The Why and How of Locating a School in Downtown Seattle

Amidst an ongoing boom, downtown Seattle is still missing one key component to a vibrant and sustainable urban revitalization, according to an article by Doug Trumm: a school.

After detailing the growth of Seattle's population, as well as growing school enrollment, Trumm states his argument: "Seattle certainly should seek to strengthen its schools to retain and attract more residents seeking to raise families."

Among the factors working against the Seattle Public Schools adding a school downtown: the perception that downtown residents don't want or have children and the price of downtown real estate. Along those latter lines, Trumm notes the example of the former Federal Reserve Bank in Seattle, which Seattle Public Schools had in its sights but didn't have the funds to acquire (SPS had budgeted $6 million for the land; the property eventually sold for $16 million).