June News + Updates
Neighborhood Business Updates
Flatstick Pub on 240 Second Ave. S is now open!

Flatstick is a casual beer focused pub that features a unique and challenging miniature golf course. In addition to mini golf they have original golf themed games that you won’t find anywhere else.

Flatstick is open for happy hour Monday through Friday 3-6 PM and for Yappy hour Monday through Friday 6-7 PM and all day Sunday.
Press Highlights
Occidental Square Pavilion Opening Soon
The Occidental Square pavilion, a graceful new wood and glass pavilion that pays tribute to our city’s great timber legacy, will open to the public on Friday, June 11th. The pavilion can serve as an outdoor classroom, a stage, a dining area and most importantly a covered space for use by the public.

The Downtown Seattle Association looks forward to activating the pavilion and surrounding park with activities, programming and art installations and staffing on a daily basis.

Funding for this park project has been provided by donors to Seattle Parks Foundation in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation, the Alliance for Pioneer Square, and the Downtown Seattle Association.
Neighborhood Deals
Join Peace Peloton for a shopping experience that explores the creations of talented Black artisans, and crafts persons.

Peace Peloton’s Monthly Markets are a safe, fun, and easy way for shoppers and entrepreneurs to come together in support of Economic Reform for Black People. Their curated markets are comprised of local crafters, artisans, entrepreneurs, and performing artists and offer inclusive vibes with local, seasonal offerings.

Visit Peace Peloton to learn more.
Receive $250 worth of gift cards to your choice of local small businesses when you book THE 101 by 6/30/21!

The 101 is a modern venue and event space in Pioneer Square. The spaces' original red brick walls and massive original wood columns, forms an outstanding ambiance. This offer is valid for new clients only. For questions and more details, email party@the101.828venues.com

Share Your Specials! Pioneer Square businesses currently offering neighborhood specific promotions and deals are invited to email them to info@pioneersquare.org.
Passport to Pioneer Square

Where will your Passport to Pioneer Square take you?

The Passport to Pioneer Square is a celebration of shopping and dining in Pioneer Square. Pick up your Passport and stamps, complete a Passport Challenge, and get rewarded for shopping in Pioneer Square.

Prizes include restaurant gift cards, cooking classes, private tours and more. Find out what the current Passport to Pioneer Square challenge is below and start collecting your stamps!
Picture Courtesy of Locus Wines
Support Local Pioneer Square Marketplace
Got the best Dad in the entire universe? Well show your Dad some love this Father's Day with amazing gifts from our neighborhood businesses, available now on our online marketplace.

On the Pioneer Square Marketplace site, shoppers can view curated selections of products and purchase directly from Pioneer Square boutique retailers, restaurants, bars, art galleries, salons and more. Businesses can also feature gift cards for purchase. The site includes a restaurant directory takeout/delivery function that links customers directly to Pioneer Square restaurants for easy ordering of takeout or delivery. The takeout section is a convenient way to help customers order food and support their favorite local restaurants through one online location.
For Business Owners

The Support Local - Pioneer Square Marketplace has been updated to include new features to ensure business owners can navigate the site easier, including a new login page, a new registration page and business profile page (example).
Artist Feature: Carol Rashawnna Williams
This month's artist feature is from our latest Stories from the Square series, Neighborhood Perspectives highlighting the many artists in the neighborhood and their contribution to the Seattle art scene.

Carol Rashawnna Williams is a Seattle-based, interdisciplinary artist who makes work that engages audiences in conversations about social, environmental and racial justice. Williams’ aesthetic forms fall, swim, fly, drip and grow through various layers of reality, spirituality and data analysis. Her narrative installations reject the tidy, toxic logic of scarcity models, suggesting powerful alternatives in collective storytelling, collective ownership, collective re-valuing of biospecies and collective commitments to sustainable environmental practices over time.

Why do you choose to be in Pioneer Square?
Pioneer Square has long been a neighborhood for artists and offer affordable spaces for the arts and arts-friendly organizations in Seattle.

How would you describe what you do?
I would describe myself as a social sculpture, experimenter and innovator.

What is your favorite memory in the neighborhood?
The night art markets is something I quite miss. It was such a great way to meet many artisans in one place.

What is something unique you wish more folks knew about Pioneer Square?
Our neighborhood is the arts district of Seattle!

What’s a neighborhood business that you admire and why?
It was sad to see many beloved businesses close down because of the pandemic, like the old bakery I really loved, but Pioneer Square has plenty more to discover and enjoy.
Want to be our next artist feature? We invite all Pioneer Square artists and photographers who would like to be featured in our monthly artist spotlight to contact us at info@pioneersquare.org.
First Thursday Art Walk Update + Make It an Art Day
All counties in Washington have moved to Phase 3 of Governor Inslee's Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery reopening plan until June 30. Traditional First Thursday Art Walk events, such as artist receptions, are suspended for the time being due to public health guidance pertaining to large gatherings. Accordingly, June First Thursday and the First Thursday Free Parking program will not be in effect on Thursday, June 3rd. While Art Walk activities may be on hold, Pioneer Square galleries are open to the public and/or offering by-appointment only visits, along with robust virtual exhibitions.
For Gallery Operators

Make It an Art Day

Make It an Art Day is a promotional campaign and recurring series intended to:

  • Invite the Seattle community to visit Pioneer Square, view works on display at neighborhood galleries, and patronize neighborhood businesses while in the area.
  • Build upon the success and visibility of the First Thursday Art Walk and promote viewing art throughout the month as opposed to the first Thursday of the month.
  • Promote exhibitions and show wonderful works of art on each Saturday of the week until First Thursday Art Walk can resume.

Showcase Artwork on Make it an Art Day

Submit an image of works currently on display and get featured on the Make It an Art Day Facebook event page!

Galleries who submit an image, along with the artist name/work title/medium/sizing, will be featured on the Facebook event cover image, posts made on the Pioneer Square social media pages, and an image slider on the Pioneer Square website.
Looking For Something To Do?

There is still plenty to see and do safely in Pioneer Square all month long, while practicing social distancing.

You can find a variety of these on our website to help you stay entertained, including virtual online events and in person by-appointment only exhibitions.

Browse our calendar of events for some COVID-safe entertainment and online events in the neighborhood in June. 
Events on the Waterfront
Get active on Pier 62!

Friends of Waterfront Seattle, in partnership with Parkour Visions, is hosting free classes for the community to enjoy on Pier 62 this summer. Join them this month on Saturday June 19, from 12pm to 4:30pm.

Each bar setup will have different themes, and coaches will facilitate games, challenges, and free play at each station. These events are free and open to all ages. Waivers, masks, and social distancing are required. Participants are asked to dress for the weather, and bring a water bottle. RSVP for the event here.
Thank You for Supporting
GiveBIG 2021!
Thank you for giving big!

The Alliance for Pioneer Square would like to give a big THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this year's GiveBIG donation drive. Your generous contribution allows us to continue our work and support the neighborhood we all love. The Alliance for Pioneer Square is grateful to serve the Pioneer Square community by helping preserve what makes our neighborhood the most authentic, engaging and dynamic neighborhood in Seattle.

Using Your Pioneer Square: 2025 Strategic Plan and COVID-19 Pandemic Response Plan, we have a roadmap to advance district economic vitality and diversity, build upon community connection and resilience, and advocate for fixes to systemic issues the pandemic exposed. Our businesses need us, and the support of the community, now more than ever. We strive to ensure Pioneer Square emerges stronger than ever, and invite you to join us. Mail your gift to P.O. Box 4507, Seattle, WA 98194 or Give online.   
Monthly Staff Feature:
Chris Woodward, Alliance for Pioneer Square
Business Development Director


As Business Development Director at the Alliance for Pioneer Sqaure, Chris implements the Alliance for Pioneer Square’s business development strategy by creating strong relationships and finding innovative approaches to amplify the neighborhood’s ethos.

Recently, Chris shared his thoughts/feelings over recent months and why he is optimistic both about the near term and long term future for Pioneer Square. Read the full story here.
Pioneer Square East West Pedestrian Improvements Update
Map of original project study area

The City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront & Civic Projects, working with community partner Alliance for Pioneer Square, hosted an online open house to provide information on the updated 60% design for east-west streets and how public feedback informs the design. You may view the presentation here.

To keep up to date with the project and learn about our next steps for outreach, sign up for our email list.
Tips For Pioneer Square Residents
Our neighborhood, and city at large, is a dynamic one and the Alliance understands how challenging it can be to keep track of it all. This is why we have put together a list of tips and information to help Pioneer Square residents navigate changes and updates affecting the neighborhood and our Seattle community.

Learn more about how to stay engaged with neighborhood updates, support Pioneer Square businesses, keep our neighborhood looking clean, and more below.
Broken Window And Facade
Improvement Fund
The Broken Window and Facade Improvement Fund provides financial support to Pioneer Square business and property owners by reimbursing costs related to replacing broken windows and repairing or improving the appearance of building facades or storefronts. Funds may be used to cover materials and labor for the following, but is not limited to:

  • Broken window replacement
  • Fresh coat of paint*
  • Broken door lock replacement 
  • Facade Repairs 
  • Professional facade cleaning 

Only properties and businesses within the Pioneer Square District Boundaries are eligible to apply. To apply and learn about project eligibility, please visit our website. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. Funds will be awarded on a first come first serve basis. For all questions about the Broken Window and Façade Improvement Fund, please reach out to Sara, Public Realm Manager, at sara@pioneersquare.org

*Some projects may require Pioneer Square Historic Preservation Board approval (e.g. a new façade paint color). Please review the Pioneer Square Historic District Guidelines and contact Genna Nashem at genna.nashem@seattle.gov to determine if your project will require a Certificate of Approval from the Pioneer Square Historic Preservation Board. 

Applications will open on June 7th, 2021 and any projects completed on or after June 7 are eligible for funding. This program was made possible by funding from Historic South Downtown.
Pioneer Square Monthly
The next Pioneer Square Monthly will take place on Friday, June 18th from 1:30-2:30p on Zoom. RSVP here. Find previous meeting slides and webinar recordings here.

When: Friday, June 18th from 1:30-2:30p
Where: Zoom Video Conference
(note, the meeting link will be sent out to those who RSVP on the morning of Friday, June 18th.)
De-Escalation Training with the Metropolitan Improvement District
Join the Metropolitan Improvement District (MID) and the Seattle Police Department (SPD) for a one and a half hour de-escalation training on June 22nd from 10:30a-12p.

The MID/SPD de-escalation training is going to be in-depth training program that teaches you how to recognize, reduce and manage aggressive behavior. Over the course of the presentation, the MID will provide effective and compassionate methods of handling anxious or aggressive people, as well as increase confidence and introduce skills that can be used during threatening situations. Members of SPD will also present on personal safety techniques and field individualized questions from attendees.

Please note:
  • Class size will be limited to a maximum of 15 participants to ensure a meaningful experience for all participants. Registration will be first come, first served. Registration is available to those affiliated with a Pioneer Square Business
  • Due to limited class size, participation will be limited to one person from any business.
  • Once we reach the maximum number of participants, we will maintain a waitlist and notify you if a space becomes available.

Please note this training is open to Pioneer Square business employees and residents only.
Partner Efforts
SDOT Extends Free Outdoor Dining Permits Through May 2022
The Seattle City Council recently voted to extend the Safe Start permits and allow cafes and other businesses to continue setting up along sidewalks and curb sides without permit fees. The free permits, first approved last summer, were set to expire later this year

Permits are available via SDOT’s Public Space Management Team and the Alliance can assist businesses with permitting. Contact Sara Pizzo, Public Realm Manager at sara@pioneersquare.org
Port of Seattle Cruise
COVID Response Update
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently issued five new clarifications to its Conditional Sailing Order that constructively advance planning to safely resume cruise in the United States. The clarifications include an alternate pathway to cruise resumption when passengers and crew are vaccinated, updated testing requirements, and the use of multi-port agreements. These changes do not automatically mean a return to cruise. Cruise lines will still need to meet all the CDC Conditional Sailing Order requirements before sailing can resume.  

The Port of Seattle would like to share how these updates affect our cruise season and how we should focus our efforts. Cruise lines will still need to meet the CDC Conditional Sailing Order requirements
before sailing can resume. The benefit of the new guidance is additional specificity that allows those involved in cruise to constructively advance their planning. Depending upon approval from CDC, cruise lines may be able to offer cruises from Seattle mid to late summer for 2021 season.  Read the Port's full response here.
Neighborhood Construction Updates
Waterfront Seattle Construction Ongoing on New Alaskan Way

Waterfront Seattle continues building the new Alaskan Way. Following the shift of vehicle traffic east, onto the newly rebuilt roadway between S King and Columbia streets in mid-December, construction to build the new roadway now continues on the west side of Alaskan Way. Activities include mobilizing equipment, potholing work, breaking pavement, excavation and utility installation. Work hours are Monday through Friday 7 AM to 5 PM with occasional overnight and weekend work. 
Here's how you can stay up to date on Waterfront Seattle construction: Head to Waterfront Seattle's website for more information and to sign up for 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.
Pioneer Square
Areaways Program

SDOT recently completed safety inspections of the Pioneer Square areaways. This was a multi-year effort to inventory and inspect the 146 active areaways within the district.

Thank you to all the building owners and property managers who facilitated access for the inspectors.

Curb lane restrictions will remain in place while SDOT continues to monitor, evaluate, and strengthen the areaway street walls throughout Pioneer Square. 

For more information, please visit the SDOT Areaways webpage or contact the SDOT Areaways team at areaways@seattle.gov or 206-684-3760.  

Construction Roundup

(Note: Most construction has resumed after being paused due to COVID-19.)






Metropole Building Construction Updates 
During the month of June there will be intermittent closures of the alley directly west of the Metropole building. There will also be miscellaneous testing and mockups being performed around the Metropole facade.

After years of painting the original brick and sandstone is being restored. JTM anticipates minimal impact to pedestrian traffic along 2nd Ave and Yesler Way. Small crews will be washing the building but there are no plans to close the sidewalk.
Revive I-5: Preserving the freeway

WSDOT is working to ensure that the interstate continues to perform at its best for as long as possible, preserving I-5 through regular inspections and preventative maintenance, along with months-long construction projects.

Read about current projects here.
Business News and Updates
COVID-19 Resources for Pioneer Square Small Business

The Alliance for Pioneer Square recognizes the public health and economic impact of the COVID-19 virus on Seattle’s small business community. We have compiled a series of resources intended to assist small business owners, managers, and employees minimize the public health and economic impact of the COVID-19 virus on themselves and their community. We will revise this and all associated pages with more information as it becomes available- please check back for updates.






Stay Engaged!
Find us on Facebook

Are you a resident or business owner in the neighborhood? The Alliance for Pioneer Square Facebook page communicates resident and business owner specific news/information to compliment our more general Pioneer Square Facebook page.

Pioneer Square Business Owners and Managers Facebook page: The Pioneer Square Business Owners & Managers Facebook group is a private platform providing business owners and managers in the neighborhood the opportunity to connect, ask questions and share support among one another while collectively navigating the current health crisis and resulting economic challenges. Request to join the group here.
Alliance For Pioneer Square | 206.667.0687