Can Pioneer Square be saved?
“Revitalize Pioneer Square” is in the top 10 list of ideas on a Web site set up for Mayor-elect Mike McGinn so he can hear suggestions from the people of Seattle. Concern about the city’s oldest neighborhood was renewed this week when Elliott Bay Book Company announced it would be moving to Capitol Hill early next year. Owner Peter Aaron says the move is an attempt to save the world famous book seller, which he says was struggling to survive in the place it called home for 36 years. “I was in shock that they’re moving,” said Rhonda Hill, director of the ArtForte.com gallery on First Avenue South. “I wish them well, they were fantastic neighbors.” Elliott Bay’s departure leaves a big void. “You can’t really say now, what’s the big business down in Pioneer Square? That was it,” said Jen Kelly, a Pioneer Square resident who operates the New Pioneer Square blog. Residents and business owners say the neighborhood has been neglected by the city as it focused efforts on other areas, like Sout
