The New Bell Street Boulevard

From the comments on SeattleTimes.com, you'd think that spending a couple of bucks on a park was High Treason. But Belltown, home to some 10,000 of us, has no park. Yes, it has nail salons and crack dealers, and a patch of dirt where dogs can poop, but you don't see residents out for a stroll in the sawdust.

So how will Belltown use its new park? As a backyard or as a compost pile? Those are the questions being asked today, following the city council's vote to spend $2.5 million to "beautify" four blocks of Bell Street.

The drawings give no sense of the plan, such as it is. But after twenty years of waiting, it's better than nothing. Says architect Carolyn Geise, "Developing the Green Streets in Belltown is a major piece of neighborhood planning." Clark Humphrey, neighborhood historian and editor of the Belltown Messenger, agrees. "We've always needed a neighborhood 'back yard.' A place for people, for all the people, not just the dog owners or the upscales." Bell "Boulevard" is a good start, Geise agrees, But there's a need for even more green space and walkways in the city's most densely populated neighborhood. Vine (two blocks north) already has one project completed (the Vine Street Steps, between First and Western). Extending Bell Boulevard all the way to the waterfront would be nice, too.