Seattle Downtown Plan Focuses on Public Safety, Programming

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell unveiled a plan aimed at revitalizing the city’s downtown, stemming the drug crisis, and supporting small businesses.

According to an article by Donna Gordon Blankinship in Crosscut, Harrell “issued an executive order calling on police to play a more active role in disrupting drug sales, along with a plan to increase city spending on overdose prevention and response” and announced plans to “establish a new place for people to recover from non-fatal overdoses, get help with their addiction and access other resources.”

The mayor also wants to support activating downtown spaces with festivals and events and reopen City Hall Park with social programming. “Other plans include waiving street-use permit fees for food trucks and pop-up food vendors, and asking the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board to issue ‘sip ’n’ stroll’ permits for First Thursday Art Walks so people can carry beverages as they walk among galleries.”