Seattle Magazine: Fixing Third Avenue, one step at a time

This story was originally published by Seattle Magazine on March 21, 2025.

New lighting is part of a broader effort to revitalize the street

By Rob Smith

Third Avenue has long been the scourge of downtown Seattle. It’s been sketchy for at least the better part of two decades.

It may not seem like much, but festive lighting has been installed along the “Spark Block,” between Stewart and Pine streets on Third Avenue. The enhancement includes striking catenary lighting and builds on a similar effort launched last fall.

The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) has long pushed for major improvements to Third Avenue. Six years ago, DSA — an advocacy group representing 1,100 members — released a plan called the “Third Avenue Vision,” a plan that proposed four potential transportation options that called for converting the street to a two- or three-lane transitway on what DSA calls “the gateway to downtown Seattle.”

The report notes that Third Avenue has a lack of public or private open spaces, high pedestrian volumes and unengaging facades. Potential changes include creating a three-lane street; adding a median in the middle of the road where pedestrians could catch buses; adding a transit shuttle and hub; and diverting some bus traffic to Second and Fourth avenues.

The plan generated interest at the time, but funding was and still remains elusive.

“The future of Third Avenue is critically important. In a lot of ways, Third Avenue is universally loathed,” DSA President and CEO Jon Scholes told Seattle magazine in 2023. “Our hope is that the city and county commit to a joint-financing strategy, just like they’ve done in Denver and Minneapolis, to rebuild the street in a way that makes it great for folks who may live or work on Third.”

Third Avenue is still home to too many open-air drug markets, and people who work downtown often tell me they avoid the street if possible due to safety concerns. The new lighting may not seem like much, but it’s a start.

“These lighting improvements contribute to a greater sense of safety and activation,” says Jennifer Casillas, vice president of public realm & ambassador operations for DSA.

Fair enough. Let’s hope that this represents a cascading effect of positive change along Third Avenue. People often unfairly criticize downtown Seattle (and I’ll make the case that the street is getting better), but there’s still much to be done.