After the washout of Golden Gardens Drive last December, one of two main roads leading in and out of the popular beach destination, many residents have taken to walking instead of driving and out of that has blossomed the areas newest community group.

Throughout the neighborhood more and more people were walking around, which offered an opportunity to get to know one another. Soon discussions turned from the damaged street to other common concerns in the neighborhood.

Not affiliated with neighborhood associations in surrounding areas such as Sunset Hill, North Beach or Blue Ridge, the Golden Gardens neighborhood is unique enough that it doesn't share many of the same concerns of nearby groups.

"It was something that some of us in the neighborhood had been thinking about for a while," said Mary Tott, one of the founders of the newly formed Golden Gardens Neighborhood Association. "Last year when the wash out of Golden Gardens Drive occurred a lot of us who were walking ended up meeting far more with neighbors and the community. We wanted a voice with city government around our concerns."

Work on the damaged roadway is expected to begin this month and be completed at the latest in December, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

In April residents joined for the first official meeting of the Golden Gardens Neighborhood Association. Invited was Rob Mattson, Ballard neighborhood district coordinator for the City of Seattle, who assisted the grass roots association in neighborhood organizing, goals and objectives.

Golden Gardens is very much a walking neighborhood said Tott, so discussion about the safety in the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods beyond Golden Gardens Drive were brought to the table.

"People had concerns about how fast our neighbors and visitors to the area drove through our neighborhood," said Tott. "Traffic speed and pedestrians at risk was looked at along Golden Gardens Drive because there are far more stories of people getting injured along there as a pedestrian that weren't reported to police."

In June the Golden Gardens Association drafted a mission statement and submitted a request for funding to the city's Neighborhood Matching Fund program. By August the group was made official after a letter of approval and $750 in funding was received.

Currently the association is focusing on building their membership and has been preparing a membership outreach event for the end of October.

The first leg of membership outreach happened at this year's Block Night Out in August. That night they were able to pass out flyers and give out information to a number of residents who lived within the boundaries of the association.

"This association gives people an opportunity to not only get to know more of their neighbors and to have more planned activities as a neighborhood association but to come together to share and identify concerns," said Tott. "We're here to support each other and decide when and where we need to have a group voice in the city. We need to work with the city to work with our concerns."

At last week's meeting of the association Seattle Department of Transportation's Community Traffic Liaison, Jim Curtin discussed the progress on the rebuild of Golden Gardens Drive.

Some funding to rebuild the road has come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but any improvements or upgrades cannot be made until the road is completed. Golden Gardens Chair Julie VanWallendael suggested the city could begin to lead public meetings to hear ideas on how to make the road safer.

Some ideas for improvements and upgrades include closing it to vehicles and making it pedestrian access only, or changing it to a one-way for traffic going up or down.

Still in the preliminary planning stages of the upgrade, VanWallendael said improvements to the road may cost almost $10 million and will require a lot of planning. But along with the initial public meetings they would like regional input because it is a park not only for the neighborhood but also the general public.

Taking the reigns from the former environmental group, Friends of Golden Gardens Park, Golden Gardens Neighborhood Association is also interested in preserving the quality of life in Golden Gardens by making the park a vibrant citywide attraction.

The Golden Gardens Association invites the public for input and information at their next meeting Thursday, October 23 at 7 p.m. in the Ballard Library.

Allison Espiritu may be reached at 783-1244 or allisone@robinsonnews.com.