While you are cooped up and hunkered down, do some Capitol Hill and District 3 streets and parks brainstorming.

Seattle’s annual “Your Voice, Your Choice” citizen-budgeting process is in the “idea collection” phase for 2020. The deadline, the Seattle Department of Transportation says, is Wednesday, March 18th — but we’re checking in to see about any possible COVID-19 extension.

Each project must:
+ Benefit the public
+ Cost $150,000 or less
+ Be a physical project that is located within Seattle’s parks or streets.
Idea Collection is open to anyone age 11 and up (13 and up to participate online) who lives, works, goes to school, worships, receives services, volunteers, or participates in activities within the City of Seattle.

CHS wrote about the grassroots process of what comes next as neighbors meet with city officials to hash out the proposals and come up with lists of workable projects.

View the Your Voice, Your Choice 2020 Map full screen here.

Here are a few of the District 3 ideas already submitted:

• Convert the perpendicular parking on Belmont to parallel parking — The perpendicular parking here encourages people to block the sidewalk with their car bumpers, narrowing an already cozy sidewalk even further. Single-file sidewalks shouldn’t exist at all, but especially not in pedestrian-heavy areas where few people drive like Capitol Hill.
• Expand the sidewalk on the east side of the street by taking out the parking from E Olive St to Howell — Cars often take up half the narrow sidewalk with their tails and signs always litter the space. An able bodied person can barely get through on a good day, let alone someone in a mobility device.
• 19th and Madison — Curb ramp goes into intersection. It’s dangerous to use if needed to cross 19th. Your forced to go into heavy Madison traffic to navigate.
• Raised Crosswalk at T.T. Minor Playfield — Pavement is broken, 1 curb ramp missing, 1 curb ramp not to code

In addition to submitting your own proposals, you can spin through the map and leave a “heart” on projects you like and leave comments.

The real magic, of course, comes in the city’s budgeting and implementation phase which can stretch out for… years. Here’s a roster of YVYC winners for Central Seattle over the last three years. You’ll note a few of them are yet to see the light of day.

Learn more and submit your 2020 proposals here.

2019 Your Voice, Your Choice: Parks and Streets Elected Projects

• Bellevue Ave and Minor Ave and E Union St (Cost: $90,000; Total Votes: 330)
• 20th Ave S between S Lane St and S Judkins St (Cost: $114,500; Total Votes: 348)*
• Leschi Elementary School (Cost: $79,500; Total Votes: 264)
• S 16th Ave S and S Weller St (Cost: $30,000; Total Votes: 269)*

2018 Your Voice, Your Choice: Parks and Street Elected Projects

• Summit Ave between Madison St and Spring St (Cost: $90,000; Total Votes: 136)
• 14th Ave E and E Aloha St (Cost: $83,298; Total Votes: 297)
• 19th Ave and E Cherry St (Cost: $10,000; Total Votes: 236)
• 16th Ave, 17th Ave, and 18th Ave and E Jefferson St (Cost: $5,000; Total Votes: 176)
• 29th Ave between E Yesler Way and E Alder St (Cost: $16,100; Total Votes: 148)
• I-90 Offramp onto Rainier Ave S (Cost: $56,800; Total Votes: 182)*
• 25th Ave S and S Plum St (Cost: $68,800, SDOT funded)*
• Judkins Park (Cost: $24,700; Total Votes: 291)*

2017 Your Voice, Your Choice: Parks and Street Elected Projects

• I-5 Offramp onto Olive Way (Cost: $75,000, Total Votes: 240)
• 17th Ave S between E Yesler Way and S Jackson St (Cost: $15,000, Total Votes: 200)
• 19th Ave S and E Denny Way (Cost: $83,000, Total Votes:  171)
• Judkins Park and S Dearborn St (Cost: 90,000, Total Votes: 173)

• Projects in Equity & Environment Initiative (EEI) Focus Areas

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