To prove that the Seattle Commons park could actually be built, Paul Allen acquired, or acquired rights to, a ton of land in South Lake Union. When voters rejected the property tax levy, he sat on it (as http://www.vulcanrealestate.com/). Between 2005-2012, he built what became Amazon's headquarters (http://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon-to-make-giant-mo...) and a lot of Amazon's growth.