UPDATED: "10 Minute Communities" Are A Model For Smart Planning

The holistic development of Northgate is similar, in a few ways, to Redmond's hopes of developing and morphing Marymoor Village into a 10-Minute Community (on a much larger scale than  "Proctor." ..scroll.)   Both will have light rail and transit parking.  In the Village, I envision:  Well-designed  mid-rise residential towers built-up through incentive programs to capture affordable housing (60% AMI) and additional parking.  Diverse retail, medical, office, and commercial space with roof gardens, all within a 10 Minute walking distance. Marymoor Park amenities, regional trails and a regional aquatics center all a bike ride away.  Perhaps a downtown core with an arts studio, a Harvey Carter museum, a night club, a recreational business, wide sidewalks for outdoor restaurants, scooters, and rain gardens. Even a school. Though light rail is four years away, the city should come forth with a simple, rough graphic like Northgate's for the community. -     B.Yoder

For your information, below is a recent King County Press Release announcing plans for 232 affordable housing units near the Northgate Light Rail Station.

King County and City of Seattle, along with their partners BRIDGE Housing Corporation and Capitol Hill Housing (CHH) have come to a pre-development agreement to develop land owned by King County Metro into 232 affordable housing units near the future site of the Northgate Link light rail station. All units will be affordable to households earning 60 percent or less of the area median income – in 2019, that’s $66,420 for a family of four. The development will provide a mix of unit sizes including at least 52 two- or three-bedroom units, and 24 units will be reserved for system-connected households. Groundbreaking 2022 Anticipated development agreement and ground lease are expected to be transmitted to council by summer 2020, with ground-breaking to follow in 2022. “Renters shouldn’t have to choose between a home that’s affordable, and one that’s close to work and transit. This project adds hundreds of affordable units next to one of the most significant transit hubs in King County, connecting more people to the greenest way to get around,” said King County Executive Constantine. -- King County Press Release    11/17/2020