Ten years after the city’s neighborhood plans were published, residents have been asked to help create a “status check” on how well the 20-year plans are progressing — and whether they need an update. Thursday evening a small group of Fremont residents gathered around a table at the Phinney Center to provide the city with feedback on the draft copy of the status report (.pdf).
The four key strategies of the original neighborhood plan are 1) remedy existing congestion and improve pedestrian circulation 2) enhance Fremont’s character and create a more interesting and livable urban environment by providing opportunity for community direct development 3) Create a neighborhood community center which will become the focus of an active and creative community and 4) Continue to build upon several actions which focus on the Troll, the area under the Aurora Bridge, and nearby open space linkages. The status report cited several neighborhood improvements, from traffic lights to Fremont Peak Park and the renovation of the library.
Residents said they were pleased with progress with parks, traffic flow and the business community, but there’s still much work to be done. Some of the hot button issues were plans to rebuild the North Recycling and Disposal Station (“They can’t put a transfer station right next to an urban village, those are incompatible issues,” said Erik Pihl), better design review on new condos and townhouses, crime that’s spilling over from Aurora, parking (“We didn’t plan for the pay stations, and it’s hurting us and hurting us bad,” said Suzie Burke) and pedestrian safety, to name a few. Representatives from the Seattle Planning Commission and the Neighborhood Planning Advisory Committee took notes as neighbors provided their feedback.
If you were unable to attend the meeting, you can fill out an online survey with your thoughts about the neighborhood and the status report. In October, the city will hold public meetings to review the updated status reports, and then they’ll be presented to the mayor and the city council to consider.