Planning Commission to work on code regulations for ground floor commercial development

Woodinville buildings are required
to have retail on the ground floor

Borne out of citizen concerns about the disappearing business district in North City, City Council is pursuing ways to require commercial space use in ground floors of commercial buildings in North City and Ridgecrest.

North City has seen half a dozen major apartment buildings rise in properties which once held the post office and small businesses.

Shoreline changed its code to require that the first floor of new buildings be built to accommodate businesses, but stopped short of requiring the owners to actually use the space for business. So none of them have.

In the meantime, long term business owners in North City have taken matters into their own hands and have been buying property in the business district to protect it from development.

The Planning Commission, at its meeting on Thursday, June 18, 2020 will start working on the details of how to create a main street with businesses, while not hindering new development. 

Planning Commision meetings have always been broadcast, in the same way that council meetings are. They are now meetings on zoom. All the information about viewing the meeting, either live or in archive and submitting comments, is HERE

--Diane Hettrick