The Elliot Bay Bookstore closing isn't about book sales, it's about the decay of the Pioneer Square neighborhood. To fix:
* Close down the Saveway minimart
* Encourage the missions to relocate. They do good work but should they be one of the most beautiful and historical neighborhoods of Seattle... more
The Elliot Bay Bookstore closing isn't about book sales, it's about the decay of the Pioneer Square neighborhood. To fix:
* Close down the Saveway minimart
* Encourage the missions to relocate. They do good work but should they be one of the most beautiful and historical neighborhoods of Seattle? Why not West Seattle or Lake City?
* More street lights and police patrols
* Panhandling and doorway sleepers are a problem. What about a daily stipend for not panhandling, and someplace to sleep. Not a shelter, like a permanent place.
Phil
I think one of the things neglected in this idea is that Pioneer Square has a history of handling the population of needy people in Seattle. What, we should do away with THAT history to make more room for condos, and plastic-beer-cup bars for transient college students who did not grow up in Seattle and plan to leave once they get their degrees? Make the area safer for sports fans? People who wear rayon shirts? Utilikilts? What about our fellow man? NIMBYs typically don't know history, nor do they ... more
I think one of the things neglected in this idea is that Pioneer Square has a history of handling the population of needy people in Seattle. What, we should do away with THAT history to make more room for condos, and plastic-beer-cup bars for transient college students who did not grow up in Seattle and plan to leave once they get their degrees? Make the area safer for sports fans? People who wear rayon shirts? Utilikilts? What about our fellow man? NIMBYs typically don't know history, nor do they want to honor it once informed about it. Also, Seattle is A CITY. People are down and out IN CITIES.
Feldie
Why would you close down a fine, reputable business?
- Saveway is run by a very friendly and welcoming family.
- It is the only option for convenience items in Pioneer Square (groceries, cleaning supplies, bath items).
Cleaning up Pioneer Square should be a priority for the city. But the suggested methods in this post are wrong. The district needs more businesses and the city should be supportive of good businesses like Saveway.
I implore people to NOT vote for this post. Instead, if you support ... more
Why would you close down a fine, reputable business?
- Saveway is run by a very friendly and welcoming family.
- It is the only option for convenience items in Pioneer Square (groceries, cleaning supplies, bath items).
Cleaning up Pioneer Square should be a priority for the city. But the suggested methods in this post are wrong. The district needs more businesses and the city should be supportive of good businesses like Saveway.
I implore people to NOT vote for this post. Instead, if you support the idea of a revitalized Pioneer Square, vote here:
http://bit.ly/6VNbh7
Audrey Richards
Seattle really needs to take pride in its historic district. Let's clean it up.
Langdon Blakeney
I also vote to clean up Pioneer Square--and agree with all of the reasoning for doing so (http://bit.ly/6VNbh7). But this NIMBY idea of relocating social services to Lake City Way, and starting the cycle all over again is not the solution. How many social service providers are in Pioneer Square and what services do they provide? This rarely gets defined in these discussions. I agree, it’s obvious that there needs to be better police enforcement—panhandling and drug dealing are serious problems at thi... more
I also vote to clean up Pioneer Square--and agree with all of the reasoning for doing so (http://bit.ly/6VNbh7). But this NIMBY idea of relocating social services to Lake City Way, and starting the cycle all over again is not the solution. How many social service providers are in Pioneer Square and what services do they provide? This rarely gets defined in these discussions. I agree, it’s obvious that there needs to be better police enforcement—panhandling and drug dealing are serious problems at this point. Businesses and residents need to know that the police are there and a resource around the clock. I lived in New York for the past six years and was rarely creped out as much as I was when I walked through Pioneer Square the other night. It was dark and deserted at 6 PM. While police will help, we need more than just their eyes on the street after dark—that’s a combination of residents, business owners, shoppers, and yes, bars patrons. This neighborhood will never be safe if all of the businesses close at 5 PM from October through April.
Jen Kelly
Check out "Revitalize Pioneer Square" -- it needs more votes and more supporters and just made it into the top 10. http://bit.ly/6VNbh7
But I agree -- we have too high of a concentration of homeless shelters in one tiny neighborhood. They need to be spread more throughout the city neighborhoods.
@Tina -- who do you think should enforce civility ordinances? We already don't have a police force equipped to deal with the problems we have now (vandalism, drugs). How can they add more? (same wi... more
Check out "Revitalize Pioneer Square" -- it needs more votes and more supporters and just made it into the top 10. http://bit.ly/6VNbh7
But I agree -- we have too high of a concentration of homeless shelters in one tiny neighborhood. They need to be spread more throughout the city neighborhoods.
@Tina -- who do you think should enforce civility ordinances? We already don't have a police force equipped to deal with the problems we have now (vandalism, drugs). How can they add more? (same with police foot patrols).
Completing a lot of your suggestions aren't going to make a difference if the city keeps the bad reputation of having too many homeless and druggies, which in turn makes them feel unsafe (Whether they shop or live there)
tina
i vote to clean up pioneer square but don't agree with your suggestions of how!! Consider instead enforcing civility ordinances, provide stimulus and incentives to encourage unique small business ( and therefore jobs), return police foot patrols to the streets, fix the existing street lights, work to develop more housing, especially rental units, more programming of the public spaces in an interesting and interactive manner and start focussing on our strengths!! The economy is a bigger player than you im... more
i vote to clean up pioneer square but don't agree with your suggestions of how!! Consider instead enforcing civility ordinances, provide stimulus and incentives to encourage unique small business ( and therefore jobs), return police foot patrols to the streets, fix the existing street lights, work to develop more housing, especially rental units, more programming of the public spaces in an interesting and interactive manner and start focussing on our strengths!! The economy is a bigger player than you imagine - hope anyone who wants to preserve and clean-up the square is also supporting our local business community!!