Alliance for Pioneer Square – Page 82 – The Alliance for Pioneer Square works to help preserve what makes Pioneer Square the most authentic, engaging and dynamic neighborhood in Seattle.

Community & Business Development Update – September 2013

Brendan McGill, Food and Wine’s “People’s 2013 Best New Chef” and owner of Hitchcock on Bainbridge Island, is hard at work to open the doors to his new beer hall on 1^st Ave S this fall. Brendan said, “We’re calling it Altstadt, which means ‘old town.’ The idea is like the Hofbräuhaus outside of Munich– a hall where you can drink beer and eat brats. For us, Pioneer Square is old town Seattle.” There’s paper on the windows now, but keep your eyes on this space next to Milepost 31.

The Klondike Mercantile in the Klondike Gold Rush Museum is history. (Sorry. Just couldn’t resist saying that.) Welcome Seattle’s National Park Store! The changes mean that you’ll now be able to pick up maps, books, and more for travels to many of the northwest parks that so many of us feel a connection to. Even beyond to Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks. We love our national parks.

In addition to Altstadt, London Plane, La Bodega, and Ebbets Field Flannels are busy making preparations to open doors to their new digs, too. Stay tuned for details!

We’re still drawing attention:

Seattle Met Magazine’s “Fall Style” edition, coming out in October, will feature models wearing beautiful clothes at sites throughout Pioneer Square.
A new national Hyundai ad was shot on Occidental Square in front of Frederick Holmes & Company Gallery.
KUOW 94.9 FM will broadcast a live remote from Pioneer Square on Friday the 6^th for their new program, The Record. The program runs 12:00-2:00 PM.

Rain Shadow Meats, McCoy’s Firehouse, Salumi Artisan Cured Meats, and Grand Central Bakery products – as well as products from a few Chinatown/International District restaurants – will be for sale at CenturyLink Field this season! Watch for them at a few of the concession stands, as well as in a new Neighborhood Concession Stand that will be open for business soon.

On September 24, you’re invited to join the Alley Corridor Project design team for a Nightseeing Talk & Walk in Pioneer Square. The walk is a chance to look at issues and share ideas for improvement. Leni Schwendinger, a New York lighting designer, will participate in the community workshop. (Click here for an article about one her recent workshops in New York.) Contact Liz Stenning at liz@isiseattle.org or call (206) 397-8638 for details.

The first new residents of The Nolo who moved in over Labor Day weekend. Welcome to the ‘hood!

Karen True

Community & Business Development Specialist

Alliance for Pioneer Square

Update to the Neighborhood – September 2013

Our ever changing neighborhood is interesting isn’t it? I would like to start by thanking you for hanging in with Pioneer Square as it prepares for the future. Incessant construction is noisy, inconvenient, and really trying. The payoff is coming; people started moving into the Nolo (the development on the North Lot) last weekend, the streetcar lines await the arriving of the first train next spring, and the work on moving the gas main is almost finished. Empty retail and restaurant spaces continue to fill up. We will get there.

Alliance staff are busy with promoting all the fabulous offerings of the neighborhood, engaging in business development, giving tours of the neighborhood to interested businesses, constantly managing construction impacts, and generally working to improve Pioneer Square for everyone.

Mark the date on your calendar, the Alliance is co-hosting an evening Mayoral forum on Wednesday, September 26th at the Sculpture Park. Please consider attending to learn more about the two candidates. More information to follow.

AND once again, as we move into the lovely month of September, keep your eye on Occidental Square…if you haven’t visited the Wednesday Farmers Market, please step away from that desk and wander on down…the offerings are fabulous.

Thanks again for your support, enjoy the weather, and see you in the neighborhood!

Leslie Smith

Executive Director

Alliance for Pioneer Square

Alley Corridor Project in Pioneer Square

Our partners at the International Sustainability Institute (ISI) are leading the effort to create new resurfacing and lighting design for alleys in Pioneer Square. The effort is known as ISI’s Alley Corridor Project and is funded by a Neighborhood Matching Fund award from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.

The need for a new alley surface design came about from the diverse needs of the community. Residents, visitors, local businesses and their employees need a clean and safe pedestrian experience to use Pioneer Square’s alleys. The Pioneer Square Preservation Board requires that the neighborhood’s built environment adhere to historical standards. Utility workers frequently need to dig up alleyways in conjunction with construction projects in the neighborhood. ISI is tasked with creating an alley surface design that will balance all of these needs.

From ISI:

In 2013, ISI kicked off the Alley Corridor Project with funding awarded by the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods to design a cost effective, historically appropriate “shovel ready” surface design and lighting concepts. An opportunity to restore alley surfaces to new standards is occurring as alleys are retrofitted with new utility infrastructure. The outcome of this project – a design that is cost effective and approved through SDOT’s Street Improvement Permit (SIP) process and Pioneer Square Preservation Board, will clear hurdles for resurfacing any of the neighborhood alleys, positioning Pioneer Square to use alleys as active public spaces full of historic character. The design will be led by SvR Design with Olson Kundig Architects and Leni Schwendinger Light Projects Ltd.

To get involved, join the Information Gathering Open House in Nord Alley from 5 to 7 pm on September 5th, 2013. Share your ideas, meet designers SvR and Olson Kundig Architects, and help design Pioneer Square’s alleys. For more on the Alley Corridor Project timeline, see ISI’s Alley Activation page here.

ISI has made tremendous progress in activating Pioneer Square’s alleyways. Through the Alley Network Project, ISI has programmed Pioneer Square’s Nord Alley since 2008 with World Cup and Tour de France viewing parties, art and lighting installations, and more. They also headed the effort in organizing this year’s first-ever Alleypalooza event, which celebrated a transformative pedestrian experience in the heart and soul of Seattle.