Aurora Square 9/15/13
Permit filed 9/10/13:
900 N 155th Street and 15555 Aurora Avenue N. The request is to vacate a 15’ x 437’ (6,555 square foot) portion of right-of-way within parcel numbers 1826049454 and 1826049081 adjacent to Westminster Way N.
Permit filed 9/10/13:
900 N 155th Street and 15555 Aurora Avenue N. The request is to vacate a 15’ x 437’ (6,555 square foot) portion of right-of-way within parcel numbers 1826049454 and 1826049081 adjacent to Westminster Way N.
Aurora Square 8/12/13
The Council adopted a resolution to proceed with the initial steps to transform Westminster Way N between 155th and 160th to make it a more pedestrian friendly place by vacating approximately 7,335 square feet of public right-of-way (ROW) along the east edge of Westminster Way N. In exchange for the vacated property, the property owner will contribute $36,480 in cash and dedicate to the City a 6,007 square foot parcel of land that provides additional contiguous parking space and the potential to build a new road connector to Aurora Avenue North.
- City Council meeting 8/5, Shoreline Area News
- City Council meeting 8/5, Shoreline Area News
News 7/14/13
Great recap of the City Council Meeting that had the public hearing on Redevelopment at Aurora Square, here. There seems to be decent support for something happening on this site, but with multiple owners, it's tricky. And Sears is not happy...
Aurora Square News 4/7/13
Aurora Square is home to many outstanding businesses, but due to the absence of cohesive planning and investment, the center provides little synergy between them. In the first step of the Aurora Square renewal plan, the City is stepping in to act as the master planning agent.Our City’s master planning is intended to provide a dynamic and flexible framework for guiding public-private partnership projects by allowing each individual property owner to understand and invest in the “big picture” while not needing to control other properties.
Master planning will enable the City and property owners to take a fresh look at the current structures and road network in and around Aurora Square. Planning will emphasize repurposing buildings, increasing land use efficiency and improving traffic flow and pedestrian connectivity, all in an effort to enhance the visitor’s experience.
To learn more about master planning Aurora Square and to provide comments on the planning efforts, come to an Aurora Square Master Planning Open House on Wednesday, April 24.
Master planning will enable the City and property owners to take a fresh look at the current structures and road network in and around Aurora Square. Planning will emphasize repurposing buildings, increasing land use efficiency and improving traffic flow and pedestrian connectivity, all in an effort to enhance the visitor’s experience.
To learn more about master planning Aurora Square and to provide comments on the planning efforts, come to an Aurora Square Master Planning Open House on Wednesday, April 24.
Aurora Square Redevelopment
As of 3/17/2013:
A few notes from the RBCA meeting... the FAQs on this from the City actually answered a lot of the questions that folks in the audience had, so I'm including the first few Q&As below.
There are 10 property owners involved in this development. 10. Central Market actually answers to 2 of them.
There are 70 acres on this site, 50 of which are buildable.
Renewing this area could be great for everyone. The property owners succeed because they can expect higher rents from tenants and see an increase in their property values. The community benefits because of the increased tax revenue (from new businesses); more goods & services available as businesses move in; more jobs available from those businesses; cleaner air & water as things are renovated, and so on.
The City will act as the Master Planning Agent, and hopes to be able to encourage some improvements (and may be able to offer incentives to individual property owners to achieve some of them). Examples tossed around included: a walkable Westminster; a parking garage; ways to utilize the property better; innovative environmental solutions; onsite power generation; ways to incorporate SCC more.
One of the scenarios Mr. Eernissee described involves building a sound stage on the property to partner with the expanding film program at SCC. The thought is that having a sound stage here would bring in more businesses and infuse the community with artistic energy. Companies coming in to rent the space would use SCC students for their production needs, and having more activity there would support restaurants and other businesses.
Read on for the hows and whys of the CRA process:
Q: What is a Community Renewal Area (CRA)?
Washington law (RCW 35.81) allows cities to establish a Community Renewal Area along with a Community Renewal Plan (collectively a CRA) to help areas that need renewal. In the case of Aurora Square, economic renewal is needed. Once a CRA is established, the city gains a toolkit designed to help it facilitate renewal. For example, while Washington law typically limits cities from working with private enterprise, cities are encouraged to partner with private enterprise to rejuvenate a Community Renewal Area, a tool that can be particularly effective at helping Aurora Square reach its potential.
Q: Why a CRA at Aurora Square?
RCW 35.81 describes what an area that needs economic renewal looks like, and Council affirmed that four of the five reasons aptly describe Aurora Square:
1. “Old, obsolete buildings” such as the vacant Sears Catalogue Sales building and the three vacant buildings on the Joshua Green triangle. The Sears retail building, while occupied, reflects a Sears of decades ago rather than a structure it would build today.
2. “Defective or inadequate street layout” and “faulty lot layout” is readily apparent at Aurora Square. Shoppers cannot walk or drive easily between buildings, and traffic on Aurora and N 160th Street has difficulty accessing the site. In addition, the lot layout and topography of the site work against the retail function of the businesses.
3. “Excessive land coverage” at Aurora Square is evident in acres of parking in inaccessible or unnecessary locations, a lack of landscaping, and inadequate storm water management that poses costly hurdles for additional development.
4. “Diversity of ownership” at Aurora Square—which has ten different ownership groups—results in the inability to make changes at the speed necessary to respond to opportunities.
Aurora Square faces daunting challenges which developed over decades, leaving a center that is difficult to navigate with disconnected islands of buildings. What’s more, current building and storm water laws add more challenges to those demanded by today’s lifestyles and customers. Together, these challenges stymied redevelopment, limited reinvestment and produced poor sales, values and rents.
Q: What is Aurora Square’s potential?
Aurora Square is a sleeping giant. Given its size, location, demographics, transportation access, and the projections for growth in the Puget Sound economy, Aurora Square could be special. The City regularly surveys its citizens about ways to improve Shoreline, and better shopping, entertainment, and destination restaurants are constantly mentioned. Aurora Square is a key to accomplishing all of these opportunities. Of course, outstanding businesses already operate on site, and we trust that these ventures can grow even more successful with the synergy created. All this activity means sustainable sources of revenue for city services, too. Aurora Square can become a model of “lifestyle Shoreline,” with smart-built infrastructure, residences, offices and generous open spaces tied to transit, neighborhoods, and the Interurban Trail.
Q: What role might the City play?
Now that the CRA is established, the City will initiate tailored assistance to create a Community Renewal Plan based on the needs of the site and its interaction with the property owners. Examples may include: Designing area-wide storm water management or energy systems that allow individual lots to take advantage of economies of scale; Commissioning traffic and parking studies to justify more development through right-sizing parking and providing improved access; Creating a special signage district to offset the fact that the Interurban Trail pedestrian bridges tend to block site visibility from passing motorists on Aurora; Reworking N 160th Street with hopes of giving Aurora Square another “front door” and of better engaging Shoreline Community College’s 9,000+ students; Tailoring zoning in special districts that will generate new investment from tenants or users that aren’t currently on site; Designating central, consolidated plazas and parks that serve the entire center and become focal points for community gatherings; Financing major infrastructure improvements that allow for more predictable and intensive development.
Information: Dan Eernissee, Economic Development Manager
[email protected] or 206-801-2218
A few notes from the RBCA meeting... the FAQs on this from the City actually answered a lot of the questions that folks in the audience had, so I'm including the first few Q&As below.
There are 10 property owners involved in this development. 10. Central Market actually answers to 2 of them.
There are 70 acres on this site, 50 of which are buildable.
Renewing this area could be great for everyone. The property owners succeed because they can expect higher rents from tenants and see an increase in their property values. The community benefits because of the increased tax revenue (from new businesses); more goods & services available as businesses move in; more jobs available from those businesses; cleaner air & water as things are renovated, and so on.
The City will act as the Master Planning Agent, and hopes to be able to encourage some improvements (and may be able to offer incentives to individual property owners to achieve some of them). Examples tossed around included: a walkable Westminster; a parking garage; ways to utilize the property better; innovative environmental solutions; onsite power generation; ways to incorporate SCC more.
One of the scenarios Mr. Eernissee described involves building a sound stage on the property to partner with the expanding film program at SCC. The thought is that having a sound stage here would bring in more businesses and infuse the community with artistic energy. Companies coming in to rent the space would use SCC students for their production needs, and having more activity there would support restaurants and other businesses.
Read on for the hows and whys of the CRA process:
Q: What is a Community Renewal Area (CRA)?
Washington law (RCW 35.81) allows cities to establish a Community Renewal Area along with a Community Renewal Plan (collectively a CRA) to help areas that need renewal. In the case of Aurora Square, economic renewal is needed. Once a CRA is established, the city gains a toolkit designed to help it facilitate renewal. For example, while Washington law typically limits cities from working with private enterprise, cities are encouraged to partner with private enterprise to rejuvenate a Community Renewal Area, a tool that can be particularly effective at helping Aurora Square reach its potential.
Q: Why a CRA at Aurora Square?
RCW 35.81 describes what an area that needs economic renewal looks like, and Council affirmed that four of the five reasons aptly describe Aurora Square:
1. “Old, obsolete buildings” such as the vacant Sears Catalogue Sales building and the three vacant buildings on the Joshua Green triangle. The Sears retail building, while occupied, reflects a Sears of decades ago rather than a structure it would build today.
2. “Defective or inadequate street layout” and “faulty lot layout” is readily apparent at Aurora Square. Shoppers cannot walk or drive easily between buildings, and traffic on Aurora and N 160th Street has difficulty accessing the site. In addition, the lot layout and topography of the site work against the retail function of the businesses.
3. “Excessive land coverage” at Aurora Square is evident in acres of parking in inaccessible or unnecessary locations, a lack of landscaping, and inadequate storm water management that poses costly hurdles for additional development.
4. “Diversity of ownership” at Aurora Square—which has ten different ownership groups—results in the inability to make changes at the speed necessary to respond to opportunities.
Aurora Square faces daunting challenges which developed over decades, leaving a center that is difficult to navigate with disconnected islands of buildings. What’s more, current building and storm water laws add more challenges to those demanded by today’s lifestyles and customers. Together, these challenges stymied redevelopment, limited reinvestment and produced poor sales, values and rents.
Q: What is Aurora Square’s potential?
Aurora Square is a sleeping giant. Given its size, location, demographics, transportation access, and the projections for growth in the Puget Sound economy, Aurora Square could be special. The City regularly surveys its citizens about ways to improve Shoreline, and better shopping, entertainment, and destination restaurants are constantly mentioned. Aurora Square is a key to accomplishing all of these opportunities. Of course, outstanding businesses already operate on site, and we trust that these ventures can grow even more successful with the synergy created. All this activity means sustainable sources of revenue for city services, too. Aurora Square can become a model of “lifestyle Shoreline,” with smart-built infrastructure, residences, offices and generous open spaces tied to transit, neighborhoods, and the Interurban Trail.
Q: What role might the City play?
Now that the CRA is established, the City will initiate tailored assistance to create a Community Renewal Plan based on the needs of the site and its interaction with the property owners. Examples may include: Designing area-wide storm water management or energy systems that allow individual lots to take advantage of economies of scale; Commissioning traffic and parking studies to justify more development through right-sizing parking and providing improved access; Creating a special signage district to offset the fact that the Interurban Trail pedestrian bridges tend to block site visibility from passing motorists on Aurora; Reworking N 160th Street with hopes of giving Aurora Square another “front door” and of better engaging Shoreline Community College’s 9,000+ students; Tailoring zoning in special districts that will generate new investment from tenants or users that aren’t currently on site; Designating central, consolidated plazas and parks that serve the entire center and become focal points for community gatherings; Financing major infrastructure improvements that allow for more predictable and intensive development.
Information: Dan Eernissee, Economic Development Manager
[email protected] or 206-801-2218