RAINIER VALLEY - In many ways, Columbia City and Hillman City exist as two unique and autonomous communities - bridged only by the lone road that connects them. Rainier Avenue South functions as the most convenient link between the two areas, yet community members are still hesitant to traverse the roadway on foot.
Recently, an effort known as "The Columbia City / Hillman City Gateway Project" has made it its agenda to change that opinion.
With two formal meetings under their belt, the group - Sustainable Urban Neighborhood Collaboration (SUNC), led by the efforts of Jeremy Valenta - formed earlier this year after receiving a $20,000 grant toward planning and design services from the Pomegranate Center in Issaquah. Part of the Gathering Places Initiative - a program aimed at developing a particular neighborhood's identity - the money was awarded to assist in developing a community-generated plan.
For some community members, that means bridging the gap between Columbia City and Hillman City.
"A lot of really great things could come from developing this area," said Marin Bjork, who moved to Hillman City two years ago and now works with Valenta and others through the Gateway Project. "Rainier Avenue is a huge connector between the two communities, and we really want to encourage pedestrian activity."
Burdened by the threat of crime and heavy traffic, Rainier Avenue is still not a destination for pedestrians to assemble. Concerned residents maintain that the street is just not safe enough for foot traffic - voicing that both drug pedaling and usage are among their highest concerns.
Bjork, who prefers both walking and bicycling around her neighborhood, understands that the mile-long strip of Rainier Avenue is still a work in progress.
"I find myself not choosing Rainier Avenue to walk home sometimes," she said, noting that the noise of traffic and crime are major deterrents. "It's not a pleasant walk right now, but it's just the best way to travel. It would be nice to see it become a complete street."
Though SUNC's efforts are already in the developmental process - with community planning meetings offering residents the chance to voice their concerns of the area - some community members are not sold on the idea.
"I don't know if [the Gateway Project] is necessarily a priority of Hillman City's," said Denise Gloster who serves as president of the Hillman City Business Association. "What is more of a priority is taking care of the drug-dealing, drug-use and crime on Rainier Avenue."
Others in Columbia City remain undecided to the notion of connecting the two towns. Though Jim Holmes - who owns and operates Bookworm Exchange at 4860 Rainier Ave. S. - supports the effort of SUNC by distributing the group's fliers, part of him remains skeptical.
"They are really just two different areas," he said, after noting that just beyond Tutta Bella, the business climate tapers off dramatically. "Though they are both connected by Rainier [Avenue], it's not really a continuous strip."
After opening Bookworm Exchange in 2004, Holmes says he has seen plenty of change to the neighborhood - mainly to Columbia City.
"I don't really see how you can connect the two," he said.
Though SUNC's major priorities include promoting alternative transportation, increasing public safety and branding the targeted area of Rainier Avenue, the group agrees that adding businesses along the roadway can help tremendously.
"It's about bringing people to the street and encouraging other modes of transportation," said Bjork. "Adding businesses can really increase foot traffic. When the streets are being infused with people, crime tends to relocate."
Meanwhile, plans are already in the works to add a $15 million housing development to Rainier Avenue at 42nd Avenue South - a four-story home to house the homeless mentally ill, built by the Downtown Emergency Services Center (DESC). The building will also feature a 1,000-square-foot unit on the first floor designed for neighborhood organizations like SUNC to gather.
"We are working with the SUNC to help promote a pedestrian-friendly area," said Bill Hobson, the DESC's executive director, who noted that the SUNC has approached him about involving some of the building's property in their project. "We wish them all the success."
While the DESC plans to break ground on the 50-unit complex in less than a month, the unborn building has already had an effect on the neighborhood: Eagle Rock Ventures LLC has already purchased a lot directly across the street to construct a 63-unit condominium building.
Though the concern of adding mentally ill residents to the neighborhood exists, Hobson dismisses such skepticism.
"Across Seattle, we have catalyzed neighborhoods," he said, noting that the DESC's two other buildings in the South Lake Union and Cascade areas have coexisted without friction. "The topic has been researched time and time again."
For now, the SUNC group continues to brainstorm and plan for the future of Rainier Avenue South.
"We are trying to find a plan that reflects the community's values," said Bjork. "Yet we still want to be unique."
The SUNC group has two meetings scheduled before the end of the year, both scheduled at SEED (5117 Rainier Ave. S.) on November 6 and December 4 from 6 - 8 p.m.
