Last week the City awarded 29 community groups $544,761 in match- funds for neighborhood projects. Two groups from Ballard were beneficiaries: Ballard Chamber of Commerce and Ballard P-patch.

The Ballard Chamber of Commerce received $15,452 to go toward building awareness for parking options in Ballard. Funds will be used for signage, way-finding and strategic marketing.

The Ballard P-patch received $8400 to go toward making the patch ADA accessible.

The Neighborhood Matching Fund (NMF) is a City grant offered for neighborhood-initiated projects. The City awards funds that match other funds raised by community groups.

“These projects are the result of community members collaborating on ways to improve the quality of life in their neighborhood,” said Mayor Murray. “Over its 27-year history, the Neighborhood Matching Fund has been a vital resource for neighborhoods across this city. I’m looking forward to seeing these projects come to life.”

“The Ballard Chamber of Commerce is very pleased that we have been awarded a Small and Simple grant through the City of Seattle Department of Neighborhoods,” said Mike Steward, Executive Director of the Ballard Chamber of Commerce.

According to the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT), on-street parking in the Ballard core often exceeds 100 percent of capacity. This occurs mostly in the evening hours and on weekends. SDOT also studied parking availability in off-street parking lots (paid) within the Central core. They found abundant available parking in the lots, which for a small fee, is ideal for visitors. The problem is not many people know about the lots.

“As a HUB Urban Village with rapidly increasing residential density, Ballard has become a difficult parking environment for residents, shoppers, diners and other visitors.”

Stewart said the grant funds will be used to create a education and community outreach program to notify the public of parking options in Ballard. Signs will also be added. A marketing strategy will be developed.

“This is good news for residents and businesses alike. And while the program won’t solve everything; it is a very positive step in the right direction.”

Stewart said the Chamber plans to start the program by evaluating the current conditions. They hope to collaborate with parking lot owners/operators and SDOT to develop a plan for sign design and placement.

The other recipient’s of the grant, members of the Ballard P-Patch, were delighted to hear the news.

“We are so excited to hear that we are being awarded this grant,” wrote Diane Zebert and Cindy Krueger.

Patch-members have been working toward making the patch more accessible since 2012.

The funds will be used to build paths to ADA code. The new paths will allow visitors to access all areas of the garden. Patch organizers plan to start the work in the fall.

Patch members hope the improvements will enable more people to enjoy the gardens.

“The intent of the ADA paths is to make the garden accessible to all members of our community, not just to the gardeners,” said Krueger