My last post on Seattle’s process to select a design team to remake the downtown waterfront attracted a lot of great comments and discussion. Here’s more.
Now that the design team has been selected—james corner field operations was chosen—I would suggest that they not only read fnarf’s post that I wrote about, but that they also take a trip to Portland to learn all they can about that city’s South Waterfront neighborhood.
The team should spend a few days figuring out how the City of Portland took the 140 acres of land and 6500 feet of Willamette waterfront and converted it from derelict industrial use to a growing mixed use residential neighborhood with green buildings, swales, transit access, a possible district energy project, and, yes, a park. Let’s take a look at the South Waterfront neighborhood with help from fnarf.
Boulevards—South Waterfront doesn’t have any. But it does have street car access and a street grid packed into the area between the Willamette River to the east, the I-5 corridor to the west, the Marquam Bridge and River Place community to the north, and the John’s Landing community to the south. Street grids make for walkable neighborhoods which is a big part of creating human connections with a vibrant hustle and bustle rather than treacherous boulevards which divide people from each other.
Parks—A park is on its way, and any visit to the South Waterfront neighborhood will get a distinctly park feel. In fact one might even feel like it’s a park with buildings mixed in. The flashy South Waterfront website claims 40 acres of land is saved by living vertically—land which could be habitat, farmland, or open space.
Commerce-Free Zones—The South Waterfront is a mixed use neighborhood with a growing number of businesses and retail tenants. There are parts of the neighborhood that aren’t built out yet and feel vacant. And in today’s real estate market the whole area can feel kind of apocalyptically overbuilt. Will new people ever move into the neighborhood? Whether more businesses and residents move into the area will be determined by a number of variables. But the room to grow retail and commercial businesses is there.
Yes, there are lot of differences between the existing conditions of the area and Seattle’s waterfront. For example, Portland’s use of Tax Increment Financing (TIF) certainly helped get the infrastructure that made the new development possible. Seattle doesn’t have TIF but it can use its power to use zoning to create incentives for dense and appropriate development of the waterfront.
I have to say that I find it amusing that Seattle City Councilmember Sally Bagshaw said she doesn’t want the Seattle waterfront to become like Miami Beach. I’ve never been, but based on a YouTube tour it looks like an ideal waterfront based on historic preservation, slowing cars down to a crawl, and lots of hustle and bustle. Note to Councilmember Bagshaw: Miami Beach doesn’t look so bad.
Portland and Seattle are different cities; one has a river and the other a sound. But the basic principles are the same. Seattle already has beachy waterfront access at Myrtle Edwards downtown, Alki in West Seattle, and Golden Gardens in Ballard. Do we really need more beachy, parky, waterfront? Shouldn’t we aspire to make our waterfront a green neighborhood on an even bigger scale than the South Waterfront? This is Seattle’s opportunity to catch up, tunnel or no tunnel.
Photo credit: kakisky from morguefile.com
Josh Mahar
Everyone seems very confused about what Miami Beach is or is not. Much of my family is from suburban Miami and we frequently went there when I was a kid so I’ll help inform folks. Miami Beach itself is an independent city in Dade county, with 87,000 residents and an area of over 7 square miles. It is part of a big island connected by bridge to downtown Miami. You would never walk between these two areas. Having boomed at the turn of the century, much of Miami Beach is fairly low, old apartment buildings, somewhat similar to parts of Capitol Hill but bigger and with a little more Southern and Art Deco flair. For visitors and residents as a whole it is the cultural heart of South Florida with many, many restaurants, bars, clubs, museums, parks, etc. Comparing it to a 20 acres swath of Seattle’s waterfront isn’t exactly apples to apples.For my family, and for much of the public, the attraction was a large, probably 50 acre linear park that provides ample public access to the Miami beach waterfront. Its called Lummus Park. From the nearest businesses there is a four-lane busy but not too wide road, then a big space with some trees, then a nice heavily utilized roller blading/biking/walking path, then a big swath of beach with Volley ball nets, and then, over a little hill, more beach for laying out towels and swimming. From the water its about 250 yards from any commercial businesses, except of course the few dudes selling cold drinks/ice cream/etc.North of the park, and probably the part Bagshaw is referring to is a stretch of beach that is entirely blocked from public access by very large, very unfriendly and expensive hotels.The video you show is Lincoln Road Mall. A wonderful pedestrian street that runs through the East-West length of Miami Beach but not actually that close to the “waterfront”, being at least a 10 min walk from the two nearest points. It would perhaps be more accurate to compare that to Pike Place Market.
Roger
Thanks Josh. I was hoping someone who knew the area would jump in. I realized when I posted the video of Lincoln Road Mall that I’d get someone who’d say “hey, where’s the water in that video?” And I also knew that Miami itself is like every other big city: more than just one neighborhood. But the video demonstrates my point and undermines Councilmember Bagshaw’s reference. I think she used the comparison in a pejorative way, as if everyone would conjure up images of Miami Vice or worse, Vanilla Ice. The fact is, as you suggest, Miami Beach is more than just the area she described. Lincoln Road Mall looks like what I want on the waterfront. As I said, we have access to the water already. I want to see the kind of neighborhood filling that area that is strongly influenced by the water but not captive to it. If I want to stare out quietly on the sound and contemplate the future of our city without a deep bore tunnel I’ll go to Golden Gardens or maybe even Carkeek Park. I’d love to hang out with friends, hear music, and get lost in a street grid in a new neighborhood in Seattle that is right on the water. Maybe I’d find an outdoor cafe where I could plan my trip to Miami.
Genevieve
Thanks so much for sharing your educated and experiential understanding of Miami Beach, Josh!It would be really, really great if Seattle planners and bloggers spent significant time (a week, or at least a few days? . . . living there over six months all the better!) before suggesting to others what that place is or is not all about.We will not grow smarter until we put our collective smarts to work; attending closely to input from those who know WELL locales we would or would not like to emulate! Not to mention to those who are so well able to describe them – thanks again!
Larry
Portland’s South Waterfront district is the source for jokes and ridicule for many Portlanders. Here’s a well-read local blog that illustrates that point: http://bojack.org/2010/09/borrowing_money_thats_already.htmlIn any event, the concept of Portland’s SoWa development was modeled after waterfront neighborhoods in Vancouver, B.C.. Since Vancouver’s closer, you can save local taxpayers some T expense by visiting source directly.
Judy
I’m another Portlander who’s no fan of the South Waterfront district. It’s not as green as claimed, and the city really screwed up on not following up on an agreement that the development would include completion of the Willamette Greenway trail linking downtown and points south. Big mistake. Also, there’s no transit to anywhere but downtown (I don’t include a rush-hour only bus or another that runs only on Macadam Ave. on a 1/2-hour or more waiting schedule.) Also, there are no “local” businesses such as grocery store, drug store, etc., so residents get in their cars to go elsewhere to shop. The units are very overpriced (some have been auctioned off at great discounts), and for putting up with urban annoyances such as a lot of noise from I-5 and Barbur Blvd., there aren’t enough amenities to make it worthwhile.You should read something other than marketing literature, or talk to Portlanders, before making such glowing statements about a place you don’t know well.
Wells
As others has already said, Portland SoWa and Seattle Central Waterfront don’t compare well. On the other hand, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Portland’s OHSU is poised to expand their campus in SoWa which will begin the 2nd phase of filling in the undeveloped lots on the north side. No doubt the whole of SoWa will be completed in the not too distant future.SoWa has riverfront access along its entirety unlike Seattle central waterfront, though it’s now a temporary lawn. The beautiful 2 acre central park, 2 blocks from the riverbank was completed months ago. Eventually, the greenway trail will be built. There’s nothing holding that up but the years-long process. Zidell shipping must relocate; OHSU must masterplan the campus expansion; development of the lots further north will take years. Judy is impatient and uninformed. The City of Portland did fail to integrate a low-income veterans housing project, but the site was probably suitable for that purpose as it was next to I-5. Roger, do visit Portland and take notes. Note Portland does NOT have a working waterfront. Note that all side streets which reach Naito Parkway (the equivalent of Alaskan Way) continue east into town unlike Seattle side streets which terminate at Western Ave or are steep hillclimbs that are treacherous to navigate. Seattle will have more thru-traffic on Alaskan Way than Naito Parkway. Seattle’s traffic management designs must account for these stark differences. Accordingly, I advocate for a 2-lane frontage road in addition to the proposed 4-lane Alaskan Way. Though this will limit infill and reduce promenade width, it may be the only way to manage traffic.
Wells
Ooops. I meant to say, “The City of Portland did fail to integrate a low-income veterans housing project, but the site was probably ‘NOT’ suitable for that purpose as it was next to I-5.” SoWa developers will probably resisting the veterans project, but IMO SoWa is an ideal district for Veterans as the VA hospital is 5-minutes away via the aerial gondola.
Larry
OHSU’s life sciences complex is in serious doubt as of late this week as Oregon’s Treasurer, Ted Wheeler is recommending a freeze on all new borrowing. From the Oregonian:”… With tax revenues in steep decline, Oregon has jumped above its historical state borrowing limits against general fund revenues, prompting Treasurer Ted Wheeler to recommend a halt to general fund borrowing until the state’s financial situation improves. That includes a recommendation to hold off issuing bonds for projects that the Legislature has already approved, including the state hospital, a new collaborative research building at Oregon Health & Science University, and a statewide emergency radio network.Wheeler’s recommendation was unanimously endorsed at a special meeting Thursday of the state’s Debt Policy Advisory Commission, a five-member commission that meets periodically to evaluate the state’s borrowing capacity…”http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2010/09/oregons_treasurer_calls_for_ha.html
Wells
Sept 12th 2010 Oregonian, “…it’s welcome news that OHSU decided last week to proceed with plans to expand the South Waterfront campus. When construction on the ‘Life Sciences Collaborative Complex’ begins in 2011, the promise of SoWa will step closer to fulfillment. The expansion will accommodate OHSU and programs by OSU, U-of-O and PSU.”The truth can be terribly inconvenient.
Larry
Its welcomed news if OHSU moves forward without increasing Oregon’s inconvenient $3 billion budget shortfall. Maybe Sam can share some of the $600,000,000 bike path funding with OHSU.
Larry
The Sep 12 Oregonian Ed Board’s piece about OHSU new SoWa digs was interesting, but the comments were more representative of citizen/taxpayer sentiment. Also, I’m left wondering if the Oregonian Ed Board factored in Oregon Treasurer Ted Wheeler’s recommendation since they occurred in such a tight frame. I suspect that this situation – like other ‘projects’ around Portland – remain highly fluid and dependent on less-than-certain funding.