Site Report #4

Block #26 is positioned to make tremendous gains from the up-zoning of the U District. The University of Washington took interests in reinventing Condon Hall to be Start-Up Hall because they believed “the neighborhood’s anticipated improvements, along with its proximity to the UW, will make it a logical place for innovative businesses to put down roots” (“From concrete bunker to startup hub”). When attracting entrepreneurial businesses to the neighborhood, the UW benefits because talented individuals are making technological advances that can be researched further on campus, while bringing economic activity that will boost profits for commercial and tech businesses in the neighborhood. The U District has the possibility of becoming an “innovation district” because the UW and U District are beginning to work together to create a combined future between both parties rather than each party pursing their interests individually. Multiple parties like the City of Seattle, commercial businesses, and tech businesses are involved as they work together to design a district. 

Despite the huge gains from the planning of an innovation district, a key party has been left out of discussions. The party that has not be consulted by planning groups is the student population of the U District. Students make up 75 % of the population in the district and will be the group that is most impacted by future changes. Because of the anticipation of increasing real estate values, students who are renting cheap apartments will be forced to relocate when their old apartment buildings are torn down and replaced by shiny new high-rises that have high rent. New tenants to new apartment buildings will mostly likely be employees of startup companies that can afford the expensive luxuries that are afforded by the high-rises.

To accommodate for the future growth of the U District, planners have designed various infrastructure projects that once completed will be able to handle the massive flow of pedestrian in the area. One infrastructure project that will be completed within the coming years is the construction of the light rail station on Brooklyn Ave NE between NE 43^rd and NE 45^th. Installing the light rail station in the heart of the U District will disincentive visitors of the area to drive their car to the area, while giving locals a mode of public transportation that can bring them to other parts of Seattle in mere minutes. While the light rail station is being built, the city of Seattle has begun various city projects like repairing sidewalks and upgrading current sidewalk and street infrastructure to manage pedestrian and street traffic.