Saturday turned out to be a great morning for a walking tour in Ballard. The sun was out, our group was engaged, and the streets were relatively quiet. Standing in as our tour guide was Caelen Ball. He gave a well rounded look into Old Ballard and New Ballard. Tour commentary was a mix of neighborhood history and landmarks, zoning and land use policy, building trends and architecture, community amenities, and ongoing neighborhood discussions about the Ballard of today and tomorrow. For those you who couldn’t make it out for the walk, here are some of the highlights from the tour in tweets:
The Ballard walking tour begins! pic.twitter.com/gozjUWydyw
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Caelen explains the history of constructing brick buildings. pic.twitter.com/sRRgG5Pw9h
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Caelen explains the history of the Junction Building. pic.twitter.com/yRHZ38deDn
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
This corner building was Bartell's fourth store pic.twitter.com/k4aDdJEzZO
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
The medallions are tie-ins for the floors above pic.twitter.com/hJcJqOBOOc
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Caelen says that Market Street could use lane reductions and be more pedestrian-oriented pic.twitter.com/oDYyRLoaND
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Caelen explains floor area ratio (FAR) with Mark 24 apartments. pic.twitter.com/DleRkpAl54
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
NC3-65 zoning, it's real pic.twitter.com/mDXoiSrAvI
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Caelen talks about the challenges of empty storefronts pic.twitter.com/LNaKt8qNbH
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Fact: There used to be a cow ordinance in Ballard. No cows allowed south of 65th St
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Banks on corners are a problem in urban cores pic.twitter.com/nwgJdGVuTJ
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Greenfire Campus is a very green and new building pic.twitter.com/7lLXmcoepx
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Talking about new buildings that will be arriving on Ballard's shores. pic.twitter.com/wwYCgInAyK
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Caelen wants a series of Scandinavian crosswalks painted there pic.twitter.com/viP4fwx0wm
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Batman explained FAR. He's a good urbanist. pic.twitter.com/XoCOJWiquR
— The Urbanist (@UrbanistOrg) September 19, 2015
Thanks to all of you who joined us for the tour! If you have feedback on how to improve it, feel free to send it our way. Stay tuned for future tours and events!
Stephen is a professional urban planner in Puget Sound with a passion for sustainable, livable, and diverse cities. He is especially interested in how policies, regulations, and programs can promote positive outcomes for communities. With stints in great cities like Bellingham and Cork, Stephen currently lives in Seattle. He primarily covers land use and transportation issues and has been with The Urbanist since 2014.