NORTH DISTRICT
By DOTTY DECOSTER

On Dec.18, the North District Neighborhoods' Planning Group presented its completed recommendations for creating a Hub Urban Village in Lake City to the City Council for approval.

The City Council will adopt implementing legislation next May. The Plan focuses on multi-modal transportation improvements; developing the Civic Core area; preserving Thornton Creek; improving the business district in Lake City; preventing crime and creating and maintaining recreational facilities and programs.

The Planning Group, whose focus throughout the planning effort has been on building a sense of community and the facilities to support it, will be working next with local groups to ensure stewardship and advocacy for the Plan's recommendations.

AURORA-LICTON
By DOTTY DECOSTER

Early this month the Aurora-Licton Planning Group will forward its

neighborhood planning recommendations to the City for implementation.

The Aurora-Licton Plan focuses on development of the Wilson-Pacific school site, starting with drainage improvements and culminating in an excellent educational and community recreational center.

Key streets are identified for improvement; crossing Aurora Avenue safely is a high priority. Potential areas are identified for future study to develop a residentially-friendly mixed-use business center just east of Aurora. Visions for enhancing Aurora are outlined with strong recommendations to improve public safety along the Aurora Corridor.

Discussions continue with the Licton Springs Community Council and local

business people to develop stewardship and advocacy for the Plan.

The City Council will adopt implementing legislation next summer.

ROOSEVELT
By NICK SLEPKO

A neighborhood planning group for the Roosevelt community, Tomorrow's Roosevelt, held a meeting Dec. 6 at Roosevelt High School to validate its final recommendations, which will now be presented to the city for approval.

The plan affirms a commitment to preserving single-family homes, but realizes that in order to accomodate growth in the near future the community will need to provide for adequate multi-family housing in the core of their neighborhood.

As an alternative to just having large apartment complexes, the plan includes provisions for "contract rezones," which allows for the designation of areas where multi-family housing projects would be deemed acceptable, provided that developers allow the community to offer its input.

In addition, the planning group has recommended two-way streets for Roosevelt Way NE and 12th Avenue NE. The group has also outlined strategies to make connections under and over I-5 to Green Lake more pedestrian friendly.

Still, the main concern among members of the community is the light rail alignment proposal. The most cost-effective route involves displacing several houses, possible relocation of a church, and the impacts an expected 18-second screech everytime the train pulls around the bend will have on neighbors.

Ironically, the construction of I-5 a few decades ago created the Roosevelt neighborhood by cutting it off from the Green Lake community to the west and also caused the rebuilding of the very same church that now stands in the way of yet another transit proposal.