Post-viaduct waterfront plans becoming clearer
Mar 5, 2012, 3:38 PM | Updated: 7:49 pm
From scenic vistas to music stages, planning is well
underway for Seattle’s new waterfront after the Alaskan
Way Viaduct comes down and a new SR 99 tunnel opens up.
As overflow crowds continue packing planning meetings, a
vision for the future is becoming clearer.
“People want to connect back with the water. They really
want to get out as close to Elliot Bay as they can,” says
Marshall Foster, City Planning Director with Seattle’s
Department of Planning and Development.
The project spans 26 city blocks along the waterfront
between the stadiums and the Olympic Sculpture Park. It also includes connections and public space improvements that connect the waterfront to the rest of the city.
Foster says one of the unique things about the project,
unlike many other parks and large civic projects, is the
fact that the area is a working waterfront with the Port
of Seattle, Ferries, The Seattle Aquarium and a myriad of
businesses to take into account.
“We’re not trying to create a passive park. We’re trying
to create a very vital bustling hub. It’s going to have
business, commerce traffic,” he says.
Creating comfortable gathering places and preserving
the view will be two big priorities.
The city is working with world-renowned design firm James
Corner Field Operations, creators of massive public space
projects across the globe such as New York’s Highline and
London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
While creating as much access to the water as possible is
among the design mandates, Foster says planners are trying to come up with as much diversity as possible.
“Looking at specifics, we’ve got a lot of people downtown
that may have dogs. Can we create great spaces to walk
them on a cold wet winter day? Can we get a playground on the waterfront, can we get the Aquarium to spill out onto the bay and take advantage of the water?”
Creating spaces for arts and entertainment are also on top of most wish lists, and Foster says returning concerts and theater performances to a pier will be an integral part of the design.
The final design is slated for completion in 2015, with
construction beginning after the proposed deep bored
tunnel is opened at the end of 2015. Much of the work is
expected to be completed by 2018.
It seems like a long way off, but Foster says it will come quickly and planners are racing to make sure they make the most of what’s being called a “once in a lifetime” opportunity to create something truly special.
