Pike Place Market

RENOVATION FAQ

Have a question or two? Please submit via email to renovation@pikeplacemarket.org. Answers will be posted below weekly; questions to this e-mail address will not be replied to individually. Please note that similar questions will be grouped together, so your actual question may be edited and/or read differently from the question you send in.

Will the Market be open for business during renovation work?

Yes, yes and yes. Pike Place Market is a 362-day a year working neighborhood (only closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day) and will continue to be a (almost) year-round operation during renovation, too. That's one main reason we are tackling the renovation project in phases - as not to disrupt the entire Market at once.

But it's also important to note that while we are working in any one particular phase of the project, some stores or shops will be directly affected while we replace plumbing lines, electrical systems, or are working on seismic stabilization and the installation of new elevators. This could mean that a handful of stores in some parts of the Market may have different hours of operation while work is being done in their shop or in the immediate area, or in some instances if work is being done in one particular area that involves a store space specifically, that shop or business may be closed for a minimal amount of time until work is completed. That said, our first objective is to negate when possible the amount of direct impact for Market merchants.

Will future construction plans (in Phase II, specifically for the Corner Market Building) require some businesses to close for remodeling or involve construction inside tenant spaces?

Yes, although the extent of closures is not known at this time as designs plans are at schematic level and final designs for building improvements not yet agreed upon. The Levy funded improvements include new utility infrastructure, a new elevator and seismic bracing, all of which will require some work in tenant spaces.

Will construction of a new tunnel to replace the viaduct be a threat to Market buildings?

Some of the initial discussions of a new tunnel have described a deep bore tunnel under First Avenue. If that is the location, we expect that any new tunnel would be below the existing train tunnel which runs under the Corner Market. We are confident that state transportation engineers will provide for the safety of all structures above the tunnel, when/if it is built.

The PDA's new central plant outside the garage will have compressors and cooling equipment. Will this be a noise problem for residents of the Fix building?

The new equipment for the central plant will be located on the north side of the garage and at a grade below street level about as far away from the Fix Building as possible. There is little reason to expect operation of the equipment will ever be noticeable by residents of the Fix or any other apartments.

Will the renovation include adding heat to the Main Arcade?

No. The Main Arcade will continue to be open air. The increased electrical service being provided may make it more practical for business tenants in open air spaces to install infrared heaters which are the most suitable means of removing the chill from their sellng spaces.

Will the PDA replace the leaky windows in the Constituency office above Chukar Cherries?

Yes, pending approval of the Market Historical Commission on deign and materials.

Will the PDA replace or repair the aged condensers on the farmer coolers?

Yes. A key element of the renovation plan is to provide a central plant for efficient operation of cooling equipment throughout the Market. These coolers are owned and operated by the PDA and will be connected to the new system.

I live across from the Market on Western Avenue. In July 1998 the 20-inch water main on Western Avenue broke and flooded our building so I'm anxious to know more about the plans the Market has for hooking up to the City's water main and sewer system.

The Market renovation plans do not involve new connection to the City water main under Western Avenue. We are proposing to rebuild the sewer lines serving the Market buildings. These lines run under the sidewalk on the east side of Western and connect to a Seattle sewer line around Pike Street, downhill from the Fix building. We expect no disruption of service to the Fix building at any time because of this work.

How will renovations affect shoppers and visitors accessing the Market?

The Market's renovations may have an impact on shoppers and visitors as areas of the Market and some shops may be closed temporarily. At this time, we do not have a final schedule of where work will take place and at what time. We will post information on this site as more details are known. Please note that not all of the Market will be affected at any one time, so we encourage shoppers to support Market businesses during this transitional time.

Have you considered closing Pike Place to traffic (or limiting it to deliveries and disabled drivers)?

Thanks for your interest in Pike Place Market and by extension what is one of the longest-running debates around here: A closed Pike Place to cars - or not. This is easily one of those issues where everyone has an opinion and it's usually split 50-50, that is one half of locals asked say "close the street to cars permanently" and the balance say "no, it's always been open to cars and that's just part of the Market's ambiance." Like everything Market-related, it's a little complicated.

We face a multitude of issues when we even think about street closure. First and foremost our merchants along Pike Place, or "stores with doors" as we call them, as well as produce vendors or "highstalls" as they're known, are absolutely opposed to street closure as many of their customers especially during the first part of the day, drive in, park quickly and dash into their favorite shop, pick up what they need and are on their way. Also, some longtime customers call ahead throughout the day and some shopkeepers will actually run items out to the customers who drive through the Market. Talk about customer service! Deliveries happen seven days a week here from 6am till 8pm at night. And, our merchants (240 of them) use hundreds of different distributors for delivery. Permitting all of them would be difficult to say the least and, who would pay for the permitting of each delivery service to enter the Market?

Last year we closed the street to cars for five days during Centennial. Our merchants told us they'd lose revenue that week and they did - sales were down about 3% despite the fact that we were jam packed with people.

This is a relevant issue, but it is one that will not get solved anytime soon, one way or the other. I hope you'll continue to support Pike Place Market. It is our treasure here in Seattle.

Will the price of space for the current farmers and merchants rise during or after the renovation?

The daystall rates increase every year in conjunction with the annual budget process. Merchants rents increase as well as specified in their individual leases, and is negotiated at each renewal. There is no plan to change this process or increase rents a stated amount due to the renovation. The reason for a publically supported tax levy is so that the renovation does not have to be debt financed and paid back through tenant rents.

What percentage of new spaces are you planning for? How will the price of these spaces compare with current prices?

The renovation is to replace worn out systems and components of the existing Market buildings. There are no new spaces in the plans supported by the tax levy. There are some plans for additional seasonal space along Pike Place for farmers, but this would require other funding, as it is not included in the proposed tax levy.

Are there guarantees for maintaining the low rent for the 500 low income residents who live in buildings throughout the Market?

The Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA) owns and operates 340 units of housing, the majority of which are low income Section 8 subsidized units. The remainder of the housing in the Market is owned and operated by other agencies and owners. The PDA renovation plans are to repair and upgrade the building systems: heating, electrical, plumbing, elevators. There are no plans to change the operation of the housing, and as long as the federal government continues to support and renew the Section 8 programs, they will continue.

Are the Sanitary Market restrooms going into the Rummage Hall? If so, will there be another opportunity for that sort of use?

Excellent question. The short answer is yes, we are looking hard at other areas around the Market to move the Rummage Hall, as it so popular and a well-known part of the Market and what makes this place special. There are no plans to discontinue the Rummage Hall because of renovation work, but it will more than likely be moved to another place in the Market.

I like the idea of a central plant. Where will it go? Will it link all the Market's buildings?

We are proposing that a Central Plant be situated at the Western Ave. Hillclimb on the Market's west side. The goal is to link all buildings via the Central Plant so that systems can run as one vs. a building-by-building approach as they currently are. This Central Plant would allow systems like heating, cooling, electrical and HVAC to housed under one roof and become more economical and streamline functioning as one unit.

What farmer feedback has been received regarding plans to alter their street-vending space?

First, there are very minor suggested changes to the vending areas and to be exact the only thing would be the addition of some vending on Pike Place. We are looking at adding a few stalls on the south end of the street. Farmer input has been limited to-date. We hope more of our farm community will engage in the conversations and meetings we've had as they are an integral part of Pike Place Market.

Some of the drawings show new farmer tables being built parallel to the entire length of the arcade. Is this still the proposal?

That is something that very few have expressed interest in and may not make it to a final plan.

In a survey of Market farmers from a dozen years ago, they said they wanted increased cooler and storage space more than they wanted more space to sell? Is finding additional room for cooler space possible?

This is one of the most difficult issues we deal with in the Market. Adding and taking away space here is a zero-sum game. While we have worked hard to maintain current cooler space that will continue to be used, as of now there are no plans to add to that through construction of additional (cooler) space.

Are any improvements proposed for the produce-buying customers so that they will have an easier shopping experience -- for example, a place for them to store their purchases as they continue to shop elsewhere?

As of now, plans do not include something like this.

What is the latest on changing the outside slabs in any way versus keeping them as they are?

The slabs at the north end of Pike Place are slated to remain as-is.

Any thought to adding a public notice board?

We're trying this forum to start, and may enhance the feature as we get closer to a final plan.