Notes from an Intern: Running the Welcome Table at the North Aurora Initiative Launch Events 

Over the course of two days this spring, roughly 200 neighbors gathered at Community Connections Pop-In Parties in Licton Springs and Bitter Lake to learn about and provide feedback on the work taking shape in the North Aurora corridor. From my spot at the welcome table at the Licton Springs event at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School, here’s what I noticed.

If you want to learn what a neighborhood loves and cares about, host a welcome table at a community event. This neighborhood has long been affected by safety and livability concerns, and over the past few months, residents along the corridor have been affected by increasing gun violence. Many arrived at the community gatherings carrying the weight of these recent events along with energy to make change.  

Communities along Aurora have long advocated for changes to the corridor to improve livability in their neighborhoods. The North Aurora Initiative, a City of Seattle multi-departmental effort working on street and utilities investments, small-scale neighborhood improvements, and development of a Community Action Plan, is the City’s response to that advocacy and need.  

We were planning these events for several months to introduce community to the planned capital projects, including the SDOT Aurora Ave Project and SPU Drainage and Wastewater Project, and to help launch the North Aurora Community Action Plan, a planning and visioning process that will inform the future of the corridor. The Aurora corridor is a special stretch of our city, and it was evident people came to the pop-ins because they care about it. 

From the table, I had the best seat in the house. People arrived pausing to shake hands and greet neighbors. More than once, I overheard groups introduce themselves and realize they were talking to a neighbor for the first time even after living just blocks apart for years. The North Aurora Initiative aims to center community vision in the city planning process, and it was clear to me that the neighborhoods along the corridor have residents who are ready to help shape a future Aurora, together.  

The room was full of energy and connection. Circling the space were tables with community partners working on and around Aurora. We were excited to have the Aurora Reimagined Coalition, the Haller Lake Community Council, the Licton Springs Community Council, the Greenwood Community Council, Aurora Commons, and Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery. They were joined by graduate students from the University of Washington’s Master of Urban Planning program, who spent six months involved in creative visioning for the corridor’s future.  

Seated between these groups were City partners: Public Utilities, the Department of Transportation, the Police Department, and Parks & Recreation. Every table drew a stream of community members ready to share their experiences, concerns, and ideas. Meanwhile, attendees gathered around communal tables to eat tamales from Mendoza’s market and Bánh mì from Lotus Pond Vietnamese Cuisine. As folks picked up food, they were eager to share with me other favorite corridor restaurants. There is real pride in the local businesses along Aurora, and I now have many more places on my list to try.  

As I called out ‘thank you for coming’, many stopped to tell me that they were leaving with a better understanding of the connection between the City and community work in the corridor.

I listened as attendees were happy to learn that the Evergreen-Washelli Cemetery grounds are open to the public again and to hear from UW students about ideas for future opportunities to activate public spaces along the corridor.  

I also watched a really cool activity that helped translate community ideas and words into art. Local artist Natalie Dupille listened to attendees’ vision for the future of Aurora, then took the ideas and words and turned them into images and graphics in a live note-taking activity projected in the room.  

As the events ended, people filed past the welcome table. As I called out “thank you for coming,” many stopped to tell me that they were leaving with a better understanding of the connection between the City and community work in the corridor. Several shared that they hadn’t realized the amount of community investment already present.  

From my post at the welcome table, it was clear that residents are eager to be a part of the visioning process for the future of Aurora. The event feedback will shape how my team approaches future ideas for North Aurora, and you can learn more about the events through the Spring 2026 event report and explore what you and your neighbors shared about community planning, safety, and future visioning in the community feedback summary.

Missed the events?  Explore our online StoryMap about the past, present, and future of North Aurora, and share your vision for the future through our community visioning survey.

Harriet Wright is an intern at the Office of Planning and Community Development and a recent graduate of the University of Washington Master of Urban Planning Program. Her work focuses on the North Aurora Community Action Plan and North Aurora Initiative.