Urban Visions unveiled its Livable South Downtown vision today, calling for substantially increased housing options to foster a residential south downtown and relocation of King County’s government campus out of the downtown core. This plan was revealed alongside Mayor Bruce Harrell’s call to action for revitalizing Seattle’s downtown area. The proposed plan includes prioritizing residential space over office space in south downtown, focusing on community connections in Pioneer Square, the new Waterfront and Chinatown-International District, providing housing solutions for all income levels to address Seattle’s ongoing housing crisis as well as relocating government facilities freeing up seven city blocks available for redevelopment. Additionally it proposes closing off Third Avenue and repurposing it into a pedestrian area with retail stores, restaurants and entertainment venues.
Greg Smith – President & CEO at Urban Visions – commented: “If we can move that area away from being commuter-centric 9am – 5pm destination towards developing 24/7 neighborhood focused on residential development we can help address both Seattle’s housing crisis along with its current state of affairs regarding the overall condition of its Downtown district.”
