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Is Third and Pike a bad area for retail?

Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce reporter Marc Stiles recently quoted a source as saying that J.C. Penney has pulled the plug on plans for a store in the Kress Building at Third Avenue and Pike Street in downtown Seattle. Neither J.C. Penney nor the new owner of the Kress would comment on whether the deal is off, Stiles reported. But a local retail specialist said he was surprised about Penney’s lease at Third and Pike, because it struck him as “outrageous” given the scruffy character of the corner. Third and Pike is within a six-block area that, according to an analysis by The Seattle Times, had nearly 1,000 crime incidents over the last year. They included 98 reports of shoplifting, 86 narcotics violations, 83 assaults and 49 robberies. As Stiles noted “Not exactly roll-out-the-welcome-mat numbers for retailers and their customers.”

Do you think retailers are reluctant to locate in that area, or should be? What can be done to make it better?

This entry was posted by Lynn on Friday, November 4th, 2011 at 11:18 am and is filed under Architecture, Government, Historic, Landmarks, Neighborhoods, Planning, Politics, Preservation, Seattle lifestyle, transportation, Zoning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

  • Kelly

    From what I have observed, crack dealing has been tacitly permitted by the city and/or the SPD in the three square block area between 1st ave and 3rd ave, and Pike st and Pine st. I get offered crack by at least one dealer every time I walk through that area after dark, and I get hit up for spare change by several addicts. Moreover, there seem to be far fewer police officers in that area than other similarly busy areas of the city. (Our police are generally pretty good, so it feels to me like they have been instructed to permit crack dealing in that area.) So yes, I think retailers are reluctant to locate in that area, and for good reason. Regular people need to feel safe walking around an area for business to thrive, and 3rd and Pike does not feel safe right now. That area needs the kind of police presence that the U-District has, lots of cops who aggressively ensue the peace 24 hours a day. Another problem area is S King St between 4th and 12th Ave.

  • Kari

    I do a lot of shopping at the Walgreens and Ross store on 3rd and Pike. If there was a JC Penney there, I’d most likely shop there as well. There is a large amount of retail shopping in that area including Macy’s and Nordstrom Rack. The issues brought up with crime are similar in many urban areas. It would be to Seattle’s benefit to have more large retail stores downtown. Hopefully Target will pave the way.