Looking Back on 2022 in Pioneer Square

2022 was a year that presented many opportunities. We demonstrated that, despite persistent adversity, Pioneer Square is home to the most resilient and innovative businesses in the state. Let’s celebrate the remarkable progress the neighborhood has made over the past year, and continue efforts to ensure we come back a stronger, more vibrant, and exciting place to be. Together with you, we are dedicated to ensuring long term economic prosperity through advocacy, commitment, and leadership. We know the best is yet to come for Pioneer Square, and we hope you’ll join us in celebrating as we begin 2023.

The Alliance for Pioneer Square is committed to supporting you through 2023 and beyond. We do so by: 

• Collaborating to create community, foster connections, and balance the needs of the neighborhood;
• Advocating to address neighborhood issues, steward thoughtful infrastructure  management, and preserve the character of Pioneer Square; and
• Communicating key information to neighborhood stakeholders to ensure all are aware of the latest resources and are able to navigate city and state processes.

In the past twelve months, we built upon previous programs and introduced a series of new projects and programs to support the businesses of Pioneer Square, including:

Leadership

Community Building We convened a group of community members to contribute feedback on our COVID-19 Response Plan programs and activities, provide inspiration for neighborhood improvements, and meet with neighbors.

Race, Social Justice, and Equity We committed to developing and embedding a race and social equity framework within our organization’s foundational statements as part of an ongoing process of learning and reflection on our position and the privilege we hold as an economic development organization.

Business Development

BIA Inspiration Fund The Pioneer Square Business Improvement Area Stakeholder Board allocated $10,000 to two cultural and creative community projects which will be completed in summer 2022.

Welcoming Returning Markets We welcomed the returning upper floor workforce back to Pioneer Square through extensive outreach to large employers and providing incentives and information for their staff to engage with neighborhood businesses.

Technical Assistance Support We assisted business owners in navigating City and State resources and systems to mitigate the ongoing economic impact of the pandemic. Additionally, we developed an online collection of resources relevant to the needs of neighborhood businesses.

Advocacy

Voicing Needs We consistently and directly voiced our businesses’ needs to regional leaders including Seattle City Council, the Mayor’s Office, King County Council, the County’s Executive Office, and Sound Transit to unwaveringly advocate for parks and public spaces, reopening City Hall Park, City of Seattle resources through the 2022/2023 budget process, and Sound Transit 3.

Public Safety We issued an annual crime and safety survey to get an accurate understanding about the impacts of crime and the effects of safety concerns of Pioneer Square businesses over the past year. The data collected from the survey is used to advocate for Pioneer Square to be a clean, safe, and inviting community for all people.

Public Realm

Spring Clean We hosted over 200 volunteers for the first in-person Spring Clean in over two years to make a positive difference in the community and make Pioneer Square an even more beautiful and welcoming neighborhood.

Northeast Pioneer Square Framework Plan We completed the first iteration of the Northeast Pioneer Square Framework planning process, aligning public and private investments to articulate a shared vision for the future of Northeast Pioneer Square with the common goal of a high-quality public realm experience. We also partnered with ECONorthwest to create a targeted retail environment study in the northeast section of the neighborhood to help property owners understand where and why retail can support financial and operational goals and to communicate to decisions makers and government officials how additional retail and services are supported by the neighborhood and how the economic activity generated by new businesses can support broader district goals.

Facade Repair Improvement Fund We relaunched the Facade Repair Improvement Fund with $100,000 in funding to provide financial support to businesses and property owners to replace broken windows and repair or improve the appearance of building facades or storefronts

Public Space Beautification We commissioned a series of public space beautification projects to enrich the public realm across the district, including an art installation in Pioneer Park by neighborhood artist Lin-Lin Mao, hanging over 100 flower baskets throughout the district, adorning more than 100 trees with winter lights, and installing a storm drain mural at the green space improvement project along the streetscape of Occidental Ave. S.

Marketing and Communications

Marketing and Communications Strategy We sustained our 2022 marketing and communications plan, including a robust advertising strategy to drive more visitors to the neighborhood, in addition to promoting neighborhood businesses and events, including First Thursday Art Walk and holiday retail promotions.

Map and Guide We completed the 2022-2023 Neighborhood Map and Guide featuring stunning photography and illustrations of iconic neighborhood sights to assist visitors navigating Pioneer Square. The 19-page pamphlet covers everything a visitor would need to know about our neighborhood.

Public Relations We continued our public relations initiative in collaboration with Allison + Partners to re-invigorate how the story of Pioneer Square is told to the broader community resulting in coverage in the Seattle Magazine, Seattle Times, Puget Sound Business Journal, and Daily Journal of Commerce.

To view the BIA 2022 Work Plan and Budget, visit the following link: bit.ly/BIA2022