Ride the Ducks seeks to expand, but neighbors say it's too noisy

SEATTLE - Ride the Ducks are a tourist favorite, a party on wheels and on water and a great way to see the Emerald City.

Brian Tracy, owner of Ride the Ducks, said "70 percent of the people that ride on the ducks are local people with out-of-town guests. They bring their guests and show them Seattle. We're really ambassadors for the city.”

Tracey’s ducks plunge into Lake Union using a public ramp on the west side of the lake. Tracey recently purchased a plot of land on the east side of Lake Union and has applied for a permit to build his own ramp, but the property is right next to row of floating homes.

Melanie Markle has lived in this house boat community for more than two decades. She is upset that Ride the Ducks, which she says is noisy, will motor past her home all day, every day.

"I was horrified,” Markle said. “To me this is life and death. That may sound like an overstatement, but to me this is life or death. I won't be able to leave. I'll be stuck in the pollution. I'll be worried about my health all the time.”

Tracey's permit application needs to be approved by the Department of Transportation and the Department of Planning and until that decision is made, Markle and dozens of her neighbors will fight the move.

"We don't need these huge amphibious, WWII vehicles to come in and ruin our lives,” Markle said.

"We really care about the community,” Tracey said. “We're dependent on everybody here and thank God most people in this community support us and love us.”