Displacement Controversy Arrives in SeaTac

Nina Shapiro reports from the city of SeaTac, Washington, where development plans are creating a controversy among immigrant communities concerned about gentrification and displacement.

Fierce opposition and a lawsuit have emerged since the city approved the sale of three, adjacent city-owned parcels along Tukwila International Boulevard. Shapiro explains the condition of the properties, which set the stage for controversies:

Yet the city’s land is already home to as many as 50 enterprises, more than 30 of them in the warren-like mall, which lies in a larger shopping and restaurant complex. Developed over the past decade as low South King County rents made the area a magnet for diversity, the complex has become a regional gathering point for Somali Americans in particular.

With the land sold, Spokane-based development company Inland Group (also known as CAP Acquisitions) has also acquired approval to build five new buildings on the property. "The $15.5 million deal, if it survives contingency periods and closes next fall as planned, would create commercial space and 665 units served by a fitness center, movie-theater room, business center and other amenities," explains Shapiro.