Community center opens in Kenmore

Interior of The Hanger community center in Kenmore
Photo by Jerry Pickard

By Victoria Rhoades, ND

The new building, The Hangar, at the corner of NE 181st and 68th NE in Kenmore, is open for business, and beautifully appointed.

The many amenities include Diva Espresso, a water filling station, a small multipurpose room (the Otter Room) that will be available for use on a reservation basis starting in October, a fireplace, spacious rustic tables with seating, a projector and screen, and outdoors is a fountain and bike racks. 

A pleasant outdoor area surrounds The Hangar
Photo by Jerry Pickard

 
The outdoor area, a pleasant parklike feature, will be the new Town Square. The name (“The Hangar”) is an homage to one of the longest-standing local businesses, Kenmore Air. In fact, Kenmore Air is an international air harbor, with flights to and from Canada on a regular basis.

The outdoor fountain is a toddler magnet on hot days
Photo by Jerry Pickard

Given the location near Kenmore City Hall, new apartments, Kenmore Camera, the Kenmore Public Library, and several other local businesses, it appears that Kenmore is modernizing and working hard to become a walkable city.

Wide open doors and outdoor seating

The new sidewalks and lighted crosswalks (not just at this intersection, but throughout Kenmore) support this appearance. Parking is tight at the Hangar location, but it is entirely possible to find parking most days behind the post office just west of the Hangar. More street parking is planned in the vicinity, but it hasn’t been defined with signage or painted lines yet.

Diva Espresso has coffee, pastries, sandwiches, salads, cold drinks
Photo by Jerry Pickard

Other new buildings are in the works, including a mixed-use building (ground floor commercial, apartments above) immediately north of The Hangar. A 5,000 square-foot sit-down restaurant, with 3,000 additional square feet of office space, is planned for directly west of the Town Square.

The Hangar boasts a pop-up gift shop
Photo by Jerry Pickard

These buildings will take time and it is not yet clear what kind of restaurant or businesses will occupy these properties; however, the land has been set aside while construction is pending.

While we wait for these buildings, we can meet friends and sip coffee at The Hangar. Change has been slow to come, and the process has not been painless, but change is surely happening.