Broadway Improvement Initiative
Description:
Almost every one of us drives on Broadway everyday. The City Engineering Dept. says over 25,000 cars drive on Broadway each day. It’s high time that Broadway reflects the charm and character of the NWN. Don’t you agree? If we’re not lobbying the City to improve Broadway who will?
Progress:
a.) The City of Everett is proposing design standards and related land-use code amendments to create an improved mixed-use corridor for Broadway Avenue from 41st Street north to 7th Street and North Broadway. The standards will address commercially zoned land along Broadway Avenue. The Broadway Corridor Design Standards will provide additional standards that insure higher quality development, surrounding neighborhood sensitivity, a sense of community, more transit and pedestrian friendly areas, neighborhood serving businesses, an area with a great degree of character and a greater mix of uses. These new standards were approved by the City Council in November of 2008.
b.) Met with Myrna, Bob, Dave Koenig Planning Manager and Allan Giffen, Director to discuss the next steps for the Broadway Corridor Design Standards project on Jan. 29
c.) Explored working with businesses on Broadway to develop an LID (local improvement district) to pay for the retro style light poles that they use on Hewitt with Brian Jones, currently working in HR. These decorative poles are exceedingly pricey ($5-9K ea.) and probably beyond the large grant amount.
d.) Spoke with Ross Johnson in Planning to learn about Community Development Block Grants, (CDBG). The Delta and Riverside may both still be eligible for this funding source.
e.) Contacted Carol Thomas about possible funding for street banners. We both investigated banners as a way to “jazz” up Broadway and bring attention to the idea of a redesign program. Did you know that there are over 200 light poles on Broadway? Neither did we. At $100+ per banner (not installed) that’s $40K! for banners!!! Yikes!!
f.) We conducted a visual inspection of the NW Neighborhood / Broadway boundary and discovered that approximate 75% of our side of the street has an existing tree border!
g.) We’ve been dialoging with Bruce MacDonald the artist that developed the excellent Port Gardner Wharf color drawings. He’s exactly the type of artist we want to use in order to develop sketches and enthusiasm for a Broadway redesign. The idea is what once people get a good idea of what Broadway could look like they’ll be more interested in voting for a redesign. Our plan is to ask QFC and Safeway to hang these drawings for a one year period. Unfortunately his fees are not cheap. eye-levels were in the neighborhood of $6000 apiece, and the aerials, $8000. for Port Gardner Bay.
Next Steps:
1.) Meet with Roy Harris to discuss tree planting.
2.) Sit with Myrna and Bob Overstreet to review the ‘92 planning document and color illustrations.
3.) Find a local artist willing to develop beautiful color renderings of how Broadway could look in the future.
Project Manager:
Open
Volunteers:
Former Councilman Bob Overstreet boverstreet7@verizon.net
Myrna Overstreet myrovers@verizon.net
Everett CC VP John Olson jolson@everettcc.edu
NW Neighborhood Assoc. Chair.Paul Donovan pauld@construx.com
Russ Kastleman drydock04@yahoo.com
Good Contacts:
Councilman Paul Roberts PRoberts@ci.everett.wa.us
Mgr. Long Range Planning & Community Development Dave Koenig DKoenig@ci.everett.wa.us
Director pf Planning and Community Development Allan Giffen AGiffen@ci.everett.wa.us
Cultural Arts Manager Carol Thomas CThomas@ci.everett.wa.us
City Traffic Engineer DongHo Cang DChang@ci.everett.wa.us
Help Needed:
1.) We need an artist to create terrific visual renderings of what Broadway can look like so that we can inspire people to take action and get involved.
2.) We need more research into the cost, and financing of a multi-year Broadway redesign effort. i.e what is the cost of replacing current Broadway street lights with the retro Hewitt street lights?
3.) We need to learn more about successful urban corridor redesign efforts from firms like LMN Architects (see link)
Links:
http://www.everettwa.org/default.aspx?ID=1086
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20081022/NEWS01/710229759
http://www.lmnarchitects.com/projects/project_list.asp?mkt=6
Photos:
WANTED: Photos showing both the best and worst of our Broadway corridor.
