Busy Belltown neighborhood about to see more green
SEATTLE – A vision more than 10 years in the making will finally become a reality for Belltown residents as the city starts construction on the new Bell Street Park Thursday.
The new park, located between First and Fifth Avenues on Bell Street will provide the high-density neighborhood more open space. The plan is to convert one traffic lane and reconfigure parking on Bell Street to build what the city calls a “park-like corridor” through the heart of Belltown.
“We think Bell Street Park is a great way to add park space in an urban environment,” said James Sido, with the Downtown Seattle Association. “It’s an innovative approach to right-of-way and sidewalk use.”
While the Downtown Seattle Association is looking forward to the addition of a park in the neighborhood, Sido said they also know local business owners have some concerns about construction impacts, especially during the busy summer months.
“It’s something we will be monitoring and staying in close contact with businesses adjacent to the project,” he said.
In an effort to try and limit disruption for residents and nearby business owners, the city will construct the park in phases. The first phase, between First and Second Avenues, will be finished by the end of May.
The Downtown Seattle Association isn’t the only organization in support of the new neighborhood open space. The Seattle Police Department sees the park as a way to help deter unwanted activity in the area.
“These types of park spaces attract community residents and are a great benefit to individual neighborhoods,” said Sergeant Sean Whitcomb, with SPD. “The more people that show up, the more difficult it is for those who might engage in criminal conduct to do so discretely.
Money to pay for the project came from the Parks and Green Spaces Levy.
The idea behind the project was originally created as part of the 1998 Belltown/Denny Triangle Neighborhood Plan. Several neighborhood groups asked the city to develop the park due to the lack of open space areas in the neighborhood.
The truth is that any and all public spaces are the way they are as a result of people who either chose to abandon them or chose to use them. If you all want it to fail and be a drug park then feel free continue to talk about how it is a going to be over run and how you won't go there. It is an ignorant and uninformed point of view. The truth of the matter is that the dog park is actually not bad at all and this will actually make it better. Belltown is not anywhere near as bad as it is preceived to be. I live there and work there and know. If you look at crime statistics for Seattle you will find you are more likely to get mugged in South Lake Union. Yes there is room for improvement but if you want to complain, complain about the seedy convenience stores that are the real problem or the Belltown Business Associations in ability to do anything constructive
Let's call the new park Hypoop Park. Â Â
That's because its most noticeable features will be hypodermic needles and dog poop.
Well the drunks, druggies and other local tribe members will have a new location to squat and do business...
The Belltown derelicts can't wait!
I've said it before and will say it on every story about this 'park' - BAD idea. Â That's already a bad area because of transit and day services, no way in heck will locals use it and why on earth would tourists go there? Â I used to take my dog to a business that was displaced for this park, and I would pick him up and boogie right on through as fast as my feet would carry me/him. Â Total waste of money - give it to the SPD and make them clean up Belltown in general.
I hope it works, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it will turn into a typical downtown park with drunks and drugs and homeless bunking up. I think if these people want open spaces they should perhaps think about non-urban living. Time will tell.
LOL !
Welcome to Pioneer Square North ! !
I'll bet the drug lords are already staking out their turf !
I'm not quite sure how this will work out. Hopefully the green space will be designed to deter illegal activity and discourage streetpeople from sleeping on benches. Green space is nice but in practical terms usually brings about unwanted activity. Dog owners in Belltown are notorious for not picking up after their dogs so, unfortunately, more green space also means more places for dog poop. And did no one complain about less parking in an area already suffering from a shortage of parking?Â
A brand new, expensive public toilet!!!!
This is good news for the homeless-drunk-and-drugged-out community. Now they won't have to go all the way to Steinbruck Park to lay out on the grass and get wasted.
Vancouver BC has had to resolve issues with a couple of recent downtown green spaces and seem to have had success. Would be worth looking at how they keep those spaces from being overrun by drug dealers and bums.Â
@Citizen#3457899654Â thanks for a positive & constructive comment.
Did the city get the approval of the drug dealers before making this decision?
I was just saying the other day that with the dog park taking over at 3/Bell a few years ago there wasn't anywhere for the crack dealers and buyers to hang out, defecate and urinate.....Now they have a new place!!!
@Kahana Have you been to that dog park? I wouldn't take my dog there on a triple dog dare!
@Kahana Sadly true.... sadly. Hangs head down...  :(  I miss going to Pike Place Market. Friggin' surrounding area belongs to the scurvy crew! ARRGH!
@Funky-Munky Yeah, I don't know what happened to Pike Place. My son was robbed of his iPhone at gun point last summer at noon. In the middle of the day? With a gun?? Unbelievable...