| Vision 2014 |
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| Major institutions provide a substantial number of jobs in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Broadway, 15th Avenue, Olive Way, and 12th Avenue are vibrant, pedestrian-oriented commercial districts that serve neighborhood residents as well as visitors. These districts offer a mix of one-of-a-kind shops and services, regional and national specialty retailers, anchor grocery stores, and diverse restaurants. Public transit and accessible parking support the commercial activity. Not only are Capitol Hill's commercial districts centers for employment, shopping, and services, but they are also community focal points for social interaction, public art, and entertainment. |
| Community Objectives |
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| Highest Priorities: • Support neighborhood commercial districts. • Provide a range of goods and services. • Coordinate with Capitol Hill institutions to plan for job growth. • Increase the number of jobs on Capitol Hill. |
| Comp Plan Growth Targets: • Existing jobs: 5,284 • Addt'l jobs expected by the year 2014: 3,000 • Total jobs expected by the year 2014: 8,284 |
Support neighborhood commercial districts. Capitol Hill residents value the unique shops and pedestrian orientation of the neighborhood's commercial areas. According to workshop respondents, the most popular shopping area on Capitol Hill is 15th Avenue, with Broadway a close second. Olive Way and 12th Avenue are emerging commercial districts. While the neighborhood planning process has established working relationships with the Broadway Business Improvement Association (BIA) and the 15th Avenue Merchants Association, efforts need to be made to connect with merchants on Olive Way and 12th Avenue and to integrate their goals with overall planning for Capitol Hill.
Favorite Capitol Hill businesses include the Central Co-op, Rainbow Grocery, all the bookstores, and Espresso Vivace. Many residents and merchants are concerned that the increase in chain stores and restaurants could put locally owned and operated enterprises out of business and drastically alter the neighborhood character of Capitol Hill's commercial districts. Community-based businesses are seen as the heart of the area's commercial districts, and patronizing them is important to many residents.
Broadway, valued for its active street life, is home to numerous performance theaters, movie houses (notably the Harvard Exit), music venues, bookstores, restaurants, and clubs that draw people from the city and throughout the region. [Figure 20.] The activity on Broadway's sidewalks received mixed reviews; some community members think the bustling sidewalk cafes are wonderful, others find them obstructive. Residents favor widening sidewalks and improving pedestrian and bicycle amenities on Broadway.
The BIA survey indicated that Broadway businesses average 11.5 years in operation. Survey respondents commonly described Broadway as "diverse" and "eclectic." Respondents indicated that the biggest threats to the health of the Broadway commercial district are perceived encroachments on personal safety, panhandling, and lack of parking. Broadway merchants are particularly concerned about the lack of parking. Currently, the BIA is involved in a market assessment of their district which will recommend ways to improve the business environment in the Broadway area.
Similar work is under way in the 15th Avenue business community. Merchants have recently formed the 15th Avenue Merchants Association, which will plan for growth of the commercial district with the goal of helping to maintain the longevity of its businesses. According to the BIA survey, 15th Avenue businesses currently average 12.5 years in operation, a slightly higher level of stability than Broadway businesses. Survey respondents most often used the words "diverse" and "neighborhood" to describe the 15th Avenue area. Merchants on 15th Avenue want to preserve the existing character of their commercial district, with its eclectic mix of small, locally-owned businesses. The biggest threats to the 15th Avenue commercial district are thought to be encroachment of franchise businesses and the anticipated expansion of the Group Health campus.
Merchants in all of Capitol Hill's commercial districts share two primary needs: reasonable rents that can be afforded by local entrepreneurial businesses and easily accessible parking for customers. Merchants also noted the need to provide adequate access for service and delivery vehicles that support businesses. See also: "Provide adequate parking capacity in commercial districts," p. 33; "Retain Capitol Hill's pedestrian scale and character," p. 38; and "Enhance commercial streetscapes," p. 39.
Provide a range of goods and services. Capitol Hill residents are generally satisfied with the goods and services that are available on Capitol Hill. However, several people mentioned the need for more reasonably priced, practical goods and services geared toward the daily needs of residents, particularly dry goods, hardware, sewing notions and fabric, and bakery goods. Residents would also appreciate more ethnically diverse goods and services. Some patrons lament the loss of furniture stores in the area. Stores and services catering to people age 35 and older, such as higher-end clothing stores, are also needed; currently, a preponderance of Capitol Hill shops cater to youth. Community members want commercial districts to make serving neighborhood residents a priority, noting their desire to keep Capitol Hill primarily a residential neighborhood, not a business or retail district. See also: "Provide amenities and services for children," p. 49.
Coordinate with Capitol Hill institutions to plan for job growth. Most of Capitol Hill's job growth is expected in the community's major institutions, Group Health Cooperative and Seattle Central Community College. Neighborhood planning efforts should coordinate with these institutions' master plan projections for increasing jobs.
Increase the number of jobs on Capitol Hill. Approximately 71% of Capitol Hill residents ages 16 years and older are employed. Most are employed in managerial or professional positions (35%) and technical, sales, or administrative positions (36%). The remaining 29% work in service and manufacturing/laborer positions. Currently the Capitol Hill Urban Center Village provides 5,284 jobs. Although creating more jobs on Capitol Hill ranked low among the community's priorities, the neighborhood institutions' master plans foresee job growth. Reflecting this forecast, Comp Plan targets anticipate an additional 3,000 jobs in Capitol Hill over the next seventeen years, or an increase of 57%. The city expects most of this job growth to occur at the Group Health Cooperative. This trend may be at odds with the community's desire to increase small businesses and to curb the growth of large institutions.
Under current zoning, approximately 700,000 square feet of space is available in Capitol Hill for commercial development. It is unclear whether or not this available land capacity will be adequate for accommodating anticipated employment-related development. This potential lack of appropriately zoned land capacity, combined with residents' concerns about the demolition of older and smaller buildings and their desire to limit growth of the Group Health campus, may make employment growth on Capitol Hill a challenge. Transportation and parking capacity also present concerns about the community's ability to support a substantial increase in jobs. The neighborhood plan will need to address access to public transit and parking to support major employment areas. See also: "Integrate RTA planning with Capitol Hill's neighborhood plan," p. 30, and "Integrate transportation improvements with housing and job growth," p. 31.