Outdoor dining at Pike Place Market, where closure to cars resulted in a 7.5% increase in foot traffic!
Come Take Back The Ave. This summer, University Way is getting an upgrade: for one block, on three Saturdays, we are closing the street to cars and opening it up to people. Expect games, a giant chess board, live music, cafe seating, and the nearby farmers market in full swing. Whether you stop for five minutes or settle in for the afternoon, there is something here for you.
Why it matters. The Ave is one of Seattle's most vibrant and culturally rich corridors, but its sidewalks are narrow, seating is scarce, and the street has always prioritized cars over the people who make it worth visiting. This pilot is a chance to show what University Way looks like when people come first.
Three Saturdays from 11am - 8pm: • May 30 • June 6 • June 13
Three Saturdays. One big question. Can a people-centered street on The Ave create real benefit for the neighborhood: its businesses, its residents, its community? We are here to prove it can. Every person who shows up helps make that case harder to ignore.
Get involved. Volunteers are needed to help set up, greet visitors, run activities, and gather feedback. No experience necessary, just enthusiasm for the U District and the idea that streets are for people.
Show up. Bring someone. Help us build something worth keeping. If it can happen at Pike Place Market, it can happen on The Ave.
Show up. Bring someone. Help us build something worth keeping. If it can happen at Pike Place Market, it can happen on The Ave.
Download and share a handy flyer for the project.
Help us make this project a success, and have fun doing it.
Stay in the loop on this summer pilot project.
Support the project with a tax-deductible donation.
Mayor Wilson: Make The Ave for All
Supporters
106 Supporters
Krishna Adettiwar
Angelina
Alexander Bachleda
Reggie Bahr
Zach Balter
Marshall Bender
Margaret Berger
Daniella Binder
Maxi Boeckl
Molly Bradbury
Linus Brogan
Baxter Brugos
Marcella Buser
Brent Cantley
Alpha Chen
Sammy Cheung
Stephanie Chuang
Travis Close
Yen Thai Connolly
Cory Crocker
Robert Cruickshank
Marty Curry
Delia Darrah
Will Dean
Travis G DePrato
Kay Dodge
Shawn Murray Doran
Jennifer Dubrow
Delaney Edwards
Elliot
Eric
Emily Etue
Andrew Freeling
Marilee Fuller
Matt Greene
Mackey Guenther
Liora Halperin
Dylan Hanson
Zac Hanson
Tyler Lee Hartley
Jake Heller
Carolina Hohl
Divya Jayaraman
Kate Jelfs
Harrison Jerome
Loraine Kanervisto
Jeremy Keeton
Christopher James Kites
Supporters
Derek Lee
Paige E Lewis
Ben Limpich
Paige E Lewis
Ben Limpich
Anjali da Victoria Lobo
Michael Lu
Maria Lyon
Maria Lyon
Kimberly M
Eric Mackres
Anthony MarcheselliMatthew
Nicole May
Nicole May
Dylan Maxim
Robert McLaughlin
Westin Miller
Trent Moca
Travis Newbill
Morgan Nixon
Eric Nunn
Marcos Pinares
John Putre
Sally Radford
Kelli Refer
Vincent Rivera
Ursula Rothel
Ryan Schrader
Misty Shock Rule
Elijah Seed-Arita
Jeremy Sell
Bethany Stackhouse
Preston Tamkin
Pauly Tarricone
Wyat Taylor
Brice Tebbs
Braeden Van Deynze
Jonathan Warren
Stefan Wehner
Rachel Weigelt
Jeff West
Braeden Wiley
Gita Wolford
Jaelyn Yanni
Zach
Victoria Zamora
plus 21 anonymous supporters
Testimonials
"We desperately need more third spaces" - Gita
"I welcome the "frankly European" transition in Seattle." - Marcos
"I support 100% the closing of more Seattle streets to automobile traffic." - Anonymous
"This is what we need!" - Anonymous
"Reclaiming the disproportionate amount of space cars currently occupy will allow more people to dine, shop, socialize, and build community together in safety." - Bethany
"Car-free Ave. Car-free Ave. Car-free Ave." - Jaelyn
"I would visit the Ave much more if it was Pedestrian only." - Maxi
"Do it. It makes sense!!!" - Anonymous
"Love the idea, common worldwide !" -Eric
"I have no doubts that people will continue to patronize businesses on the Ave if traffic is restricted, and that it will be safer for everyone!" - Nicole
"More car free zones in the city? Yes please!" - Shawn
"Please make this a reality! The people yearn for walkable streets." - Zac
"Pedestrianize the Ave all the way to NE 50th Ave!!" - Pauly
"A woonerf for the Ave would be a welcome addition to the U District." - Brent
"To make enhance an already vibrant neighborhood the ave should be pedestrianize." - Alexander
"Not every single possible corridor between every single row of stores HAS to have cars!" - Elijah
"One solution to this is making the Ave a shared street instead of fully pedestrian where speed limits are 10 mph or less." - Anonymous
"Pedestrianizing the Ave is the best thing we can do for the neighborhood." - Eric
"Just do the whole Ave forever! The population of U-District does not own cars at the same rate as other neighborhoods." - Anonymous
"This is a no brainer :)" - Jeremy
"With the light rail, Seattle has the ability to become the easiest city to live without a car west of Chicago." - Derek
"Prioritize people over cars!" - Anonymous
"One-off tests are great but long-term closure will change people habits and drive adaptations that can't be replicated at the single-day scale." - Anonymous
"We need such new concept to regenerate an area, test new ways of thinking. We could make the area greener and a real gathering spot for community." - Anjali
"Cars can do down every single other street in the area, it doesn’t need to go down the busiest and most vibrant business corridor in U District too." - Krishna
"The time is now for bold decisions to reshape our streets." -Dylan
"Pedestrianizing the Ave is an elegant solution to the reality that the sidewalks there are too small for the number of people walking in the area." - Michael
Fundraising
Donate to the Project
Consider donating whatever you can to make this pilot project a success!
Donations to our 501c3 nonprofit are tax deductible.
Fundraising Goal
Grant funding provided by the Neighborhood Matching Fund of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods.
Additional crowdsource funding from folks like you is helping the project reach its goal of $12,000.
$7,710 raised!
Sponsor a Table
Sponsor a table for the pilot, with the option to add your name to it.
For Small Business Owners
The Project and Why It Matters for Your Business
This summer, University Way between NE 42nd and NE 43rd Streets will come alive. On three Saturdays, we will temporarily close that block to vehicles and transform it into an open, welcoming public space, with lawn games, a giant chess board, live acoustic music, and cafe-style seating. Every activation will coincide with the existing farmers market, which already draws strong Saturday crowds. Together, the two events create a compelling reason for more people to come, stay longer, and spend more.
The benefits for your business: more foot traffic, and more of it lingering.
Our team personally walked every business on the block to understand how you serve your customers: at the counter, table-side, or through deliveries. We are meeting individually with every owner within a one-block radius, on your schedule, to listen to your concerns and build accommodation plans around your specific needs. Alternative delivery drop-off coordination is already underway. No accessible parking will be displaced.
This is a pilot — and it only works if you do.
These three activations are a test. We are here to explore how a pedestrian-friendly block on The Ave brings measurable benefit to the businesses that anchor it. Your participation, your feedback, and your willingness to engage with us directly are what make that case. We are not asking you to take anything on faith; we are asking you to be part of building the evidence. The Ave's merchants are the cultural backbone of this neighborhood, and this project exists to bring more people to your door.
Dates:
• Saturday, May 30 from 11am - 8pm
• Saturday, June 6 from 11am - 8pm
• Saturday, June 13 from 11am - 8pm
For Small Business Owners
Outdoors On The Ave activation of September 2021 (during the pandemic)
Sponsors & Partners
Funding provided by the Neighborhood Matching Fund of the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods. Additional funding provided by Seattle Placemakers, and the U District Advocates, who serves as the fiscal sponsor. Furniture generously provided by Maple Leaf Lutheran Church.
City of Seattle
Seattle Placemakers
U District Advocates
Maple Leaf Lutheran Church
Get in touch
theaveforall.org
info@theaveforall.org
Seattle, Washington USA