Alliance for Pioneer Square – Page 56 – The Alliance for Pioneer Square works to help preserve what makes Pioneer Square the most authentic, engaging and dynamic neighborhood in Seattle.

Business & Community Development Update – January 2015

Before talking about new businesses coming to our neighborhood, I’d like to thank and acknowledge the businesses who set up shop in Pioneer Square before the rest of the city was talking about us. They saw the potential, made the investments, took the risks, and made it work. If I didn’t think readers would roll their eyes from the repetitiveness, I’d start every announcement of a new business with a tip-of-the-hat to these people. Thank you.

Now a few updates…

Openings:

It was worth the wait. Elm Coffee is now open in the Furuya Building at 2^nd Ave S & S Main St. (The entrance is actually on Main, one door east of Pizzeria Gabbiano.) Both the coffee and space are gorgeous. Stop by and introduce yourself to Brendan Mullally, Drew Fitchette, and the rest of the gang.

Have you checked out Calisea yet? Alden Alvarado quietly opened her charming new retail store in time for the holidays on Yesler Way in the Pioneer Square Best Western Hotel building. Take a look at the website to get an idea of the variety of merchandise she carries. It’s a winner and a nice addition to the block.

Coming soon:

We’re in the midst of another flurry of activity behind paper-covered windows:

Pioneer Square is in for something special if the brilliant red façade of Casco Antiguo, on Occidental Ave just north of the park, is an indication of what’s to come…both on Occidental and in the “Pioneer Passage” alley behind. Owner, Ward Allen, plans to open before the end of January.
Across the street, Nirmal’s will soon fill the long-vacant space in the Interurban Building with an innovative Indian restaurant.
People are buzzing about Girin, scheduled to open in Stadium Place in March. A special preview event scheduled for January 10 will feature Chef Brandon Kirksey and his “killer Korean food”.
Una Kim is still working feverishly to open the doors of The Faerie Queene on Yesler, upstairs from Little Uncle. Hoping to be able to order that lobster roll by spring.
While we’re focused on the Seahawks, work is underway in the new Sounders space between Rain Shadow Meats and Taylor Shellfish. The season starts in March, so we’ll be seeing more activity soon!
Have you heard Gallery Frames is moving? (Relax, they’re staying in the neighborhood.) They’ll close the doors in their current space at 1^st & Cherry on February 1, then reopen in their new space at on 3^rd Ave S (the same block as Salumi) on March 1.

In addition to papered windows, we’ve got construction all around us. Those projects include the new Embassy Suites Hotel between Stadium Place and King Street Station and Goodman Real Estate’s 45-unit apartment project on South Main Street.

More companies and organizations are expanding or moving into Pioneer Square’s office spaces every day. I’ll be writing more about them soon. In the meantime, take a moment to welcome any new neighbors to our ‘hood. The connections we share are among our district’s greatest assets.

Karen True
Director of Business Development
Alliance for Pioneer Square

A Safety Reminder from Puget Sound Energy

Dear residents and businesses of Pioneer Square:

It’s always a good thing to know what natural gas smells like and what to do if you suspect a leak. That’s why PSE regularly sponsors public service announcements regarding gas safety. With the recent reports of ground settlement in some areas of Pioneer Square, which could affect underground utilities, we’d like to remind you of some basic safety tips and tell you what we’re doing to ensure the safety of the natural gas system in the neighborhood.

PSE regularly inspects the pipes, meters and other equipment that bring natural gas to the region. As a precaution, we have increased the frequency of these inspections in Pioneer Square. These inspections have not shown any signs of damage or increased incidence of gas leaks.

In addition, as part of the tunnel project, we have increased the resiliency of our gas system in areas above the tunnel route by retrofitting or rebuilding gas pipes and connections that might be affected by ground settlement.

If you should ever smell the rotten egg or sulfur-like odor of natural gas, leave the building immediately and call PSE or 911.

Don’t do anything inside the building, including making a phone call, that could cause a spark.
If you notice the odor outside, move upwind of the odor and call PSE or 911. Other signs of a leak include hissing, bubbles rising in a puddle, and dead vegetation in unexpected places.
PSE will dispatch a technician immediately, at no cost, to investigate.

For more safety tips and to smell the odor of natural gas, please see our natural gas safety brochure, which includes a “scratch and sniff” feature. Click here to request a brochure.

If you have questions, please contact naturalgas@pse.com.

Respectfully,

Charlie Gadzik
Customer Safety Communications Manager
Puget Sound Energy

A Message from WSDOT Regarding Ground Settlement

Good afternoon,

I wanted to send a quick note to let you know the latest information about settlement in Pioneer Square.

We have told you about our settlement monitoring system that we installed as part of the SR 99 Tunnel Project. As we publicly announced last Friday, STP surveyors detected over one inch of ground settlement near the pit Seattle Tunnel Partners is building to access and repair the tunneling machine. We have also seen settlement on the Alaskan Way Viaduct and some of the buildings that we are monitoring; the amount of settlement lessens in the surrounding area.

Most of the settlement we’ve detected has been uniform, which usually means little to no damage to buildings and utilities. Engineers have been walking through the Pioneer Square neighborhood since we first learned of the new settlement. They have not seen any signs of new damage so far. An inspection team that includes an architect with historic building experience has been conducting interior building surveys since Monday and will continue over the next couple of weeks. If you have seen any recent changes in your building, such as new cracks or lengthening of cracks, sticking doors and windows or utility problems, please email us so we can set up an appointment.

Additionally, we have stepped up our monitoring frequency. Deep survey control points are checked approximately every other day and buildings and various points on the ground are surveyed once a day. Since Dec. 1, STP has not seen any appreciable change in settlement. Based on this, it appears that additional settlement is not occurring, though we will continue to closely monitor the situation.

At this time, Seattle Tunnel Partners is maintaining their dewatering system – and water levels remain static. However, they have stopped excavation until we can verify the new data. We will let you know when excavation resumes.

As for the crack in King Street, Seattle Tunnel Partners checked the site with ground-penetrating radar Thursday afternoon. While we are still awaiting the report, no voids were detected under the pavement.

If you have concerns about your building, property or utilities, please do not hesitate to call our hotline at 1-888-298-5463 or email us at viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov.

Regards,

Todd

Todd V. Trepanier, PE
Administrator
Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program