In the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, a public development authority (most commonly PDA; also known as a public corporation) is a

government-owned corporation A state-owned enterprise (SOE) is a government entity which is established or nationalised by the ''national government'' or ''provincial government'' by an executive order or an act of legislation in order to earn profit for the governmen ...

. They are established under RCW 35.21.730.Public Corporations/Public Development Authorities (PDA) (RCW 35.21.730 - 35.21.755)
Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) of Washington. Accessed 6 October 2008. For example, the city of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

has numerous PDAs: the Burke Gilman Place PDA,

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

Housing Improvement Program,

Historic Seattle Historic Seattle is a Seattle, Washington public development authority focused on preserving Seattle's architectural heritage.Pike Place Market Pike Place Market is a public market in Seattle, Washington, United States. It opened on August 17, 1907, and is one of the oldest continuously operated public farmers' markets in the United States. Overlooking the Elliott Bay waterfront on Pu ...

PDA, Seattle Chinatown/International District PDA,

4Culture 4Culture is a tax-exempt public development authority (PDA), with a fifteen-member board of directors, who are nominated by the King County Executive and confirmed by the King County Council. A Public Development Authority is a public entity creat ...

, and the Seattle Indian Services Commission.Public Development Authorities
, City of Seattle official site. Accessed 6 October 2008. Examples from elsewhere in the state include a PDA that oversees the

Meydenbauer Center Meydenbauer Center is a convention center in Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in t ...

, a performing arts venue in

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area and has variously been characterized as a s ...

and the Hurricane Ridge Public Development Authority, created by the city of

Port Angeles, Washington Port Angeles ( ) is a city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. With a population of 19,960 as of the 2020 census, it is the largest city in the county. The population was estimated at 20,134 in 2021. The city's har ...

to develop and oversee the Hurricane Ridge Ski and Snowboard Area. A PDA is legally separate from the city or county that establishes it. Under state and federal law, all PDA contracts must specify that liabilities incurred by the corporation must be satisfied exclusively from their own assets. According to the City of Seattle, "This allows accomplishment of public purpose activities without assuming them into the regular functions of City government." Each Seattle PDA is governed by a volunteer council that oversees PDA activities and staff.

Notes

Government of Washington (state) Government-owned companies of the United States Types of business entity {{Washington-stub