Geeky Swedes

The group that’s worked hard to save the Denny’s building from demolition has sent My Ballard a letter responding to Benaroya Company’s lawsuit. Save Manning’s calls it an “obvious scare tactic” that’s designed to influence the administrative appeal process. “It’s one thing to try to overturn the Board’s decision. It’s another to go after the Landmarks Preservation Ordinance itself,” reads the letter. “The attack on the ordinance is a vindictive action by those who feel a great sense of entitlement. Rather than braying about how they’ve been ‘injured’ from an economic standpoint or deprived of their ‘rights,’ why not use their seemingly endless energy and resources to propose a win-win solution—one that preserves the building (not as a boarded up Denny’s but as a rehabilitated building), allows for an economically viable new development, and enhances the neighborhood? We have repeatedly shown there is a feasible alternative to demolition.”

The letter continues, “Save Manning’s is not anti-development. We are for sensitive and appropriate new development within the context of Ballard and Seattle’s existing built environment…. Let this decision stand; it was made thoughtfully, appropriately and legally.” The full letter follows below…

The Benaroya Company has filed suit in King County Superior Court to challenge the Landmark Preservation Board’s vote to designate the Ballard Denny’s building as a historic landmark. The lawsuit aims to reverse the board’s decision. “The boarded up former Denny’s is not an important historic or architectural building, nor the work of a significant architect,” said Marc Nemirow, spokesman for Benaroya, in a press release emailed to My Ballard. “The landmark board agreed with these conclusions, but incredulously decided to designate the building a landmark anyway. This action isn’t legal.” Crosscut’s Knute Berger writes that the lawsuit “alleges, among other things, that the Landmarks Board action is ‘illegal and erroneous,’ that it violated procedure, and that it violated the owner’s constitutional rights.”

Meanwhile, Nemirow says Benaroya will move forward with the administrative process and “assist the board in a proper evaluation of the economic impacts of its decision.” We’ll post reaction from the building’s supporters as soon as we get it. The press release announcing the lawsuit follows below…