Mr. Steve Pearce Seattle Department of Transportation City of Seattle PO

Mr. Steve Pearce Mr. John White Seattle Department of Transportation Washington State City of Seattle Department of Transportation PO Box 34996 999 Third Ave., Suite 2424 Seattle, WA 98124-4996 Seattle, WA 98104 RE: SR - 99 Tunnel, South Portal Design Dear Mr. Pearce and Mr. White, As a professional organization with over 2,000 members, AIA Seattle is broadly involved in the Seattle-area community and deeply committed to the future of our city and region. We greatly appreciate meeting with you last month to discuss the development of the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement tunnel’s south portal design. It is clearly a very complex assignment with many important issues that will affect not only mobility but also many critical urban issues in Seattle. For the tunnel to be successful, it must effectively address issues of city building and not prioritize traffic planning at the expense of other critical urban issues. We have serious concerns that the design approach is focusing on the roadway design issues without a clearly defined vision for how to simultaneously address and protect Seattle’s urban fabric. With its extensive set of elevated, depressed, and surface level roadways and ramps the portal is like a freeway interchange placed directly adjacent to one of the most fragile and important historic districts, Pioneer Square, in the country. It also sits in the middle of the Stadium/Ballpark/Exhibition Hall district which attracts hundreds of thousands of pedestrians each year. The portal as designed has the potential to impose the same negative impact on all of this activity as the current viaduct has had on the waterfront. Following are issues that should be considered essential to Seattle and need to be resolved if the project is to be successful. Balance local goals equal to bypass mobility: The project agenda should include a comprehensive, clearly defined set of criteria to serve and protect the local urban fabric. The “south portal goals” document that you presented is mostly focused on the various roadway functions with minimal statements about urban character, pedestrians, and bicycles. These need to be specifically defined and expanded to include criteria to protect or enhance local land uses and economic development potential; streetscape character and traffic volumes on city streets; pedestrian and bicycle safety; viability of public spaces; and local access and street connectivity. Don’t overwhelm local streets: In the current project configuration, there will be heavy traffic demands in Pioneer Square and the waterfront created by the south portal. If tolling the tunnel results in additional traffic diversion through Pioneer Square and the waterfront, and no increase in transit service is provided, these traffic issues will be even worse. Therefore, it is essential that the comprehensive strategy for mobility include alternative routes and modes, such as transit and traffic improvements on I-5. The traffic flow and volume should be designed to protect the historic streetscapes of Pioneer Square and the maximum four-lane urban street on the waterfront. Protect urban district continuity: First Avenue should be protected and developed in this plan as a continuous urban street with public, pedestrian focused uses on both sides from King Street to Public Disclosure Request 10-0292 for Elizabeth Campbell 7th Installment Atlantic Street. There should be public open spaces, public uses, or commercial retail uses with a depth of one half-block on both sides of the entire length of First Avenue through this area. Improve, don’t preclude, connection to the waterfront: There should be a continuous system of pedestrian and bicycle friendly public spaces that link the emerging Seattle waterfront plan to the Stadium, Ballpark, and Exhibition Hall. Consider ecology: Include in the design approach a specific plan for ecological systems such as storm water management and landscape, an increase in tree canopy, and protection of existing mature trees in the Pioneer Square Historical District. Protect the budget for urban issues: The allocation of costs in the project should be integrated to the complete set of issues critical to the success of the project. As options for various project elements are evaluated, the relative costs and impacts on both the transportation issues as well as the other urban issues should be openly discussed and evaluated by the City, State, and community representatives. Avoid compromises in the Design-Build process: When the project transitions from the current design team to the design-build delivery, it is critical that the final design fulfills the complete set of both transportation and urban goals. The process needs to be organized to insure conformance. Increase transparency in information sharing: This portal likely poses the most difficult and complicated challenges of the tunnel project. The City and State should increase the public dialogue about the emerging concerns, provide transparent access to information to the public — especially the local community and Seattle’s design and preservation professionals — and make clear the potential risks and negative impacts. Getting all the problems on the table via public forums and expert review is a crucial step toward finding viable solutions. We are eager to hear about the continued development of the project and the measures to address these critical issues. Sincerely, Mark Reddington FAIA Anne Schopf FAIA Lisa Richmond Co Chair, AIA Seattle President, AIA Seattle Executive Director, AIA Seattle Seattle Waterfront Taskforce CC: Grace Crunican, Director, SDOT; Ron Paananen, Director, WSDOT; Council President Richard Conlin, Councilmember Tim Burgess, Councilmember Sally J. Clark, Councilmember Jan Drago, Councilmember Jean Godden, Councilmember Bruce Harrell, Councilmember Nick Licata, Councilmember Richard J. McIver, Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels, Seattle Mayor-Elect Michael McGinn, Councilmember-Elect Sally Bagshaw, Councilmember-Elect Mike O’Brien, King County Executive Dow Constantine, Seattle Design Commission Chair Mary Johnson FAIA, Seattle Planning Commission Chair Josh Brower, Governor Chris Gregoire, Pioneer Square Preservation Board, Pioneer Square Community Association. Public Disclosure Request 10-0292 for Elizabeth Campbell 7th Installment.

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