Maybe Meinert should pitch in. This will no doubt be great for his many businesses on those blocks. And since he doesn't actually live in Seattle, he doesn't have to pay into the city's grant fund.

The city can feel free to give me $160k to tell them this is going to work. I could really use a 500% wage boost to offset the high rents.

That 160K was a grant for a variety of projects, the Pike ped street closure is only one piece of the pie. Other pieces include a lighting study for Cal Anderson Park, support for activities & events in the Park, studying waste disposal methods for the corridor (dumpster free or other options), doing retail recruitment and outreach around the new Sound Transit light rail development, supporting the Capitol Hill Art Walk and doing outreach to minority owned businesses. "...The pedestrian zone project is partially being funded by a $160,000 city grant..."

How could it not work when we have such successful examples in Seattle already? Think of how great Pike was through Westlake when it was closed to traffic, or how wonderful Occidental is from Jackson to Washington. Just bustling with activity all hours of the night: loitering, queuing for free meals...

Leave it alone, Pike is fine as it is.

Hopefully there will be pairs of walking beat cops in the pedestrian zone, to keep the jackhole bros from thumping the queers.

That or Ima start carrying my extra stout "walking stick" should I venture down there.

@5 - Pike Place Market needs to close their red cobblestone street to all vehicle traffic, except delivery trucks. Civvy cars can park there after hours only. Why is this not obvious and already being done?

@4 obviously someone who never ventures out after 9PM. Drive any of these streets at midnight on Friday or Saturday. It's an instant duh that there shouldn't be cars there. Occidental, and Westlake, are not nightlife centers. The closure of Pine @ Westlake was actually not an issue, except to Nordstrom. The retail core swung east anyway, making their demand moot, even though it was opened.

What a crock spending all that money. I'd tender in for a lot cheaper than that.

7,
The right of way is too wide for a pedestrian only market. In order to work you would need to add structures to narrow the ROW. Also, a lot of the time, the market just isn't that busy. They do close the street when it is super busy

Cars aren' t the problem in this area, misbehaving drinkers are. Why make it even more attractive to assholes who come here to over consume and cause trouble? Making getting around easier for violent, drunken bigots does't seem to be a worthwhile goal. Are they proposing a Capital Hill block party atmosphere every weekend? No fucking thanks! Even straight people are getting gay bashed these days in this area. Massive cop presence will be needed to support this
because as it stands, there are already too any drunk and violent people roaming Pike-Pine
beating up anyone they think is queer.

How am I supposed to enjoy it if I can't drive my car all over it?

Shut up people: it's what Amazon wants. And Capitol Hill is the new living neighborhood for duchebag Amazon employees: they're the only ones who can afford to live there anyway.

And as Dan has said if you don't like it get the fuck over it and move elsewhere. He's got plenty of money to stay put.

As a consultant myself, let me assure you that $160K is just about enough for me to issue a big glossy report recommending additional study.

Works for me (the closing, not the excessive $$ for the study). Anytime I make the mistake of driving up there in the evening on my way home, I deeply regret it.
As for the extra roaming drunks - crack down on the bars over-serving them, enforce the drunk in public laws (just tank them, don't book/fine for first offense), and increase the bike patrols in the area (and fringes) all summer long to stem the violence. Have fun, don't be an asshole, take the bus or a cab home, and I don't have to worry about you stumbling off the curb and under my tires.

Again, this in not a 160K grant for a study of closing Pike for a ped street. The grant (from the City's Office of Economic Development - a grant awarded annually, in varying amounts - to many other Seattle neighborhoods) was for a wide variety of work in the Capitol Hill neighborhood to effect safety, cleanliness, economic development, retail recruitment, community outreach and a support for the arts community. The ped street conversation & pilot is just one piece of that work.