Federal/Republican park space: Mayor says 'I'll buy it!'

There's still no deal in the negotiations for the city to purchase the empty lots at the corner of Federal and Republican for a new Capitol Hill park. But the Parks Department has been authorized to spend the money necessary to buy the land.

Seattle Parks spokesperson Don Harris tells CHS that talks with the investment group that owns the land are progressing but that the Mayor's office requested a review of the purchase plan. According to Harris, Mayor Mike McGinn has signed off on the plan. "The concern is with all these new projects, it was a momentary question," Harris said. "Let's think about this. Well, the decision was that acquiring this land makes sense." Harris said the approval is not for a specific dollar amount but was basically a go/no go decision.

Parks planners have said they expect to spend around $1.3 million to acquire land for the latest new Capitol Hill park. The situation has been playing out for months. In March, the landowner surprised nearby residents when it installed a chain link fence surrounding the property.

A representative for Fedrep Investors, LLC, the company that owns the land targeted by Seattle Parks for the new project, told CHS that the group has nothing to say about the negotiations at this time.