A block party planned for this Saturday on University Avenue in Seattle — known locally as “The Ave” — was canceled just eight days before it was to take place. This main street of the University District, which since the 1960s has been a hub for student counterculture, hippies, musicians and independent shops, is regarded as the cultural and historical heart of the neighborhood. City officials denied the permit, citing a petition signed by nearly 80 local business owners opposing the street closure to cars. However, some of the named business owners say they never opposed the event.
The plan was an experimental placemaking project — an urban planning approach that designs public spaces to prioritize making environments attractive and comfortable for people rather than just for cars. Similar projects have already been implemented in Seattle, for example converting part of Pike Street at Pike Place Market into a pedestrian zone, the reconstruction of the Alaskan Way waterfront, and the Summer Streets program that closes downtown blocks on summer weekends. This particular project was to run on Saturdays for two weeks — from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on one block of The Ave between NE 42nd and NE 43rd Streets. Organizers Harrison Jerome and Cory Crocker, representing the grassroots activist group U District Advocates, wanted to show what a street “prioritizing people over cars” could look like. That group, made up of local residents, students and small businesses, advocates preserving The Ave’s historic character and opposes large commercial developments and gentrification, distinguishing their approach from the more investment-oriented official business association U District Partnership.
Local proprietors Lois Ko (owner of Sweet Alchemy Ice Creamery) and Emily Skally (owner of Shultzy's Bar & Grill) collected signatures and submitted them to the city. They said they were opposing the two-day test, not the concept of a pedestrian street in principle. But their opponents insist that businesses were deliberately misled.
Peter Johnson, owner of Finn MacCool's Pub, said he never signed the petition even though his name appears on the list. He suggested the data may have come from a survey by the local chamber of commerce, U District Partnership, whose board includes both Ko and Skally. “I wasn’t opposed. I just had questions,” Johnson said.
Other business owners, such as Pilhi Koo of Café on the Ave, said they would object to closing the street on a weekday, but Saturday events “wouldn’t be a problem.” A poster for the festival still hangs in the Snooze cafe, but the owners said they didn’t know they had been listed as opponents.
City officials acknowledged that all technical requirements had been met — approvals were obtained from the fire department, the transportation department and King County Metro, which plays a key role because without its permission the street cannot be closed due to important bus routes that run along The Ave. However, the permit was denied because of “significant opposition from the business community.” At the same time, city spokesperson Eric Moss did not confirm whether the signatures had been verified.
Despite the cancellation, officials offered to expedite permitting for a similar future event — provided there is “authentic and timely engagement with businesses” and notices are distributed in multiple languages for the neighborhood’s many immigrant-owned establishments. The language barrier is a particular issue, as the University District is home to communities from Southeast Asia, East Africa and Korea, while official negotiations are conducted primarily in English, making it difficult to discuss festival terms. The conflict over The Ave reflects long-standing debates about whether this famed campus street should become fully pedestrianized — an idea discussed as far back as 2018, when the city council rejected a full closure proposal because of conflicts between business and transportation interests, but approved targeted improvements.
Based on: U District event canceled, but some businesses deny having been opposed