City, county agree to $9M facelift for Seattle’s Third Avenue

A new agreement between the city, county, and downtown businesses will ensure Seattle’s Third Avenue gets a much-needed facelift.

King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, and Downtown Seattle Association President Kate Joncas Tuesday signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), which calls for a series of improvements to the Third Avenue corridor.

The street, which is the heart of the bus transportation system downtown, has long been an eyesore.

“There’s drug dealing and crime that you see there occasionally,” Joncas said. “There is sidewalks and street furniture that’s not in good repair. It’s not attractive. All in all, it just is not the best experience.”

Seattle mayor Mike McGinn said the agreement will help create a “vibrant, inviting downtown where everyone feels safe and welcome.”

The MOA details improvements such as transit reliability, attractive streetscape design, pedestrian flow, criminal activity and coordinated support for individuals who struggle with poverty and mental illness.

“Armed with a vision, the partnership of DSA, the City of Seattle and King County has the potential to create tremendous urban experiences in Downtown Seattle,” said DSA Board member Patrick Callahan, CEO of Urban Renaissance Group, LLC. “Projects like these are not just about fixing what is wrong; they’re about producing what will be great.”

The MOA calls for coordination in five areas:

•improve transit and streetscape infrastructure
•clean and maintain the Third Avenue corridor
•reduce crime and the fear of crime
•enhance management of public spaces
•improve response to homelessness, mental illness, and/or chemical dependence

Specific actions in these five areas include, but are not limited to:

•installation of real-time transit arrival information at all major stops
•installation of new, well designed street furniture (i.e. litter cans, newspaper boxes)
•afternoon and evening cleaning of sidewalks
•a more visible Seattle Police presence during periods of the day with greatest pedestrian volumes, in conjunction with Metro Transit Police
•directed foot-beat patrols at hotspots
•continued work between Seattle Police and human service providers and community leaders on non-traditional strategies to address low-level drug offenses
•DSA, through its MID Ambassadors, will work with the City and other stakeholders to conduct targeted outreach to individuals in need of housing and services who frequent Third Avenue.

The improvements will be paid for using a $9 million grant.