Summary
Recharge the Battery proposes we reimagine the Battery Street Corridor as a connector between the Central Waterfront and Denny Park, linking it with the heart of Belltown. We are advocating for a designed portal park, green stormwater solutions, bicycle and pedestrian priority treatments, water reclamation gardens, and surface street trees along the BSC that offer environmental benefits and quality of life improvements for the residents of Seattle.
Three Recommendations for Battery Street Corridor Improvements:
1 - Battery Park & Community Space: Western Avenue to Second Avenue
Develop Battery Park as an extension of the Central Waterfront into Belltown.
Reclaim the Battery Street Tunnel South Portal and integrate into Battery Park
Develop a Belltown Community Space to be integrate into the Battery Park Site.
Extend Battery Park into the Battery Street Tunnel between 1st Ave and 2nd Ave
2 - Battery Street Surface Improvements: 2nd Avenue to Denny Way
Accentuate Waterfront to Denny connection along Battery Street Corridor
Pedestrian / Bicycle Improvements. Green / Water Reclamation provisions
Bus Priority Lanes and Pedestrian Buffer between 3rd and 6th Avenue
Integrate public water reclamation / demonstration window into buffer
3 - North Surface Street Improvements: Denny Way to Harrison Street
Create green boulevard along Aurora Avenue central median
Create public water reclamation / demonstration site along central median
Develop pedestrian/bicycle connections along John, Thomas, Harrison Streets
1 - Battery Park
The Battery Park is a continuation of the Central Waterfront and the preferred site for a Belltown Community Center.
The Battery Park site also proposes reclaiming the South Portal and selective conservation of the BST (to 2nd Avenue) to strengthen connections with proposed Battery Surface Improvements and stormwater reclamation along the BSC.
2 - Battery Street
The Battery Street Surface Improvements will extend the Central Waterfront to Denny Park through the heart of the Belltown neighborhood.
The new surface link will be achieved through a series of surface street improvements and an innovative sectional connection of the Battery Park Site into the Belltown neighborhood between 1st Ave and 2nd Ave.
3 - North surface
The North Surface Reconnection Plan will connect South Lake Union with Lower Queen Anne, Uptown, and Seattle Center.
North Surface Improvements will create a green boulevard along Aurora Avenue incorporating garden elements into water reclamation medians and providing pedestrian and bicycle improvements along the cross streets.
Master Plan: Battery Street Corridor (Credit: Miller Hull Partnership)
Precedents
SEOUL: CHEONGGYECHEON RIVER RESTORATION
The 6.8 mi stretch of modern public recreation space in downtown Seoul, South Korea is a massive urban renewal project. The site, once a river before the rapid post-war economic development, was covered by transportation infrastructure. By uncovering this ancient river, it has provided both environmental and economic benefits to the city.
NEW YORK: MTA TRANSIT MUSEUM
Housed underground in an decommissioned 1936 subway station in Downtown Brooklyn, the Transit Museum’s working platform level spans a full city block, and is home to a rotating selection of twenty vintage subway and elevated cars dating back to 1907.
SEATTLE UNDERGROUND
A portion of Seattle's streets were originally one story below where they are located today. Fragments of building facades, signs, and tunnels below the city remain and can be toured today.
NEW YORK: LOWLINE LAB
The Lowline is a plan to use innovative solar technology to illuminate an historic trolley terminal on the Lower East Side of New York City. The vision is a stunning underground park, providing a beautiful respite and a cultural attraction in one of the world’s most dense, exciting urban environments.
PHILADELPHIA RAIL PARK
The Rail Park is a vision for a greenway that will revitalize three miles of unused rail lines into a usable, beautiful, public space for all. This park has been growing for years. And it’s about to burst into life.
DEQUINDRE CUT
A portion of Seattle's streets were originally one story below where they are located today. Fragments of building facades, signs, and tunnels below the city remain and can be toured today.
NEW YORK: FREEDOM TUNNEL
A 3 mile train tunnel under Riverside Park commonly referred to as the "Freedom Tunnel" as a result of the graffiti artist Chris Pape's extensive work. The largely unenforced tunnel was a canvas for artists.
PARIS CATACOMBS
The ancient ossuary is one of the most well-traveled underground spaces in the world.
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