Projects like the Cleveland Streetscape are going to attract businesses and new residents who want the benefits of suburban living with the amenities of larger cities.

I moved to Redmond from the Bay Area for work. When I first moved to Redmond, some colleagues encouraged me to leave Redmond for more urban neighborhoods where they promised me I would be happier. While I appreciated their advice, they couldn’t have been more wrong.

In Redmond, you get the best of both an urban environment and a small-town community.

Amenities, like great restaurants, shops and bars are only getting better! I seem to hear about new restaurants almost weekly. (Tipsy Cow and La Isla are two recent examples that are delicious, independent and unique). Businesses see the investment the city is making to go from outdated strip malls to a walkable downtown as a great opportunity to invest.

Our smaller size also means residents are able to be involved in the planning of projects like the Downtown Park and on Cleveland Street. My level of involvement and access to decision makers would never happen at a larger city like Seattle or even Bellevue.

The other benefit of living in Redmond is that I know my neighbors and in conversations with them, we acknowledge that there are temporary growing pains with construction. But projects like the Cleveland Streetscape will help attract the next generation of young, diverse professionals who want to live close to work and still be able to walk to great shops and restaurants. And that is more than worth it.

Emily Adams, Redmond