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Jim Street Subject Files, 1967-1995

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Street, James, 1942-
Title
Jim Street Subject Files
Dates
1967-1995 (inclusive)
Quantity
14.2 cubic ft., (36 boxes)
Collection Number
4683-02
Summary
Subject files of Seattle City Council member Jim Street; includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, and studies relating to issues including land use, the downtown plan, neighborhood planning, housing, education, and economic development.
Repository
Seattle Municipal Archives
Seattle Municipal Archives
Office of the City Clerk
City of Seattle
PO Box 94728
98124-4728
Seattle, WA
Telephone: 2062337807
Fax: 2063869025
archives@seattle.gov
Access Restrictions

Records are open to the public.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

James Street was born August 9, 1942. He received a bachelors degree and Master of Public Affairs from Princeton University. Street served four years as an Air Force intelligence officer during the Vietnam War. Following the war, he was employed as an economist and budget analyst at the World Bank (1971-1974), but then enrolled at the University of Puget Sound where he received his law degree in 1977. Street practiced anti-trust and labor law with Schweppe, Krug, and Tausend, a Seattle law firm, from 1977-1983.

Street ran for City Council in 1983, defeating incumbent Jack Richards; his tenure began in January 1984. Street's primary issues while on Council were land use and regional growth and education issues. He served as chair of the Land Use Committee (1984-1989), Growth Policies and Regional Affairs Committee (1990-1995), and was Council President in 1994-1995. He also proposed and chaired the Council's first Education Committee (1988-1989). Street also served as president of the Puget Sound Regional Council in 1992 and 1993.

Street was a driving force behind the creation of the Department of Neighborhoods (DON) and the development of the Neighborhood Matching Fund grant program within DON. The bulk of his records documents Street's influence in land use issues, particularly in development of the City's comprehensive plan, establishing policies for major institutions, environmental protection, and downtown planning. He was also an advocate for low income housing and housing preservation. In the area of education, Street pushed hard for the City's Families and Education Levy and implementation of the Children and Youth Action Plan for at-risk families.

Street made an unsuccessful run for mayor in 1989. He chose not to run for reelection to City Council in 1995. Following his tenure on the Council, Street spent four years as a Superior Court judge, including one year in juvenile court. In 2001, he became a steering committee member and director of the Reinvesting in Youth program, a regional effort in prevention and early intervention with at-risk youth.

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Content Description

The Jim Street Subject Files contain correspondence, memoranda, reports, studies, and staff reports relating to the issues before the City Council during his tenure, as well as regional issues of interest to him. The largest body of materials deal primarily with land use and regional planning issues, including downtown planning, the early development of Seattle's innovative neighborhood planning process, historic sites, major institutions and multi-family zoning policies, economic development, annexations, noise issues, and the Comprehensive Plan.

Street's interest in public education is well documented in the collection, including materials related to the Seattle Education Summit, the City/Schools joint planning process, and the education levy. Materials also touch on youth programs such as Operation Headstart and a variety of childcare and youth development policies.

The collection also covers housing issues, including low-income and special-needs housing, accessory rental units, condominium conversion, and the housing preservation ordinance. Additional issues documented in the records include the Mariners' stadium proposal and use of the north Kingdome parking lot, the Seattle Commons proposal, downtown transportation planning, medical waste incineration, and Seattle Center redevelopment.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[Item and date], James Street Subject Files, Record Series 4683-02. Box [number], Folder [number]. Seattle Municipal Archives.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The records series is arranged in ten policy categories:

I: Economic Development

II: Education

III: Housing

IV: Land Use and Urban Development

V: Legislative/Intergovernmental Relations

VI: Neighborhoods

VII: Parks, Recreation, and Culture

VIII: Social Services

IX: Transportation

X: Utilities

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Baseball fields--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Central business districts--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Child care--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • City planning--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Education--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Housing--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Land use--Government policy--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Neighborhood planning--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Parking facilities--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Public schools--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Regional planning--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Youth--Services for--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Zoning--Washington (State)--Seattle

Personal Names

  • Street, James, 1942-

Corporate Names

  • Kingdome (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Seattle (Wash.). City Council. Land Use Committee
  • Seattle Mariners (Baseball team)

Geographical Names

  • Seattle (Wash.)--Economic policy
  • Seattle (Wash.)--Politics and government
  • Seattle Commons (Seattle, Wash.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Correspondence
  • Memoranda

Occupations

  • City council members--Washington (State)--Seattle

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names

    • Seattle (Wash.). City Council (creator)

Finding aid prepared by Scott Cline
2004

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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