Five to 10 years ago, there were not many people living in downtown Redmond.

But in recent years, there has been a lot of development in the neighborhood and this renewal has brought with it residents and workers who walk, bike or drive around on a regular basis. As downtown grows, city staff and officials are working to create a neighborhood that will provide people with choices in housing, transportation and more.

“There’s so much more to do…to make this neighborhood a special neighborhood,” said City of Redmond Mayor John Marchione.

To help develop the neighborhood, the city held an open house Wednesday evening to let people know the ongoing and upcoming projects downtown, as well as get input from community members. Some of the projects highlighted include the Downtown Park, Redmond Central Connector (RCC), the conversion of Redmond Way and Cleveland Street to two-way streets, the Cleveland Street streetscape and the 164th Avenue Northeast extension and reconfiguration.

Education Hill resident Marilee Crivello has lived in Redmond for 30 years — back when there was only one stop light in town.

“I’ve seen a lot of change,” she said.

Crivello, an administrative assistant in the construction division of Redmond’s Public Works Department, said she likes what she sees with the RCC and spends time at Downtown Park, but is concerned about how the city is going to address traffic as the downtown becomes more populated.

Another concern she and fellow Education Hill resident Melody Wilson have about the city’s plans for downtown is the lack of options geared toward older residents. The two women are in their 50s and said they would like to see more cafes and other areas where they can gather.

“There’s nowhere to go unless you go to a bar and I don’t want to go to a bar,” Wilson said.

Crivello added that with no more kids in the house, she is ready to downsize her living arrangements. She would like to stay in Redmond so she would like to see senior-focused living accommodations downtown because current apartment and condo complexes such as Redmond 160 and Veloce are more geared toward younger people.

“Let us live downtown,” she said. “We’re ready to give our house up to the families again.”