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The King County Executive and the King County Council retained Northwest Studio to lead the development of a King County Civic Campus Plan. The plan, published under the title “King County Civic Ground,”
Foreword
In early 2023, in partnership with local downtown stakeholders, the City of Wenatchee commissioned a strategic master plan to reimagine the potential of a cherished, diverse, and economically vital part of the city—an area encompassing the downtown core and riverfront. From this effort, the Reimagine Wenatchee Target Area Master Plan was born.
The timing and conversations surrounding the study were critical. The Target Area is undergoing a period of significant change due to more than a half-dozen pending public-private redevelopment projects that will introduce hundreds of new residents, add commercial spaces and recreational amenities, and upgrade vital urban utility infrastructure. Together, these “Cornerstone” projects represent more than $200 million in potential capital investment. However, they are dispersed across 30 city blocks and span more than 180 acres, including nearly three-quarters of a mile of BNSF rail yards. The Reimagine plan is intended to identify the threads that can tie these Cornerstone projects together and weave them into the fabric of the city, establishing a holistic, consensus-based vision for the downtown core and its central riverfront.
Over the course of twelve months, downtown business stakeholders and local residents explored a series of scenarios for the future of downtown, supported by the City and the Northwest Studio team. The outcome is a new vision and master plan for making strategic investments in downtown—with special attention to aligning the needs of the downtown community with prioritized improvements that are financially feasible and flexible enough to adapt to the change that will inevitably occur during implementation.
The Reimagine Wenatchee Target Area Master Plan envisions a series of coordinated public spaces, infrastructure improvements, catalytic developments, and business access strategies that work together with the Cornerstone Projects to create a welcoming and economically resilient downtown, seamlessly connected to its surrounding neighborhoods and the riverfront. The plan establishes a durable and flexible framework for downtown growth and development, leveraging the quality of the local building stock and urban fabric, as well as the region’s climate, views, and the diverse attributes of the community.