According to city officials, the mayor has proposed a 2.5-mile streetcar line that will run from Westlake Center to the South Lake Union biotechnology center that is being built by billionaire Paul Allen. The mayor is aiming to have the project completed by 2005, although he has not yet figured out how to finance it.
As a result of the project, Westlake Center would become a major transportation hub, linking Seattle's bus, monorail and streetcar lines. The new streetcar route would provide transportation to the city's most densely populated neighborhoods, as well as its most neglected areas.
Allen's Vulcan Inc., South Lake Union's most dominant landowner, hopes that the streetcars will link this growing neighborhood to the rest of Seattle, which would be a key aspect in opening new traffic corridors and promoting future development in surrounding areas.
Vulcan is currently developing several projects in the South Lake Union area, including 2200 Westlake, a mixed-use project; Interurban Exchange, an office complex along Terry Aveue; and a biomedical building at 307 Westlake Ave. N.
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