Thank ’90s Seattle for the lack of city parks

A lid over I-5 wouldn’t be necessary if the people of the ’90s had just listened to one proposal.

The Seattle Commons, a 60-acre park along the Westlake corridor in South Lake Union, was studied by a committee backed by Paul Allen. Allen loaned the committee $20 million to start buying land.

Unfortunately for those people dreaming of a park, Seattle voters rejected tax levies to support the project, and land purchased for the park was transferred to Allen, The Seattle Times reported in 2012. And instead of greenspace, development of what is now a corridor of high-tech businesses began.

Related: Seattle’s latest movement wants to remove I-5 from view

Now, a group is studying the feasibility of placing a lid over I-5, which could easily become a park. KIRO Radio’s Tom Tangney says if voters had just supported the Seattle Commons, the need for a park wouldn’t be there &#8211 although I-5 would still be dividing the city.

Tom points out that the reason the 60-acre park didn’t receive support is, in part, because people didn’t want to see local businesses disperse. There was also a lot of resentment to the idea that, eventually, a few would enjoy living next to the park, he explains. And the potential taxes weren’t too desirable either.

“It got defeated by a combination of people on the right and the left,” he said. “Now we don’t have it.”

KIRO Radio’s John Curley says people were “short-sighted.” Some believed those little mom and pop stores would last forever.

“How naive,” he said.

Instead, the high-tech corridor they were fearing, became a reality. And there is no park.