The public benefits of Seattle Arena, part 2

What's that? You read part 1 and now you want to see more public benefits of Seattle Arena? Well you are in luck! There's actually an entire PDF dedicated solely to public benefits! Here are some of the highlights from said document:

The arena will create a publicly available open space. Since the city is taking ownership of the land and arena, this will not be considered a "Privately Owned Public Space" (POPS) and will be open to First Amendment expression per city law. The public space will measure 31,800 square feet - 7,300 square feet more than Pioneer Square and 3,200 less than Occidental Park - and feature permanent seating, 10,800 square feet of community area, and a "living machine."

The living machine is a sewage treatment system (stick with me) meant to recreate the organic cleansing systems of the wetlands. It will treat water for re-use within the building including toilet flushing and irrigation (no, not the water fountains). Major elements of the living machine include:

• 99% reduction in wastewater
• Removing 4 million gallons of sewer each year from the overflowing combined sewer system (not required by code)
• District opportunity as the reclaimed water system is scalable to serve parcels to the north
• Educational opportunities

The plaza area will also feature events year-round, be they "sports-related, food related, games, health & wellness, music, art & culture, sustainability, [or] regional," and most will be free to the public.

ArenaCo will also make improvements to all of the surrounding streets around Seattle Arena. These improvements include, but are not limited to:

• Street realignments of S Massachusetts and S Holgate streets
• Concrete, granite, and asphalt resurfacing and repair
• Sidewalk widening
• Curb, gutter, and drainage improvements
• Addition of trees
• Addition of rain gardens
• Addition of pedestrian lighting