Melinda French Gates, MacKenzie Scott to help transform Seattle waterfront (condo, landscaping)

[homesinseattle]

Article link here: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle...le-waterfront/

“Melinda French Gates, MacKenzie Scott, the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation and Expedia Group have pledged $45 million to create a walking and biking path on the east side of Alaskan Way, a greenway that will act as a pedestrian-friendly connection between Seattle’s Olympic Sculpture Park to the north and the new Waterfront Park to the south.

The money, which will transform abandoned trolley tracks into a usable walkway, will also go toward sprucing up the city of Seattle’s Myrtle Edwards Park and the Port of Seattle’s Centennial Park, both of which hug the Elliott Bay shoreline. When completed, the two parks will have new benches, play areas, plantings, concessions, bathrooms, and restored public fishing access.

The goal is to have it all built in time for the World Cup in summer 2026, when several matches will be played in Seattle.

The effort, which will be 100% privately funded, is spearheaded by French Gates. It’s a personal gift, not affiliated with either the Gates Foundation or Pivotal Ventures, French Gates’ company. The donation is the well-known philanthropist’s first to a park project, a new foray into public space driven by her love of public spaces and a desire to see Seattle take better advantage of its place on Puget Sound.

While sitting near the water in Myrtle Edwards Park on Tuesday, French Gates imagined what it would mean to bring cohesion to the string of parks downtown, connecting them in a clearer way and amplifying their collective appeal.

With the city’s new $750 million waterfront project nearing its completion — the culmination of a decades-long process to showcase where the city and Puget Sound meet — the stretch of Alaskan Way just to the north, between piers 62 and 70, stands out as an untouched runway of concrete.

Since Elliott Way opened in spring and traffic began being diverted from the waterfront near Pike Place Market, the four lanes of this section of Alaskan Way are often empty of traffic, except on days when a cruise ship is loading or unloading. The sidewalks on both sides of the half-mile piece of road are narrow and there’s no obvious invitation to travel between the new waterfront and the sculpture park. People on scooters and bicycles must share the roadway with cars.

“It’s dangerous,” said French Gates. “It’s incredibly beautiful, I love being down there, but then when you try to make the cross [from Broad Street] to the sculpture park, it’s almost like they’re just these two separate things. … We have these amazing parks, but they’re still disconnected.”

Momentum behind the effort began in 2019, but was derailed by COVID. The parties began planning again in April. French Gates reached out to Scott because she knew they shared an interest in public parks, and Expedia because its campus is on Smith Cove. The Diller-von Furstenberg Foundation, led by media mogul and Expedia chairman Barry Diller and fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg, was involved with Manhattan’s elevated High Line park.

The money will run through the Downtown Seattle Association, which will serve as the coordinating body, holding all the contracts to execute the work.

Official designs for the greenway along the eastside of Alaskan Way haven’t been completed, an intentional choice to allow for public input. But early concepts by the design firm Walker Macy suggest a two-way path that would run from near Pier 62 to Broad Street. The linear park would displace the derelict trolley tracks, as well as the sidewalk. In their place would be a wider path, with new trees, shrubs and ground cover.

[leastprime]

hooray.
I found it odd that this section of Alaskan Way to be nearly deserted.
Confusing for biking and sections on the auto road, between cyclone fences just north of the piers.
I did find a hop vine on a trellis, The brambles annoying.
And the area around Expedita really confusing.

Once I was walking this section and realized that I really needed a scooter or bike. Lot of the them around but no, go juice in them. Ended up walking up 1st and caught a bus back down to ID

I need more exploring to figure understand this area.

[rjshae]

That area is probably going to be underwater should the oceans rise toward the end of this century. It would probably be better to leave it commercially undeveloped.

[jabogitlu]

Originally Posted by rjshae

That area is probably going to be underwater should the oceans rise toward the end of this century. It would probably be better to leave it commercially undeveloped.

We're talking about upgrading the landscaping and bike/walk trails in the park... and switching out the old trolley tracks for more walking trails. I think that level of investment will be fine.

[Chilkoot]

Another article on this neat project. I do particularly like that “undertaken at zero cost to taxpayers”.

https://www.geekwire.com/2023/melind...le-waterfront/

[rjshae]

Originally Posted by jabogitlu

We're talking about upgrading the landscaping and bike/walk trails in the park... and switching out the old trolley tracks for more walking trails. I think that level of investment will be fine.

Exactly what I'm saying. Leave it as a park and don't build it up.

[leastprime]

Originally Posted by rjshae

Exactly what I'm saying. Leave it as a park and don't build it up.

Better to discover who owns the adjacent properties
Anyhows, thank you, Melinda, MacKenzie, and Diane.

[margaretBartle]

I am an old-time Seattlite. I used to LOVE visiting the waterfront. Did it on a regular basis. Don't do it any more - can't get there! When they removed the parking, they removed any way locals could go there, except, of course, for the million-dollar condo owners. And the billionaires with their yachts moored at the marina could also enjoy the waterfront.


Since no Metro buses go to the waterfront, they don't have to be bothered with us nasty locals.


How nice for them.