Seattle City Council Unanimously Backs 2027 Bond Measure to Revitalize Aging Seattle Center Campus
Seattle Today Newsroom
June 10, 2026
The Seattle City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to support a potential 2027 bond measure aimed at funding long-overdue infrastructure upgrades at Seattle Center, a campus built for the 1962 World’s Fair whose core systems have not received a major investment in more than three decades.
The joint resolution, sponsored by Councilmember Rob Saka and Mayor Katie Wilson, formally expresses the council’s intent to consider a bond measure in 2027 and calls on the mayor to include funding in upcoming budgets to advance near-term projects including an Armory renovation and planning for an expanded veterans memorial. The resolution also encourages Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities to partner with Seattle Center on transitioning the campus toward carbon-neutral operations.
Seattle Center attracted 11.3 million visitors in 2025 and generated an estimated $3.3 billion in economic activity, making it one of the Pacific Northwest’s most visited cultural destinations. Despite that scale, the campus has not received a significant infrastructure investment since 1991. Much of its electrical, plumbing, and life-safety infrastructure is now more than 60 years old, a reality that city officials say has become impossible to defer any longer.
Picture Credit: Expedia
Saka, who chairs the Transportation, Waterfront, and Seattle Center Committee, framed the resolution as part of a broader commitment to backing the city’s stated values with tangible investment. “I’m thrilled that my City Council colleagues join me in supporting Seattle Center as a treasured hub for arts, culture, sports, and community gatherings in our city,” Saka said. He also connected the resolution to the council’s April legislation affirming Seattle’s readiness to welcome back an NBA team. “Today, we are putting forward a concrete plan and schedule, committing to specific actions that back our stated values with tangible investment from city and philanthropic partners.”
Councilmember Bob Kettle, whose district includes Seattle Center, described the campus as one of Seattle’s defining civic spaces and said reinvestment is long overdue. “Seattle Center is undoubtedly our iconic civic centerpiece, and it’s time we reinvest and revitalize it,” Kettle said.
Acting Seattle Center Director Randy Engstrom said the revitalization effort is about more than infrastructure. “As we look toward 2027, this revitalization effort is a chance to strengthen the creative economy that thrives here and ensure this 74-acre civic ecosystem continues to serve Seattle for generations,” Engstrom said.
The resolution now heads to Mayor Wilson for her signature. If a bond measure is ultimately approved by voters in 2027, it would provide capital funding for infrastructure upgrades and other projects across the campus.
