News Release
Release date: September 6,
2000
Involvement in Northgate
development streamlined for residents
The City of Seattle, King County
and Sound Transit are joining forces to bring the Northgate community a coordinated
approach for public involvement in the variety of public and private capital investments
that are being planned in that area.
- Seattle will build a new
community center and branch library, and is planning options for development near
Sound Transit's proposed light rail station.
- King County is building a
park-and-ride lot expansion and bus layover facility, and planning a new transit
center.
- Sound Transit is designing
and planning a light rail station in Northgate.
With the number of projects
now on the drawing board for Northgate, citizens have asked that planning be integrated,
and the three jurisdictions have agreed to coordinate their planning and public
involvement efforts to consider options on major public investments in transit
and community facilities.
Among other issues included
in the public process are benefits for the Thornton Creek watershed, proposed
private development on adjacent properties, improved pedestrian and bicycle connections,
urban art and open space. By fitting the pieces together, the resulting urban
center can be one that is "bigger than the sum of its parts."
Two public workshops will
be scheduled this fall so that local residents, businesses and other interested
parties can work with the City, County and Sound Transit to balance site options
and costs with the benefits of the planned developments. The workshops will build
on work started in the Northgate Neighborhood Plan and in the Northgate Town Center
Visioning Charrette. The Visioning Charrette, a one-day workshop sponsored by
the Seattle Planning Commission in May 2000, engaged local residents and businesses
in hands-on design of co-location options for the new branch library and community
center, and creation of a town center. The success of that event inspired this
new cross-jurisdictional collaboration.
Last week Seattle Mayor Paul
Schell, King County Executive Ron Sims and Dave Earling, chair of the Sound Transit
Board of Directors, sent residents in the Northgate area a letter inviting them
to participate in the public discussion.
"These are exciting times
for the Northgate neighborhood! We have unprecedented opportunities to create
an inviting and attractive urban center, complete with transit, public facilities
and new mixed-use development," said Schell, Sims and Earling in the letter. "You
will be hearing more about this collaboration. Together we will set the stage
for major public and private investments in an important part of this city."
For more information: Frank
Abe, (206) 684-1880
###
|
