Alliance for Pioneer Square – Page 81 – The Alliance for Pioneer Square works to help preserve what makes Pioneer Square the most authentic, engaging and dynamic neighborhood in Seattle.

Update to the Neighborhood – January 2014

Happy New Year. Hope you had a lovely holiday season and are ready to get back to it.

The Alliance staff and boards are looking forward to a very busy year. In addition to our on-going work in neighborhood advocacy, marketing and promotion, and recruiting even more retail and restaurants we will be launching some additional initiatives.

We will be updating the neighborhood revitalization plan. The neighborhood has delivered on its revitalization commitments from the prior plan and an update will be a great way to take stock, inform and include more people in a vision and shared set of strategies for maintaining our momentum. We are committed to Pioneer Square being a fabulous neighborhood for everyone.

The newly expanded BIA has an interim board in place but that too will be expanding; ensuring inclusive and broad representation of our diverse businesses in Pioneer Square. We anticipate electing the permanent board during the 1^st quarter of 2014. Please let me know if you would like to participate.

We will be adding new staff positions: 1) a person to do B2B outreach, specifically focused on the subsidized parking program and managing our parking supply to ensure parking for shoppers, diners, and clients and 2) a person to coordinate and communicate across the various construction projects in the neighborhood and take on the work of improving the pedestrian realm.

We anticipate continuing our critical work to improve street disorder and safety with the new administration, working towards humane solutions that work are critical to the future of Pioneer Square and all of downtown.

Stay tuned, there will be many opportunities to become informed and involved. Thanks for your support and see you in the neighborhood.

Leslie Smith

Executive Director

Watch the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project on YouTube

The Washington State Department of Transportation has a YouTube channel dedicated to the big construction project that has dominated the Seattle Waterfront for the past couple of years. Here you’ll find animated videos of how Bertha the world’s largest tunnel boring machine works, loving goodbyes to the old viaduct which the new tunnel will replace, and milestones throughout the project. Above is a video showing Mario driving a go-cart through a simulation WSDOT originally posted of a temporary route for SR 99.

As we’re learning about what’s really blocking Bertha the Tunnel Boring Machine, you may want to get caught up on what Bertha is doing underneath Pioneer Square and why she’s digging a 2-mile tunnel underneath Downtown Seattle. Visit Milepost 31, the information center dedicated to the area’s history and the technology used in the tunnel boring machine. It’s located in Pioneer Square and tours of the nearby launch site are held regularly, as well as a Speaker Series on First Thursdays. There’s also a fabulous historical website called ViaductHistory.com through which visitors can explore the history of the SR 99 viaduct and surrounding neighborhoods. You can even follow Bertha on Twitter!

Tell Legislators to Preserve Bus Service to Downtown

Via Downtown Seattle Association Public Policy Advocacy

[message type=”warning”]

Action Requested:

Contact King County legislators using the link below, and urge them to develop a solution for funding King County Metro and pass a comprehensive state transportation package:

Move King County Now contact link

[/message]

King County Metro transit service is at risk. The special session in Olympia has provided another chance to secure a funding package that will preserve transit service, but that window will soon close. We’ve reached a critical period in which we need to impress upon lawmakers how important Metro service is to the Downtown, and regional, economy and the ability for tens of thousands of commuters to get between work and home each day.

Commuters and employers alike stand to be severely impacted if the state legislature does not adopt a transportation package. Faced with a budget shortfall, Metro cuts will amount to a loss of 17 percent of service, affecting eight out of every 10 riders, with more than 70 routes eliminated completely – click on the map to get a visual depiction of the massive scale of the route reduction:

Reductions in bus service will place an estimated additional 30,000 vehicles on our roadways each day and make getting around King County more difficult, whether you’re in a car, bus or truck.

What’s at Risk Without a Funding Solution:

74 routes eliminated across the county (35% of Metro system)
107 routes will have services reduced or revised (50% of system)
Only 33 routes unchanged but would likely become more crowded (15% of system)
600,000 service hours to be reduced
17% cuts to transit will affect 8 out of every 10 transit riders and make it harder to get to work
All areas of the county will be impacted (kingcounty.gov/am/future/)
Cuts would mean a loss of 14 million rides annually
Of the impacted routes, 43% are peak, 56% are all day and 1% are “night owl” routes
Metro’s level of service will be the same as in 1997, despite adding 360,000 more King County residents
An estimated 30,000 additional vehicles will be put back on the road due to transit service reductions
This is not just a King County problem; failure to pass a funding package will put our state at a competitive disadvantage

DSA Public Policy Advocacy Since DSA was founded in 1958, we have been a leader in the revitalization and development of Downtown into a thriving, world-class destination, business center and collection of neighborhoods. Successful leadership and partnerships have earned DSA its reputation as an expert on issues facing Downtown. The strength of our advocacy program is driven by the work and support of distinguished volunteers who lend their expertise to the achievement of our mission to champion a healthy, vibrant urban core. Read our strategic plan.