THE FUTURE LOOK OF SHORELINE
Shoreline is growing, and that means the city is going to change.
Dan Eernissee, the economic development program manager for the Shoreline City Council, recently came to SCC to discuss projects in Shoreline that have been done and plans for future projects.
Eernissee said that since 2010, Shoreline’s population has increased by “about 1000 people” per year and that schools in the area have had “100 new students” every year.
According to Eernissee, his role is a “cross-cultural communicator between the private and public sector.” He said that his job is to help the private sector be successful in Shoreline, by cutting costs, limiting bureaucracy or implementing long-term business incentives.
As for what’s coming to Shoreline, Eernissee said the growing population of Shoreline inspired a push for better public transportation. He said that in three years, the Sound Transit 2 light rail train will run through Shoreline.
By 2021, Shoreline residents will be able to ride to downtown Seattle, the UW, Roosevelt High School and Northgate.
By 2023, the East Link is planned to go out to 145th in Overlake and through Bellevue out to Redmond near the Microsoft offices.
And by 2024, Eernissee said, the Lynnwood Link extension will connect Northgate to Lynnwood. He said that 145th and 185th in Shoreline will have light rail stations.
In addition to public transportation, he also discussed pedestrians. He said people don’t just need sidewalks to walk on, they also need them to be safe. However, he said the city needed more money just to maintain the sidewalks.
“It’s super expensive to build (new) sidewalks with all the environmental issues, it can range from half a million to several million per block,” he said. He said the city council is considering adding a $20 fee to vehicle tab renewal to pay for maintenance.
He said that on 145th there is a telephone pole in the middle of the sidewalk that blocks wheelchairs, so the city needs to expand the width of the sidewalk.
Finally, he talked about construction. Eernissee said the city has been building a new, larger police station for the King County Sheriff’s Office on 175th and Aurora, near SCC. He also said there are several apartments and townhomes already being built, along with some plans to remodel Fred Meyer and rebuild some schools.
Go to http://www.shorelinewa.gov/ if you would like to see Shoreline’s current projects, bus routes and safe sidewalk routes, or to propose recommendations to the Shoreline City Council.
By Davira Shaffena,
Ad Manager
