It's an experiment, and because this is Seattle, we're going to do this incrementally and at great expense. Capitol Hill Seattle reports:

The Capitol Hill Eco District is planning to test out one or more pedestrian-only street closures in Pike/Pine this August to improve safety and possibly bring some of the area’s food and music activity to the street. The trial run could lead to regularly occurring pedestrian zones by next year, according to Eco District senior planner Alex Brennan. “We really want to be intentional and respond to what works,” Brennan said. “The goal is to be incremental.”

Which street(s) would get closed off when is still up in the air, but the idea for August trials generated substantial interest during last week’s Capitol Hill Community Council meeting. Pike between Broadway and 11th, and 10th and 11th between Pike and Pine are the three blocks that have risen to the top of the list for trial closures.... The pedestrian-zone project is partially being funded by a $160,000 city grant the Capitol Hill Chamber of Commerce received earlier this year.

At the risk of sounding like a Republican: $160K? Most of the money will be spent, I suspect, to "study" this pilot program. How else could we possibly determine whether a program like this—already up and running with much success in Vancouver and Portland and New Orleans and Memphis and Chicago and Austin—could ever possibly work here in magical, unique, exceptional Seattle?