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New Terry Avenue Parklet and Green Street

A Green Street is a street that, through various design techniques, gives priority to pedestrian circulation and environmental sustainability. One of Seattle’s Green Streets, the section of Terry Avenue between Virginia and Denny, is about to get a much-needed extension. Once complete, the Terry Avenue Green Street will extend an additional block, all the way to Stewart Street, which is one of downtown’s principal arterials.

Basemap courtesy Google Maps.

Basemap courtesy Google Maps.

As an initial step toward this extension, SDOT has coordinated with architects at NBBJ (the architects who designed the remodel of the building adjacent to the site) and landscape architects at Hewitt to implement a large-scale public Parklet that spans most of one side of the block. The entire Parklet project has been funded by Seattle Children’s Research Institute, the owners of the building being remodeled. What used to be a space featuring not much more than 24 back-in angle parking spaces and a sidewalk in disrepair is now a multi-faceted space featuring plaza seating, bike racks, eight remaining parking spaces, a soon-to-be-installed Pronto Cycle Share station, and 11 new trees in gabion planters, which are not only pretty but also serve to calm traffic.  Oh, and there’s a brand-new sidewalk too.

Terry Ave parklet

Terry Ave between Virginia and Stewart

Soon, all of these elements will be incorporated into the newly extended Green Street, resulting in a three-block, more environmentally friendly space where people can safely and comfortably sit, walk, bike, and drive. What’s more, it is one of SDOT’s goals to see that the Terry Ave Green Street is eventually extended all the way to the northeast end of Pine Street, where the two streets meet I-5. This is part of a larger objective of interconnecting downtown’s neighborhoods via a network of Green Streets. The map below illustrates which streets have already been turned into Green Streets, which streets will be improved in the near future, and shows the larger context of the most recent Terry Ave improvement.

Green Streets Map-fill3

Click map for larger image.

Do you have questions about Seattle’s Parklet program, Green Streets program, or general questions about efforts to improve rights-of-way within the city? Visit the following links for more information:

Parklets – http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/parklets.htm

Green Streets – National Complete Streets Coalition – http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/complete-streets/implementation/factsheets/green-streets/

Green Streets – City of Seattle – http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/rowmanual/manual/6_2.asp

City of Seattle Right-of-Way Improvements Manual – http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/rowmanual/manual/