The City of Edmonds has scheduled a virtual open house Thursday, Oct. 20 to review the urban design and economic analysis completed for the Highway 99 Area Community Renewal project. There will also be an opportunity for participants to weigh in on a possible new name for the Highway 99 neighborhood.
According to a city press release issued Tuesday, the presentation will cover some of the physical and economic conditions that impact the corridor and discuss potential tools the city can use as a catalyst for positive change. After the presentation, there will be opportunities for the public to provide feedback and to ask questions.
The meeting will be held via Zoom from 6-7:30 p.m. Oct. 20 and can be accessed via the following link: https://bit.ly/HWY99OpenHouse
“The neighborhoods around the Highway 99 Corridor are an important part of Edmonds,” Mayor Mike Nelson said. “The city is focused on improving the quality of life and expanding opportunities for people who live and work there.”
The Highway 99 Area Community Renewal project builds on past and on-going city efforts to improve the quality of life and safety along the corridor, the city said. The project distinguishes itself from other Highway 99 area efforts in that it is focused on public investment and redevelopment opportunities, not solely on transportation-related issues or development standards.
In addition to seeking input about the community renewal project, the city will also poll attendees about preferences for an official identifying name for the neighborhood along Highway 99.
Korean and Spanish language interpreters will be available at the open house.
To learn more about the project and links to the virtual open house, visit the project webpage at www.edmondswa.gov/highway99renewal.
Why is this meeting being held virtually?
This is definitely too late in the project, but overall the biggest problem is that 99 is not a nice place to walk being so close to a major road. The improvements made so far, make it more difficult for people to cross the road at the cost of making it harder for cars to turn, but does not add much else of value.
A much better use of space and money would have been to add separation barriers between the roadway and the sidewalk/bike lanes.
Here is what I think the goals of the Highway 99 Area Community Renewal project should be:
– Reduce overall crime
– Reduce shoplifting
– Reduce crime hotspots (high crime hotels, vacant buildings, car prowling)
– Reduce pedestrian casualties (ideally in a way that improves walking spaces)
– Create more police Camera monitoring zones
– Create safe and desirable walking spaces
– Create community gathering spaces
– Create areas of cultural connections (spaces and events in the International district).
A short excerpt of my email sent to Ms. McLaughlin yesterday with some of my thoughts as I cannot attend the meeting: “Something has to be done with the vacant properties that are a magnet for graffiti, trash, and criminal activity. I’ve said this no fewer than 100 times also in the last three years. There is a reason that crime is focused in a few particular intersections with a high number of vacant properties. The council at least has a lengthy history of me reporting all of the crazy stuff I’ve seen going on near my home at these proprieties. The police and Chief Bennett also have heard this from me over, and over, and over again. I believe someone was found deceased behind one of these not one week ago.”
The vacant properties and the blight associated with them, I believe, are the single greatest contributing factor to the current public safety conditions along the corridor. There is only so much the EPD can do to monitor these on an ongoing basis.
Please note the following excerpted from this article (and Mayor Nelson’s comments): “The project distinguishes itself from other Highway 99 area efforts in that it is focused on public investment and redevelopment opportunities, not solely on transportation-related issues or development standards”
My comment is intended to highlight the necessity of including Hwy 99 property owners in discussions regarding “opportunities”, for ONLY if the current property owners are willing and able to dedicate appropriate land parcels to potential redevelopment (through whatever process) will any redevelopment take place– this should be recognized by the city and its concerned citizens.