Third and Main Bus Stop Plan is Flawed

If you didn't get a chance to read yet, our Op-Ed came out digitally in the Seattle Times May 21st: https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/third-avenue-plan-in-seattle-will-further-choke-pioneer-square/.

This week, in collaboration with our neighbors, we posted our efforts on Instagram. Many of you have responded and we appreciate you doing so.

We're trying to get as many people behind the effort to stop the SDOT proposal, 3rd Ave S and S Main St Bus Stop, from moving forward as planned. SDOT has not updated their website to show their recent proposal to keep the street two-way. However, the plan to narrow the street as well as to layover buses on the adjacent streets (S. Washington and S. Main) around our businesses is still moving forward.

Attached is the last communication from the 3rd Ave S & S Main St Bus Stop contact, Matthew Howard. His attachments illustrate the Current planned Southbound only plan which is also illustrated as the OG plan, a plan they do not like that reduces Southbound to one lane only and their compromise Alternate plan.

Right now bus layovers are all around us. When you look towards our side of Pioneer Square from Occidental what you see are parked buses and a line of buses passing through. It is not inviting. We are deeply concerned about being further cut off from the Pioneer Square core, and losing visibility to our galleries with buses one lane closer to our businesses. There are so many issues to list around this project.

We are going to be further hard hit by the "East West Connector" construction on S. Main and S. Washington. This "couplet" will end up being a one-way loop around Pioneer Square from what we understand and will be another traffic nightmare. And not a successful loop. As you exit S. Washington at the waterfront you are not able to turn left onto Alaskan Way and left again onto S. Main.

We believe all this rerouting, narrowing of streets, reduced parking will further reduce our ability to bring collectors to the galleries which ultimately affects the support of our artists. It seems the City has decided that all of 3rd Avenue should be desertified in terms of retail business on the street level from Denny to Jackson. The more we speak to a clear, functional, livable vision, the more it can be seen and understood by our representatives. It is all the small businesses along 3rd Avenue that will save it, not the chasing buses that race through.

We are asking for you to help us by emailing city officials. Writing to Rob Saka and copying City council members would really help. Rob is our representative but he is also head of the transportation committee.

Feel free to send a letter to all of the people listed below stating for example, "As an artist this plan impacts me......." We've emailed all of them and have met with most of them.

Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT):
DOT_3rdandMainBusStop@seattle.gov
3rdAvelimprovements@seattle.gov
DOT_ROAD<684-Road@seattle.gov (Greg Spotts, Director of SDOT)

rfrankel@kingcounty.gov (Robert Frankel, King County Metro)
Janet.Loriz@seattle.gov
Virginie.Nadimi@seattle.gov
Matthew.Howard@seattle.gov
Elizabeth.Sheldon@seattle.com

Councilmember Rob Saka's office:
Rob.Saka@seattle.gov
Elaine.Ko@seattle.gov
Leyla.Gheisar@seattle.gov

Council Members (outside our district but they still vote on other districts agendas)
tammy.morales@seattle.gov
sara.nelson@seattle.gov
tammy.woo@seattle.gov

Alliance for Pioneer Square
lisa@pioneersquare.org
chris@pioneersquare.org

Mayor's office:
Greg.Wong@seattle.gov
Adiam.Emery@seattle.gov

Thank you for your time and assistance. Please let us know if you have any questions.

With our deepest appreciation,
Foster/White and Greg Kucera Gallery