Ordinance 2921-06 - Laserfiche WebLink

CHAPTER 6 [What is most important to a plaza's success is] the location of the space and its relation- ship to the street. The real estate people are right about location, location, location. For a space to function truly well it must be central to the constituency it is to serve—and if not in physical distance, in visual accessibility. William Whyte: The City Figure 80. The County plaza could be greatly enhanced to increase access and accommodate greater use Figure 81. The City parking lot at Colby and Wall could be lidded with new development and complementary open space. Local property owners have noted that there are maintenance and safety concerns associated with such open spaces. Action 0-6 includes measures to address these concerns which should diminish as downtown intensifies with active uses and a larger residential population. It may be that open space maintenance and management as well as auxiliary streetscape cleaning would most efficiently be addressed through a BIA program, in conjunction with City maintenance efforts. 0-3 Create a focal park or plaza near the center of downtown. As noted above, a thriving downtown needs an identifiable space that can be used for a variety of civic functions as well as general day -to day use. There are at least two ways this need can be accommodated in downtown Everett. One way might be to make the Plaza in front of the County Buildings more accessible. The plaza sits approximately 6-10 feet above the sidewalk and surrounded on most sides by landscaped banks and walls. A "cascading" stairway and accessible ramp from the sidewalk at Wetmore Avenue and Wall Street up into the plaza would open up the plaza visually and make it more accessible from the street and near -by buildings. The stairs themselves could be designed to provide alcove seating and locations for art or entry features. There is a second opportunity, identified by the Committee to Establish Downtown Public Spaces, at the south-east corner of Colby Avenue and Wall Street. This City -owned property currently provides below grade parking. A lid could be built over this parking lot that might include pedestrian oriented mixed use development with an ample open space facing the intersection (see Figure 83 for an example). The pedestrian oriented businesses in the new development would keep this space active and the open space itself would build on and add to Colby Avenue's pedestrian activities. For large events such s a street fair or parade, portions of Colby Avenue could be closed to traffic to accommodate the activities. 92 MAKERS architecture and urban design 0509_rpt_draft.doc - 6/29/06