Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell signing legislation
Calling it a “Commitment” to downtown Mayor Bruce Harrell signed legislation Thursday renewing Seattle’s Metropolitan Improvement District for another decade.
“When I talk about ‘One Seattle’ I talk about being on the same team” The MID as they call it, is more than its name “This renewal expands the service boundaries for the MID” the mayor told a crowd near Pike Place Market “We’re increasing our cleaning services, it invests in unarmed security and increases downtown ambassador salaries, it’s become a valuable asset.”
The MID was established in 1999.
Amid talk of its bleak future a collection of businesses, residents and property owners are committing $18.5M a year for the next 10 years.
“Those services are foundational to the revitalization of our downtown” says Jon Scholes, President & CEO of the Downtown Seattle Association “If it’s not clean, safe, and welcoming people will make other decisions. We want em to choose Seattle, so these services are critical.”
The face of this work may be the 150 yellow vest wearing MID Ambassadors ready to guide, help and protect. “The MID is an example of public-private partnerships at their best” says Councilmember Sara Nelson who was involved in the negotiations.
The renewal also includes an expansion to Pioneer Square near the stadiums. “Space Needle Thinking” is how Mayor Harrell described the city’s approach to expanding the Metropolitan Improvement District “Shiny things are cool, but thinking big requires we make sure we handle the basics.”
