Courtesy of Chris Fabregas

@almo@justinkraemerphotography.elfish

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Pioneer Square to celebrate the holidays last month! We hope you and your loved ones enjoyed all the festivities and cant wait to see you this year for more celebrations.

After a 2-year hiatus, Lady Yum's Pioneer Square location has re-opened!

Located in the heart of Pioneer Square, ʔálʔal Café reclaims and reintroduces traditional Indigenous foods in a modern café setting.

The cafe is on the ground floor of Chief Seattle Club's landmark urban housing complex at 122 2nd Ave S.

ʔálʔal Café serves pre-colonial Indigenous foods from Tribal Nations across the country Tuesday to Friday from 6:30am to 2:30pm.

Angela Williams is the owner of Luigi's Italian Eatery restaurant located at 211 1st Ave S. Carrying on the legacy of her late husband, this family owned establishment offers Italian cooking classes, great Italian food and wine and a bit of Italian ambience.

What are some of the hopes you have for Luigi’s in this 1^st year of return to the neighborhood? 

Thank you to all who participated in our Winter Supply and Toy Drive benefiting Compass Housing Alliance! Over the course of two weeks, and with collection boxes at five residential buildings and three retail businesses, we over 100 toys, coats, and other items.

We appreciate our community stepping up and making the season brighter for the folks who Compass Housing Alliance serves. Your donations made a real difference in the lives of individuals and families in Pioneer Square and beyond!

Chief Seattle Club's new permanent supportive housing building, the Salmonberry Lofts, is now open in Pioneer Square at 224 S. Washington St.

Last month Chief Seattle Club celebrated the opening of their newest permanent supportive housing project, Salmonberry Lofts. Following the opening of Chief Seattle Club's ʔálʔal ("home" in Lushootseed) in 2022, the 76 unit Salmonberry Lofts opened to residents in December.

The development also provides offices for on-site human services, which will include emotional and behavioral support, case managers and spiritual programing. Learn more about this new development here.

Join Seattle’s Original First Thursday Art Walk in Pioneer Square. The art walk is FREE & self-guided, every First Thursday of the month and parking is free from 5pm to 10pm!

Check out www.FirstThursdaySeattle.com to learn more about the event and how to obtain free parking during Art Walk.

Save $5 with code PIONEERSQ on First Thursday Artwalk with Veo, one of Seattle's new bikeshare providers.

Learn more about their class II e-bikes in Seattle here.

The Alliance is sharing information regarding foot traffic coming and going from the south end of the district this upcoming holiday season. To better inform business operations on game and event days, follow this link to the Lumen Field and Event Center, WAMU Theater, and T-Mobile Park event calendar for January.

Due to unprecedented challenges, Pioneer Square's winter lighting vendor faced significant delays in their installation timeline this year. We know how much our unique winter lighting means to the community, our retailers, visitors, and residents. We apologize for the delay and have set measures so that future winter lighting is installed in a timely manner. Additionally, to compensate for the delay, we are extending the length of display for our winter lights for a handful of extra weeks. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have questions regarding this year's winter lighting delay.

Earlier this year, volunteers from JPMorgan Chase joined us in Pioneer Square for a neighborhood cleanup day. A group of 40 volunteers picked up 14 bags of litter, weeded 7 tree pits and collected 13 bags of compost. Additionally, 10 signs throughout the neighborhood with historical information about Pioneer Square were cleaned.

2022 was a year that presented many challenges and opportunities. We demonstrated that, despite persistent adversity, Pioneer Square is home to the most resilient and innovative businesses in the state.

Together with you, we are dedicated to ensuring long term economic prosperity through advocacy, commitment, and leadership. We know the best is yet to come for Pioneer Square, and we hope you’ll join us in celebrating as we begin 2023.Visit our website for a snapshot of what we accomplished together in 2022.

The Port of Seattle unveiled its preliminary cruise schedule for 2023, beginning April 15 and continuing until October 30. Demand for the Alaska itinerary originating in Seattle remains very high, indicating strong economic activity potential for the 2023 season. Preliminary forecasts call for 288 ship visits at Piers 66 and 91, and a estimated 1.4 million revenue passengers. While it is anticipated that the number of passengers per ship will vary by sailing, occupancy will continue to increase as the season progresses to an estimated average of 85%. This schedule may change as cruise lines refine itineraries.

Last month, the Metropolitan Improvement District (MID) hosted a public meeting to discuss the renewal process. The meeting culminated a year of outreach and input from ratepayers and other downtown stakeholders that began with a MID reimagining exercise. Your input and that of others has informed a new 10-year MID business plan and an updated assessment formula. The updated business plan, along with petitions to reauthorize the MID until 2033, have now been distributed to downtown property owners. One key change for 2023 is the extension of southern boundary of the district to include additional properties in Pioneer Square to Royal Brougham.

Your support is needed to ensure the MID continues to operate not only in Pioneer Square, but in downtown Seattle overall. Visit here to learn how you can support MID renewal during the city of Seattle’s approval process.

Each Friday, we give neighborhood businesses and organizations the opportunity to share a series of photo and video content to the Alliance for Pioneer Square’s social media channels via stories, feed posts and live video updates, for the entire day.

Fill out the Google Form to get started with the process or email our Marketing Manager, Thembela Mavuso at [email protected] if you have any questions.

The Alliance has created a one page document for the returning upper floor office staff to make the transition back to the office as seamless as possible.

If your staff need additional resources to support their return to work, please contact us at [email protected].

Waterfront Seattle continues building the new Alaskan Way. Assembly of the falsework to support the new Marion St Bridge has begun over Alaskan Way. This temporary support structure will allow for work to continue on the bridge spans that will connect pedestrians between 1st Ave and the new ferry terminal at Colman Dock.

Head to Waterfront Seattle's website for more information and to sign up for weekly construction email updates. Text "WFSCN" to 474747 to receive text updates. You may also contact Waterfront Seattle via email or by phone at (206) 499-8040.

Work is underway on the final project of the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program, which will turn Railroad Way into a pedestrian-oriented plaza and make other significant improvements near the south end of the State Route 99 Tunnel.

Construction is expected to be complete by by summer 2023. Visit the project website for details or contact the project at [email protected].

In 2019, Satterberg Foundation, a Seattle-based family foundation, purchased the historic Metropole Building, located at 423 2nd Ave Extension S. The primary motivation of this purchase was to provide centrally located, long-term office space for non-profit organizations committed to serving communities of color in response to social and environmental needs and challenges.

Crews began demolition on the project in late April with an anticipated opening date in January 2024. WG Clark is serving as the General Contractor and BuildingWork is the architect. The re-design and renovation of the building has been curated with the careful consideration of the current and future needs of the community and will adhere to the highest sustainability standards including LEED Platinum Certification and compliance with the Seattle 2030 District Goals. The Metropole Building will feature a childcare center, traditional lease office spaces, an event center with meeting breakout rooms and a large boardroom, ground floor art exhibit space and a rooftop meeting deck. Tenants will have access to amenities such as communal break rooms, complimentary meeting space, storage space and a nursing room.

During the construction phase, the Metropole is seeking tenants to rent space in the office suites and a tenant for the ground floor art gallery/office space. Tenant applications are currently being accepted. For more information about the Metropole, please visit here or reach out to Kendra Walker, Community Steward/Building Manager, at [email protected].

Visit The Alliance for Pioneer Square’s website for an interactive project map and up to date information on of current and future public realm projects.

The Alliance for Pioneer Square has compiled a series of resources and information intended to assist neighborhood small business owners, managers and employees. The Alliance is committed to supporting Pioneer Square through the pandemic recovery period and beyond:

Please consider a gift to the Alliance for Pioneer Square and help us to ensure Pioneer Square remains a strong, vibrant neighborhood. We cannot do it without you.