(Left) Rendering of Erratic by John Fleming, forthcoming in 2013, at the Redmond Central Connector at Cleveland Street and 166th Street Northeast. Image courtesy of John Fleming.
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VISION 2030: REDMOND’S DOWNTOWN CULTURAL CORRIDOR
Art and cultural experiences have the power, over time, to cultivate a rich quality of life in Downtown Redmond. WE ENVISION Redmond being known as a first rate art town of the 21st century because of its vibrant Downtown Cultural Corridor. WE ENVISION a significant artistic statement in Downtown where people from all over the world come to be inspired and contemplate their humanity and common experience, where they return to in the future to discover new insights. WE ENVISION Redmond strengthening its reputation as an inventive and diverse community because of the ongoing opportunities in the cultural arts. WE ENVISION a successful and vibrant Downtown neighborhood where citizens and visitors have the unique experience of living with art and having diverse cultural encounters every day.
WE ENVISION an exciting nightlife where the cultural arts such as live music, theatre and changing artworks are available yearround, 18 hours a day. WE ENVISION a Downtown where high quality urban design is achieved through partnership, where aesthetically pleasing streets and architecturally significant buildings make a stroll down Cleveland Street or Redmond Way as interesting when the shops are closed as when they are open. WE ENVISION a Downtown that is home to artists, where art supplies, musical instruments and theatre costumes are regular items carried on and off light rail trains, buses and bikes. WE ENVISION a signature cultural space for people to gather in Downtown that reflects the best of what Redmond has to offer: its history, people and future aspirations.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Investing in the cultural arts is a vital strategy toward building a beautiful, dynamic 18-hour a day urban center. Integrating art into the fabric of Downtown Redmond at this time sends a message to existing and future residents, visitors, and businesses from around the world that the City is committed to maintaining a rich quality of life unique to Redmond. Between 2005 and 2016,
the City is projected to invest $175 million in capital projects in Downtown with the goal of connection and activation of the Downtown for all users. These projects include the Couplet Conversion Project together with the development of the rest of the DEWCS projects, the Redmond Central Connector, the Downtown Park, enhancements to utilities and the preservation of the historic business core centered on nearby Leary Street. While these projects lay the necessary foundation for vibrancy, the Downtown Cultural Corridor Plan provides strategies, possibilities and action items to
ensure vibrancy through the cultural arts. Major strategies include: • Completing a demonstration art project as part of the Couplet Conversion Project • Incorporating key policy goals of this plan into other relevant City plans such as the Parks, Arts, Recreation, Culture & Conservation Plan and Transportation Master Plan • Securing a sustainable funding source to implement this plan • Working with developers as partners in implementing this plan • Addressing code issues that may help in implementing the recommendations • Developing temporary and permanent platforms for art in the urban center. Overall, the Downtown Cultural Corridor Master Plan identifies people as a vital driver for vibrancy in both the short and long term. This plan then describes the use platforms where local talent can contribute to an artwork, and places of participation where
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