This week,?following?unanimous?passage?by the City Council, I?announced?that I will sign?legislation to?allow more flexibility in permitted uses for empty downtown storefronts.?This temporary change to allow more uses for our storefronts will help restore the vitality of our downtown. I appreciate the City Council for quickly passing this legislation and supporting the City?s work to help downtown small businesses, workers, and arts and cultural organizations recover.?
Downtown is?our city?s?economic engine and heartbeat. It is?up to us to help it build back better than ever for all those who live, work, or visit?these businesses and neighborhoods. As part of our effort to revitalize downtown, we?re making it easier than ever to pursue new, innovative uses for storefronts, like art installations or museums.?
The new temporary proposal will provide flexibility for businesses, artists, and other organizations to activate empty storefronts by allowing art installations, museums, and a greater variety of businesses, among other new options. Previously, downtown businesses on select streets had to abide by a much narrower set of permitted pedestrian-friendly uses for storefronts.?
Supporting?downtown is critical as Seattle works to build back better, and more equitably than ever before.?This newly passed legislation is just?one?piece of our efforts to bring people back to downtown, especially our retail core.??
As part of the?our?$9 million investment in?downtown recovery, the City will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to support storefront activations by providing resources for small businesses and arts and cultural organizations that want to come downtown and bring new life to the streetscape.??
In the coming?days and?weeks,?we plan to announce?additional efforts to activate empty storefronts, including matchmaking services for small businesses or artists to find empty storefront space,?Welcome Back Week?events,?as well as additional funding.?You can find more information on the City?s downtown recovery efforts at?www.seattle.gov/covidrecovery?
As always, please continue to write me at?[email protected], reach out via?Twitter?and?Facebook, and stay up-to-date on the work we?re doing for the people of Seattle on my?blog.????
This week, Governor?Inslee?announced additional vaccination requirements, and an indoor mask mandate.?The Governor has made the right call to protect our kids, our education professionals, and our communities.??
We know what works to protect ourselves against this virus: vaccines, masks, testing, going outdoors, and distancing. Vaccines are widely available across Seattle and King County. You can visit?https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/?to find a vaccine appointment near you. Remember to wear masks indoors ? even if you?re vaccinated. If you are exposed or have symptoms,?visit one of our rapid, accessible, and free testing sites, which are still crucial for preventing the spread of COVID-19 in our communities.?Mask up, and get vaccinated to curb the spread of the Delta variant, save lives, and protect our most vulnerable populations.?
The 2021-2022 school year is just around the corner, and applications for the Seattle Preschool Program (SPP) are now open now! @SeattleDEEL SPP classrooms operate on a full-day schedule of six hours, Monday through Friday, with extended child care available at some locations. For more information on how to register your child, go to:?www.seattle.gov/applyspp??
Thank you Senator?Cantwell?and?Deputy Secretary of Transportation, Polly?Trottenberg?for stopping by?the?West Seattle Bridge this week, and Representative?Jayapal?for also supporting this critical infrastructure repair. The City of?Seattle?and SDOT are?continuing to expand?and?improve detours to keep everyone moving until the high bridge safely reopens in mid-2022.?
A King County Metro Bus at NE Campus Parkway and 12th Ave NE in 2016. Photo: SDOT
The temporary bus lane will be in effect 24/7 for the duration of the?Montlake?Bridge closure. We will monitor traffic closely to see how well it works and consider whether there may be a long-term benefit in keeping the bus lane after the?Montlake?Bridge reopens.???
Seattle residents have new biking options for getting around the city.?
Since the start of 2020 and the first half of 2021, the city has built almost 7 miles of protected bicycle lanes, focusing largely on connections in downtown and South Seattle.?
In September, the Seattle Department of Transportation will complete nearly three-quarters of a mile of?protected bike lanes in Uptown?near the new Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center.?
The mileage ? a projected 5.02 miles in 2021 alone ? represents a surge for bicycle-lane construction, which fell quiet at the beginning of 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic emerged. And it comes as the?popularity of bicycling?? a socially distant form of recreation and transportation ? has grown during the pandemic.?
Several projects were pushed until this year or further into the future as a result of lockdown restrictions that limited work crews, changes in funding availability and pending?legal battles?over land use.?
With the exception of 2019, this year will see the most mileage of protected bike lanes constructed in Seattle in the last five years.?
SDOT spent almost $2 million from its bike budget on three projects in 2020 and has spent another $3.3 million on the 12th Avenue, East Union and Bell Street projects alone so far this year. Amazon paid for the construction of the lanes on Seventh Avenue between Bell Street and Blanchard Street.?
The new protected bicycle lanes on 12th Avenue South ?make me feel safer,? said?Ketty?Hsieh, 52, because they have plastic posts separating cyclists from fast-moving traffic.?Hsieh?travels the route almost every day to commute between Seward Park and the Polyclinic on Seventh Avenue.?
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