The Westlake Stakeholders represent the diverse community along Westlake Avenue North, a 1.7 mile long stretch of the 14 mile Lake Union shoreline. Lake Union, stretching from Portage Bay to Hiram Chittenden Locks is a unique environment — there is no other place like it in the WORLD! Lake Union hosts commercial and recreational watercraft, serves as home to thousands of floating homes and live-a-board boats and provides recreational experiences for hundreds of thousands visitors. Westlake Avenue North is one of the more diverse maritime segments along Lake Union, and unlike land-locked neighborhoods and business districts, water-dependent companies can’t simply move from Ballard to Capitol Hill. Once these businesses are displaced, they are gone.

The Westlake Avenue North Community has undergone many transformations throughout its history. Today, our community is faced with another new challenge as the City of Seattle is moving forward to construct a cycle track through the parking lot and service lane. In the late 1990’s, we worked with the City and the Parks Foundation to replace a historic rail way with a wide path called the Cheshiahud Lake Union loop, initially intended to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists alike. Unfortunately, the current design signage and pathway markings has led to a confusing mix of pedestrians and cyclists, with cyclists opting to use the adjacent parking lot. In the meantime, our community also lost more than 25 percent of available parking.

To better manage this critical public right of way, members of the Westlake Community collaborated with the City of Seattle in 2007 for 18 months to develop a Parking Management Plan for Westlake Ave. North. The community advocated for a mixture of paid and free parking to accommodate a wide range of uses – employees, boaters, residents, daily visitors – and the end result continues to meet the needs of thousands of daily visitors.

Click here to download a fact sheet with more information about our community!

Here is a snapshot of our diverse community by the numbers:

RESIDENTIAL STAKEHOLDERS

• Approx. 65 Floating Homes
• Approximately 200 Live-a-board Vessels
• Condominiums & Apartments
• Visitors & Guests

MARINE RELATED BUSINESS STAKEHOLDERS

• Approx. 20 Boat Dealerships & Brokerages
• 19 Marinas
• Approx. 1200 Moorage slips
• Marine Electronics
• Commercial Float Plane Operations
• Marine Painting & Varnish Shops
• Yacht Charters & Tour Boats
• Fiberglass Repair
• Kayak Rental Center
• Marine Custom Canvas
• Approx. 50 Yacht Repair Businesses
• Marine Surveyors
• Boat Lift-out Yards
• Marine Financial/Insurance/Title
• Marine Engine Repair
• Boat Signage
• Propeller Shop
• Nautical Store
• Shipwrights
• Marine Fuel Dock
• Dive Repair & Underwater
• Sales & Services for Boats
• 2 Float Plane Businesses

NON-MARINE RELATED BUSINESS STAKEHOLDERS

• 10 Restaurants & Delicatessens
• Sign Company
• Hotel
• Bank
• Radio Station
• Recycling Company
• Fitness Center
• Swimming Classes
• Numerous Software Development Companies
• Numerous Business Offices (wide variety)