26 Jun 2013

Capitol Hill Introduces Parklet

photo cred | City of San Francisco via Capitol Hill Seattle

This coming August, our lovely neighborhood of Capitol Hill will introduce their first parklet! I have been thrilled about this idea ever since I read about it popping up in San Francisco and think it would be a great addition to Seattle. No exact location has been revealed just yet, but the Capitol Hill Seattle blog can confirm that three locations for the pilot program will include E Olive Way, Belltown and Chinatown/ID.

The mini-park is part of a new initiative by the city to create small privately funded open spaces in the midst of Seattle’s busy streets…The basic idea is a business will sponsor a parklet by asking the city for permission to change a right-of-way for a parking space (or other small public space) in front of its business to an open public space. While they can’t offer service in the space and turn it into a de facto extension of a cafe or restaurant, businesses pay for everything, including upkeep.

If all goes well this summer, the parklets will return in 2014.

For the full article, click here.