Maren Murphy, Community Programs Coordinator, 509.625.6737
Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at 4:56 p.m.
As we work to revitalize downtown Spokane this includes our alleyways. The City of Spokane and the Mayor’s Office launched the Innovation Alleyways project at the beginning of the year to explore ways to revitalize and re-envision select downtown alleyways into places of connectivity and vibrant arts culture.
Historically, alleyways have provided limited functions and primarily serve as an access area that lacks visibility to the general public. The Innovation Alleyways project will concentrate on transforming the use of alleyways to functional pedestrian spaces. This project is specifically focused on Railroad Alley and the Steam Plant Alley which runs parallel to the railroad viaduct.
We are excited to host an Innovation Alleyways First Friday Open House this Friday, May 3 at River Park Square. This open house is part of the ongoing community conversation on alleyway improvements, and will provide another opportunity for you to share your ideas on how you would like to see downtown alleys activated. The First Friday event is a partnership with the Downtown Spokane Partnership, and participants who stop by the event will have an opportunity to win a giveaway for gift cards to local businesses!
The open house builds on the two-day design workshop the City hosted on March 29 & 30 at 4 Degrees Real Estate to explore alley conditions and design ideas from the community. Our urban designers met with residents, business owners, property owners, and members of the community to discuss how people use alleys and what improvements they would like to see to activate them. People shared ideas around improved lighting and greenery as well as people-oriented spaces for café seating, arts, music, and other programming that help make the alleys a destination.
We also continue to gather input through a brief online survey. So far over 200 people have participated in the survey, and we continue to keep it open for your feedback.
We look forward to seeing on Friday!
