Board staff recommends Denny’s demolition

A memo from two Seattle Landmarks and Preservation Board staff members concludes there’s no financially feasible solution for keeping the Denny’s building, reports Knute Berger in Crosscut. “In their memo to the board, Gordon and Chave say they have met with the owner at least four times and are convinced that there is no scenario in which the ‘character defining features’ of the building can be preserved without ‘compromising their ability to realize a reasonable return on their investment,'” Berger writes. As we wrote yesterday, the board will hear Benaroya Company’s case today (Wednesday). You might remember, the board went against the staff’s recommendations when it designated the building a landmark three months ago, so the memo is no indication of how the board will vote to proceed.

We’ll attend the meeting and post the latest updates here on My Ballard. According to the agenda, the item could come up as late as 5:30 p.m.

Update: Now the Seattle PI is on the story.