Category Aurora

As part of the upcoming HALA legislation we have the unprecedented opportunity to reshape Aurora Avenue into the hub of a vibrant walkable community. Regardless what your thoughts are on the overall legislation, I encourage you to let our council members know what we as a community want from Aurora. For me that means more gems like the wonderful neighborhood shops that fill Oak Tree Plaza and fewer storage facilities. Either way, as the final public hearing happens tomorrow (June 5th) this may be your last opportunity to let the council know how you feel.

From our friends at ALUV:

Dear ALUV Friends and Neighbors,

Thank you for continued interest in bringing positive change to the Aurora Ave Corridor, specifically from N. 84th to N. 110th. As we continue our efforts to increase public safety via “eyes on the street” our biggest obstacle is the commercial zoning designation. This zoning has recently allowed for two public storage facilities to be built that provide no housing or walkable amenities to our Residential Urban Village as designated by the city in 1999.

Please email your support for the proposed zoning changes from Commercial (C) to Neighborhood Commercial (NC) to the Seattle City Council [email protected] prior to JUNE 5th.

-> Click here for the email template from ALUV.

The next time you walk or ride up Aurora you may notice it's cleaner than usual. In more ways than one, positive changes are starting to take hold on this historical Seattle Avenue. The city's proactive litter abatement pilot program has added Licton Spring's stretch of Aurora to its 2x weekly cleanup. This brave crew cleans up everything from coffee cups to used syringes, hopefully helping to encourage a sustainably clean street over time.

At the same time, SPD and Licton Spring's own North Precinct have been hard at work to bust a local pawn shop that incentivised theft within North Seattle. Along with the closure of the business, this had the side effect of finally permanently removing an Aurora fixture that we will all be happy to see go:

(See more on the spdblotter)

Finally, Aurora is going to be repaved and sidewalk ramps made ADA compliant over the next year. Which, while sure to be an inconvenience during construction and lacking the sidewalk improvements Aurora desperately needs, will hopefully be worth it upon completion as it plays a part in increasing road safety and accessibility.

While more work is needed along this historic stretch of Seattle, it's encouraging that we are starting to see progress toward an Aurora that we can all take pride in.