9th Avenue, between Meridian and 5th Street near the Fairgrounds, is getting a makeover. The City started construction on the project earlier this year, and it is nearly finished just in time for the Fall Fair. Working alongside the Washington State Fair, the intention of the redesign is to create a flexible space for temporary street closures and for hosting events.
What is a festival street? A festival street is a public street that is pedestrian-oriented and designed to support temporary closures to vehicles where people can walk around freely and enjoy community events, shopping, food carts, and other attractions within the street. Typical features of this type of street are a curb-less design, additional lighting for evening usage, and additional seating opportunities. In Washington, Festival Streets are becoming a popular form of infrastructure for communities looking to invigorate their downtown areas. Cities such as Kirkland, Redmond, Bothell, and Bellingham have implemented some form of Festival Street in their downtown areas.
So why is the City doing this? Well, the answer to that question goes back several years. Many years ago, the Fair approached the City about making improvements to 9th Ave. Through these conversations, a partnership was formed, and the City began working on redesigning the street to be pedestrian-friendly. Drew Young, Capital Division Supervisor, talks about how the partnership evolved…