View The Big Picture
As described by Julie Bassuk, a representative of Makers Architecture of Seattle, the area around Cap Sante Marina would consist of a Marine Central Hub along the west side of the marina, a Civic Hub near the northwest corner of the marina, and a Recreational Hub along the north end of the marina.
Major features of the plan include a multi-use event plaza just north of what is now the intersection of 9th St., Market St. and R Ave. This civic plaza could be a cultural and history center. The W.T. Preston would be close to the civic plaza, with a children’s play area and dog park northeast of the plaza.
Just south of that intersection the plan calls for construction of a 18,000 square foot waterfront-focused event center with the ability to host up to 1,000 people. It could host waterfront events, such as Trawler Fest, the Waterfront Festival, Salmon Derby and other events.
Under the plan, that intersection would be closed to traffic, with traffic rerouted from 9th St. to R Ave. via a road across Port property that is currently devoted to a dog park. That road would connect to Market St. to allow an alternative to Fourth St. for Cap Sante residents.
The plan calls for retaining current alignment of the Tommy Thompson trail along Q Ave., but with an alternate route along the waterfront promenade on the west side of the marina.
The Recreational hub, north of the marina, would include moving the RV parking to the north end of the current parking lot, allowing visitor parking close to the waterfront. A small boat ramp is envisioned at the northeast corner of the marina, near a planned small boat center.
The plan would allow strong connections to downtown area via 9th St. and 8th St., which ends at the Depot Arts Center on R Ave. Some people had asked about extending 6th St. east from R Ave. across the wetlands near the Depot. But, the plan calls for a pedestrian bridge and view point raised over the wetlands.
Council member Cynthia Richardson praised the plan for keeping Q Ave. open for what she called “a fast way to get from here to there.” It would be the thoroughfare that it currrently is.
Council member Brian Geer, while praising the plan as “beautiful,” said it looked like a loss of parking in the area. Bassuk said the plan calls for a total of 750 parking spaces, with a surplus of 229 spaces. The highest totals the Port has recorded in the area include: 739 autos, 30 RVs and 95 trailers.
Bassuk suggested further study is needed, but the plan provides for a good opportunity for the Port to work with the City.
The presentation is available as a downloadable PDF file on the Port’s Web site. Click here to open and download.