News – Page 23 – Alliance for Pioneer Square

Community & Business Development Update – August 2014

Everybody’s talking…

Café Nordo co-founders Erin Brindley and Terry Podgorski fell in love with Pioneer Square when they produced last year’s spaghetti western, SMOKED!, at The Kitchen by Delicatus. Later, after they tired of moving their live theatre-dinner productions from venue to venue, they decided to look for a permanent home in our neighborhood. Last month they announced they are ready to begin the build-out of Nordo’s Culinarium in the Globe Building. They’ll take the space at 109 S Main that runs along Nord Alley. (Nordo’s on Nord Alley. Fun, yes?)

The press is all a-twitter about the news. (Check out a couple of articles here and here.) While we’re thrilled about bringing live theatre to Pioneer Square, it’s especially sweet because of the deep connection Erin and Terry feel to our neighborhood. So much so, that they asked to share a personal letter with all who live and work in Pioneer Square. This one’s for you. Read it here.

As you know, things are picking up quickly on the retail front. Several new businesses are busy building out their spaces and should be opening their doors for business by fall.

Velouria – in Stadium Place. Owners Cat Wilcox and Chika Eustace are thrilled about being part of the Pioneer Square community. They sell all U.S. and Canadian-made goods with an emphasis on Pacific Northwest designers. “We love the personal touch of handmade items that are not mass-produced, and above all, goods that are beautiful and high quality.” They will be open in Ballard for a few more weeks. You can check them out on instagram (@hellovelouria).
Dry Goods Design – at S Main St & Occidental Ave S. Keli Faw just got the keys on Friday and is hard at work to get the space opened on August 29th. They’re planning an opening party on Friday, September 5th. “We are so excited to be providing a space where people can work as individuals and with others to use their hands (and often a machine) to make something or everything, providing both machines and tools for our students. Our fall class schedule, including ‘Lunchbreak Lessons’, will range from ‘This is a Sewing Machine’ to advanced garment construction classes, dyeing workshops, hand lettering, embroidery and more.” In addition to classes, Dry Good Design will offer a thoughtfully and lovingly curated selection of fabrics, notions, home goods, stationery, and more.
Clementines – on Occidental Mall, next door to London Plane. Linda Walsh is moving her popular women’s shoe store from West Seattle to Pioneer Square. She’s all about fabulous women’s shoes and clothing. She said they are on a tight timeline, but are “up for the challenge.” She hopes to be open within 4-6 weeks. “If we aren’t open in time for the big weekend in September (Seahawks on September 4–Design Festival sets up the following day) we will be around to pass out coupons to use at the new space.”
Cone & Steiner – in Stadium Place. In addition to everything else we might find in an urban general store, they’ll have a “growler station” with local beers. We’re all watching those windows, waiting for the paper to come down and the doors to open…
Elm Coffee – in Pacific Commercial Building at 2^nd Ave S & S Main St. The roll out menus for the Elm Coffee micro-roaster and cafe will feature some lightly roasted excellent coffees from Guatemala, Colombia and Ethiopia. Perhaps a few choice Kenyans on occasion, too. Owner, Brendan Mullally, explained, “We want to be a comfortably elegant café. Super friendly, non-pretentious service is paramount. Great clean coffees served simply. Occasional special treats like affagotos, espresso with bitters, horchata, and home-made peppermint mochas.” Brendan hopes to be serving coffee for the neighborhood by the end of September.
Good Bar – in the Pacific Commercial Building at 2^nd Ave S & S Main. Though the build-out is taking a little longer than expected, Good Bar owners say they’ll be open for happy hours and dinners this fall.
Sprout – next door to Smith Tower on 2^nd Ave. Michael Kelly’s vision of a restaurant where everything on the menu is healthy (really, everything!), is on track to become a reality. He’s hard at work building out the space and will keep us posted as things unfold.
Fleurt – on S Washington St, next to Pioneer Passage Alley. We’re having fun watching this lovely space come to life. Stay tuned. Flowers ahead.
Seattle Sounders – in the Washington Shoe Building on Occidental Ave S. This is late-breaking news: in addition to moving their offices to Pioneer Square, the Sounders are developing plans to open something very special on the street for the public. Curious? So are we. More details soon.
Pizzeria Gabbiano – in the Pacific Commercial Building at 2^nd Ave S & S Main St. Mike Easton is in the thick of putting the last touches on his fabulous space in preparation of opening. It should be any day now…

I had hoped to write about some of our existing retail and restaurant businesses this month—both those who’ve weathered multiple economic turns and those who haven’t been open as long. While it’s fabulous fun to talk about what’s new, this neighborhood works because so many are committed to a bigger vision of Pioneer Square and believe in the possibilities. New stores and restaurants complement what long-established favorites put in place.

So…I’m going to work to pull together a few new stories about old favorites and how they helped set the stage for the new. Got some ideas? Please share. The coffee’s on me!

Karen True

Director of Business Development

Alliance for Pioneer Square

Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program News – August 2014

Topics:

Bertha update – Construction of the access pit’s underground walls will continue through August
Early warning – Four-day closure of SR 99 coming in late August
Milepost 31 Speakers Series – Bertha and progress on the SR 99 Tunnel Project

Bertha update – Construction of the access pit’s underground walls will continue through August

Earlier this week, Seattle Tunnel Partners notified us that building the underground walls of the circular pit (pdf 2.5 Mb) crews will use to access and repair the SR 99 tunneling machine will continue through August. While this date is later than anticipated, STP reports that tunneling is still expected to resume as scheduled in March 2015.

Building a self-supporting, concrete ring that is 120 feet deep and 80 feet wide is no easy task, especially given the difficult ground conditions near South Jackson Street. STP crews have completed more than half of the underground piles and are working around-the-clock, seven days a week to complete the approximately 31 remaining piles.

There are several reasons the work is taking longer than anticipated. One factor is the addition of 11 piles to the pit’s design, bringing the total number of piles to approximately 84. Crews are also working with exceptionally large interlocking piles, which are necessary to make the pit self-supporting without tiebacks or other reinforcements. A self-supporting pit is what will allow the tunneling machine to mine through its walls, but the large piles take longer to install than standard piles.

While pile work continues, crews are making progress on other areas of the repair plan on schedule, including:

Shipping repair pieces: The new main bearing has arrived in Seattle and will be assembled closer to the time it’s needed, likely this fall.
Manufacturing repair pieces: Other repair pieces, such as the new outer seal ring, the thrust seal ring and bearing block are nearing completion. After these pieces are fabricated and inspected, Hitachi Zosen will ship them to Seattle.
Assembling a 300-ton crawler crane: This crane will be used to help assemble the 600-ton crawler crane. Pieces of that crane will arrive in September and assembly will begin shortly thereafter.
Assembling a 600-ton crawler crane: This crane will be used to assemble the modular lift tower (massive red crane) that will lift the largest pieces of the machine from the access pit. Parts of that crane will also arrive in September and assembly will begin in late September.
Assembling the 2,000-ton modular lift tower: Starting in late July and continuing through fall, crews will begin to stage the modular lift tower. Parts of the modular lift tower will arrive over the next several months beginning in late July.

We will continue to update you on STP’s efforts to resume tunneling by March 2015. You can watch the access pit take shape on our time-lapse camera, and view photos of recent construction on Flickr.
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Early warning – Four-day closure of SR 99 coming in late August

In late August, crews building the future north portal of the SR 99 tunnel will close SR 99/Aurora Avenue North near South Lake Union for four days. During this closure, crews will demolish and replace the section of SR 99 that crosses above Broad Street.

To minimize the need for additional closures, separate crews will complete the following work elsewhere along the SR 99 corridor during this time:

Utility work at Harrison Street.
Concrete panel replacement in SODO.
Expansion joint repairs on the Alaskan Way Viaduct near the Seneca Street off-ramp.
Ivy removal from the viaduct.

Closure information

Drivers should plan ahead for SR 99 closures from Friday night, Aug. 22 to Wednesday morning, Aug. 27. View a map of the closure.

From 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 22 to 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 25, SR 99 will be closed in both directions from the West Seattle Bridge to Valley Street.
- Northbound SR 99 will be open from South Royal Brougham Way until midnight on Friday, Aug. 22 for exiting Seahawks traffic.
From 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 25 to 5 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, SR 99 will be closed in both directions from the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel to Valley Street.

Driver tips

Travelers who use SR 99 should consider the following:

Allow plenty of extra time and expect additional congestion on alternate routes including I-5 and surface streets.
Leave early or delay your trip to avoid traveling during peak commute periods in the morning and afternoon.
Delay or reschedule discretionary trips.
Consider telecommuting.
Choose an alternative travel mode such as King County Metro, share a ride in a car or vanpool, or walk or ride a bicycle.

Know before you go and have a backup plan

Those who must drive are encouraged to stay engaged and check traffic conditions frequently via WSDOT’s web, mobile and phone-based traveler information systems.

The Seattle traffic page contains updated road information including links to traffic cameras.
The travel alerts website provides real-time information about blocking incidents.
WSDOT’s mobile app offers information for travelers on the go.
@wsdot_traffic provides Twitter updates about travel issues.
5-1-1 offers traffic updates.
The What’s Happening Now page chronicles closures and issues affecting travelers.
Learn more about your commute and travel choices.

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Milepost 31 Speakers Series – Bertha and progress on the SR 99 Tunnel Project

Seattle Tunnel Partners, the contractor hired by WSDOT to design and build the SR 99 tunnel, is working to repair the SR 99 tunneling machine. Join us to learn more about STP’s plan to resume tunneling by the end of March 2015, and learn about the other work happening to replace the viaduct.

6 – 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 7
Milepost 31, 211 First Ave. S., Seattle
Admission is free

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Pioneer Square Health Impact Assessment

Does Pioneer Square need a grocery store? According to a study recently completed by the Health Impact Assessment graduate class at the University of Washington we do. The Pioneer Square Health Impact Assessment (PDF) considers the neighborhood’s built environment, community and social services, mobility, and economic issues, all with an eye on the effects on human health. Other key findings include:

Provide a public toilet in the heart of the neighborhood
Encourage developers to include affordable housing in new residential buildings
Continue the expansion of bike lanes and pedestrian sidewalks

Much of the assessment considered the goals and objectives of the neighborhood’s 2015 plan, Pioneer Square 2015—A Strategy for Seattle’s First Neighborhood. Members of the 2020 strategic planning subcommittees will use the study to inform their recommendations for areas of focus during the next five years.

We’re deeply grateful to the students and faculty who produced the assessment. Their labor, analysis and expertise will help the Square continue to improve through a greater understanding of our condition and the strategies we can use to improve.

David Yeaworth

Deputy Director

Alliance for Pioneer Square