Whether it houses an art studio, movie room, rooftop garden, or all three, the community center at the Grow Community development will ultimately be designed by those who use it.
In a workshop this Saturday, community members will be asked what features they would like to see in the hub of the 8-acre complex at the corner of Wyatt Way and Grow Avenue.
“We’ve done this quite a bit with this whole project,” said Marja Preston, senior director of development for Grow Community, on reaching out to the community for their feedback.
“We’re looking for different ideas, things we might not have thought of, things that are important to people,” she said.
The community center will serve as a meeting point and will boast amenities that residents don’t have in their homes. While mostly those living in the Grow Community development will use the center, the community at large is an important voice in the conversation.
“It’s sort of a forum for connecting with the rest of the community,” Preston said about the center, which is why the development has advertised the workshops widely, and encourages community feedback from all walks of life.
Grow Community will also hold a workshop on intergenerational living. According to the Grow website, the development envisions “a neighborhood where relationships are formed, spontaneously and intentionally, where young and old play together in the garden, share experiences and care for each other.”
Throughout the touring process — Grow development model home tours are held from 1 to 4 p.m. Thursdays and Sundays and by appointment — some community members have expressed the need for single-floor living for easy access and buildings with elevators. In line with this, the development will hold a workshop later this month for a discussion of how people would like to see their living space, and what amenities it should include.
Preston summed up the goal of both workshops succinctly. “We want to hear from people.”
To date, roughly 75 percent of the homes have been sold in the first section of the project, according to Preston.
The first phase of the project will likely be completed this summer. Preston said all sales are expected to be completed in nine months, but added that homes are still available.
The community center design workshop is 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 12 at the Vineyard Lane Inn’s Fireside Room, located at 710 John Nelson Lane NE.
The intergenerational living workshop will be Saturday, Jan. 26 at the same time and place.
For more information, contact Deb Henderson at 206-452-6755 or at live@growbainbridge.com. The homes are located at 450 Grow Ave. NW.
