For example, a successful cleanup action requires the completion of a number of tasks, each one of which can lead to delays and increased costs. For properties which have not completed the regulatory process, it can be extremely difficult to obtain financing or to find investment and redevelopment capital, because environmental liability is joint and several. In this, and in other ways, the barriers in each of the three categories can interact to cripple the redevelopment potential of properties with complex contamination problems. The City of Seattle has a strong interest in maintaining both the economic and environmental health of the Duwamish Industrial Area. Economic health is jeopardized by the high cost of unnecessary cleanup actions.
Environmental health is jeopardized by the lack of focus which results in delayed cleanup actions.
With its overlapping positions as property owner, permitting agency, and political body, the City of Seattle already participates actively in the cleanup and redevelopment process. What remains to be decided is whether the City will choose to escalate its involvement, and bring its technical, political and financial resources to bear in an attempt to break up the redevelopment logjam. Because government involvement in complex issues has risks, it is prudent for the City to consider its full range of options before making any policy changes or initiating new programs. Some potential options for City involvement are presented below. The Port of Seattle's Southwest Harbor project provides one example of how the barriers to cleanup and redevelopment can be overcome.