Pioneer Square: Are better days already coming?
There are new ideas being developed around a neighborhood alliance, which has an energetic executive. Online-gaming developers have already discovered the charms of the place.
Over the years there have been numerous revitalization efforts, committees, task forces, emphasis patrols, and park redesigns of public spaces in Seattle’s oldest neighborhood, Pioneer Square. It would be easy to be cynical about a new effort to breathe new life into the Square. But Pioneer Square is too important to the health of the city to ignore.
A new group of volunteers is taking up the mantle of revitalization in the neighborhood. Three of the leaders of the new Pioneer Square Alliance visited Crosscut — now located in the same building as the old Elliott Bay Book Co. space —to discuss plans and opportunities for the neighborhood. The co-chairs of the Alliance, Charley Royer and Kevin Daniels accompanied the executive director of the group, Leslie Smith. Royer, a former mayor of Seattle (and this writer’s father), and Daniels, a partner at Nitze-Stagen and board member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, bring experience and technical expertise to the effort.
Daniels is quick to point out that decisions are made by volunteers in the neighborhood and that this effort is decidedly not top down. His initial goal, to bring the Main Street Program to the Square, has been embraced by the neighborhood as well as the city. The city’s Office for Economic Development has been working on this process since Elliott Bay Book relocated to Capitol Hill during the Nickels administration. All indications are that the McGinn administration is continuing to follow through on the effort.
The Alliance for Pioneer Square has a number of committees, all staffed by an energetic Smith. There is a committee on economic restructuring, one on promotion, on design and use of public spaces, organizational sustainability, and on street civility and public safety. There are over 50 neighborhood volunteers working on these committees and making recommendations on events, projects, and strategies to attract businesses and residents and engage city leaders in making needed investments.
One example of a need that is being highlighted by the group is the need for cleaner and more reliable energy for electronic data transmission. The Square is becoming a magnet for the gaming industry — nationally, larger than the movie industry. The creative people that design games want to live in a fun, urban environment. They are attracted to the historic buildings of Pioneer Square but need new technology to develop their product. It will take City Light making a commitment to Pioneer Square, similiar to one it made to South Lake Union, to make sure the electricity and data pipes are adequate to support this multi-million dollar business sector.
Even now, the Pioneer Square neighborhood contributes significant amounts of B&O taxes per year. This is a neighborhood that works. We need to make sure that it gets the support it needs to grow jobs and contribute even more to the economic health of the city.
As is inevitable when talking about Pioneer Square, the issue of Mardi Gras was discussed. The Pioneer Square group said two club owners hired a consultant from Portland to put a proposal together to hold a party in the Square under a big tent during the 2011 celebration. While the members of the Alliance would not dismiss the plan out of hand, it was decided more time was needed to figure out how to deal with Mardi Gras. It is an emotionally charged issue and the city was not ready to take on responsibility for the proposal, they said. However, the Capitol Hill Block Party is run very well and has turned into a great event for the city. Maybe there can be some lessons learned there.
Another promising project is a Pioneer Square historic path, Trail to Treasure. This is essentially modeled after Boston’s Freedom Trail. The Trail would be marked by places of historic significance and help guide people through Seattle’s history. The public launch will be in the spring of 2011.
And finally, the city needs to get serious about making the development of the North Lot, north of Qwest Field, happen. Daniels has some important ideas here. There is an opportunity to create work force housing and finally get the population density in Pioneer Square needed to drive the economic investment and retail that serves residents and not just tourists. The North Lot development coupled with the new opportunities to connect the Square to the waterfront when the Alaskan Way Viaduct comes down will be the most transformative events to hit the Square in our lifetimes.
The Alliance for Pioneer Square may just be the group to finally see Pioneer Square realize the potential long envisioned for the neighborhood.
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Comments:
Posted Fri, Oct 29, 9:31 a.m. Inappropriate
Allowing card rooms to operate in the square is one revitilization idea I support. Historically Pioneer Square had many gaming rooms so grandfathering in pre-existing locations should work. New ideas and companies are great but also keep in mind those elements that speak to the actual history of the square.
Posted Fri, Oct 29, 11:15 a.m. Inappropriate
Managing traffic should be the #1 priority for Old Town, especially when the AWV is closed permanently. Many if not most of the 20,000 cars a day that access 1st Ave at Columbia/Seneca ramps will make traffic impossibly worse in Old Town.
Reconfiguring the trolleybus system should be considered. A small fleet of low-floor trolleybuses running between King and Mercer streets at 5-min intervals would assure motorists the means to reach and return from their destinations between Old Town and Lower Queen Anne after parking at any convenient garage.
Forget a streetcar line on 1st Ave, especially if stations are proposed in the middle of the street. A 1st Ave Streetcar Line wouldn't share curbside transit stops with buses, and, would be more expensive to build and operate at the ideal 5-min intervals.
A Streetcar Line on the rebuilt waterfront would be better. It could connect to the Forst Hill Streetcar Line, and could reach Seattle Center with a bridge built over the railroad tracks at Broad Street.
I'd like to see designed modern versions of "Zeus, Master of Olympus" and "Children of the Nile," still way better city-building games than SimCity.
Posted Fri, Oct 29, 9:45 p.m. Inappropriate
Best thing that could happen for the area would be to retain the viaduct. It's the only way to modulate and control traffic in the core because it already provides an effective bypass for downtown. Pretty cool cover for pedestrians as well. It's as unique in its own way as the Space Needle.
What's sad is that the truth of all this will only come after it's too late.
Posted Tue, Nov 2, 9:29 a.m. Inappropriate
The new Pioneer Square Alliance-directed by Ms Leslie Smith.
Crosscut views it's mission in this community much like the editorial board of the Seattle Times. it exists to promote the interests of the wealthy elite who run this town.
A few months ago there was no New Pioneer Square Alliance. there was a group directed by Leslie Smith called something like The Pioneer Square Community Association. A group funded by local property owners intent on driving out of the neighborhood anyone without money and enhancing the value of their properties. You see folks, in Seattle, if you don't have money you don't count. So anyway Leslie Smith went after Real Change, the newspaper sold by the poor and homeless, when it announced it was moving to Pioneer Square. Never mind that the RC's new landlord was happy to finally earn revenue from his property; or that RC was a positive presence in Bell Town for years, Leslie Smith and her masters don't like poor people. Leslie Smith and her association, after many threats, and much posturing, lost her fight against Real Change and suffered so much adverse reaction they had to change the name of the organization. But make no mistake. these people, this organization, unless you are wealthy, are your enemy.
Posted Tue, Nov 2, 9:32 a.m. Inappropriate
"A small fleet of low-floor trolleybuses running between King and Mercer streets at 5-min intervals would assure motorists the means to reach and return from their destinations between Old Town and Lower Queen Anne after parking at any convenient garage."
Five minute intervals would require much more than a small fleet. ASnd with only five minute intervals you would find these buses stacked up in rush hour traffic. And on game days-fergetaboutit!
Posted Tue, Nov 2, 9:33 a.m. Inappropriate
"Daniels is quick to point out that decisions are made by volunteers in the neighborhood and that this effort is decidedly not top down.'
Bullshit!
Posted Tue, Nov 2, 2:04 p.m. Inappropriate
I think another great growing business sector in the Pioneer Square area are services firms - mostly creative/digital shops.
We (www.springcreekgroup.com) moved here about a year ago and we love it! Nowhere else in the city can you get the great vibe that you get when working in one of these old buildings. We're able to have a great time in a great neighborhood and I know there are a ton of other agencies down here as well.
Cheers,
Ron Schott
Project Manager
Spring Creek Group
Posted Tue, Nov 2, 3:13 p.m. Inappropriate
First step before game designers come in: GET SOME DECENT INTERNET. Right now it's either DSL (bah!) or Broadstripe, and neither are desirable options for anyone involved in online gaming.
Posted Tue, Nov 2, 3:15 p.m. Inappropriate
Also, after the whole Real Change debachle I'm really skeptical of neighborhood associations moving in on Pioneer Square. There is some great art coming out of Pioneer Square right now, and I feel like that's the closest thing to "fixing" it.
Before we examine Pioneer Square and "revitalize it," though, we need to examine our city's overall homeless problem and address it as a whole, as well as examine our overall nightlife policies. Pioneer Square is just a scapegoat.
Posted Tue, Nov 2, 11:09 p.m. Inappropriate
I am happy to see so much commitment to the Square; it is the most pleasant part of Seattle with the trees and relatively low brick buildings. I fear, however, that we will all deeply regret the construction of an overly tall building in the Qwest field parking lot. Anyone who walks around that area of Pioneer Square on a nice day can see that a tall building will cast shadows, block the beautiful view of old blending with new architecture and permanently change the old feeling of the Square. Do we have any real proof that we need more population density to improve the economic situation--aren't there buildings standing half-filled all around the Square? Let's make something in keeping with the neighborhood at least!
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