Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC)

The 25-member committee, established by the PFD represented a variety of community interests. Its responsibility was to provide the PFD with meaningful and critical input regarding ballpark design, environmental impacts, construction and operation. Many members of the CAC represented larger constituencies such as neighborhood groups and professional associations, including persons from neighborhoods adjacent to the ballpark site. The CAC convened in January 1996, and met 2-4 times a month during the first year of ballpark planning and on an as-needed schedule from then until the ballpark opening in 1999.

Community Meetings

The PFD sponsored many events to distribute information to the general public about ballpark planning and received their comments about various aspects of the ballpark process. This included open houses where diagrams, charts and design team members were available to the public, as well as formal hearings devoted entirely to collecting public testimony. Additionally, all PFD board and committee meetings are open to the public. Hundreds of public meetings were held during the siting and design phases of ballpark planning.

Community Liaison

A Community Liaison was established for the ballpark project. The Liaison was the main contact with neighborhood residents and business owners, charged with responsibility for keeping the neighborhood informed about construction activities, and to solve problems as they arose. Besides communicating through frequent face-to-face meetings with ballpark neighbors, the PFD held quarterly construction meetings to update neighbors and also issued a quarterly newsletter throughout construction.

Additionally, during construction, the PFD offered a construction hotline to provide the public with the most up-to-date information about construction activities.

Pedestrian Improvements Designed Construction to begin in January

The PFD developed a plan for pedestrian improvements in the neighborhoods adjacent to SAFECO FIELD. In addition the City asked that the PFD fund the first $1.3 million of improvements called for in the plan in three main areas: 1st Avenue South, Occidental Avenue, and a number of improvements in the International District.



The Spine of Pioneer Square

The pedestrian spine of Pioneer Square is the bricked, tree-lined arcade of Occidental Avenue. Extending from Yesler Way and heading southward through Pioneer Park, this promenade was abruptly cut short at Jackson Street. Completing the pedestrian arcade to its logical conclusion at King Street, one block south, was a priority of the Pioneer Square neighborhood. With the help of the PFD this section got a major face lift.

Sidewalks were widened and street trees added to both sides of Occidental between Jackson and King. In addition, the street and the extended sidewalk areas were bricked to match the pattern north of Jackson, thus creating a continuous path of brick and trees from Yesler to the entrance of the stadium district.

A Pedestrian Alternative to Occidental

Walking to the game from Pioneer Square became more pleasant with PFD improvements to First Avenue South from Railroad Way to the northwest entry of the SAFECO FIELD. Here on the east side of First Avenue South, sidewalk widths were increased by eight feet, and street trees were added. These improvements continue the signature wide sidewalks and trees of Pioneer Square all the way to the SAFECO FIELD's front door.

Partnering in both these projects was the City of Seattle Department of Public Utilities. The City had been planning to replace water lines in both areas and adjusted their schedule to dovetail with the PFD. With this coordination, streets and sidewalks were torn up only once and local traffic impacts minimized.

International District (I.D.) Upgrades

In the International District, the PFD met with representatives from the neighborhood to develop on a list of pedestrian improvements totalling $275,000 for this neighborhood. The first investement of $45,000 was to help the neighborhood complete the Colonnade Project - the colorful painting of the columns under the freeway at Jackson Street. Other I.D. improvements included installing sidewalk lighting, benches and trash receptacles,to improve the pedestrian environment year-round as well as for baseball event days.

PFD distributes Neighborhood Impact Funds

The PFD awarded grants of $30,000 to each of our three adjacent neighborhoods: Pioneer Square; SODO/North Duwamish; and the International District, for a combined total of $90,000 for each of two years. These grants help neighborhoods address impacts created by Ballpark construction and planned operation.

The application process was designed for maximum community involvement. Neighborhood groups came together to support a single proposal so that the neighborhoods had the utmost control over how their grant is used.

The organizations were awarded funds in the first year. The Pioneer Square Planning Committee used their award of $30,000 primarily for liaison activities between the neighborhood and the PFD. The Interim Community Development Association used the $30,000 for gaining staff assistance to facilitate communication between the PFD and the International District. The SODO Business Association and the Greater Duwamish Planning Committee worked together to come to a joint proposal. The SODO Business Association used $5,000 to administer a Flexpass transit commute program for local employees, while the Greater Duwamish Planning Committee used their award of $25,000 to fund their Phase II Neighborhood Planning study.

In the second year, Pioneer Square Business Improvement Area used their grant for a number of economic development activities, including support for a neighborhood marketing program to encourage visitors to frequent neighborhood business. The SODO/North Duwamish neighborhood once again split their grant between the two major organizations. The SODO Business Association built on their success with the Flexpass program from the previous year. As a result of the PFD's early support, more neighborhood employees than ever used metro busses,keeping their cars off the road. The North Duwamish Organizing Committee used their portion of the grant to study proposed zoning regulations in the area around the ballpark. The International District used their grant to continue to coordinate neighborhood input into ballpark construction and operation issues. When Mariners assumed operational control of SAFECO FIELD, they took over responsibility for subsequent distributions of the Neighborhood Impact Funds.

Ballpark Construction Brings Cleaner Water to Elliot Bay

During planning for the ballpark, the PFD provided a way to meet both its storm water control obligations and to help clean up the water entering Elliott Bay at the same time. Traditionally, mitigation for this project would have required construction of storage capacity to contain storm water drainage from the entire site, including the 8.75 acres of the roof. The storage would hold storm water until the sewer system could accommodate the extra water. Working closely with the Wastewater Treatment Division of the King County Department of Natural Resources a creative solution was arrived at to both prevent the system from being overtaxed and to assure cleaner water entering Elliott Bay.

Historically, sanitary and storm water have used one combined sewer line. With a major flood, however, the combined sewer system risked being overtaxed. The possible results of such risked overflow containing sanitary waste entering Elliott Bay. Accordingly, for years Metro has been working to update its sewage system by building a new system that provides separate lines for these waste streams. This means that sanitary waste is guaranteed to be always treated, even when major floods threaten to overwhelm the system.

Metro was missing one critical link to this new system, and that's where the PFD came in. Working closely with the County, we invested almost $1 million to complete one of Metro's separation zones. As well as completing this project, we were able to give the entire system more capacity.

Another important partner in this inter-jurisdictional cooperation was the Port of Seattle, who granted the easement for the pipe to pass under its property.

Copyright © 2001-2004 Washington State Major League Baseball Stadium
Public Facilities District All rights reserved.