North Sodo

T-Mobile Park and Lumen Field and Event Center anchor the south end of downtown Seattle. We’re nestled between Pioneer Square to the north, Chinatown and the International District to the east, the waterfront and Highway 99 to the west, and business and industrial neighborhoods of SODO to the south. It’s an incredibly diverse area in terms of both the people who live and work there and the sorts of activities that occur in the neighborhood. With upwards of 280 event days each year, at least one of these stadia pulses with excitement as our local teams compete on the field, or as trade shows, consumer shows, and community events enliven the area.

With two such major facilities side by side, it made sense for us to put our heads together to come up with ways to leverage this activity to enhance the economic vitality and desirability of the adjacent neighborhood. The Ballpark Public Facilities District (PFD) and the Washington Public Stadium Authority (PSA) developed a ten-year vision for a successful Stadium District, a neighborhood that is economically vibrant, safe, innovative, and irresistibly fun to live in and visit.

Our original plan was released in December 2012. It laid out the vision for supporting housing, parking, pedestrian, bicycle and transit infrastructure, open spaces, and robust retail, food and beverage, and entertainment businesses in the neighborhood. While this plan has not been formally adopted by the City, we continue to work with our partners toward the goals set out in that plan. Here is a link to the concept plan. 

In support of our goal of improving the neighborhoods around the ballpark, we established a Neighborhood Improvement Fund in 2019 as an element of our renewed lease with the Seattle Mariners. The Fund addresses the PFD’S mission that includes efforts to “enhance fan enjoyment and contribute to an economically successful, safe, desirable, innovative and walkable stadium neighborhood.” Expenditures from the fund are authorized by the PFD, working in concert with the Mariners to identify appropriate projects that enhance the experience of Mariners fans and other attendees of T-Mobile Park events. Additional details about the Neighborhood Improvement Fund can be found here.