Cascade Bicycle Club is moving their office across Magnuson Park to a renovated lakefront building.

But they’re hoping the new headquarters will be more than just an office. With space for members to gather and some event and programming space, the Cascade Bicycling Center could become a hub of bike culture in Seattle. Or at least that’s the hope of Cascade leaders.

Cascade will celebrate the grand opening Saturday at 10 a.m., and they’re inviting folks to come hang out with them and learn more (RSVP here). Here’s how Executive Director Elizabeth Kiker described the center in a recent blog post:

This space, which will be created in two phases, is designed to be a destination for people on a long ride; to be a think tank for people to envision new and better bicycling infrastructure; and to be a welcome spot for anyone to stop by and ask questions, find a riding friend or volunteer to make the Puget Sound Region better for all people on bikes.

On one hand, the 8,000-foot center in Magnuson Park’s Building 11 is an expansion of the club’s office space, which was sorely needed. Cascade has grown a lot since they moved in to Magnuson. But it is also a doubling down on being a presence in an area that continues to change. Just this week, the Washington State Department of Commerce awarded the city $9.7 million to build 128 units of affordable housing in Magnuson, mostly geared toward families. Seems like a Bicycling Center with planned amenities and classes for kids and adults would be a great fit for the area.

Here are some of the planned features of the new center:

Opening mid-November, Cascade Bicycling Center will feature:

• open workspace to accommodate a growing number of staff and volunteers;
• community kitchen and dining space;
• community gathering spaces will allow people to rest, refresh and connect;
• auditorium to host classes, movies and events; and
• classrooms to teach safe riding to people of all ages and abilities and provide space for kids’ camps.

Additional features will be constructed as funding is available, including:

• a bike shop to maintain Cascade’s educational fleet and teaches bike repair skills; and
• a traffic Garden will give children and new riders an opportunity to learn urban bicycling skills in a safe setting.

Oh, and they have a new address:

Cascade Bicycling Center
7787 62nd Avenue NE
Seattle, WA 98115

Moving by bike

And, of course, being a bike club moving not that far away, Cascade will be hosting a move by bike November 30. Everyone is invited to help. If you have a cargo bike or trailer, that’s even better (though not required). Details and how to sign up:

Schedule
Morning Shift: 9 am -12 pm
Lunch Provided: 12 pm – 1 pm
Afternoon Shift: 1 pm – 4 pm

Loaders:  will load cargo bikes and trailers at the old office and at our new Bicycling Center we will have people help unload the bikes and put boxes in the right spot.

Riders: will haul full cargo bikes and trailers from old office to new and back again.

If you have your own cargo bike or trailer, please bring it. If you would like to hitch up to a trailer to your own bicycle we will have several for you to borrow. Please email Kelli which shift you can work and if you are bringing a cargo bike or trailer at [email protected]

To show our thanks for volunteers we will provide pizza and salad for lunch and at 4 pm we will host a Happy Hour to celebrate your hard work. Plus if you ride your bike we will give you a bike benefits sticker!

Portland Bike Move! (from 2004) from STREETFILMS on Vimeo.