The Tukwila City Council will hold two public hearings Monday (Nov. 9), one on the city’s property tax levy and the other on the development agreement for the Washington Place tower.
The hearings are part of the council’s Committee of the Whole meeting at 7 p.m. at the council’s chambers, Tukwila City Hall, 6200 Southcenter Boulevard.
The levy hearing is a routine part of amending the city’s two-year budget at its midpoint.
The city is proposing a maximum 1 percent increase in the property-tax levy but it must show there is “substantial need” to do so. That would raise about $14.7 million in property taxes that includes new construction in 2016.
The action comes following the city’s notification in October that its assessed valuation is $5,222,624,289.
In the proposed budget ordinance, the city points to the needs of parks, residential and arterial streets, city facilities and police and fire services as the reasons for the maximum levy.
Final approval of the necessary tax-related ordinances would occur at the Nov. 16 regular council meeting. The City Council will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. Nov. 23 on the entire budget amendment.
Following completion of detailed drawings for a building permit, the developers of the 19-story Washington Place on Andover Park East determined they need an additional five feet in height.
To get that additional height, they will need an amendment to the development agreement with the City of Tukwila.
The building’s height would increase from 190 feet to 195 feet if the change is approved.
Council members also will consider bids the city has received to demolish four motels and a smoke shop on or near Tukwila International Boulevard.
One of the motels, the Travelers Choice, is in an alternate bid because 4Culture, a regional nonprofit group that supports the arts, history and education, has expressed interest in it.
