The Department of Planning and Development (DPD) is studying a variety of areas around the city to promote more walkable neighborhood business districts. This would involve adding a pedestrian designation to existing Neighborhood Commercial Zones.
By adding a pedestrian retail area designation to a neighborhood commercial (NC) zone, the aim is to:
- Preserve areas that offer a mix of street level pedestrian-oriented destinations accessible by foot, bike, and transit
- Identify and encourage areas that have potential to transition to a pedestrian-oriented neighborhood business district
- Encourage more walking, biking, and transit use to and within neighborhood business districts by preserving and promoting active destinations
This is a good time to think about our neighborhood and let the city know what we want!
DPD is also considering modifications to the existing regulations that would apply to existing and new pedestrian zones. It will prepare final recommendations after receiving community feedback. Please review the preliminary recommendations and take its survey by February 28.
In the preliminary recommendations map, Pinehurst/Lake City has three pedestrian zones:
– 15th Ave NE & NE 125th St
– Roosevelt Way NE & NE 125th St
– Pinehurst Way
The goal is to identify and map areas in neighborhoods around the city where residents could meet their daily needs. In pedestrian zones, people are encouraged to park their car conveniently and walk from business to business if they choose to drive to a pedestrian retail area.
A pedestrian retail area:
- Requires a building to have pedestrian-oriented businesses like shops and restaurants on the ground floor
- Enhances pedestrian safety with rules about parking and driveway placement
- Waives some parking requirements to encourage businesses to move into the area (in areas that have parking requirements)
DPD is considering the following additional rules in pedestrian zones:
- Require wider sidewalks
- Require overhead weather protection for new buildings
- Limit businesses with drive-in lanes on the edges of pedestrian zones
- Establish a minimum size for new development (minimum floor area ratios) in Urban Centers, Urban Villages, and Station Overlay Districts
Please push the pedestrian retail areas. This would add a huge value to this neighborhood. We need to provide more incentive for additional retailers to come to our neighborhood. I strongly believe this could have positive long term effects on the overall value the neighborhood offers to its residents.
Is 15th and 125th a priority for a lot of people?
If it’s in Pinehurst, I’d say Northgate Way and Roosevelt and 15th should be big priorities.
I agree with 15th and Pinehurst and 15th and Roosevelt. Just ignorant of the need on 125th.
I would LOVE to see more businesses on 125th and 15th. Right now, there’s really no reason to go there – Safeway and the coffeehouse being the only exceptions (and I don’t shop at Safeway). I would love to have a pet store, some sort of non-car oriented businesses (car wash, 7-11, and Chevron dominate that intersection. There’s a TON of traffic at that intersection and it seems as though it ought to be “developeable”
Cindy, I think this is for a study of areas not already with such a designation, and Northgate & Roosevelt is within the Northgate Urban Center designation.