DSA Virtual Access with Feliks Banel
A virtual series focused on issues impacting downtown
Moderator
Feliks Banel
Historian, Producer & Host, KIRO Newsradio
Feliks Banel is a producer, host and historian for KIRO Newsradio and podcast host/producer for parent company Bonneville/KSL. He was deputy director of MOHAI from 1999-2006 and has produced multiple Emmy-nominated pieces for KCTS and the Seattle Channel.
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Past Events
Spotlight on Arts & Culture Downtown
Nov. 21, 2024
Downtown Seattle’s arts and culture sector was hit hard during the pandemic. Now, organizations are working hard to revitalize. In our final Virtual Access of 2024, Seattle Theatre Group Executive Director Josh LaBelle, Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and Seattle Art Museum CEO Scott Stulen and Pacific Northwest Ballet Executive Director Ellen Walker joined moderator Feliks Banel to discuss the challenges facing the sector, opportunities ahead and what the city and community can do to help.
Reclaiming Downtown’s Core
October 24, 2024
In September 2024 the center city took some important steps forward on efforts to enhance the retail core and further downtown revitalization. The Seattle City Council passed SODA zone legislation designed to uproot drug markets in certain downtown neighborhoods. Cafe-style lighting and murals took shape along Third Avenue. And DSA/MID partnered with the city to pilot the Downtown Activation Team — providing additional cleaning, coordinated services from a variety of agencies and enhanced SPD patrols in the heart of downtown.
At our Oct. 24 Virtual Access, Jennifer Casillas, Sabrina Villanueva, Natalie Walton-Anderson and moderator Feliks Banel discussed the collaborative public-private efforts underway to enhance the retail core; what further short- and long-term improvements are coming to Third Avenue and other parts of downtown; and what progress is being made to improve public safety.
A Council Candidate Conversation
Sept. 26, 2024
It’s election season and ballots will arrive in your mailbox in a matter of weeks. Locally, Seattle voters will be asked to decide between two candidates for the City Council’s citywide Position 8, currently held by Tanya Woo.
Our first DSA Virtual Access of the fall season featured both candidates — Woo and Alexis Mercedes Rinck — for a moderated conversation about issues impacting downtown. Host Feliks Banel and the candidates discussed downtown revitalization; specific measures to address public safety; the city’s budget; voter concerns and more.
Transforming Third Avenue
June 20, 2024
Third Avenue is one of the busiest transit corridors in the country, but it falls well short of being the best pedestrian experience. DSA’s Third Avenue Vision and a recent Urban Land Institute Northwest report are generating renewed momentum for a reimagined corridor. Enhancing public safety, improving maintenance, upgrading infrastructure and creating a more welcoming environment are essential to transforming this critical north-south spine through downtown.
During the final event in our spring Virtual Access series, we heard Vice President of Planning & Community Impact Andrew Iltis from the Downtown Denver Partnership. He spoke about that city’s $172 million renovation of the 16th Street Mall, which has inspired conversations in Seattle. We were also joined by Seattle Deputy Mayor Tim Burgess and King County Metro Director of Mobility Chris O’Claire on needed public safety, infrastructure and transportation improvements.
City Council Update — New Council, New Leadership
May 16, 2024
New faces, fresh perspectives and a new president have produced a far different atmosphere, set of priorities and approaches in Seattle City Council chambers. At the second in our spring Virtual Access series presented by Amazon, heard from new Councilmembers about issues impacting downtown, including public safety; the fentanyl crisis; homelessness; the importance of a vibrant downtown for all of Seattle and more. Councilmembers Joy Hollingsworth (District 3), Maritza Rivera (District 4) and Tanya Woo (citywide Position 8) joined us for the discussion.
Peer Downtowns: Issues and Advancements
April 25, 2024
On Thursday, April 25 we kicked off our 2024 spring Virtual Access series presented by Amazon. After a brief winter hiatus, this popular DSA program returned with a discussion on revitalization in peer downtowns; namely, Denver, San Francisco and Philadelphia.
Like downtown Seattle, urban areas across the country are grappling with concurrent — and sometimes intertwined — issues that are impacting revitalization, including the fentanyl crisis, public safety concerns, and lagging office environments. Our panelists discussed those trends and also the positive developments happening in their communities, including growing residential populations, evolving political environments and changes to their retail cores.
Markham McIntyre, director of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development, kicked off the meeting with an update on the mayor’s Downtown Activation Plan.
The Transformation of Downtown’s Waterfront
Nov. 16, 2023
If you’ve been near Seattle’s waterfront recently, you’ve seen the amazing transformation taking shape. Our final fall Virtual Access event was a conversation with three of the people involved in achieving this new vision: Seattle Center Director Marshall Foster, Elliott Bay Connections Consultant Leslie Koch, and Friends of Waterfront Seattle President & CEO Joy Shigaki.
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Office and Commercial Space in Downtown Seattle
Oct. 26, 2023
Speculation around the potential use of urban commercial space is one of the most persistent post-pandemic issues. What is the potential for conversions to residential? What’s the state of the market? And how are workspaces being designed to further the value of in-person work and collaboration? Our October panel unpacked these questions and more with HKS Seattle Principal & Office Director Doug Demers, Skipstone President A-P Hurd, and Newmark’s Seattle Office Executive Managing Director Jesse Ottele.
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Fentanyl: Seattle’s Public Health Emergency
Sept. 21, 2023
King County is on pace for more than 1,000 overdose deaths this year, with most taking place in Seattle due to fentanyl. What’s the status of our community’s efforts to address this crisis? What can we learn from public health officials? The first event in our fall Virtual Access series dug into this difficult issue with UW Center for Community-Engaged Drug Education, Epidemiology and Research Director Caleb Banta-Green, Purpose. Dignity. Action. Medical Director Dr. Cyn Kotarski, and Downtown Emergency Services Center Executive Director Daniel Malone.
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Local and National Urban Recovery
May 18, 2023
Our second spring Virtual Access event dug into downtown revitalization — here and across the country. Attendees heard from the head of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development along with experienced urban leaders from across the country. Panelists included University Circle President Kate Borders, and Alliance for Downtown New York President Jessica Lappin.