January 29, 2001

A convention center for Auburn?

AUBURN -- The city of Auburn is embarking on a major master-planning process, with the goal of transforming downtown with mixed-use developments, denser housing and pedestrian-friendly streets.

An open house about the downtown plan will be held Wednesday, Jan. 31, from 4-7 p.m., and a public hearing will be held Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. Both meetings will take place at City Hall, 25 W. Main St. in Auburn.

With housing prices relatively low (a median-priced home in Auburn is $185,000), this city of 42,000 could be a major growth area in the Puget Sound. Plus, the introduction of a commuter rail station in Auburn might make the city a more attractive option for people who would make the 30-mile commute to Seattle.

B Sanders, associate planner for Auburn, said the master plan identifies several proposed "catalyst projects in special locations downtown, to do something big and new." Those projects include a hotel and convention center as well as the development of Class A office, which she said the city largely lacks.

Also in the works is a new public safety building, combining police, jail, court and fire department functions. A search for possible locations for the facility is under way now, Sanders said.

A four-story, mixed-use building near Sound Transit's parking garage, which Auburn helped fund, is also being proposed. It would contain a ground-floor restaurant, two floors of banquet space, and a top floor of office space and a penthouse.

The plan recommends the city form public/private partnerships to construct a downtown parking garage, to meet the growing demand for parking and support future development.

To allow for taller buildings and denser mixed-use developments, the plan proposes that the city raise building height restrictions.

Sanders said the city may impose new design standards to replace existing design guidelines in an effort to make downtown "more aesthetically pleasing."

The downtown plan and draft environmental impact statement are combined in a single document, which is available for $15. Written comments about the plan must be received by Feb. 5. Call (253) 804-5031 for further information.