Mayor Greg Nickels’ office sent a news release about a celebration Saturday of a key part of Northgate’s revitalization:

At 12:45 p.m. tomorrow, Mayor Greg Nickels will mark the opening of several major projects immediately south of Northgate Mall.

The ribbon-cutting event also debuts the new Thornton Creek headwaters, the centerpiece of Northgate’s revitalization.

In an effort to transform Northgate from an aging mall to a vibrant  urban village , the city invested $56 million in key public

improvements, including a new library, community center, sidewalks, two new parks and the Thornton Creek Channel  – a 2.7-acre natural drainage system . The  city’s efforts sparked private investment totaling more than $265 million, including 700 new housing units and more than 850 permanent jobs.

“This long-awaited celebration shows what can happen when we join

together,” Nickels said. “For too long, progress on Northgate was

deadlocked. We broke the logjam, and today, Northgate is an example of  great urban design, environmental stewardship and the power of

community.”

The Northgate revitalization story began in December 2004, when

Nickels  and the City Council ended a decade of controversy and

litigation by reforming land-use regulations and convening a local

stakeholders group. The dispute over Thornton Creek was settled after

Simon Properties, the Northgate Mall owner , provided the land for the

Thornton Creek Channel and the Northgate Stakeholders reached

consensus  on the design.

“It’s very satisfying to see the work of the Northgate  stakeholders

group come to fruition. The carefully planned development, with all

its  amenities, is really revitalizing the neighborhood,” said Dr. Ron

LaFayette, president of North Seattle Community College . “Now the

Northgate area is becoming a destination for people from other parts

of  the city and helping improve North Seattle’s economic fortunes.”

“I have lived here since the ’40s, and this is beyond my greatest

dreams,” said Marilyn Firlotte, a member of the stakeholder group

and  longtime resident.

Saturday’s grand-opening celebrations include:

● The Thornton Creek headwaters , a major environmental project by the

city of Seattle to clean stormwater runoff entering Thornton Creek

while  providing an attractive parklike space with pathways meandering across the former 9-acre parking lot to the Northgate Transit Center.

● Aljoya, an 143-apartment senior living community scheduled to open

in July.

● Thornton Place development by Lorig Associates, with 109

condominium units, 278 apartments and 50,000 square feet of retail

and  restaurant space.

● The 14-screen Regal Theater at Thornton Place.

● A new Third Avenue Northeast pedestrian-friendly street between

Northeast 103rd and Northeast 100th streets, with improved access to

Northgate Transit Center buses and the future Sound Transit trains .

Other recent changes to Northgate include:

● 507 Northgate – Wallace Properties mixed-use development with 163

apartment units above 55,000 square feet of new retail space. This

project utilizes the city’s Multi-Family Tax Exemption Program to

provide affordable rental housing.

● Major additions to Northgate Mall with a number of new stores and

restaurants.

● Improved Fifth Avenue Northeast, including landscaped median and

pedestrian amenities.

● Maple LeafCommunity Garden at 529 N.E. 103rd St.

● Acquisition and planning for the new $14.5 million Hubbard

Homestead Park  at the site of the Northgate park and ride at Fifth  

Avenue Northeast and Northeast 112th Street on which the city plans to break ground this fall.

“This is a great achievement for the Northgate community and the

neighborhoods around Northgate . The residents, businesses and

community  organizations led the way in creating these truly positive results,” City Council President Richard Conlin said. “It was incredibly

rewarding to be able to support them in their efforts. The outcome is

something we all can take pride in and enjoy.”

With the city’s investment in Northgate and all of the momentum that

has been created both by these redevelopment efforts and by the

approval  in November of Sound Transit 2, which will bring light rail to

Northgate and beyond, Northgate’s transformation is expected to

continue.

To learn more about the Northgate revitalization project, go to:

seattle.gov/DPD/Planning/Northgate_Revitalization

Community contacts:

Dr. Ron LaFayette

North Seattle Community College

206-527-360

Marilyn Firlotte

206-524-1160

Event details:

Time: 12:45 p.m.

Date: Saturday

Place: Northgate neighborhood, corner of Third Avenue Northeast and

Northeast 100th  Street, immediately east of the Northgate Transit Center and immediately south of Northgate Mall.

Free parking in the Thornton Place parking garage; enter on Third

Avenue Northeast .