A Heights neighbor initiative
The Heights is where we live and work. Not a neighborhood to pass through.
We're asking the City to calm 12th Street between Pacific and Taylor: one travel lane, protected space for walking and biking, and all the parking we rely on. Slower traffic passing through, and a safer, more human street for the people who live, shop, and walk in the Heights.
About the traffic on 12th
Much of that traffic is just passing through.
For years, the conversation about 12th Street has been about keeping cars moving. But much of that traffic is passing through our neighborhood on the way to somewhere else. Calming the street adds a little friction for through traffic and a lot of benefit for the people who live and shop here.
The shops keep their parking and their customers. Crossings get shorter. Speeds come down. What changes is how fast cars move through, and who the street is really made for.
A reversible first step we can take now.
A head start, not a detour. The City's current approach holds the real improvements to 12th behind years of unfunded capital work, including a roundabout at 13th and May the City estimates at $12.8 to $16.4 million, plus property acquisition. We don't have to wait for that. A reversible, paint-and-posts trial can show whether we can unlock the core benefits for this stretch of 12th now, at a small fraction of the cost and years sooner.
Our specific ask of the City: Direct the Urban Renewal Administrator to shift the interim 12th Street work away from the current bike-lane design that drew the most public concern, and toward planning and running a three-month demonstration in spring 2027 that moves this stretch closer to the adopted final design, in the vibrant commercial core of the Heights.
One travel lane
Reduce 12th from two northbound lanes to one between Pacific and Taylor, calming through traffic. The single lane stays wide enough for emergency vehicles.
Keep every parking space
The freed-up lane becomes parking, so businesses keep the curb access their customers expect.
Protected space to bike
A parking-protected bike lane, instead of jersey barriers and confusing intersections in front of the shops.
Aligned with the adopted plan
This matches the Heights Streetscape Plan the community designed and adopted. It accelerates that vision on 12th rather than departing from it, so we only learn the street once.
Built for neighbors, not cars passing through.
Slower traffic
A single lane naturally calms speeds where families live, walk, and shop.
Safer crossings for kids
Shorter crossings and fewer lanes to navigate on the way to school and the pool.
Parking you can count on
Every existing space stays, supporting the shops and businesses we love.
A calmer, quieter Heights
Less of a cut-through, more of a place to linger.
Voices from the Heights.
Add a real quote from a Heights resident here about why a calmer 12th Street matters to them.
A second neighbor quote. Short, specific, and human works best. A line about walking kids to school, or a near-miss, lands hard.
A third quote, ideally from a business owner who supports keeping parking while calming the street.
Local businesses standing with the neighborhood.
A calmer 12th isn't a threat to local business. The shops and services that make the Heights worth visiting want the same thing neighbors do: a street that's safe, walkable, and keeps the parking their customers rely on.
Add your name
Show the City this comes from the neighborhood.
The Urban Renewal Advisory Committee and Board need to know how many Heights residents support this. Your name and street address are how we show them this is the neighborhood speaking for itself.
Thank you, neighbor.
Your support is added. You're neighbor to sign on. The most helpful next step is sharing this with the people on your block. A street changes when the neighborhood asks together.