The question was what can be done to perpetuate the evolution 12th Avenue. The strip—for a long time the sparse connector between Little Saigon and Capitol Hill—was partly transformed by a recent construction and renovation boom. But that ground to a halt.
About 100 people jammed into the seats and aisles of the Northwest Film Forum last night listening to a panel discuss what can be done, especially considering this economy. Folks brought up a few interesting ideas:
Transforming 12th and Madison Storage: Seattle University owns a five-story building on the axis of three streets (12th, Madison, and Union) that, for as long as I can remember, has been a gigantic beige wall (see photo). People store their stuff there. The university will evict the storage and renovate the building within five to six years, said Michael Kerns, SU’s VP of facilities.
Developing SPD’s Parking Lot: The former Paul Schell administration vowed to develop this 30,000-square-foot lot, which officers use to park their cars while they’re on shift and SPD uses to dock their massive, rolling anti-crime yachts. Capitol Hill Housing, a low-income housing developer who hosted the forum, may consider building a housing project on the site, says CHH project director Kate Steinback. But CHH can’t afford to build enough underground parking spaces—which cost about $35,000 each—to make up for what’s there currently.
No Parking: Building rules don’t require parking in a lot of places on 12th Avenue. To force people out of their cars and onto public transit, developers can just stop building it altogether. Clearly, plenty of old buildings on Capitol Hill lack parking and they’re full of tenants.
Getting Choosier About Tenants: Joining Seattle’s intolerance for national chain stores—such as Subway, Solar Tan, AT&T Mobile, etc. that seem to appear before new buildings are even complete—developer Liz Dunn, wearing mahogany high-heel boots, supported simply refusing to rent to non-local businesses.
King County Detention Center: The south end of 12th Avenue doesn’t get nearly the love it deserves. Maybe it’s because SU has several blocks of buildings and play fields that turn their back on the street between Capitol Hill and Little Saigon. Or, perhaps, everyone’s afraid of the kid jail on East Alder Street. King County Juvenile Detention and it's asphalt tundra consume 8.5 acres, but the county—which wasn’t represented at the meeting—is nurturing plans to replace the parking lot with a multi-acre, mixed use project. One of the challenges: King County is in a tough financial spot these days. Godspeed, county.
