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Monday, January 15, 2018

Redevelopment of the old Shoreline Sears into a new, mixed-use hub

Image courtesy Merlone Geier

Merlone Geier Partners (MGP), recently purchased the portion of Aurora Square where Sears is currently located.

MGP owns and operates retail properties in the Pacific Northwest and down the west coast—including the Shoreline Marketplace on 175th with the Trader Joe’s as well as the Town Center at Lake Forest Park.

In all of our work, the goal is to create shopping experiences that meet the needs of the community and reflect the unique characteristics of the area. In 2018, we want to bring you along as we transform Aurora Square into Shoreline Place.
We studied the community input on the Aurora Square Community Renewal Area. You know your community best, and we value your opinion as we decide what shops, housing and other amenities will replace Sears.
Please take a few minutes to complete this survey on what could make Shoreline Place “the spot” for all Shoreline residents:  You can stay up to date on Shoreline Place happenings by following us on Facebook and Instagram at /ShorelinePlace and checking the project website: shorelineplace.com
We look forward to hearing your thoughts!



37 comments:

  1. I thought malls were going out these days. Sounds like a hub for small business equals a mall?

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  2. A lot of the immediate community around the Sears building are seniors. We could use a show and tell hardware store like McLendons. It would also be great to have more happy hours around that serve better than junk food and also have good wine.

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  3. You could have the nicest shopping village possible, but when the sight of it's existence is blocked by huge, dense, towering apartment buildings, everyone who drives or buses by will soon forget it's there. Even if they do remember, the city will likely grant the apartments parking reductions and problems will inevitably make parking impossible for shoppers.

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  4. Whatever that is done or not done, someone always complains. If you don't like development and furthering the city, just go move somewhere else.

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  5. Something like Lake Forest Park. A commons with small food court, bakery and books, Maybe Panera would like to lease a space. Bobbie

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  6. We need a nice restaurant in the area, it's really lacking in that department. Maybe some sort of entertainment: movie theater, roller skating rink, bowling alley, pool etc.
    I think part of the problem with the Sears location is you really don't see it from Aurora anymore because of the large wall that blocks the view. What ever goes in there will need to address that issue or have a big name or draw (like Costco, Walmart).
    Please, what ever you decide to do, don't leave it empty to long. We don't want it to turn into another area like where the Denny's and Dairy Queen were across the street.

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    1. Good golly, I hope a WalMart doesn't go in there. They just closed their sam's club down the street.

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  7. How about a Costco and a Movie Theater?

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    1. Probably a better place for a Costco would be the recently shut down Sam's club location down the street ... certainly cut down on remodeling costs.

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  8. A movie theater, nice restaurants, pub, senior apartments, bowling alley, no drug stores, grocery stores, or fast food.

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  9. Hopefully THS will move into the old Sears site and open up a Safe Injection Clinic for IV drug users. We need this progressive pilot project here to meet the needs of those suffering addiction in Shoreline.

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  10. I would like to see an area for Artists of all types to display and sell there masterpieces.
    I design and build custom furniture or whatever tickles the clients fancy. My tag line says it all - "If you can Dream it, we can Build it"
    The "Starving Artist" struggles with many things and one is a place to showcase and sell their artwork

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  11. Drug injection center? You're clearly using.

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  12. We really need a nice restaurant. A step up from Denny's but still affordable for families. Shoreline is lacking in that area. Also a bowling ally, swimming pool or other family entertainment area would be nice.

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  13. We don't need a safe injection site for pete's sake nor do we need senior housing. I like some of the other comments though, a nice restaurant etc.

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  14. Just as long as there's a brewery, I'm good with whatever else goes there!

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  15. We really need some nice restaurants and movie theater would be great.

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  16. I really wish it could be turned into a sustainable shopping center with items donated that are then refurbished and sold on-site, workshops for people to learn how to mend/repair clothing, repair bicycles, learn basics about car ownership (such as how to change a tire), and a community gathering space with community events like qurterly dances, cultural celebrations, and maybe even an event space for people to hold parties. With proximity to existing grocery stores and restaurants, a community gathering space that helps us to utilize all the consumer goods already in existence in our area, rather than adding more new goods, could be a very positive addition to the community and our region.

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  17. No injection sites. This mall is already dangerous enough. Those of us using the shopping center daily are constantly accosted by homeless and drug users.

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  18. I like the idea of a Performing Arts Center of some kind. There's certainly plenty of space for one and would be utilized for multi purposes. The brewery actually isn't such a bad idea as long as it also has food service. An upscale restaurant would also be nice in the area. There's really not much around. Not so sure about a movie theater, that would mean a multiplex and I don't really think the area could sustain that. We do need safe injection sites but realistically, I this isn't the best spot for one. Unfortunately safe injection sites have gotten a lot of bad PR. We certainly need to address our homeless and drug situations but I don't think this project is related.

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  19. I really like the 175th redevelopment--and I like the Lake Forest Park hub too--sort of feel like smaller community stores with parking. I do like having the Shoreline Farmers Mkt there by the old Sears--it would be nice to have more trees & benches to sit at, coffee shops or bakeries to linger at & sit outside, rather like University Village. A garden/gift shop like Ravenna gardens, a small movie theater like The Bay in Ballard. A used book/mixed book store like Lake Forest Park would be nice...like a Half-Price Books. Or even an Amazon bookstore like at U-Village. A draw like Target would be nice! All that pkg & storage space would be good for those Amazon delivery pick-up people currently using the place around the corner from the 145th Post Office & the old Save Money-Save Lives place across from Sam's Club. I hope they hurry up and improve both areas quickly, as they will quickly become urban blight with grafitti, squatters, etc.--have you seen the shuttered Taco Bell?? It looks terrible now.

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  20. Bowling alley
    Brew pub
    Game store with events
    Barcade

    Something fun and social along the above lines could be a great draw.

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  21. Here's a novel idea: Move the City of Shoreline government offices into that Sears location and sell off the fancy new high-rise building on 175th for a profit.

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  22. One of my favorite places to visit: University Village. I can: bring my young children to play outdoors (and it's covered for when it's raining); grocery shop; coffee shops; The Gap; LOTS of small non-chain restaurants to eat at; delis; Bartells. The outdoor nature of it is excellent - really nice plantings, benches to sit on, artwork and sculpture to admire. I would just have it not be quite as "shi-shi" and high end. But the options of cafes, restaurants, shopping and groceries is great.

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  23. I think this is an awesome opportunity for our community! It would be great to have a "walkable and hangout-y" area between shops (like UVillage), rather than the giant parking lot or strip mall feel. UVillage is the highest grossing mall in America for a reason--people go there for more than just shopping! Coffee shop, bookshop, brewery/pub/tasting room, a creative space that the community could use as a flex space, and restaruants that are a step up from what we currently have. A Tutta Bella would be awesome! Delicious food, fun atmosphere, and kid friendly! Thank you for asking!

    PS. The Shoreline's Farmers' Market has grown-- you can see that people in our community want to get outside and do things. A green/landscaped space with some charm and style in that area of Aurora Square would really elevate the feel of this part of Shoreline.

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    1. Yes! The north end could really use a community center for shopping that feels like a quality place. Outdoor spaces, custom shops, several really good restaurants, perhaps an area of artist/builder/maker studios that could become a hub for art events, building on the growing art scene in Edmonds.

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  24. ADD to the already very special and friendly Central Market - a small coffee shop, a park area where you can have lunch or coffee and kids can play, an ice cream place, a few local shops, a good drug store, a place to mail packages, a smaller local gym or yoga studio that has a place for outdoor yoga in the summertime, an area for live music in the summertime for local musicians, some little special cafes - dim sum, noodle house, a nice bakery, a wine bar....if you do not make it a destination and a great experience (talk with Central Market about how they make the shopping experience so special that people drive there from west seattle) - for all ages, it will just be another mall with mediocre stuff - make it an experience - make it special!

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  25. miniature UNIVERSITY VILLAGE ...PERFECT

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  26. A University Village type 'mall' sounds great, just keep away the elitist stores. And NO big box stores, we have those nearby-think of the increased traffic, yuck.

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  27. I LOVE the idea of a Performing Arts Center. I'm a big fan of your Lake Forest Park Center, with its hub and stage used for everything from guest authors to classical music. A smallish performance venue (around 500 seats?) with the rest of the space redeveloped into something like a mash-up of the University Village in miniature and the Pike Place Market, all with a very local feel...That would really add to the community, and mesh nicely with Central Market, which is already a very special place. No big box stores, please!

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  28. Check out the Pybus Market in Wenatchee for some ideas on a community gathering facility with several small restaurants, shops, a central space for live entertainment, and an area for a weekly farmer's market. Tie it in with the wonderful existing Central Market.
    Maybe the Crest movie theater would consider moving to this location; they are very short on parking space, and it's not too far from their current location.

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  29. Shoreline needs a multipurpose aquatics center.

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  30. We need safe injection sites and also free heroin distributed and paid for by the city. The city should also have a free brothel section offering city paid straight, gay, and transgender sex. The poor have rights, too.

    All this could be done simply by raising property tax. Add a library there, too, so that it will be passed by the voters because rejection of a library (library-safe injection site-free heroin-free sex site) means that you are against children and literacy.

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  31. We will soon be loosing more stores in this area when Northgate mall is being torn down for more housing and for a lot less stores. Unfortunately Sears did not make it here, but I think we need more affordable stores that sell a variety of merchandise like clothing, appliances and miscellaneous items--because with Northgate cutting their stores and building more housing we will no doubt loose Penny's and Macey's and also other clothing stores, also K-Mart being gone and Fred Meyer cutting back their clothing line. and unfortunately Sears having left. We really could use some kind of variety store in that location--and also some other nice places to eat--Although the Preforming arts center and swimming pool, and place for artists sounds interesting and perhaps should be built somewhere-I don't think it would work out well there--perhaps a smaller store that sells art could be one of the places that could be there. I agree about that terrible overpass for pedestrians THAT WE TAX PAYERS PAID FOR AND YOU NEVER SEE ANYONE USING IT will be in the way--so a large sign on Aurora Ave. may be necessary, or even removing that structure wouldn't be a bad idea to show people that there is a shopping center there. They should have used some kind of feasibility study before they built that. Definitely is not a good idea for a injection site--leave that to a medical facility--and then it shouldn't be for injecting drugs--it should be for getting rid of them. One store you could consider is Big Lots that used to be in that mall and seemed to do really well--I know that they still want to find a place in Shoreline as I often drive up to Lynnwood to shop in their store. Please no more apartments or condos on the site--we are getting maxed out with them and they are cutting off what sunlight that we are sometimes lucky to have!

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  32. I agree. Shoreline really needs some decent clothing stores.

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