It's been several months now since the Bell Street Park Project was announced. Next month, the first public meeting will take place about it. In the city's own words, this is what's going to happen:
"The project converts one traffic lane and reconfigures parking to create a park-like corridor through the heart of Belltown. The four block area will be improved with landscaping, better lighting, and more open space. Sidewalks on the north side of Bell Street will be widened to nearly 30 feet with landscaping, lighting and space for children's play areas and other recreational activities. Natural landscaping and swales - vegetation in the right-of-way that collects and cleans rainwater - will be added."
Basically, they're building a park on an extended sidewalk that stretches from 1st Ave. to 5th Ave. The cost will be $2.5 million, which, compared to other projects such as the proposed tunnel, doesn't cause much gnashing of teeth. I've had a chance to think about this new park and I see one of two things happening:
1. It will be a cool urban oasis where people can relax amid well-maintained greenery and children can frolic on the super-fun playground equipment.
OR
2. It will immediately be overrun by bums, crazy people and drug addicts.
Based on my 19 years in Belltown, I think that the second scenario is more likely, but the park can still be an asset to the neighborhood.
If you look at two of the parks closest to Belltown (Steinbrueck and Denny), you can get a good idea of what Bell Street Park will be like. At Steinbrueck, people hang out on the benches and panhandle passersby and at Denny, around a dozen people are generally sacked out under the trees. weather permitting. Bell Street Park may well be a combination of these two groups. I don't think it'll be anywhere near as bad as Regrade Park back when it was commonly known as "Crack Park." That was a different time and much of that element has moved on. Believe me, if Belltown was anywhere as bad as it was 10 years ago, they wouldn't even be proposing this park.
But this isn't merely a matter of sending bums packing on sight. The new park doesn't have to be a police state. It's more about giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy the park, from those who live in condo penthouses to those less fortunate. One public place that seems to have Belltown's inherent problems under control is the green space next to the 4th & Blanchard Building, also known as Darth Vader Gardens. You can go there anytime during the day and hang out without being hassled by panhandlers or crazy people. The grounds are nicely looked after and there are only very minor problems with trash and graffiti. I'm not sure how they achieve that balance, but if they could transfer it to the new park, it might be to everyone's benefit. It could be the proliferation of "PRIVATE PROPERTY" signs that put people on notice to be on their best behavior or it might be the actual pristine condition of the space. When something is well cared for, people naturally are less inclined to mess it up.
No matter what comes at this soon-to-be-convened public meeting, the park will be go. The city really wants it to be built. In fact, the reason why Bell Street has been such a godawful mess for the last four months is that they're making all these drainage modifications in anticipation of the park. Here are some shots of the work:
Construction is due to begin this spring, to be completed by winter 2010. I really hope that it does turn out to be an urban oasis, but I'm afraid that the reality of Belltown might not allow that.
Read more Hideous Belltown!
4 comments:
You can't "...give everyone the opportunity to enjoy the park..." without the police and the city doing more to manage the drug dealing, drug using and loitering.
"Darth Vader Gardens" has on site security and is private property. There is no comparison with a public park.
Igor, you do realize that this "park" will be adjacent to Regrade Park and will invite the drug dealers back don't you? Don't you remember the "grand plan" they had about re-doing the "childrens' play area" in Regrade Park and what a stunning success it was (sarcasm intended)? The only thing that got rid of the dealers was the dogs.
The city doesn't have the money to build this. What money they DO have, if they are so intent on spending it in Belltown, would be much better used on a consistant foot patrol of cops - not toothless "park rangers" in the area.
The city does have the money for this, compared to many other things. It's more about how the revenue is spent, and is a drop in the bucket compared to the huge projects they are proposing - they must want the next few years of Modern Marvels to be all about Seattle and its wasteful public works projects for motorists.
THAT SAID, the enlarged sidewalks, with improved landscaping, sounds eerily like Pioneer Square. And you would need more than 2 hands to count the number of times you're asked for change while moving a few blocks through that neighborhood, with its 'enhanded landscaping'...
Great post as for me. It would be great to read more about this topic.
BTW check the design I've made myself A level escorts
Post a Comment