Pike Place Market leaders list desired fixes

There's no money yet, and not even a definite plan on how to raise some, but Pike Place Market leaders are starting to put together a shopping list of some long-awaited improvements for one of the city's biggest tourist draws.

As wish lists go, this one is hardly glamorous: three more sets of restrooms, four new elevators, new electrical and mechanical systems, some paint, window repairs and new roofs.

There haven't been major renovations at the 100-year-old Market since it was saved from the wrecking ball in the 1970s. Some of the Market shops and restaurants don't have air conditioning; in others, the pipes leak.

"We're not changing it, we're only improving it," Carol Binder, the Market's executive director, said Tuesday.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels has said that he might propose a levy to raise funds for Market improvements.

If voters approve the levy in 2008, money would be available for the improvements the next year.

It could take up to five years to complete the renovations.

Changes that might be most apparent to visitors are some architectural revisions to the front of the main arcade, where most of the produce, fish, flower and crafts are sold.

Now, large recycling bins line the front of the Market's most public face. Plans call for enclosing the bins and, at the same time, making space for a few more outdoor stalls along the front of the building.

About 10 million people visit the Market each year.

More elevators could ease the overwhelming crowding in the arcade during peak times by making other parts of the Market, including the twisting levels of shops known as Down Under, more accessible.

Architect Duncan Thieme with SRG Partnership, said the idea is to keep the nooks and crannies, "the strange maze of interesting spaces and sense of discovery," that make the Market unique.