News

Eligible Shoreline residents can apply to receive free trees through Trees for Shoreline, a pilot program aimed at growing and maintaining a healthy urban forest.

Trees are important for a healthy Shoreline. They provide a wide range of benefits to our environment, homes, and properties! When you participate in Trees for Shoreline, you receive:

• Help with selecting the right tree and planting location
• A watering bag and mulch for your tree
• Training on proper planting and care
• Ongoing care reminders
• Planting assistance (on a limited basis due to volunteer availability)

The application period for Trees for Shoreline is open until August 15. There is a limit of one free tree per household. Depending on tree availability and program interest, not everyone who applies will receive a tree.

The types of trees available are listed in this 2022 Tree Guide flyer.

To learn more, visit shorelinewa.gov/TreesForShoreline.

Do you enjoy connecting with your neighbors? We certainly do, and could use some help connecting online. The NCNA is looking for someone to help with our social media outreach. This would include sharing news from the City of Shoreline, activities of the NCNA, and stories you think neighbors would be interested in!

If interested, send an email to info@northcityna.org and we will flow up with more details.

Perfect blue skies to watch the banners get installed! Thirteen North City banners were put up today – part of our effort to enhance the cityscape in our little town. This project was funded by a mini-grant from the City of Shoreline.

Many thanks to the City of Shoreline Neighborhoods Coordinator, Constance Perenyi, for helping us navigate the city's requirements with a minimum of hassle and a maximum of speed and efficiency.

The banner poles in North City have been looking a bit lonely lately. We're excited to announce that we qualified for a neighborhood grant from the City of Shoreline to have new banners created and installed! We will be posting updates as the work gets completed, which should be before the end of this year.

There used to be a fair amount of horsetail (equisetum) growing in the Gateway planters. Since we've replanted them, it doesn’t want to go away without a fight.

Horsetail

Digging or pulling the horsetail out is not practical. It is impossible to get all the roots — any bits left will continue to grow. The best approach is to keep snipping of any shoots it sends up. That depletes the roots of energy, eventually doing them in.

If you happen to be by the planter and see some horsetail, help us out and cut off any shoots!

Horsetail hiding under some grasses

Also, remember that we can use help watering, too!

Please help us water the new plantings at the North City Gateway (NE 175th and 15th NE)! They need to be watered twice a day through the summer hot season.

To volunteer to water the plants, sign up here.

Instructions & Notes

There are 2 high planter boxes as well as the lower area beneath the North City sign.

Please bring your own water, 5 gallons at the minimum. Gallon jugs with caps work well. A watering can or a bucket in a box will prevent it from toppling over in your car.

As long as the Animal Medical Center parking lot is not full, we have permission to park there while watering since watering won't take much time.

Thank you!

The neighborhood association has started has been working to revamp/replant the landscaping in the North City Gateway planters at the corner of 15th and 170th.

Thanks to the efforts of many, but especially Karen Benson and Yoshiko Saheki new plantings are now in! Thanks also to Kevin Atkinson and the Ken and Victoria Adams family (as well as whoever else I've left out) for weeding and cleanup in preparation for the planting.

As the Summer heat continues, we will be seeking volunteers to help with watering. Stay tuned for more on that.

On January 25, Shoreline City Council voted to place a bond measure on the April 27, 2021, special election ballot. If approved by Shoreline voters, this proposition authorizes improvements to City parks, including the acquisition of new park land.

The City will be providing Factual Community Presentation on the proposition via Zoom at the following times:

• Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 12:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 12:00 p.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 7:00 p.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 18 at 12:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 2 at 12:00 p.m.

Here is the Zoom link for the meeting. Further details may be found on the City's Prop 1 webpage.

Details

Significant improvements will be made at Brugger’s Bog, Hillwood, Richmond Highlands, Briarcrest (Hamlin East), and James Keough Parks. These improvements, depending on the location, may include playgrounds, splash-pads, multi-sports courts, walking trails, picnic shelters, off-leash dog areas, and a fully accessible play area for people of all physical abilities.

Park land acquisitions and improvements will expand Paramount Open Space, Brugger’s Bog, and Rotary Park, and will include additional park land acquisitions.

Cost

If approved, Proposition 1 will authorize the City to issue up to $38,500,000 in general obligation bonds to finance and refinance these projects and set excess property taxes to repay those bonds. The bonds would mature within 20 years. Although the exact amount of property taxes per household necessary to repay the bonds will depend on interest rates and property values, the City estimates the annual property tax paid by the owner of a median-valued home ($517,000) would be approximately $112 per year or $9 per month. This is roughly a 50% increase over the cost of the expiring $18.5 million 2006 park improvement bond.

References

Here is the City’s webpage on Proposition 1.

The Stride Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project on SR 522 and NE 145th is the result of a grassroots coalition that advocated for better transit for north Lake Washington communities.

The Stride S3 Line, or the SR 522/NE 145th BRT service, will connect north Lake Washington communities to the regional transit system with fast, frequent and reliable transit service. Riders will be able to transfer between the SR 522/NE 145th Stride S3 Line, I-405 North Stride S2 Line, Link light rail, and other transit services provided by Community Transit, King County Metro and Sound Transit.

Online open house now through August 23

Sound Transit is hosting an online open house at sr522brt.participate.online through Aug. 23.

Shoreline residents can visit this website to see design updates, sign up for the project email list, and share their input to inform the design and future community outreach.