If you missed the May membership meeting, Markham McIntyre, Director of the Seattle Office of Economic Development (OED) came to discuss Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan.
Here are a few resources and highlights from the conversation:
- The Downtown Activation Plan was introduced by Harrell in April and is targeting the revitalization and growth of Seattle’s downtown neighborhood
- Seattle is planning to foster this growth by focusing on these seven goals:
- Public safety: Create a downtown that is safe and welcoming for all
- Residential: Transform downtown into a thriving residential neighborhood for people from all walks of life to enjoy
- Workers: Create an active and diversified downtown worker ecosystem that makes people want to work downtown
- Retail: Reinvigorate downtown as the commercial heartbeat of the city
- Art, culture & entertainment: Re-envision downtown as Seattle’s hub for arts, culture, and entertainment
- Tourism: Make downtown a top destination for visitors from the Puget Sound region and beyond
- Green city: Commit to our ethos as the Emerald City by promoting a healthy, sustainable, and green city
- Seattle is looking to foster “New Space Needle” ideas, or bold visions, to draw visitors and residents into the city, and build our image as a unique and special place.
- To learn more about Seattle’s Downtown Activation Plan and how it will affect restaurants in the city, click here
- If you were at the SRA Meeting and would like to give feedback on the OED’s presentation, fill out this survey here
Kyle Hays from Visit Seattle joined us to discuss how you can take advantage of the upcoming tourist season.
Here are a few resources and highlights from the presentation:
- 2019 was Seattle’s largest year for tourism, and the city is aiming to return to those numbers as we move forward from the COVID-19 pandemic
- Food and beverage make up the second largest sector of visitor spending in Seattle, accounting for nearly $2 billion in yearly revenue
- Seattle is creating a larger draw for tourists over the next few years by hosting athletic events like the All-Star Game 2023 and World Cup 2026 and creating attractions like the new Convention Center, the Climate Pledge Arena, and the expansion of the Seattle Aquarium
- To learn more about how you can take advantage of Seattle tourism, contact Kyle Hays at khays@visitseattle.org or learn more about becoming a partner here
Many thanks to Rhein Haus Seattle for hosting the Seattle Restaurant Alliance May meeting.
Next SRA Meeting:
The next meeting will be at 10 a.m. on June 7. Stay tuned for more details.