May News + Updates
A Big THANK YOU To Spring Clean Volunteers
Thank you to all of the volunteers that made our 11th Annual Spring Clean event so impactful . Our excellent volunteers dedicated their Saturday morning on April 27th to make a positive difference in the community and make Pioneer Square an even more beautiful and welcoming neighborhood. Next month we will report out further on the impact of Spring Clean!

Pioneer Square: Issues and Ideas
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The Alliance for Pioneer Square recenty contracted with PlaceEconomics to produce a report outlining the issues facing Pioneer Square’s urban environment and propose ideas that may be useful in responding to the issue identified. The report was funded by “Only in Seattle” grant from the City of Seattle Office of Economic Development to bring in Donovan Rypkema and Briana Grosicki from PlaceEconomics to talk to stakeholders, assess and articulate the issues, and offer ideas about possible next steps. PlaceEconomics are renowned experts in historic preservation and economics. Stakeholders included Alliance staff and board members, historic preservation experts, City staff, residents, developers, and property owners. The rehabilitation of historic buildings in Pioneer Square remains a challenging issue in our neighborhood. With successful renovations complete or underway in some buildings, others stand vacant as examples of “demolition by neglect”. We are committed to moving this work forward and it will be part of our strategic plan.

Read the report here .
Business News and Updates
A warm welcome to our newest businesses and attractions in the neighborhood!

  • MOD Pizza: 202 Occidental Ave. S.– this Bellevue-based artisanal-style pizza and salad restaurant opens soon in the Weyerhaeuser Headquarters building.
  • Underbelly: 110 1st Ave. S. – a warm and welcoming neighborhood bar, this daytime cafe will offer wine, beer and basic cocktails along artisanal cheese and charcuterie plates.
  • Pioneer Square Sport + Spine: 902 1st Ave. S.– this clinic merges traditional chiropractic adjusting with sport-specific care including soft tissue approaches and physiotherapy exercises.

We bid farewell to these neighbors this month!

  • Che Sera Sera: 222 1st Ave. S.- known as a cozy and casual bar/eatery with a warm vibe offering regional Southern Italian meals, this restaurant has closed.
Artist Feature: Lin-Lin Mao
Lin-Lin Mao , who operates in the Good Arts building '57 Biscayne space, works in 2-dimensional and multidimensional spaces and sees painting as the act of putting marks onto or into a space. A mark could be a strand of yarn, a loop of crochet, an origami crane, or a dirty plate from last night’s dinner. Lin-Lin’s art work invites a viewer to investigate and discover, and to interpret the work in their own way with what they bring to the conversation. Her multi-dimensional “paintings” use human scaled rooms so that viewers can move around to investigate the work from different perspectives. She received her MA in Fine Arts from Bath Spa University in the United Kingdom in 2017 and has since produced works within the UK and United States.
Mark Your Calendars: First Thursday Art Walk
May 2, 5-10 PM

Every First Thursday of the month, Pioneer Square welcomes you to join us in the venerated tradition of Art Walk with exceptional artists, innovative works, and creative kinship. During Art Walk, parking is FREE from 5-10 PM! Make sure to grab your voucher from a participating gallery or studio to park for free at one of three neighborhood garages.

( Run for the Hills, Andrew Rubinstein. Oil on canvas. From "Edge of the Universe" on exhibition at ZINC Contemporary.)
From the Public Realm
Neighborhood Clean Walk

In Mid-March, Neighborhood Property Managers, Alliance for Pioneer Square staff, along with representatives from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) Solid Waste and the Metropolitan Improvement District (MID) walked the neighborhood last month as part of our Clean Walk pilot program.

The Clean Walk educates a diverse range of stakeholders on what to do to improve the cleanliness of Pioneer Square through community building and resource education. The Clean Walk creates a stronger connection between the community and those working to keep the neighborhood clean every day by exploring the roles of property managers, the MID, SPU, and the Alliance for Pioneer Square. Clean Walk participants examine strategies to prevent and report messes in the urban environment found outside of their residence or business.

The next Clean Walk takes place on Friday, June 21 from 9-10am starting at the offices of the Alliance for Pioneer Square (105 S. Main St.) and will continue on to Jackson Street from Alaskan Way to Fourth Ave.

Interested in participating in the next Clean Walk? Please email our Public Realm Manager, Sara Pizzo, to RSVP.
Neighborhood Street Fund Project Voting Open

We need your help to improve the pedestrian experience on Pioneer Square's 3rd Ave. S.!

The Alliance for Pioneer Square has proposed TWO sidewalk improvement projects in our neighborhood that are now up for vote as part of the Seattle Department of Transportation Neighborhood Street Fund. The two projects located in Pioneer Square (District 7) are titled 3rd Ave S Sidewalk Reconstruction and Frye Sidewalk Repair .

What can you do to help? Vote!

You have until May 5th to vote for up to 5 total projects, including ours!

You can vote in one of three ways:

  • Online
  • At your nearest Seattle Public Library branch 
  • At a pop-up event near (schedule below)

Monday, April 22
3:00 – 6:00 PM at Grocery Outlet (13201 Aurora Ave N, Seattle, WA 98133)

Tuesday, April 23 3:00 – 6:00 PM at Safeway (9262 Rainier Ave S, Seattle, WA 98188)

Wednesday, April 24 3:00 – 6:00 PM at Safeway (9620 28th Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98126
Neighborhood Construction Updates
Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program

In April, WSDOT announced that the Alaskan Way Viaduct removal program is three weeks behind schedule. WSDOT anticipates that the section of the Viaduct from Yesler Way to Dearborn will be removed beginning in June and ending in late July.

Click here to see real time demolition and j oin the email list to receive weekly updates.

Questions? Visit the website, email to viaduct@wsdot.wa.gov, or call 1-888-AWV-LINE (298-5463).

The next Viaduct Demolition Progress meeting- hosted by the Alliance for Pioneer Square, WSDOT and Kiewit- will held at the Tashiro Kaplan Artists Loft VCR Room on Wednesday, May 29nd from 12-1pm.
Pioneer Square
Areaways Program
SDOT recently conducted a structural analysis of the underground areaways in Pioneer Square. This analysis highlighted critical areaway structural vulnerabilities. Areaways are spaces that exist under sidewalks and between the street and the adjacent building, and the areaway foundation walls have deteriorated over time and need repair. SDOT has made spot repairs in some locations in recent years, but they need to take a systematic approach. SDOT's priority is to keep residents and businesses safe, so they're taking some preliminary steps to reduce the load on the areaways and prevent further issues, while maintaining reliable access for people and goods delivery in the neighborhood.

Given the conditions in areaways, strict vehicle weight limitation, increased commercial vehicle enforcement, and an assessment of the current placement of load zones in Pioneer Square will need to occur. SDOT will look for opportunities to adjust loading zones to address demands and we must restrict vehicle loads on 1st Ave S between Marion St and Railroad Way S. Vehicles over 10,000 pounds will be restricted to the inside lanes on 1st Avenue from Marion St to Railroad Way S and in other locations with structural vulnerabilities.

Throughout 2019 and 2020, SDOT will install a monitoring system and conduct a complete assessment of the areaways to determine a long-term plan of action to repair necessary areas. In the meantime, our goal is to provide adjacent businesses and residents with accurate and timely information as we move forward to improve safety.

Visit the project page for more information.
Press Highlights
What Are We Up To This Week?
Learn more about what the Alliance for Pioneer Square teams are working on by reading our weekly staff highlight features.
  • Read about Karen's collaboration with PlaceEconomics principal, Donovan Rypkema.  
  • Read about Liz's work promoting east/west street connections in the neighborhood.
  • Read about Chris' Pioneer Square-focused video content development strategy.
  • Read about Sara's role in our 11th Annual Spring Clean event.
Monthly Resource
Get Connected. Get Answers. Get 2-1-1.
2-1-1 is an easy-to-remember phone number for people to call for health and human service information and referrals and other assistance to meet their needs. 2-1-1 provides the following resources: a Statewide Database, Regional Call Centers, and Partnerships. Learn more about 2-1-1.
Stay Engaged!
Find us on Facebook

Are you a resident or business owner in the neighborhood? The Alliance for Pioneer Square recently created a Facebook page. This page will spread resident and business owner specific news/information that to compliment our more general Pioneer Square Facebook page. Follow us today!

Alliance For Pioneer Square | 206.667.0687