This week: City wants to hear from citizens on Westgate, Five Corners plans

The City of Edmonds is considering plans for redeveloping the Westgate and Five Corners commercial areas, and is seeking ideas from those living in the neighborhoods surrounding the two commercial districts.

The first public meetings are designed as “Listening Sessions,” where the city will hear from citizens on how they currently use those sites as well as their ideas for future development. Each session — one for each neighborhood — will be held on a separate day:

Westgate: Tuesday, Jan. 25 in the Brackett Room, third floor of City Hall,  121 5th Ave. N., from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Five Corners: Wednesday, Jan. 26,  Plaza Room above Edmonds Library, 650 Main St., 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The city is working with a team of faculty and graduate students from the University of Washington’s College of Built Environment to create plans for redeveloping these two neighborhood commercial areas.  City staff  — including  Planning Manager Robert Chave and  Community Services/Economic Development Director Stephen Clifton — are coordinating the effort in conjunction with the Economic Development Commission and Planning Board.

The Cascade Land Conservancy also will assist with the public involvement process, providing examples of trends and effective neighborhood development efforts around the region and in other coastal cities.

Students from the undergraduate Community, Environment, and Planning program have been working since last October to collect data on the use and configuration of each commercial area, with a goal of creating sustainable approaches for redevelopment and preparing a Special District Plan for each.

Following the first “Listening Sessions,” additional public meetings will offer other opportunities to get involved.  In late February, the city will engage the public and the local design community in specific designs for the two sites, with results to be shared in late April. In addition, the project includes presentations to city officials, research on form-based codes, production of final conceptual designs, and preparation of a report with recommendations for implementation.

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