12th Avenue Neighborhood & Business District

Our good buddies over at Retrofit Home are leaving 12th Avenue for a bigger and better store. Don’t worry - you will be able to find them just around the corner at 11th and Pike in the old Aria space. Check out the Capitol Hill Seattle blog for more details.

Just a heads up that the 12th Avenue Stewardship Committee will not be meeting at its regularly scheduled time this month.

The next meeting will be Thursday, February 25th at 7pm at the Seattle University Alumni & Admissions Building.  More details on agenda items coming soon.

There’s more on the First Hill-Capitol Hill Streetcar in the Seattle PI recently. There’s a lot of the same information in this article that folks probably know already. However, there are some more public meetings coming up if you haven’t weighed in regarding your alignment preference.

Looks like these are open houses so please stop by anytime during the times below to share your comments and ask your questions.

Tuesday, Feb. 9th
4:00pm - 7:00pm
Union Station
401 S. Jackson Street

Thursday, Feb. 11th
11:30am - 1:00pm
and then later from

4:00pm - 7:00pm
Seattle First Baptist Church
1111 Harvard Avenue

As always, there’s more info and a place for public comment here at the Seattle Streetcar website.

Donna Moodie’s restaurant Marjorie, which closed at its Belltown location, is re-opening its doors on Capitol Hill just off 12th Avenue. The Seattle Times has a good article with all the details here and we look forward to checking out the restaurant when it opens at the Chloe (1412 E Union).

In the article, Donna shares her excitement about the move to Capitol Hill, and how the vibrancy of the neighborhood and the proximity to the Central Area were important factors in the relocation. We can’t help but toot our own horn a little bit and note that Capitol Hill Housing might have done some not-so-subtle advertising to encourage Donna to relocate to this area.  What can we say, we’re proud of 12th Avenue and know that this area has a lot to offer as well as a lot to gain from engaged business owners.

Look for Marjorie to open in the coming months!

There’s a great article in the Pacific Northwest section of the Seattle Times about Pike Pine that is worth a read. The article brings up everything that I love about the Pike Pine node around 12th Avenue. The old "auto row" style warehouses, the funky art spaces, fun small businesses, and the bars and restaurants.  Of course there are also struggles inherent with a fabulous, dense neighborhood close to downtown. The old brick warehouses might not be "landmarks" according to the city and strict preservationists and therefore are constantly threatened by demolition and redevelopment. There’s also a struggle to keep rents affordable as the neighborhood becomes home to new condos and lofts. People will pay a premium to live here but hopefully this won’t be at the expense of pricing out the folks that make the neighborhood what it is - the artists, baristas, bartenders, and musicians.

This quote from Liz Dunn about urban villages sums up why I love Capitol Hill and can’t think of living in any other neighborhood.

"They offer the kind of community that you can get in a small town but within a big city."

Hello everyone,
The 12th Avenue Stewardship Committee met last week for their monthly meeting. Here are the Revised January Meeting Minutes if you missed it and want to catch up. Topics included:
- Seattle University’s 12th Avenue and Cherry Street development
- Future 12th Avenue parks
- Streetcar updates
- PPUNC/Conservation Overlay work grant information

12th Avenue loop map

There’s more today on the Stranger’s Slog about the 12th Avenue streetcar loop.

If you have questions, comments or opinions regarding the streetcar route, please considering sharing them with the good folks at SDOT via the Seattle Streetcar site . There’s also tons of good information on this site regarding routes, density, bicycle integration and project schedule.

Check out this Stranger article advocating for a streetcar on 12th Avenue! This is the first in a month-long series of articles in the Stranger outlining critical "marching orders" for City leaders. We’re excited that the 12th Avenue streetcar made the first group!

Rendering of Seattle University's future development at 12th and E Cherry

Please join us Tuesday, January 12th at 5:30pm for the next 12th Avenue Stewardship Committee meeting. As usual, we will meet at the Seattle University Alumni and Admissions building on the corner of 12th Avenue and E Marion Street.
Topics include:
• More updates on the First Hill/Capitol Hill streetcar
• Conversation on 12th Avenue parks
• Update on Seattle University’s Cherry Street development
• Discussion on 12th Avenue retail study

Food and drinks will be provided!

UPDATE:  I have created a new and improved map that includes exterior photos of all the spaces for lease.  I think it is much more user-friendly now.

Check out the link here.

ORIGINAL POST:  12th Avenue has become home to several great new businesses lately and there is still space available! If you or anyone you know is looking to lease commercial space and wants to join the growing 12th Avenue neighborhood, check out the link above for currently available spaces.  I’ve included contact information for the leasing agent and any other information where available.