The Buried Assessment of Prospect Avenue
A long-forgotten ordinance from the city's past resurfaces, hitting property owners with an unexpected bill for a street expansion years in the making.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The property owners along Prospect Avenue, between Kentucky and Farm streets, will probably be surprised to learn that an assessment is to be levied upon them for the opening up of that avenue in 1888 between Ash and Box streets. In the fall of that year an ordinance was passed establishing and extending Prospect Avenue between Ash and Box streets, and providing for condemnation of property required to carry out the work. The work was done and the property taken was paid for, but by some oversight the necessary proceedings toward levy of an assessment were not taken. Corporation Counsel Donworth dug this buried omission out of the debris of past administrations, and after many days the assessment is to be made. Corliss P. Stone, A. M. Gilman, and J. D. Smith were appointed appraisers under the old ordinance and they made awards to property owners for property taken. The sum of $6,000 must accordingly be raised by levy on the property benefited, which is declared to be four blocks each side of the block in question. The assessed valuation is $104,000, and Mr. Donworth's ordinance fixes a levy of 5.6 mills on the property valuation of each lot.
“Corporation Counsel Donworth dug this buried omission out of the debris of past administrations.”
This story highlights a classic Seattle struggle: the long tail of infrastructure development and the confusion of municipal record-keeping. Today's property owners still contend with local improvement districts (LIDs) and sudden assessments for utility or street work that often feel disconnected from the original planning phases.
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