I would like to see the GSA complex developed into a tech campus.
How many cities have that much available land to develop right near their downtown core? What happens with the GSA complex could change the destiny of Auburn.
The Auburn Economic Development Strategy, Existing Conditions Analysis states that Auburn has lower income levels per household, higher poverty levels and lower education levels than the rest of the Seattle Metropolitan Area. A well thought out development on the GSA site could change that trajectory by bringing in good paying tech jobs on to a state of the art campus.
The GSA site offers plenty of space for an employment campus for the likes of Amazon, Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc. There is room for growth as well. Just look at the area north of 15th Street Southwest and south of Highway 18. It seems to me that there is a lot of land in that section that is under utilized or could be better utilized. The school buses could be parked elsewhere, and there are other enterprises located there that don’t seem to be very active.
With that additional land, a tech company could have a campus that runs down from Highway 18 to the south end of the GSA property.
Imagine thousands of good paying tech jobs in Auburn. The employees could arrive and depart via the Sounder and practically walk right onto campus. Employees could arrive biking or walking via the Interurban trail. Employees could catch one of the daily trains to Portland or up to Vancouver, B.C., for business meetings.
Employees could exercise at the YMCA, which would be right next to their campus. Employees could shop and dine in Auburn. Employees could enjoy the various art and cultural events that occur in Auburn. Best of all, employees could be Auburnites.
To have that much land so close to a downtown core become available for development is a rare occurrence. Just look at the location and the possibilities. It would be a great disappointment if such an opportunity were not developed into thousands of good paying jobs.
– Judson Scott
