Seattle City Council voted 9-0 to spend $2.5 million of the 2008 voter-approved Parks and Green Spaces Levy in revamping four blocks of Bell Street from First to Fifth Avenues into a "park boulevard.” To be completed in 2010, the Bell Street park boulevard project converts one traffic lane and reconfigures parking to create about 17,000 square feet of new green space in the core of Belltown.
Sidewalks on the north side of Bell Street will be widened to nearly 30 feet with landscaping, lighting and space for children's play areas and other recreational activities. Natural landscaping and vegetated swales will be added for natural stormwater treatment. Well-lit sidewalks and open sightlines will discourage anti-social behavior. The city’s park rangers and west precinct police officers will also be able to issue park exclusions and conduct emphasis patrols to ensure everyone is able to enjoy the new green space.
"We unveiled our Bell Street plans last month, and the response from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. People want more green in their neighborhoods," said Mayor Nickels in a press release. "We'll take the lessons learned from the Bell Street park boulevard and consider where similar improvements can be made across the city."
