 Hi all,
Over the past four years, Downtown has improved by almost every measure – economically, physically, and yes, spiritually. You can see the positive energy during crescendo moments, like opening the new Waterfront, a Taylor Swift concert, or a Seahawks victory (let’s goooo), but it also shows up during everyday moments like walking down cleaner streets, lunch with friends at that new spot, or looking up to see a colorful new mural.
Downtown is better because we made it a priority and brought together public, private, and philanthropic partners to focus on a broad agenda that included Space Needle ideas and tactical plans. We affectionately called it the Downtown Activation Plan.
We created DAP with the thesis that Downtown runs on people, so to revive it, we needed to bring more people Downtown. We had a bold vision to shape a future Downtown – as a neighborhood, as an arts, culture, sports, and entertainment center, as an opportunity for small businesses to shine. We have made great progress toward that vision, thanks to the effort, dedication, and creativity of a slew of people and partners.
There’s plenty still to do, as we must continue improving public safety, filling vacant storefronts, and changing the narrative about our Downtown. But as I leave my post as the OED director and reflect on what we have accomplished with DAP, I am so proud of the work we have done together, as a team, to make Downtown better.
Downtown’s #1 cheerleader,
– Markham
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