Comments on: New Bellevue Safeway has lessons to learn for future downtown Kirkland QFC http://www.kirklandviews.com/2008/06/29/new-bellevue-safeway-has-lessons-to-learn-for-future-downtown-kirkland-qfc/ Kirkland's Blog for News and views on life in the City of Kirkland, Washington Tue, 06 Jan 2009 02:53:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: The Ghost of Peter Kirk http://www.kirklandviews.com/2008/06/29/new-bellevue-safeway-has-lessons-to-learn-for-future-downtown-kirkland-qfc/#comment-384 The Ghost of Peter Kirk Wed, 02 Jul 2008 03:59:48 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=270#comment-384 WtbK, I was referring to the interaction between cars and pedestrians that the previous poster was worried about. I wasn't talking about the amount of parking that Touchstone proposes. I do not claim to be a parking expert. However, would a Touchstone deliberately build a project without enough parking? Wouldn't that just drive away their customers? WtbK, I was referring to the interaction between cars and pedestrians that the previous poster was worried about. I wasn’t talking about the amount of parking that Touchstone proposes. I do not claim to be a parking expert.

However, would a Touchstone deliberately build a project without enough parking? Wouldn’t that just drive away their customers?

]]> By: Want to be Kirkland http://www.kirklandviews.com/2008/06/29/new-bellevue-safeway-has-lessons-to-learn-for-future-downtown-kirkland-qfc/#comment-378 Want to be Kirkland Tue, 01 Jul 2008 07:43:11 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=270#comment-378 Ghost--If Touchstone is so concerned about the experience and making parking work, why are they proposing fewer parking stalls than required, or recommended, for a development of this size? Given, at this size it's a mall, not a shopping center, why wouldn't they provide adequate parking for those traveling out of the immediate area to shop here? I don't think they have the city's best interests at heart if they are short cutting parking. Ghost–If Touchstone is so concerned about the experience and making parking work, why are they proposing fewer parking stalls than required, or recommended, for a development of this size? Given, at this size it’s a mall, not a shopping center, why wouldn’t they provide adequate parking for those traveling out of the immediate area to shop here? I don’t think they have the city’s best interests at heart if they are short cutting parking.

]]> By: The Ghost of Peter Kirk http://www.kirklandviews.com/2008/06/29/new-bellevue-safeway-has-lessons-to-learn-for-future-downtown-kirkland-qfc/#comment-369 The Ghost of Peter Kirk Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:18:41 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=270#comment-369 The Safeway in northeast Seattle, off I-5 on NE 75th Street, has some surface parking and some underneath the store. The lower parking seems to work just fine. The new IGA that Eve mentioned had to be retrofitted into the existing building, so I'm not surprised that they have some crowding issues. Park Place will have a whole new building, so it should have more elbow room by design. I appreciate Sandleman's concerns, but I am sure that Park Place will handle both cars and pedestrians well. I've attended some of the presentations, and the Touchstone folks are very concerned about the pedestrain expenrience on the surface. As for cars, no commercial development owner on the Eastside would not try to make it easy for cars to come, park, shop and leave. The system that has most of the parking below and lots of walking areas on the surface sounds like a good one to me. The Safeway in northeast Seattle, off I-5 on NE 75th Street, has some surface parking and some underneath the store. The lower parking seems to work just fine.

The new IGA that Eve mentioned had to be retrofitted into the existing building, so I’m not surprised that they have some crowding issues. Park Place will have a whole new building, so it should have more elbow room by design.

I appreciate Sandleman’s concerns, but I am sure that Park Place will handle both cars and pedestrians well. I’ve attended some of the presentations, and the Touchstone folks are very concerned about the pedestrain expenrience on the surface. As for cars, no commercial development owner on the Eastside would not try to make it easy for cars to come, park, shop and leave. The system that has most of the parking below and lots of walking areas on the surface sounds like a good one to me.

]]> By: Sandleman http://www.kirklandviews.com/2008/06/29/new-bellevue-safeway-has-lessons-to-learn-for-future-downtown-kirkland-qfc/#comment-367 Sandleman Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:45:29 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=270#comment-367 Hmmm... interesting post and comments. This makes me think about which direction ParkPlace is heading either as an accessible mall for everyone or only for pedestrians and transportation issues in general. I have no illusions that it could ever be car-friendly to the exclusion of pedestrians but the reverse is certainly possible. In the current climate, pedestrian and non-car modes of transportation are needed but not to the exclusion of the mode of transport we all use daily: the car. A pedestrian only grocery store works for parts of Seattle but it would never work here in Kirkland no matter how painful those in power want to make it for customers and merchants to conduct commerce. The worthy goal of creating better bus/transit/bike/pedestrian access to a property should be achieved through means that do not limit the success of the project by making it difficult to access or expensive to visit. The best projects in the world (and that is what our goal for ParkPlace should be) cater to the needs of all of these groups and they do not have to be mutually exclusive. Like it or not, cars exist. No sane individual would want to limit the success for the project in order to discourage people from visiting by car. Why build the thing if you plan to make it painful for your users? Who would want to shop at such a place? Hmmm… interesting post and comments. This makes me think about which direction ParkPlace is heading either as an accessible mall for everyone or only for pedestrians and transportation issues in general. I have no illusions that it could ever be car-friendly to the exclusion of pedestrians but the reverse is certainly possible. In the current climate, pedestrian and non-car modes of transportation are needed but not to the exclusion of the mode of transport we all use daily: the car. A pedestrian only grocery store works for parts of Seattle but it would never work here in Kirkland no matter how painful those in power want to make it for customers and merchants to conduct commerce. The worthy goal of creating better bus/transit/bike/pedestrian access to a property should be achieved through means that do not limit the success of the project by making it difficult to access or expensive to visit. The best projects in the world (and that is what our goal for ParkPlace should be) cater to the needs of all of these groups and they do not have to be mutually exclusive. Like it or not, cars exist. No sane individual would want to limit the success for the project in order to discourage people from visiting by car. Why build the thing if you plan to make it painful for your users? Who would want to shop at such a place?

]]> By: Eve M. http://www.kirklandviews.com/2008/06/29/new-bellevue-safeway-has-lessons-to-learn-for-future-downtown-kirkland-qfc/#comment-366 Eve M. Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:05:53 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=270#comment-366 Thoughtful post! I hadn't thought about how to make an underground parking garage inviting for grocery shopping before. For below-grade grocery stores, we now also have the example of Kress IGA on 3rd Ave in Seattle. (They cater exclusively to pedestrians.) They do a masterful job of presenting an inviting view down the escalators with all the fresh produce, but they have other deficits -- the cashier workflow is horrible during the lunchtime crush, and apparently the city made them keep a step that goes down from the escalator platform to the regular floor. Thoughtful post! I hadn’t thought about how to make an underground parking garage inviting for grocery shopping before.

For below-grade grocery stores, we now also have the example of Kress IGA on 3rd Ave in Seattle. (They cater exclusively to pedestrians.) They do a masterful job of presenting an inviting view down the escalators with all the fresh produce, but they have other deficits — the cashier workflow is horrible during the lunchtime crush, and apparently the city made them keep a step that goes down from the escalator platform to the regular floor.

]]> By: Trooper http://www.kirklandviews.com/2008/06/29/new-bellevue-safeway-has-lessons-to-learn-for-future-downtown-kirkland-qfc/#comment-352 Trooper Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:38:18 +0000 http://www.kirklandviews.com/?p=270#comment-352 From the outside, the project looks like a carbon copy of Tribeca. Ho hum. Whatever, it's Bellevue. We need to be sure that Touchstone & their team will design structures for Park Place that fit with the character of Kirkland. As for the functionality of the grocery and parking etc, you've made good observations & suggestions, Rob. I hope you'll forward a copy to Touchstone and to the Planning Commission. From the outside, the project looks like a carbon copy of Tribeca. Ho hum. Whatever, it’s Bellevue. We need to be sure that Touchstone & their team will design structures for Park Place that fit with the character of Kirkland.

As for the functionality of the grocery and parking etc, you’ve made good observations & suggestions, Rob. I hope you’ll forward a copy to Touchstone and to the Planning Commission.

]]>