Pioneer Square Business Stakeholders-

The Alliance for Pioneer Square team is working diligently to keep the Pioneer Square community informed regarding new resources and opportunities available to them. This roundup is part of a series of weekly messages capturing new resources and opportunities. Find each weekly email to date on our website.

*Please see this roundup's new resources and opportunities highlighted in RED*

What's Happening

• *NEW* Beginning Monday, October 17th, 2022 the City of Seattle Special Events Office will temporarily stop accepting new Special Event permit applications for 8 weeks to conduct a review and revision of the current permit workflow. For events that take place between October 17, 2022, to January 31, 2023, Special Events permit applications must be submitted no later than Sunday, October 16, 2022. For events that take place February 1, 2023, and later, permit applications can be submitted by Sunday, October 16, 2022. Applications not received by October 16, will not be accepted until Monday, December 5, 2022, and after. The city requests applications be submitted 90 days before the proposed event date for proper review and processing.

For more information, special event organizers can reach out to the Seattle Special Events Office at [email protected] or call (206) 684-8017.

• *NEW* Fall is here, which in turn means that Winter Weather is around the corner. As the season continues to change that foliage (turning leaves red, yellow, and brown before they ultimately fall to the ground) help keep your sidewalks clear by raking away leaves. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has a bevy of other things you can do to help yourselves and neighbors, ahead of winter weather. Just check out SDOT's blog post about prepping for winter. 

• Governor Jay Inslee has announced the upcoming rescission of all remaining COVID-19 emergency proclamations and state of emergency by October 31st 2022. Nearly three-quarters of the governor’s 85 COVID-19 emergency orders have already been lifted, and an additional 13 health care related orders will end October 27th. The remaining 10 orders are to be lifted on October 31st, including the underlying state of emergency. Learn more about the announcement here. 

• New COVID-19 booster shots are now available. Updated COVID-19 boosters add Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 spike protein components to the current vaccine composition, helping to restore protection that has waned since previous vaccination by targeting variants that are more transmissible and immune-evading. Public Health – Seattle & King County will have doses available at vaccination sites at the Auburn Outlet Collection Mall. Find information about other locations at kingcounty.gov/vaccine or visit here for more.

Worker and Business Resources

• *NEW* The Seattle Office of Economic Development's Shop to the Beat program is back. Shop to the Beat matches small retail businesses with local musicians to host free in-store performances during peak shopping hours. The aim of the program is to help increase foot traffic and sales for retailers as well as provide competitive pay for musicians who were significantly impacted by the pandemic.

Small retail business interested in having a FREE performance at their location can participate in this program by submitting the Shop to the Beat Application to share contact information and select preferred days, times and style of music. Local musicians interested in performing at a small business this holiday season can visit the Gigs4U website to register as a musician. (Enter the following referral code: S2B). Apply for Shop to the Beat by December 1, 2022!  

• *NEW* The Beacon Business Alliance is hosting a Business Resource Open House on September 28th from 9-11a titled Digital Equity in our Communications, Marketing and Promotion. The session will discuss:
• Effective storytelling in communications, marketing and promotion
• Community-based business models
• Digital access and navigation
• How to connect with experts, mentoring and resources

Register now for this free event here. 

• *NEW* Comcast RISE is providing $10,000 grants to small businesses to fight injustice and inequality against any race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation or ability. Grants will be awarded to 100 local small businesses providing $1 million additional dollars to small businesses owned by people of color, including Black, Indigenous, Hispanic, and Asian American owners, and women in King and Pierce counties. Visit here for eligibility and to apply. Application period is October 3rd through the 16th. Grants will be announced at the end of November 2022 and awarded in December 2022.

• The Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) is offering free websites for Seattle small businesses and creative entrepreneurs. Partnering with the Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, OED is expanding the Youth Web Design program to assist Seattle small businesses and creative entrepreneurs without a business website or limited online presence. The program connects businesses with local high school students to design websites, covers all website expenses for the first year, and business owners are taught the technical skills needed to maintain and update their websites. In addition, businesses will have a free photoshoot with a professional photographer to showcase their products or services on their new website. The deadline to apply is September 30th, 2022. Click here for more information. 

• Seattle Restaurant Week returns this fall, on October 23rd to November 5th to support the Seattle-area restaurant community. Seattle Restaurant Week is a bi-annual prix fixe dining promotion that gives diners a unique chance to support the greater Seattle area’s culinary community, highlighting its craft, diversity, resilience, and great food.

Learn more and sign up here: https://srweek.org/restaurant-signup/. Deadline to register is October 3.

• New Labor and Industries (L&I) Job Safety and Health Law posters are now available to businesses. Employees now have up to 90 days to file a complaint if they believe they were fired for filing a safety-related complaint. Businesses are required to hang the poster linked below where employees can see it. Download and print today!

Partner Efforts

• *NEW* All Chamber After Hours is back in-person! Join the Alliance for a fun evening of mixing and mingling with local chambers and organizations, business professionals, and your friends at the Seattle Metro Chamber. We'll be at the beautiful Embassy Suites Seattle Downtown-Pioneer Square with appetizers, music, local artists, and the opportunity to hear about what these local organizations are doing in the community and learn how you can get involved. Register here to attend. 

• *NEW* Sound Transit will host an open house on Thursday, October 13th from 4:30-7:30p at Union Station (401 S. Jackson Street) regarding Sound Transit 3 and the West Seattle Ballard Link Light Rail Expansion. Please save the date for the first Chinatown International District station kick-off open house where you can find out the latest information and provide ideas that will shape Sound Transit's engagement approach and scope of studies over the next several months.

• Jackson Hub is a major transit hub located between the Chinatown International District and Pioneer Square. It is an ever evolving public space with a rich history. Over the past year, the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) has worked with the Alliance for Pioneer Square and HistoryLink to create the Jackson Hub Art Tour. This was made possible thanks to funding from Historic South Downtown.

The virtual self-guided tour highlights the different public art pieces that are in the International District Chinatown Station. Please check out the tour here or via the QR code above if you are interested in learning more about the art in Jackson Hub. There is also a short survey about public art and public space activation that is linked on the tour, we’d love to hear your feedback!

Other Neighborhood Updates

• The Alliance for Pioneer Square is asking business owners/managers to fill out this annual crime and safety survey. The goal of the survey is to get an accurate understanding about the impacts of crime and the effects of safety concerns of Pioneer Square businesses over the past six months.

The Alliance for Pioneer Square will use data collected from this survey in our advocacy efforts with City, County, and State representative as we advocate for a clean, safe, and inviting community for all people. The 2022 Annual Pioneer Square Crime and Safety survey will close on October 1, 2022.

Note, Specific survey responses are kept confidential and shared only in the aggregate unless a business owner had a specific story or incident they wished to share publicly. Take the survey here.

• Please join us for the Pioneer Square BIA Annual Meeting on Wednesday, November 16th from 4-5:30p as we celebrate all the successes we have achieved together this past year and look ahead to 2023. All Ratepayers in good standing are invited to meet the BIA Stakeholder Board, the Alliance board members, and Alliance staff as well as learn about new initiatives planned for the upcoming year. You will also have a chance to meet and connect with both your first floor and upper level neighbors, including welcoming some new faces! RSVP here to attend.

Additional Resources

• 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. Driving to Pioneer Square? Check out mobile-friendly DowntownSeattleParking.com for parking locations throughout the neighborhood. 

• 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 Pioneer Square Business Owners & Managers Facebook group is an opportunity for business owners and retailers to participate in an online forum and share resources, support and stories. We invite you to join the group and connect with other neighborhood businesses. Click here to join the Pioneer Square Business Owners and Managers Facebook page.

Please let us know how we might best support you. Feel free to contact any of us with comments, questions, suggestions, or concerns.