Thank You for Giving Big
Friends,
A big thank you from all of us at Lid I-5 to recent donors. This week we inspired $1,300 in donations and unlocked an additional $1,000 match from the Seattle Parks Foundation.
In addition, we hosted over 160 people at the energetic Big Ideas fundraiser in early November. Donations netted approximately $40,000, but even more importantly, the packed room showed just how quickly momentum is growing for lidding I-5 and expanding public land. We saw civic leaders like Councilmember Bagshaw and heard from inspiring speakers, including Crosscut’s Knute Berger.
This campaign couldn’t be where it is – supported by an enthusiastic public and about to kickoff a major feasibility study – without your gifts and the tireless efforts of our fiscal sponsor. As a volunteer-led team, we use this funding for everything from printing and venue rentals to professional consultation.
Were you busy this month? Worry not – it’s never too late to make a tax-deductible gift online, or even become a monthly donor to sustain our efforts for the years ahead!
The Big Pictures
After a year of intense design effort by volunteer teams and City grant funding, we can now share the full suite of concept renderings from the Central Hills Triangle Collaborative. View or download the images here, and also visit our website to check out the details, sketches, perspectives, and inspiring narratives by each of the five teams (their posters and slideshows are under the “Collab Presentations” heading).
As always, note these images are not final or official but rather a call to action. Lid I-5’s role is continue sparking conversation and furthering the dialogue on how to improve the concrete gash in the heart of our city. We are leading a grassroots, bottom-up planning effort guided by community needs and ideas. Future land use options on freeway lids are many, and we will continue to foster public discourse on the best path forward for Seattle’s urban neighborhoods.
Endorsement by Downtown Seattle Association
Earlier this month the Lid I-5 effort was endorsed by the Downtown Seattle Association, a nonprofit membership organization advocating for the interests of greater downtown families, property owners, and businesses. They join a growing coalition of neighborhood groups and advocacy partners that believe in a sustainable and connected Seattle.
See the article explaining their support for expanding public land and improving environmental conditions around the I-5 freeway. They said:
“We believe capping I-5 will increase Seattle’s livability and health while adding land for new housing, green spaces, commercial development and pedestrian connections. Cities including Bellevue, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., Dallas and Philadelphia have demonstrated the feasibility of covering freeways, and while it will take time to realize such an ambitious project, a lid is the right thing to do.”
We couldn’t agree more. Enjoy the holidays and we’ll see you again in 2019!
Lid I-5 