Crown Hill Business Association member Cinny Burrell said she knows it could take years, even decades, to transform Crown Hill into a destination neighborhood, one that entices people to stay awhile rather than just driving through.

Catherine Weatbrook, also a member of the neighborhood business association, thinks Crown Hill is a community with great potential.

"Fremont is the Center of the Universe, well, what is Crown Hill?" said Weatbrook, referring to the Fremont neighborhood motto. "What things can we do to distinguish Crown Hill as a community?"

To start that process, a $6,500 Neighborhood Business District Award from Seattle's Office of Economic Development was awarded to the Crown Hill Business Association. With that money the group will start plotting out a roadmap for future community improvement projects.

"This is just a baby step," said Burrell, co-owner of Crown Hill Massage Studio. "I really believe we are poised on the verge of becoming something-something other than graffiti and gas stations."

Like other Seattle neighborhoods, Crown Hill is experiencing the aftermath of the Seattle Monorail Project. After voters stopped the project dead in its tracks last year, it left Crown Hill with vacant buildings and empty lots purchased by the failed elevated rail project.

Ideas from the Ballard/Crown Hill neighborhood plan, which outlines projects needed to ensure that the neighborhood will continue to thrive as Seattle grows, have been sitting idle in the Crown Hill neighborhood while Ballard has been moving along with their neighborhood goals, said Weatbrook.

"Crown Hill businesses and residences have not been organized until recently," she said. "Now we are picking it up and we've got the energy to go with it."

The next step is to hire an urban planner to develop a cohesive blueprint for Crown Hill's future in hopes of revitalizing the community, said Burrell. This could include plans for creating a more pedestrian friendly neighborhood and landscaped areas or artworks at key community entry points.

"We need something that unifies our projects and prioritizes them," said Weatbrook.

Originally, the group planned to paint the pedestrian overpass at Holman Road to create a visible landmark for Crown Hill. But the Seattle Department of Transportation wouldn't approve the project because it would require closing 15th Avenue Northwest, a busy arterial and truck street. There were also safety and liability concerns.

"We would like to create a look or some image people can cling onto," said Burrell. "We're not dropping the idea. We want to figure out a way to do something."

The group envisioned the overpass could serve as a link between the Seattle Public School's Crown Hill School site and businesses and residences north and south of Holman Road. Community meetings and classes are often held in the school building and it's seen as "the center port" of the Crown Hill neighborhood, said Burrell.

A new city park that is being planned for the field end of the school property would also be an important part of the community focal area, she said. But the planning of that park is currently on hold while the school district sorts out potential school closures.

"That site has become an important resource for the neighborhood and it's vital to the community that we protect that," said Weatbrook. "Once that land is gone it can't be replaced."

The district could decide to sell the site to the current tenant, the Small Faces Child Development Center, or just raise the rent, said Ron English with Seattle Public Schools property management. Along with the Crown Hill property, the district is reviewing the possibility of selling eight of its sites, he said.

"It's possible that (the Crown Hill School) will close," said English. "But there are a number of options on the table."

The business association may also struggle with its long-term goals of creating a more pedestrian friendly neighborhood. Though Burrell and Weatbrook haven't determined where the neighborhood begins and ends, many of the businesses are situated along major truck routes, 15th Avenue Northwest and Holman Road Northwest.

"That's a challenge," said Burrell. "But it's not something I want to give up on. We're just going to pull together and focus."

Rob Mohn, a member and past president of the Columbia City Business Association, said Crown Hill and his neighborhood share some common challenges. Rainier Avenue, a busy arterial, travels through the heart of Columbia City's business center.

"The street continues to be the main impediment to our goals of creating a safe and walkable business district," said Mohn.

Some sidewalks along Rainier Avenue have curb bulbs, which extend the sidewalk into the street to make it easier for pedestrians to cross the street by shortening the crossing distance. They could also help to reduce traffic speeds by narrowing the roadway, said Mohn.

Mohn, who's worked for the last eight years towards creating a more vibrant business district in his community, said that to create a brand for a neighborhood it must be a grassroots effort involving commercial property owners and residents.

"It's a multi-year task," said Mohn.

The Crown Hill Business Association plans to start organizing public meetings soon to ask the community for advice and to find volunteers for future projects.

"I'm excited to get the word out that there is a group that wants to do something for our neighborhood," said Burrell.