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 the parking we rely on. Calmer traffic passing through. A safer, more human street for the people who live on and enjoy 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.
What we're asking the City to do
Evaluate this simple, reversible change now, and use existing resources to deliver it while the larger funding comes together.
A head start, not a detour. The City's current approach holds the real improvements to 12th behind years of yet to be funded major 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 reveal if we can unlock the core benefits for this stretch of 12th now, at a small fraction of the cost and years sooner.
One travel lane
Reduce 12th from two northbound lanes to one (large enough for emergency vehicles) between Pacific and Taylor, calming the speed of through traffic.
Keep every parking space
The freed-up lane becomes parking, so the businesses keep the access their customers expect.
Protected space to bike
A parking protected bike lane for people on bikes, instead of jersey barriers in front of the shops and confusing intersections.
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.
Why it helps the people who live here
Built for neighbors, not cars passing through.
Slower traffic
A single lane naturally calms speeds where families live, walk, play, and shop.
Safer crossings for kids
Shorter crossing distances and fewer lanes to navigate on the way to school and the pool.
Parking you can count on
Every existing space stays, supporting our beloved shops and businesses.
A calmer, quieter Heights
Less of a cut through, more of a place. The district feels like a spot to dwell and relax.
In our neighbors' words
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.
Business support
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.
See it
What changes, and what it could look like.
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.