Pike Place Market Master Plan

A Master Plan is a long-range strategy document designed to help communities set forth a vision and direction for a sustainable future. Master Plans help guide decisions on the preservation, development and use of assets.  The master planning process usually begins with a study of existing conditions – things the community has power to control, as well as larger environmental situations it must adapt to or work to change. Master Plans also help ensure near-term decisions support the community’s best interests and long-term goals. Public engagement is a crucial part of effective plan development.

The Market seeks to thrive in an environment of enormous change – how we shop and eat, travel and recreate, and experience climate change are in flux, as are the business of regional farming and the competitiveness of downtown Seattle. A Master Plan will help everyone who loves the Market learn about these changes and how they are likely to impact the Market. That understanding will help Market leaders create more effective goals and strategies for the Market’s long-term sustainability.

The Pike Place Market PDA Council initiated the development of a Master Plan in 2019, to enable leaders to study and make decisions in more integrated, longer-term ways. Council planned to initiate work on the Master Plan in 2020; however, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted those plans, as it did with so many aspects of life. A lot has changed in the last three years. The pandemic accelerated big social changes already underway and created new challenges likely to impact the Market for many years to come. With all these pressures to adapt on our doorstep, now is the right time to build an integrated plan for the Market’s long-term success.

A Master Plan will facilitate broad public conversation and input, which will enable leaders to consider how best to sustain all aspects of the Market environment — its mission, history, community, operations, structures, relation to City government, role in the regional economy, etc. It will enable the Market to create long-term goals, management plans and compatible sources of revenue, operate efficiently, and adapt and remain relevant within rapidly changing retail, social, environmental and economic realities.

The PDA Council established the parameters of the Master Plan at its November 2022 retreat. In keeping with the Council’s intent, the scope for the Master Plan is broad. It allows for holistic consideration of the Market’s business operations, physical plant, civic engagement, financing models, and governance. The plan aims to develop a 10-year active planning horizon and a 50-year vision horizon: Given the Market’s size, complexity and importance, we want to address both the Market’s nearer-term success and its value to future generations. Click here to read the complete Scope of Work.

The Pike Place Market Master Plan has five goals:

1. Celebrate the multiple identities and authentic character that are essential to Pike Place Market, fulfill its social impact as the “Soul of Seattle,” and continue to embrace principles of greater diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
2. Preserve the physical plant while improving operations, enhancing visitor experience, and embracing environmental sustainability.
3. Reorient Pike Place Market to a local audience with a business model that makes Pike Place Market a place for people who live and work in Seattle to shop and gather; ensure the Market a “seat at the table” on relevant policy issues.
4. Build Pike Place Market’s financial strength.
5. Ensure the PDA’s governance structure supports implementation of a long-range Master Plan.

No. The Pike Place Market Master Plan will not replace the PDA Charter. The Charter was created as a result of a successful initiative by the people of Seattle to save the Market from redevelopment more than 50 years ago. The Master Plan aims to ensure the Market is sustainable for another 50 years.

Yes! Public engagement is crucial to the success of the Master Plan and will continue the entire length of the project timeline. Stakeholder engagement ensures the Pike Place Market Master Plan is formed by institutional knowledge and on-the-ground perspectives. We will gather input from a variety of stakeholder groups including:

• Market Community members: PDA staff, Pike Place Market Foundation, Pike Place Market Constituency, Friends of the Market, Market social services, Market residents, merchants, crafters, and farmers
• Policy decision makers: City of Seattle department heads and local elected officials
• Market Supporters: Shoppers, Downtown Seattle Association, neighboring institutions, community organizations, hospitality organizations, adjacent property owners, etc.

Yes. The Council approved the hiring of HR&A Advisors, a consulting firm with significant experience developing Master Plans around the U.S. for entities similar in complexity to the Pike Place Market. HR&A Advisors is an industry leader in economic development, real estate, and public policy consulting, and is equipped with a unique understanding of the intersection of public and private sectors. In addition, HR&A Advisors has assembled a project team that includes:

• BERK Consulting, Inc., a Seattle-based interdisciplinary consultancy group, will lead the plan’s community and stakeholder engagement. BERK will be responsible for designing and managing processes to convene community and stakeholder groups and develop the strategic implications from these meetings for the Master Plan.
• Mithun, a Seattle-based firm, will lead on the assessment of the Market’s physical status and needs. Mithun is a national leader in urban planning, design and architecture. It will identify opportunities for the Market to adapt to the future in ways that capitalize on its unique character.
• MRA International a Florida-based development consultancy, will lead on retail strategies. MRA specializes in the conception, strategy and execution of destination developments worldwide. It will analyze rapidly changing local and national trends and their impacts on the Market’s economic vitality.

Creation of a Pike Place Market Master Plan will be an intensive project that will require expertise in a range of disciplines beyond the scope of the day-to-day operations and management. Hiring a consulting team with professional knowledge is essential to ensuring that the strategies and best practices, relevant to addressing the retail, social, and economic environments that the Market operates within, are comprehensive and sustainable.

A competitive Request for Qualification process was initiated in the spring of 2022. The project was advertised on our website, in local trade publications, and was promoted through a press release that garnered international attention. In the end, ten proposals were received from firms based in Seattle, and across the U.S., Canada, and Europe. Each proposal was evaluated using a scoring sheet, and four were selected for interviews. During the interviews, members of the selection team assessed each candidate based on a series of pre-selected questions. The result was a thorough and deliberate process that culminated in the selection of HR&A Advisors.

The Pike Place Market PDA Executive Director and staff will manage the day-to-day work associated with the Master Plan and will be responsible for working directly with the project team.

The Pike Place Market PDA Council will vote to approve the Master Plan during a scheduled public meeting.

Yes. All decisions regarding the Master Plan’s process, budget, recommendations, and approval will be made by the PDA Council in scheduled public meetings, in accordance with the Washington State Open Public Meetings Act. The PDA Executive Director and staff will report to the PDA Council and Committees as identified on the Project Timeline.

The PDA Council authorized the PDA to enter into a contract with HR&A Advisors in the amount of $785,000 at its January 2023 meeting (Resolution 23-04). These funds cover all scheduled consulting fees and hard costs associated with the delivery of the Master Plan. Other attendant costs, e.g., PDA staff time, overhead, etc., are covered in PDA’s 2023 operating budget.

The Master Plan project kicks off in February 2023 and will continue through January 2024. The scope describes the major project components and provides the timelines for each, including: Community Relations, Brand Identity, Physical Plant, Business Operations, and Synthesis. Throughout the year, PDA staff, councilmembers, and the community will be involved in stakeholder engagement and project updates.

Throughout the process there will be key milestones for the PDA Council and community to participate and receive information on elements of the Master Plan. The Scope of Work contains deliverables associated with each of the 17 tasks.  Complete details can be found in the Scope of Work. Below are a few highlighted aspects of the Scope.

• March 2023: Kickoff meetings with PDA staff and the PDA Council to review project schedule and discuss preliminary stakeholder outreach plan.
• May 2023: Eco-Charette Workshop with Mithun to create an action plan/roadmap document to outline steps for achieving sustainability goals. Following the workshop a definition of sustainability, preliminary goals for Pike Place Market, and an initial position on carbon neutral approach will have been established.
• June 2023: Opportunities, Constraints and DEI Discussion will include a report on stakeholder feedback to date; present findings on retail trends and implications for PPM; share assessment of tenanting and programming opportunities and constraints; and summarize findings from physical conditions assessment.
• October 2023: Scenario Workshop to review three scenarios where the PDA Council will advise HR&A on its preferred scenario (or combination of scenarios).
• November 2023 – January 2024: Draft Master Plan presentation to PDA Council, solicitation of feedback from Council, community, and public, and revision of drafts (two rounds) before presentation of final Master Plan for approval by the PDA Council.

The Pike Place Market Master Plan will summarize the vision for the next 50 years and will focus and include a series of short-, medium-, and long-term actions to achieve the principles of the plan, with a focus on the next 10 to 20 years. It will also:

1. Include detailed plans related to community relations, brand and identity, physical plant, and business operations.
2. Address real estate strategy, infrastructure needs, tenant mix and programming, organizational capacity, governance, sustainability, and DEI strategy.

Upon completion and adoption of the Pike Place Market Master Plan in early 2024, the project transitions into the implementation phase. The PDA will have the option to engage HR&A Advisors in a one-year implementation and interim activation strategy. A new contract would be developed for that work and any projects identified in the Master Plan will have a separate budget associated with the project.