Site Report #4

There are several different directions that Block 07 could go. The community and city of Seattle developed a plan called “U District Green Streets Concept Plan.” This plan was developed in large part by open house speakers from members of the community. This has opened up the door for people to truly express what they want for the future of the University District. The plan helps to show a huge vacancy in public spaces for communal events. It also reveals the desire of the locals to open up the area, and to try and incorporate the environment back into the area. Their idea of what 43rd street should look like going past the block and through University Way is reminiscent of some colonizers ideas about open spaces and walking room. Their plan of the street would put much more plantation along road, and bring back elements of its natural beauty. Expansion of the sidewalks is another important part in the plan. Best described by the plan it says “A safe comfortable and attractive street for pedestrians is the highest priority for this section of NE 43rd St” (green streets 27). 4 or 5 more feet of pedestrian room will help to open up the space, giving a wider berth to buildings and allowing pedestrians to stop and explore their surroundings without interrupting the flow of foot traffic. A walk down the street now feels cramped and there is absolutely no vegetation to speak of to help soften the edges of the growing city. This is just in the daytime; a walk down the street at night leaves the foot trafficker in poor lighting with few light poles to help guide the way. The plan hopes to fix that too by suggesting a single light post that has both “a street light fixture at mounting height 30’-35’ and a lower pedestrian scale fixture at 12’-16’” (green streets 27).

Another plan for the area is to upscale and industrialize it. Fortunately for The Ave (which is University Way NE), the zoning changes proposed in the 1996 UCUC, which allowed buildings to only rise to 65 feet will most likely stay in place, even if parts of the University District rise around it according to new upscaling necessities due to its ever-growing population. One of the really interesting features of block 07 is that yes it would resist upscaling for buildings facing the ave, but the back side of the block facing brooklyn Avenue would be a different story. The plans are to actually upscale that as it is a part of the core of the University District, which is the main focus for the industrial renovation. The construction happening on the back is going to be the new link station connecting the University District, to Seattle. This means that the future of the area is going to also be defined by much more tourism and pedestrian traffic. It is important again for that reason to help conserve the area while also preparing it for the inevitable modernization. For block 07 that means that its history of low buildings and local businesses will stay constant into the future. Being one of the oldest blocks in the U-District it is important for the young generations of students flooding in to see the history of the area, and step back in time as they make their way up the ave and past block 07, with its rich past defined my entertainment and small time retail. The people have made it clear that they want to preserve their community, and just as importantly, its history. So in conclusion Block 07 will be a place of coveted history, while it also looks to the future and prepares for future growth.