08 Sep Update from Burgess on Pioneer Square Issues

Over the past couple of months, Councilmembers Clark, Rasmussen and I have visited Pioneer Square for meetings with residents and small business owners and gone on walking tours to assess conditions in this important neighborhood. During these outreach efforts consistent and repeated complaints have emerged related to (1) crime and street disorder and (2) parking, transportation, and the retail environment.

Here’s a summary of what we’ve heard. I don’t believe any of this will be surprising to you. However, it seems a strategic and integrated City response that involves several departments is necessary.

Crime and Street Disorder
Complaints center on criminal behavior, mostly related to drug trafficking by both individuals with addictions who are buying and selling to satiate their need and enterprise dealers who are selling for financial gain. Other crimes mentioned include car prowls, theft, simple assault, and pedestrian interference.

The street disorder complaints describe public urination and defecation, litter and graffiti, groups of social service agency clients clustered together and behaving badly with lots of screaming, pushing and shoving, foul language, etc., sexual activities in doorways and parking garages, drug use and intoxicated fans before and after Seahawk football games. (This last category has always included remarks like, “Mariner and Sounder fans don’t cause problems.”)

It may be appropriate for the City to consider the following interventions to resolve these ongoing issues—

· Increased uniform police presence, primarily foot beat officers, and directed police efforts at the enterprise drug dealers who prey on those with addictions.

· Social service directed outreach to those with addiction challenges.

· Assessment of the litter and graffiti problems, along with a street light review, then development of a specific plan to address these issues. (SCL and SDOT worked together very effectively in recent weeks to repair street lights and trim trees that were blocking the lights in the Belltown neighborhood to the delight of residents and business owners.)

· Joint efforts by SPD and the WSLCB to stop over service in restaurants, clubs and bars and at the stadium on Seahawk game days. (The intoxicated behavior by Seahawk fans is directly related to over service, a serious violation of state law that can lead to significant penalties and license consequences. Both SPD and the WSLCB have enforcement authority here.) The City may want to consider a special notification program related to over service, followed by a few enforcement activities to reinforce the education effort. I believe the City’s CCT should grab this issue and consider what we might do to reduce over service. (Some suggest that this intoxicated behavior is not related to over service in licensed establishments or the stadium but rather the hundreds of tailgate parties that occur before and after Seahawk games.)

I realize we can easily become desensitized to complaints about crime and street disorder just because of their continual volume. We all receive these complaints from many neighborhoods, but some of our downtown neighborhoods seem to have reached a tipping point. It’s pretty difficult to listen to a resident or business owner describe what they live with day after day and then realize that they have been living with these conditions for months, if not years. These folks are pleading with us to help them.

Parking, Transportation and Business Environment
Today’s Seattle Times carries a front page story about Masins leaving Pioneer Square. (Interestingly, when CMs Rasmussen, Clark and I met with Bob Masin last week he cited the parking issue that’s discussed in the Times’ story, but placed an equal or even greater emphasis on crime and street disorder as his reason for leaving.)

The complaints and concerns in this category relate to on-street parking meter rates, the amount of on-street parking restricted for use by Metro and the Fire Department which removes these spaces from use by the public, street disruptions related to construction projects and utility work, and the overall retail business environment. The latter concerns center on vacant storefronts, possible delay with the North Lot development project, and the crime and street disorder problems that deter shoppers.

In the Council’s June 14 letter to Mayor McGinn (attached), we recommended eight specific steps that would be helpful for Pioneer Square. Many of these steps relate to parking, transportation and the business environment. Here’s an update on each—

Step #1: Adjust neighborhood parking area boundaries north to Columbia Street. Completed by SDOT.

Step #2: Move Metro layover parking to non-essential streets to free up spaces. Pending.

Step #3: Maintain 6 p.m. on-street parking meter end time and not extend to 8 p.m. Agreed to by SDOT.

Step #4: Waive B & O taxes on “retail trade” businesses located in Pioneer Square Historic District. Pending budget deliberations this fall.

Step #5: Add additional police officer foot patrols. Pending.

Step #6: Provide way-finding signs to public toilets, consider reopening Fire Station 10 restrooms for managed use, consider requiring special event operators (including stadiums) to provide portable toilets during events. Pending.

Step #7: Evaluate street cleanup, street light maintenance, sidewalk and street repair, and street median maintenance and increase levels of service. Pending.

Step #8: Waive special event fees to promote increased activities and better coordination with other downtown neighborhood events. Pending budget deliberations this fall.

This overall summary of what we’ve been hearing from Pioneer Square is intended to keep you informed and to encourage a stronger and more focused City response.

Councilmember Tim Burgess
Seattle City Council
Chair, Public Safety and Education Committee
206-684-8806