Image: Henry Rosoff
One of the classic manipulations that NIMBYs like to use is the "we're doing this for your own good" technique. Take for instance micro-housing opponents, who would say that it wasn't fair to make people live in such small conditions, even though tiny apartment tenants were completely happy with their personal decision. You had to figure that the recently-opened homeless camp in Interbay was going to face some NIMBY resistance and it seems to be coming in the form of the Interbay Neighborhood Association. The group is alleging that the site of the homeless camp at 3234 17th Ave. W. is known to have trichloroethylene, or TCE, in it's soil. That's a fact that even the camp proponents seem to agree with. What they disagree with is whether or not it's actually an issue. Seattle City Light, who owns the spot, says "There is no risk of exposure to contaminated soil." The director of the Low Income Housing Institute also says the area is "absolutely safe." The area has been topped with asphalt and the 80 tents are all either on the asphalt or plywood pallets over the ground. The neighborhood association is sticking with their line that this is about the city protecting vulnerable people in the environment, which we'd believe if they haven't been trying to get the camp disbanded for months.
· Seattle's first city-sanctioned homeless camps open [K5]
· Businesses say Seattle homeless camp is rising on contaminated site [PSBJ]
· Homeless encampment proposed for Interbay [QA&M]
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