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Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced his office’s plan to prioritize the restoration of the downtown core in his 2023 State of the City address last week.
Following a year in which the city saw nearly 50,000 cases of crime, Harrell emphasized hope for a better 2023. Citing how the district is home to 100,000 residents and over 320,000 jobs, the mayor sees Downtown Seattle as the “undisputed economic engine and cultural hub of our region.”
“I am bullish on our downtown,” Harrell said in his address. “The problems we are facing are not insurmountable and the opportunities, therefore, are immense.”
Harrell’s focus will be on addressing crime and drug use in the downtown district. The mayor said he walked around downtown earlier this month and saw that downtown safety concerns were real. This included witnessing people using fentanyl.
The mayor announced the Downtown Activation Plan, which will look at immediate strategies to make downtown safer and more welcoming. This includes filling vacant storefronts along with converting office space to housing to creating what his office calls a “linear arts-entertainment-culture district.”
“We need to recognize that [Seattle’s downtown] office space may never fill up as before,” Harrell said. “We need more housing options, so let’s make downtown affordable for everyone who wants to live there.”
Harrell mentioned in his address that Amazon’s decision to require its employees to work at their respective offices is a good thing for the Downtown Seattle core. However, safety is seen as an importance for returning workers and residents. The district has so far seen the most violent crime reports throughout the city, including one homicide in the first month of 2023, according to the Seattle Police Department crime dashboard.
Last year there were 590 deaths by overdose in Seattle, according to Harrell. The mayor also announced that the city will launch the Neighborhood-Focused Unified Care Team, which brings a neighborhood-level focus to helping those experiencing homelessness connect with places to go and providing services to keep city public spaces clean.
Seattle Metro Chamber President Rachel Smith applauded Harrell’s address for prioritizing public safety and revitalizing the downtown area.
“Mayor Harrell's policy priorities mirror what we hear from both our member businesses and the voters,” Smith said in a statement. “As Mayor Harrell pointed out, it is time to pay attention to the essentials — now let's get to work."
HIGHLIGHTS OF HARRELL’S ADDRESS
• The Downtown Activation Plan — immediate activation strategies to make downtown safer and more welcoming, such as filling vacant storefronts and a future Executive Order addressing fentanyl and synthetic drugs; along with long-term transformational enhancements, ranging from converting office space to housing to creating a linear arts-entertainment-culture district.
• The Civilian Assisted Response and Engagement Department — a third public safety department to work alongside Police and Fire, expanding our public safety toolkit to better meet the needs of our residents, especially those with behavioral and mental health needs.
• Launch of Neighborhood-Focused Unified Care Team — New UCT teams will launch next month, bringing a neighborhood-level focus to helping those experiencing homelessness connect with places to go and providing services to keep city public spaces clean.
• Building More Housing — To increase needed housing the City will advance a bold housing levy, permitting reforms, the Comprehensive Plan Update, and more to build on improvements to design review; the foundation of a housing subcabinet; and a $250 million affordable housing investment in the budget — the largest of its kind.
• Vision Zero Improvements — In the coming days, Mayor Harrell and SDOT Director Spotts will share early actions addressing Vision Zero goals, along with further details of a $25 million federal grant to implement safety improvements in underserved neighborhoods.
• Taking Climate Action — Bold new policies to address climate change, build climate resilience, and deliver environmental justice, including new clean buildings, tree preservation and planting, and Seattle’s Green New Deal investments in Resilience Hubs and electric heat pump conversion.
• Hiring 26 Park Rangers — a massive expansion of the program, with rangers helping improve safety in parks and serving as ambassadors and guides to residents in needs. Park Rangers will help keep parks welcoming and accessible to all, building on the work of the Unified Care Team in reducing the number of parks and green spaces significantly impacted by encampments by 70 percent since 2021.
• 2023 One Seattle Day of Service — will occur on May 20, building on 2022’s successful community-building volunteer event.
Rainier Playfield Ballfields Restoration — in preparation for the All-Star Game, the Seattle Mariners are funding and partnering with the City to renovate and restore the Rainier Playfield ballfields.