Regional Public Forum
Tuesday, April 16, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
Shoreline-LFP Senior Center
18560 1st Avenue NE
Regular meetings
First Monday of each month
7:30 p.m.
City Hall Room 303
Ten years from now light rail transit to the City will be a reality, bringing changes not only to the way we commute, but to the City as a whole. Rapid transit will bring new people, new businesses and new opportunities to our City. It is critical that we plan now so that the changes to come are positive and bring benefits for our entire population.
Early in 2012, members of the Echo Lake Neighborhood Association recognized that the development of the new light rail station at 185th could significantly change the neighborhoods around it. Since the station location is at the intersection of three neighborhoods, they reached out to the Meridian Park and North City neighborhoods and in September, held a public forum with presentations from Sound Transit and City of Shoreline staff. Nearly 100 people attended and heard about the planning process and schedule, and about the City Council’s framework goals for the development of the station area.
Seeing the large expression of community interest, the three neighborhood associations decided to form a permanent joint committee to serve as a grassroots voice of the neighborhoods to communicate their vision to City and Sound Transit staff. This committee, called the 185th Station Citizens Committee (185thSCC), was established with encouragement from the Shoreline City Council, and with the vision “to provide educational outreach and create a citizen-driven vision of development for the proposed light rail 185th station-area.”
Its goal is to ensure that the process is inclusive of all populations in our neighborhoods, with special attention to those populations who are historically underserved. Grant funds were awarded jointly to the 185thSCC and Futurewise from the Puget Sound Regional Council to work together to accomplish these goals. 185thSCC is also working closely with Senior Services, who is working to reach the senior community in Shoreline about the changes light rail will bring to the community. The partnerships with these non-profit organizations will ensure coordination of efforts and efficiency in the use of the public funds.
In April, a second public forum will be held with representatives of the Rainier Valley, Capitol Hill and Northgate communities sharing their experiences, lessons they learned and helping us know what to expect. These three communities are at different stages in the development of light rail and this will be an opportunity to ask questions and benefit from their experiences. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 16 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM at the Shoreline-Lake Forest Park Senior Center.
Anyone interested in joining the committee and helping to shape the community’s vision can attend a monthly meeting, held on the first Monday of each month at 7:30 PM in Room 303, Shoreline City Hall. Information about the committee, co-chaired by Suzanne Wynne and Dale Lydin, can be found on its website at be.futurewise.org/content_item/shoreline185.
Any inquiries can be sent by e-mail at 185scc@gmail.com.