Seattle's 'Amazone' and why it went unreported so long

One of the curious aspects of the story about here on Oct. 1 and in the Daily Journal of Commerce just before, took so long to become public. One obvious reason is that three of the most secretive institutions in town (Amazon; Vulcan, the real estate developer; and Mayor Greg Nickels dealmaking shop) wanted it that way and are powerful enough to make that stick. To be sure, high-stakes real estate deals like this normally operate in the shadows, lest competitors pick off a tenant or opponents find ways to sabotage the package. But a deal this big was very widely known by other real estate interests I talked to. In fact, it might have had smoother sailing if it were public that the prize tenant was Amazon, which is a popular company, and not just Vulcan out in front, which is not exactly beloved. Similarly, the secretive way the deal was being negotiated at City Hall, complete with code name "Rufus," bred resentment at the City Council and among the planning bureaucracy. The council in the end extracted a few more drops of blood from Vulcan. Someday soon we'll learn what kind of design and urbanistic features the planners were able to negotiate. The public, meanwhile, is asked to simply trust great big corporations that they have the public good in mind. I also wonder whether many Amazon employees were asked what they might like to have in their new home. One Amazonian I talked to, in the dark about the move, said, "Typical. We'll find out about it the day the moving trucks show up." One puzzle to me is why Amazon is only a renter, not an owner of the huge project. (The City doesn't want us to use the word "campus," which sounds too office-parky.) Vulcan, one could argue, is too large an owner in the area, imposing a kind of uniformity and driving off other developers. They are dedicated to high-end retail, as opposed to some funkier, service shops in the mix. Possibly Amazon would have done a better job in keeping some character in the neighborhood, known now for antique shops and the odd arts venue. South Lake Union is sometimes compared to Portland's Pearl District, in part because both now have a streetcar. But the Pearl was built out by a handful of developers, each about the same size, which produced more competition, more architectural variety, and an openness to smaller owners. Vulcan, by contast, is a difficult partner and a spreading oak tree that shades out lesser developers. That said, there was never much doubt that the City would work aggressively to keep Amazon in town and to make it the signature campus of South Lake Union. (Would you want to be the politician who lost this deal?) And so, I propose renaming the area The Amazone. Seattle now has a clear physical embodiment of the way the New Economy has taken over our economy. Think about that as you madly use Amazon.com to send those last minute gifts.