Sunny Day Newport Hills

My response to Mayor Grant Degginger's challenge to come up with a vision for Newport Hills would look something like this:



1. New grocery store (smaller footprint with two stories of condos above)
2. Fruit and produce stand
3. Neighborhood kiosk for announcements, etc.
4. New site of Mojo Espresso stand
5. Farmer's market
6. Community garden and outdoor movie theater


Out of sight, out of mind?

We all need aerial photographs for dreaming purposes. They let the sun in on a cloudy day--every one of the areas I circled above gets full sun for most of the day, even while leaving plenty of spaces for parking. I always wondered as I parked my car near Pike Place Market or at the top of a parking garage why my car was getting a better view than I was.

Another way to look at these photos is to see the number of spaces we provide for our cars: then imagine exchanging one parking space for a raised garden bed. One little island of 20 spaces could provide a lot of space for a community garden.

I originally came up with this little daydream about six months ago. Since then Newcastle Fruit and Produce, whom I've been wooing to open a branch here in Newport Hills has let me know that the idea doesn't hold much potential. In the words of one of the owners: "Out of sight, out of mind."