The Chinatown-International Ditrict Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) is reaching out to the community via Kickstarter to support its latest effort in creating green, spaces for public use: a parklet on 6th Avenue S.
To see the Kickstarter Campaign, click here
A parklet is a small urban park that is typically created by taking existing street parking or unused urban space and converting it into an open public space that serves as an extension of the sidewalk. The proposed parklet on 6th Avenue S is part of a larger effort to create parklets throughout Seattle.
According to the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), local businesses interested in building parklets began approaching the city in 2011. The city was receptive to the idea, but lacked a process for parklet development. SDOT staff met with staff from both Seattle Parks and Recreation and the Department of Planning and Development to explore the possibility of establishing a program. In the middle of 2012 an interdepartmental group recommended a pilot program to Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and the City Council, who then gave the program the green light. Parklets have been planned for the International District, Belltown, and Capitol Hill.
The proposed parklet for the International District measures roughly 24 feet long by 6 feet deep and is located on the west side of 6th Avenue S between S Weller Street and S King Street. The parklet will include seating, tables, and planter boxes.
Proposed location:
“This project will bring much needed public open space to the community, and serve as a third space for visitors and residents to sit back and enjoy the rich culture and food of the neighborhood,” said CIDBIA spokesperson Youslee Wang in a statement. “We currently have the permitting from the City of Seattle, and the historic review board, but we are missing the funding.”
CIDBIA said the parklet is designed to reflect the architectural elements of the adjacent building and will serve as a public space for people. While most parklets are usually constructed in on-street parking spaces, CIDBIA said the location of the 6th Avenue S parklet was carefully chosen to occupy the no parking zone within 30 feet of an existing stop sign at the intersection of 6th Avenue S and South Weller Street. As a result, no parking spots will be lost due to parklet.
The parklet was designed by Barker Landscape Architects and will be constructed by GMD Custom.
CIDBIA has created a Kickstarter campaign to accept donations for the project. CIDBIA is a local non-profit that promotes the economic vitality of the Chinatown-International District.
For more information, view the information at the kickstarter campaign at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/112999802/seattles-chinatown-international-district-parklet, contact the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Jennifer Wieland at [email protected], or contact CIDBIA Executive Director Don Blakeney at [email protected]