Site Report #4

Here is how the land is currently being used in the area. One can see that Block 2 is made up of both residential and commercial buildings.

Here is the plan for the street layout from the Green Streets plan

This shows how the block has some land that is a potential development area according the residential market analysis document

Shows how the building that is currently Petco is a potential high rise development site

here is an example of a multi-family home that could be built in the block

Site Report #4: The Past and Future U District

Today the Block 2 is made up of single-standing homes, apartment buildings, a Petco, an Art Supply Store, and a vacant office space. However, there seems to be some change for this block coming in the near future. In the plan called the U District Green Streets Concept Plan created in 2015, there is a proposal for improving the lighting for pedestrians as well as adding planting strips and street trees to make the area prettier and more environmentally friendly. The planner behind this idea seems to want to focus on increasing the quality of the streets through green additions. One can assume this planner wants to focus on improving the environment and amount of trees in the area as a way to improve the block itself. This has become a trendy idea in urban development. Today it seems people are focused on keeping a “natural” aspect to urban areas instead of them being just concrete jungles.

Other ideas that have also come up for improving the area include creating additional housing that is more affordable for students and UW employees. In the document named U District Residential Market Analysis that was presented in 2013, it shows that this block has potential for affordable housing. This document also shows that the building that contains Petco and the Art Supply store is a potential development area. Further backing this plan up, the document titled U District Urban Design Final Recommendations, which was published in 2016, states that the same building is a potential high rise development site. The authors of these development plans seem to be more concerned with increasing capacity in the area than increasing the eco-friendly quality of the block. Similar plans are occurring all around the United States, especially in Seattle. The population in Seattle is increasing with people coming here to attend school at UW, work at Amazon, amongst the many other opportunities. Therefore there is a need for more room to live, work, and shop. Since the city is surrounded by water, plans must be made to build up.

Personally, I believe both plans are important. With the increase in people living around campus, there is a huge need for more residential areas. By increasing the number of multi-family homes in the block, the area can become more useful. Also with an increase in housing, hopefully, there will be more affordable residential options for students. Thus the plan to develop some of the houses in the area is needed as it has been throughout the history of this block. However, there is still a demand for residential areas in the neighborhood. Thus I think the concept of having businesses on the main floor of a building with apartments above is a good idea. As for the development of the walkways and streets, I think there is definitely a need for better lighting to make the area feel safer in the dark. With both of these changes in the block, I believe the land on this block could be utilized more efficiently.