PSBJ: Opinion: How city and county leaders are authoring Seattle’s comeback

This column was originally published by the Puget Sound Business Journal on March 12, 2025.

By Jon Scholes – Downtown Seattle Association

Four years ago, 150 tents occupied the sidewalks and parks of downtown Seattle, graffiti-covered plywood clung to storefronts and police staffing was in a freefall. Dysfunction reigned at City Hall where public policy decisions were made by slogans and the person who shouted the loudest.

This municipal malpractice was seen and felt not just downtown but in neighborhoods across Seattle. Those in charge and the activists dictating their policies were unable to distinguish between individuals who were hurting on our sidewalks (and needed help) from those who were out causing trouble and hurting others (and needed to be held accountable). In too many cases, the response was to not intervene in either circumstance.

Store owners, property managers, downtown ambassadors, security guards and retail clerks were forced to manage safety, security and suffering — and many locals stayed away from downtown as disorder took hold.

It was understandable why some feared that downtown Seattle was on the verge of the dreaded urban “doom loop” — a death spiral driven by too much chaos and too few customers that would lead to more shuttered storefronts, declining foot traffic and a collapse in tax revenue.

Today, it’s clear downtown Seattle has avoided the doom loop and is instead on the precipice of a “bloom loop” — where new businesses and attractions are driving more foot traffic, which is encouraging more investment and store openings, more visitation and more economic activity.

While much work remains, we’re clearly on a path to progress. We’re witnessing green shoots emerge because city and county leaders, under the framework of Mayor Bruce Harrell’s Downtown Activation Plan, have taken important actions to make our streets safe and healthy for all. The criminal justice system is functioning again, police applications are at their highest levels in more than a decade, a new police contract is in place, and as a community, we’re investing millions in drug treatment and housing, including on-demand mobile treatment.

The private sector is working side-by-side with City Hall and in close coordination with Mayor Harrell, Council President Sara Nelson and City Attorney Ann Davidson. Downtown property owners have invested a record amount in cleaning, security, events and promotion, and today a record 165 full-time ambassadors provide critical services across 300 downtown blocks seven days a week.

While many challenges remain, the early results of these actions, investments and collaboration are promising. Violent crime and drug overdoses have decreased. More people in need are getting services. And the reduction in crime, chaos and suffering on our streets is ushering in new investment and economic activity.

In 2024, 88 new street-level businesses opened, a record 108,000 people called downtown home, 3,000 new residential units were delivered and grand-opening ribbons were cut on major new attractions, including the Aquarium Ocean Pavilion and the Overlook Walk, connecting Pike Place Market to the central waterfront.

These investments are drawing record numbers of locals. Between September and December 2024, local foot traffic was up nearly 25%, surpassing every month of 2019. In total, more than 1.1 million people who live within 10 miles of downtown visited Seattle’s urban core in 2024, up from 845,000 in 2019. This is a critical demographic for success. Downtowns must first be relevant to and loved by locals.

Seattleites have much to look forward to downtown in 2025. The 20-acre Waterfront Park will be fully complete later this year, the city will host major events including Club Cup soccer matches and new restaurants and retailers will open their doors. This list includes a second Seattle location for Carmine’s and the addition of Portland Leather Goods, a famed NYC cocktail bar and a local cafe and coffee operator, who will move into the 7,000-square-foot former Specialities space at Fifth Avenue and Union Street that has sat vacant for five years.

Downtown Seattle has avoided the “doom loop” because we recognized that no matter how many assets an urban core has, if it’s shrouded in disorder people will spend their time and money elsewhere.

Street disorder is bad for business, bad for city tax coffers, strains emergency services and runs against Seattle’s long-held values of taking care of the least among us. Thankfully, we’re on a better path relative to four years ago, but shouldn’t forget how fragile it all is and what it’s taken to achieve this progress.