Amid ‘SDOT KILLS SMALL BUSINESS’ signs, city denies permit for advocate community group’s street party

A new group planning a business-friendly street party to try to give the neighborhood a boost around a much longer than expected street and utilities project has had its event permit denied by the Seattle Department of Transportation.

“This permit application was not approved because there will still be active construction happening at this intersection on proposed event date,” a spokesperson tells CHS. “Seattle Public Utilities is replacing sewer infrastructure at 12th Ave and E Pike St. The intersection is closed for public safety.”

CHS shared this Capitol Hill Community Post inviting people to join the Thursday night event from the group Destination Pike, a new community group that says it spun off from Central Seattle Streets for All in partnership with the Capitol Hill Community Council.

The group said it was planning the popsicle party on Pike between 11th and 12th with music, tables and discounts for takeout at local restaurants.

But the city nixed the plan, citing the nearby construction that has shut down 12th Ave and knotted driving access to the area for weeks. CHS reported here in August on the city’s approach to sewer work that tips things into emergency territory in a neighborhood with a busy history of development like Capitol Hill. The construction timeline on the project had to be doubled to six weeks of closures after excavation crews ran into unmapped wiring, old concrete, and tangled utility lines.

The city tells us SPU’s contractor is working to finish up major construction and reopen the intersection as soon as the end of this week. “However, construction will continue through October as crews return to build accessible curb ramps at the corners of this intersection,” a spokesperson said.

Area shops, cafes, and bars have said the longer than expected project has been a drain on business. Two weeks ago, guerilla “SDOT KILLS SMALL BUSINESS” signs appeared in the neighborhood but were quickly cleared away over the weekend.

Destination Pike, meanwhile, is hoping to become a neighborhood presence and advocate as the city shapes a new “Low Pollution Neighborhood” initiative here that could remake streets as part of a $9.2 million effort across Capitol Hill, Lake City, and South Park/Georgetown.