City People's lease extended through end of 2018

City People’s Garden Store will stay standing for another Christmas, the owners having negotiated a lease extension through the end of 2018.

Jose Gonzales and Alison Greene, who took over the business in 2017, continue looking for a new location, somewhere in south or central Seattle.

The Madison Valley garden store will eventually be razed to make way for an 82-unit mixed-use development that includes PCC Market as the anchor retail tenant.

Developer Velmeir Companies received approval for a master use permit for The Madison from the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections on July 23.

Save Madison Valley has until Monday, Aug. 6, to file its appeal. The neighborhood group has been a vocal opponent of the project based on its scale in the neighborhood and the loss of an old tree canopy on Dewey Place East.

Geza de Gall, Velmeir vice president of real estate for the Pacific Northwest, told the Madison Park Times last month that he expected the appeals process to last through spring 2019.

Gonzales tells the Madison Park Times the extension of City People’s lease will allow him and Greene to run their Christmas program, with trees, wreaths, garlands and gifts.

MPT requested to speak with Greene and Gonzales for a feature, but they declined. Gonzales said they would contact the paper when a new business location is secure.