility to plan and help revitalize the Ave.”
Under the new agreement, the UW can lease property anywhere in the city, but its use and development must conform to the city’s zoning and land use code. In addition the UW will work toward leasing 75 percent of its space within the greater University District, in the planning area known as the University District Northwest Urban Center Village.
The new agreement contains language reflecting the commitment of both the city and the UW to promote and encourage housing development in the University District planning area. Last week the city and the UW held their first informal briefing with local developers to discuss the changes to the agreement and plans that the city has to evaluate barriers to housing development in the area.
The UW has agreed to create a housing complaint policy for UW students who live off campus so that they can report potential code violations to the appropriate city department. The UW will work with the city to provide information to student tenants about code compliance, tenants’ rights and other issues. In addition to the creation of this policy, the UW also agreed to finalize its “Guide to Student Community Relations — Neighbor to Neighbor Expectations,” and mail it to students by next fall.
Under the new agreement, the UW will report to the city every six months on University development, environmental impact, traffic counts, UW jobs in leased space, UW efforts to promote housing development, and how UW leasing is consistent with the neighborhood plan. In 2008, the city and the University will conduct a review of off-campus leasing. Unless the city and the University negotiate a new agreement to re-impose leasing limits, the current agreement will continue to be in effect.
