KOMO 4: Iconic intersection at Pike Place Market gets makeover

This story was originally published by KOMO on April 10, 2025.

By Colleen West, Theron Zahn, Denise Whitaker

SEATTLE — On Thursday, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell unveiled what he said is the next step in his Downtown Activation Plan.

The area at the intersection of First Avenue and Pike Street — one of the most visited parts of the city — underwent a makeover to attract more people to the pedestrian-only public space near the iconic Pike Place Market.

“We are on Seattle’s journey to becoming that mecca, like that place where people want to come visit.” Jules Sauer told KOMO News.

Sauer is one of 165 ambassadors who work for The Downtown Seattle Association (DSA) / Metropolitan Improvement District (MID).

“The MID is not just about making the city clean but we want to make people feel welcome. We want to make sure that people feel safe,” Sauer said.

Raven Lee, a 10-year-old from Bellevue, enjoying downtown Seattle with her mom, told KOMO how she felt walking between Pike Place Market, downtown and MOPOP.

“I feel safe around here because everybody’s all really friendly here,” Lee said.

That is the goal of this new revitalization, taking it one block at a time.

Pike Street at First Avenue, right across the street from the city’s iconic Pike Place Market, was transformed into a pedestrian-only space and now, just in time for Seattle’s cruise season to begin, it’s getting new life breathed into it.

“We will have more staffing in this space for seven days a week and we will also have programming seven days a week,” said Jennifer Casillas, with the DSA.

The MID ambassadors, she said ambassadors work in teams; cleanup, events and hospitality and safety. They are out on the streets, carrying out each of those missions every day, from 6:30 am to 9:30 pm for both tourists and locals alike.

So, in the off season, when there are fewer tourists, KOMO asked Mayor Bruce Harrell if the public spaces, like First & Pike will still be safe for people.

“Our whole notion of activating areas with more police officers down here, more MID ambassadors, to make sure the bad actors and the criminals realize we will not tolerate that kind of activity,” the major answered.

“I’ve heard the complaints about Seattle and its crime and I’m just not seeing it,” Mike Sandberg told KOMO.

Mike and his wife Sue left Seattle when they retired in 2020, moving to Scottsdale, but they sold their house in Arizona and returned full-time to Seattle last fall.

“We walked down to the waterfront almost every day or every other day and I think the city’s done a great job. We live right downtown, we even sold our car last month,” Mike said.

City officials hope the improvements will give local businesses a boost.

Harrell’s activation plan has already brought festive lights to 3rd Ave between Stewart and Virginia streets.

The makeover includes new lighting, twirly chairs, planters, and more. There will also be new programming, including giveaways, performances, and games, every Tuesday through Sunday into the summer months.

The location is not far from where Harrell first announced his plan.

“We’ve made significant strides over the last three years. We hear that everywhere we go, but there’s so much work to do, and I’ve said on many occasions we don’t take victory laps when people are sick and dying on the streets,” he said during a news conference last year.

City officials said Seattle police officers will continue to arrest those distributing and selling drugs on the streets and continue special operations to reduce shootings across the city.

Of the 46 initiatives introduced in the Downtown Activation Plan, 16 have been completed, 27 are in progress, and three are in the planning stages.

Part of the plan also offers graffiti removal services on private property with the owner’s permission.

The official unveiling happened at noon with remarks from the mayor.