Muffins on Melrose & the Melrose Promenade

Overview:

Stand on Melrose Ave, especially around Denny Way, and you are likely to agree that you are witnessing a missed opportunity in past urban planning for a scenic green space that could tie together Lakeview Blvd, Capitol Hill, and the Cascade/South Lake Union areas.

One of CSG’s first projects was to bring our vision of safe, enjoyable experiences on our public streets to Melrose Ave with the Melrose Promenade Advisory Committee (MPAC). Our members were able to show the City our passion for this project (the Melrose Promenade!) with a plan to engage our neighbors and users in community clean-ups as well as in our sidewalk info sessions, Muffins on Melrose. There were in fact muffins, and coffee, and most importantly, conversations letting people know that there is a brighter future for them and the way they use Melrose Ave. This community effort secured us a matching fund grant from the City of Seattle for $20,000 right off the bat in 2012. This grant would help us accomplish our design and outreach goals in the process to reshaping this street, with the leadership of the Berger Partnership.

As of 2019, the Melrose Promenade encompassed Melrose Ave from Denny Way (at the south) up to where it turns into Lakeview Blvd (at the north). From Denny to Roy St, the road has sharrow markings, and from Roy St to Lakeview Blvd, a separate run/walk/bike way cuts along the steep slope of Capitol Hill to connect with the bike lanes on Lakeview Blvd.

In fall of 2019, design drawings were shared for Melrose Ave from Pike St (at the south) up to Denny Way, to extend and improve the bicycle and pedestrian facilities on this street. Plans at this stage in design showed bike lane painting and raised pedestrian crosswalks, among other improvements to road geometry and signalization at specific intersections. This latest segment negotiates an on-ramp to I-5 and the commercial activity of the Pike/Pine corridor, and will be an important north-south component to making Melrose Ave safer for walking, running, rolling, biking, and enjoying its unique view of the city.

Post history:

Check out SDOT’s page on the Melrose Promenade here for updates to the design & construction process!