Table of Contents

The Alliance for Pioneer Square strives to build Pioneer Square’s organizational development and advocacy capacity through:

-Supporting safety and public civility improvement efforts

-Participating in and advocating for transportation, utilities, and other infrastructure improvements

-Continuously developing neighborhood capacity for leadership and engagement.

Advocacy

The Alliance for Pioneer Square advocates for the neighborhood and the issues that impact Pioneer Square at the city, county, and state levels. The Alliance seeks to increase positive impacts on Pioneer Square during public and private partnerships. We work collaboratively with the neighborhood and other stakeholders to mitigate the impacts of transportation, infrastructure, and construction projects in the Pioneer Square. We also leverages the benefits and opportunities of our location as a comprehensive transportation hub. We seek to protect and promote a universally accessible, pedestrian-first environment.

Leadership

The Alliance for Pioneer Square works with the Alliance Board, Pioneer Square BIA Stakeholder Board, Pioneer Square Residents Council, business owners, and other volunteers to build strong community engagement and participation. Our partner organizations include: the Downtown Seattle/Metropolitan Improvement District, the Port of Seattle, Friends of the Waterfront Seattle, Seattle Parks Foundation, Historic South Downtown, Chief Seattle Club, DESC, LIHI, and others.

Active Issues of Interest

Public Safety: We persistently advocate for a healthy level of public safety and civility for the neighborhood. We strive to develop additional support to provide all stakeholders with clear paths of action when faced with civility and street disorder issues. Learn more.

Public Restrooms: We continue to advocate for access to public restrooms across the district.

Transportation, Infrastructure, and Construction: We actively track and seek to better understand the impacts of the following projects – Center City Connector, Waterfront Seattle Program, Sound Transit 3. Recommend the city develop a long-term infrastructure plan. Presently, we engaged in an ongoing advocacy campaign regarding Sound Transit’s West Seattle Ballard Link Extension project asking that 4th Ave S. as the preferred alternative for the Chinatown International District station. We also advocate for infrastructure the improves neighborhood access and usability including areaways, streets, sidewalks.

City Hall Park: In November 2021, King County Executive Dow Constantine’s office announced an agreement with Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan to transfer ownership of City Hall Park from the City of Seattle to the county in exchange for 14 properties throughout the city. In December 2021, the King County Council voted to approve the agreement without an amendment guaranteeing the park will remain a park site. The Alliance opposed the transfer of City Hall Park from the city to the county. In coordination with Real Change, Chief Seattle Club, the Seattle Parks Foundation, and Friends of Olmsted Parks, we advocated to keep City Hall Park in city hands, and ask for the park to be re-opened, staffed, and activated immediately. After nearly one year of advocacy by a coalition of parks and public space advocates led by the Alliance for Pioneer Square, City Hall Park will remain a City of Seattle park and will receive $2.3 million in the city’s 2023-2024 budget.

Business District Resources: In April 2022, the Alliance in coordination with the U District Partnership, SODO BIA, CIDBIA, and the Ballard Alliance presented a series of programs and policies to address street level disorder in Pioneer Square and beyond, including:

-Dedicated Mayor’s Office Attention to Street-Level Crime and Disorder
-Community Safety Hub Coordinators in Neighborhood Business Districts
-High-Visibility Foot-Beat Patrols (Trained/Unsworn) in Neighborhood Business Districts
-Broken Window & Damaged Storefront Fund
-Small Business Insurance Affordability and Access Study
-SPD Emphasis Patrols and 911 Response

Moving forward, we will continue to advocate to the City- the Mayor’s Office, Council, SPD, and County- for resources to make our neighborhood safer and reduce the burden of public safety issues on small business owners.