Recent Stories with tag downtown

Of course, the problem could also be the model Pacific Place shopper (pictured) won't fit beneath the low ceilings of a parking garage.

This morning, the Seattle Times broke the story that the city-owned Pacific Place parking garage has been "losing nearly $500,000 a year and unable to keep up with rising debt payments." City leaders are wondering what to do, and have hired a consultant to look into the problem. 

I've been using Occam's Razor a lot lately--if I could, I'd shave with it and save a ton of money--so I wonder if a consultant is needed. The thing is, the parking garage worked like a charm for the first eight to ten years of its existence. Even though it was priced below market rate, at $2 per hour, it made up enough in volume (it parks 1,200) to pay for its debt and operations.

It's just that more recently, between 2004 and 2009, use has fallen almost 18 percent, says the Times' Emily Heffter. In 2008, it failed to make enough money to pay for itself. (By city ordinance, it's forbidden to make a profit or build up substantial cash reserves.) In tandem with use falling, the parking rate there has increased to $5 per hour.

It's as if, in a microeconomic sense, there's some indefinable but real-world relationship between the cost of parking and the number of people willing to park there--while at the same time, there's the macroeconomic effect of a major economic downturn having taken place.

To rejigger an old expression, "If it wasn't broke before, undo whatever you did to fix it." In this case, that would seem to indicate rolling back prices. (This doesn't mean you should lower on-street metered parking rates; they are being used so much they're never open, which indicates that most people find them a good deal, comparatively.)... (more)

Tim Burgess

Of the public outcry that has so far greeted Mayor McGinn's proposal to raise on-street parking rates downtown, to as much as $4 per hour, the bulk has been from businesses downtown. Now City Council member Tim Burgess, saying the Mayor is on the right track, is suggesting the city "introduce demand-sensitive variable pricing as quickly as possible."

"Demand-sensitive or performance-based on-street parking rates are pro business," Burgess writes in boldface, to forestall the inevitable backlash.

As the Seattle Times explains McGinn's proposal, the $4-per-hour top price would come with paid parking on Sundays, and a new weekday cut-off at 8 p.m. (instead of 6 p.m.). In addition, the commercial parking tax for private lots and garages would almost double, to 17.5 percent from ten percent. The introduction to the proposed budget explains the rationale:

First, the increases better align the charges with the costs to the City to regulate and manage the parking program. Second, the increase brings parking meter rates in line with the current market rates for parking in private garages. Third, the existence of market rate prices for parking will better encourage turnover of parking spaces so that people can find a parking spot when they need one, thereby encouraging residents to frequent commercial districts and reducing congestion and carbon emissions. These proposed changes to the City's parking meter program will generate $6.6 million in net revenue to the City.

PubliCola spoke with Joe Quintana of the Seattle Business Coalition and Tango restaurant owner Travis Rosenthal, who argued that the higher rates and taxes would drive their customers elsewhere.

(Quintana sent me a spreadsheet detailing his argument that Seattle would be "paying the second highest taxes on parking in the nation"--though to make this point he also adds in Seattle's sales and B&O taxes. For context, Chicago and San Francisco have parking tax rates of 23 and 25 percent, respectively, and a $4-per-hour rate downtown is also competitive with Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago.)... (more)

Do not think about heading to Downtown right now, unless you're going on foot.  And if you're already Downtown, well, you're gonna be there a while.  A Seattle police officer shot and killed a man armed with a knife near the intersection of Boren and Howell, so several streets are shut down, meaning traffic and buses are being re-routed.  It is not pretty.

(Thanks as always to Seattle 911 blog for being a reliable go-to resource in just these situations.)

Escala's news release last Wednesday reported 65 new sales, with 38 closings, in the last three months. That's 38 of a total of 275 units, after the condo tower reopened with prices reduced 20 to 50 percent at the end of March. (Last February, the PSBJ was reporting that only six units had sold, and current King County tax records show just eleven units in private ownership.)

Designed by Thoryk Architecture (Mulvanney G2 were architects of record, and DiLeonardo International, Inc., did the interior design), the 30-floor, $370-million tower from developer Lexas Companies has come down in the world since 2006, when you could "reserve a home" with a $10,000 deposit. (Urbnlivn took the video above, and wrote a review, after touring an open house.)

The idea was to overwhelm Seattle's highest-living with luxury amenities, including a "spa, library, billiard room, theatre/screening room, fitness center with a lap pool, a catering kitchen, a formal dining room, and an events center." There was a marble staircase at the entrance, of course.

In 2007, as the Seattle Times reported, it was the "year of the condo" in Seattle: "Real-estate economist Matthew Gardner shared Thyer's optimism, telling an audience of about 700 that demand for new places to live downtown will remain 'very positive.'"... (more)

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the grand opening party for the Hard Rock Seattle three months after the fact. Look guys, if you wanna have a party, have a party, but there’s really no reason to term it a "grand opening" event that late. There's also no need to schedule it so that it conflicts with SIFF's opening night, but that is another story.

Regardless, HRC knows how to throw a bash. Four words: open bar all night. Not to mention the huge spread of food, the mass guitar smash featuring local luminaries like Steve Pool and Sir Mix-A-Lot, and high energy performances by Ra Ra Riot and The Thermals.  (Thanks to Jeff for the vid.)

... (more)

A "Banksy" stencil of undetermined provenance, courtesy of our Flickr Pool's +Russ

The other night I was standing in the alley by the Triple Door--I just was, okay!--and my friend was telling me how one time he stepped out there for a smoke after a show. A rat emerged from somewhere, zoomed around the corner, and darted toward the Triple Door doors. At the entryway, it hit a pillar and bounced off. It was dazed a few seconds, "just like a cartoon," then ran in.

"Anyway," recounted my friend, "I came back for another show and just as I was talking about how I'd seen this rat last time, another one ran right past us."

KING 5 reports that the anecdotal alley-rat population boom may be related, ironically, to the city's Clear Alleys program. The city got rid of dumpsters (to curb the drug-dealing and -taking that went on behind them, among other things), and now trash is put out in plastic bags--which the rats have learned to chew through. The result is not exactly the every-48-years black rat plague of northeast India, but easy access to food scraps is a proven way to get more rats in a hurry. (Switching to toter trash cans, especially for food waste, is the next action item.)

The area around First Avenue and Yesler is, according to Seattlepi.com commenters, rat central. "If you ever find yourself waiting for a bus at the stop [at First and Yesler], you can watch tons of them coming out of the storm drain in front of the bar," writes one. "I have been through Pioneer Square many times in the evening and many times I feel like I have to step over them to walk," is the unsettling description from another.... (more)

This being St. Patrick's Day, it seemed appropriate to consume some sort of corned beef, even if--avoiding the Irish pubs as we are tonight--my girlfriend and I are not going to get our yearly dose of corned beef and cabbage.

Instead, we finally took the time to walk down to Market House Corned Beef at Minor and Howell, which we'd driven past about a million times but never stopped at.

Big mistake.

Open for over 60 years, the lunch menu is simple--about five sandwiches, $7.95 each. Take an order form, fill it out, and leave it on the counter top for them to grab while you sit back and watch mounds of corned beef and onions get seared on the stove. (A note: for a cold corned beef sandwich, you don't have to wait, just go to the register.)

We decided to experiment and share, and ordered what was billed as "Seattle's best reuben" (yes, it is) and a brisket sandwich. Both are worth it, though I'd choose the reuben any day. Served with potato salad, a pickle, and, today, a St. Paddy's Day cookie.

You can see the light rail power lines in the distance. Photo: WSDOT

Buses that use the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel are in service, but due to construction, Link light rail won't be making stops at the Stadium or Downtown stations, starting tonight at 10 p.m. and finishing up at 5 a.m. on Monday, March 8. You can still pick up a Route 97 Link Shuttle bus from Westlake to the SODO station. They depart every 15 to 20 minutes. (Here's the Sound Transit alert.)

The construction, just so you know why you're being inconvenienced, is part of WSDOT's SR 519 - South Seattle intermodal access project. Crews are taking down falsework (temporary supports) for the off-ramp to Atlantic Street, and there's a danger of electrocution from the light rail's power lines. So the power's being cut.

Something interesting happens in a number of stories about Seattle's downtown safety crisis yesterday. See if you can spot it in this KOMO story, "Downtown street crime scaring away visitors":

A survey by the Downtown Seattle Association found that panhandling is a concern among 66 percent of those polled, while open-air drug sales are a concern to 75 percent. Nearly 40 percent said they simply do not feel safe downtown.

And statistics show their fears are not misplaced. Police records show a 22 percent increase in major crimes in downtown and South Lake Union from 2008 to 2009.

See how concerns about panhandling and open-air drug sales are pretty much the same thing? And note that to KOMO reporter Melody Mendez these "fears are not misplaced": major crimes have gone up. So panhandling (not specified as aggressive) is lumped in there with homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny, and vehicle theft.

Or, here, in this Seattle Times story on a packed forum on public safety:

Burgess said felony crimes increased 22 percent in 2009 over the previous year from the South Lake Union neighborhood to Pioneer Square, according to Seattle Police Department crime data. Much of that increase is the result of robberies and thefts "in our downtown core," he said.

Burgess, who is championing a new initiative to crack down on aggressive panhandlers...

It happened again! Panhandling keeps sneaking in there, along with major crimes.

It's not that Downtown doesn't have a crime and safety problem. It certainly does. If I were asked if I felt safe late at night in Downtown, I'd say no, and given a chance to specify the area, certainly not. If I'm catching the bus after a show, I don't wait anywhere near Third Avenue.... (more)

Seattle's first Hard Rock Cafe, located at 116 Pike Street, is open for business today, as of 11 a.m. Josh and Audrey went on a tour yesterday (see full photo gallery); after the fact, they discussed the tech-heavy new digs, the tons of memorabilia, and the unironically awesome rooftop deck.

The third floor is home to a magnificent roof deck with views of the market and sound and populated with weatherized couches and firepits. This is the feature most likely to make you a Hard Rock Cafe regular.

Josh: Let me begin by saying that before I saw that this place was under construction, I was not entirely aware that the Hard Rock Cafe was still in business, let alone opening new stores. Score one for the themed casual chain dining economy; times aren't as tough as I'd assumed.

Audrey: According to the Hard Rock's Wikipedia page, these are the other cities getting a new Cafe this year: Costa Maya, Los Angeles (Hollywood Blvd), and Krakow. To which I say: Seattle: Slightly More Culturally Advanced Than Krakow. Even Ho Chi Minh City got their Hard Rock last year!

Josh: We had no idea what we were missing! But I wonder if the EMP was strong-arming them out of the city for all of these years?

Audrey: A knife fight between the two awaits for sure. How did the EMP not get custody of Jimi Hendrix's green hat? Which brings us to a very important topic: memorabilia, though everyone at the Hard Rock likes to refer to it as "memo."

Josh: That's what it's all about: the stories. It is also the part of the HRC experience that is kind of baffling. It's as if someone realized one day that the biggest flaw in most museum experiences is the absence of a Hickory BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger on hand. Or, that what most restaurants were lacking were sufficient distractions from the usual dining experience. This is where the revamped HRC really shines. They know that obsessive music fans can be a little introverted.

Audrey : The Hard Rock Cafe seems to be the best place to go if you don't wish to interact with your dining companions (in other words, families on vacation).

Josh: TRUE. So they answer this by setting up those booths with the family/friends/social contact avoidance devices.

Audrey: Why talk as a family if Bobby can be voting on which video should be shown throughout the restaurant, while Mom takes a handheld survey on her dining experience thus far, and Dad is on his phone having a voicemail tour of the objects around him?

Josh: The family that avoids together stays together. Those screens are perfect for the surly teen who doesn't yet have an iPhone/iPad/iPod but still wants to see pictures of "memo" on display in Fiji, where he would have preferred the family take its annual vacay.... (more)

Seattle's first Hard Rock Cafe, located at 116 Pike Street, is open for business today, as of 11 a.m. Josh and Audrey went on a tour yesterday, and here are the photographic results. Here, they chat about what it all means for Seattle.

As of 10 a.m. on Saturday, December 19, there will be a SeaTac light rail station open for business. For $2.50 (one-way), you can ride the full line from the Westlake station downtown to the airport, and the Central Link segment will be complete.

It's only a three-minute jaunt from the Tukwila station, where the line used to end, to the airport station, but it cost $268 million. (The whole trip from downtown takes about 36 minutes, and trains run every 7.5 to 15 minutes, depending on the time of day.) Besides its ahead-of-schedule opening--which was originally set for December 31--the airport station has come in under budget.

The Port of Seattle handed me a fact sheet on a media preview walk-through this morning, noting proudly that the road improvements associated with the station construction cost $10 million less than budgeted in Port funds, and the pedestrian bridge and walkway came in at $1.4 million less. Altogether it's 950 feet from the platform to the first terminal skybridge, which everyone is sensitive about.

You can arrange free wheelchair service from Huntleigh (call in advance 206-433-5287), but otherwise you're hoofing it. There will be baggage carts, but nothing for you to ride on. (A people-mover was ruled out because of logistical considerations--it wouldn't really fit--and extra expense.) You won't notice the length so much on your way in; it's the return trip, when you've already hiked a few miles through airports, that the extra quarter-mile will wear on you. Still, for transit riders, a hike was already in order to get to the bus stop south of the terminal.

The Port's SeaTac employees, interestingly, may provide a good deal of the light rail regular ridership. Some 22,000 people commute to work at the airport each day, and it's hoped that some will take the new train, in addition to travelers. I'm checking with the Port on how it currently encourages its employees to take transit, and if there will be a special light rail push.

UPDATE: Perry Cooper, the Port's media officer, says via email:

We can’t predict how many employees will move to riding light rail, but we have several Commute Trip Reduction qualified employers, including the Port, Alaska Air Group, Delta and Host (who run many of our concessionaires). Another one of the largest employee groups that may take advantage of light rail are the employees of TSA, who have a significant number of employees that utilize public transportation.

 For the Port’s Aviation division here at Sea-Tac, we have approximately 280 employees that hold a FlexPass, which is good on King County Metro, Pierce County Transit and Sound Transit including the Link Light Rail. We continue to promote that throughout Port employees.

Yesterday I posted a shot a friend took of a man lugging a mannequin around Downtown. Helpful tippers provided more info, including a video. If this is in fact the same guy, his name is Dauveed and he made it up here from Los Angeles, where he acquired the mannequin from Hollywood sex toy shop Bed Behavior with the help of KROQ 106.7's Psycho Mike, who I assume is a DJ. A YouTube video from June of this year shows the DJ helping Dauveed acquire the mannequin and then "marrying" them. Her name is apparently "Clara," and readers say he's perfectly pleasant to talk to. Can anyone else confirm that this is the same guy? (Thanks to readers Poppl and Madelinear.) UPDATE: I have three people via Facebook who have confirmed that the man in the video is the same guy here in Seattle.

Photo courtesy of Sylvia Olveda.

A friend threw this shot up on Facebook this morning of a guy wandering downtown with a mannequin strapped to a piece of luggage. Odd in and of itself, but pretty par for the course for downtown Seattle.

However, at least two other people commented on her post that they'd seen this guy over the weekend as well. What's the deal? Who is the mysterious mannequin man? Some traveling businessman? A new addition to the (politely put) colorful cast of characters that keep things interesting in the urban core?

It may only be September 21st, and Seattle may be in the midst of a "late September heat wave" with temps tomorrow in the upper 80s, but it's Christmas at the Downtown Macy's as of last Thursday.

THIS I CANNOT ABIDE.