On Capitol Hill right now there is a lot of construction; a lot of construction. And there’s been a lot of construction on Capitol Hill for a very long time, so much so that late last year the area that was defined as the Capitol Hill Construction Hub was expanded to reach all the way west to I-5.
Construction hubs are areas the City has identified as experiencing multiple private and public construction projects simultaneously underway in close proximity; sounds cozy. With all that building you get lots of contractors and sub-contractors in and out of project sites daily. But some stand out, in a really good way, because they’re really good neighbors.
Mill Creek project site at 1427 11th Avenue
Nearly one year ago Mill Creek Residential was in the planning stages to build a new mixed-use 6-story structure with 135 residential units; underground spaces for 124 cars and 40 bikes; and 6,000 feet of new street level commercial space, as the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog reported last July. Mill Creek hopes to begin leasing by next summer. You might wonder sometimes if the folks building such high rises and mixed use developments care about the impacts of construction on the traveling public; neighborhoods; businesses. We can tell you Mill Creek does and we are thankful for their good neighbor behavior in a community currently deluged by construction impacts.
One of many No Construction Parking signs paid for by Mill Creek Residential and placed along 10th Avenue
Of their own accord Mill Creek Residential has long asked their crews and subcontractors to please not take up street parking. Several months ago they paid for the production and placement of A-frame signs all around their project site saying street parking was meant for residents and business customers. They came to the table with a parking management plan to help the community weather the impacts they knew their project would bring. And now, Mill Creek Residential is upping their game by printing off and placing the following on windshields of vehicles they have probable cause to believe are being driven by people who work for their subcontractors – ensuring the parking message gets out. They even issued emails to project supervisors with the PDF of the flyer to enlist more help in controlling misuse of Capitol Hill’s limited street parking.
Notice placed on windshields asking subcontractors not to take street parking
As the Access Seattle Initiative and its Construction Hub Coordination Program work to reduce cumulative construction impacts, we want to thank the contractors that are also working to put community first. Thanks Mill Creek!