The Daily Journal of Commerce reports that the development proposed at Greenwood Ave. N. and N. 85th Street in Greenwood will be centered on a "woonerf," which the DJC describes as "a street designed to slow cars and give pedestrians precedence over vehicles." (The P-I described it as a "private road," which falsely implies exclusivity and limited access; this street, if done right, will actually be accessible to far more people than one reserved for cars.)

And woonerfs as implemented in the Netherlands and Finland go much further. There, pedestrians have legal priority over drivers, who are limited to a speed limit of "walking pace." Counterintuitive as that may seem, woonerfs work. When people have priority over cars, drivers behave more sensibly—a phenomenon called "shared space," which I've written about over here.

Plans for the first phase of the development also include 12,000 square feet of retail, 46 apartments, and a pervious 161-space parking lot that will allow rainwater to drain into the ground rather than running off.