The new Crown Hill Neighborhood Association is gearing up to tackle some of the biggest issues in the community, from the future of an old school building to the unwanted Safeway discount gas station.

The group aims to build a unified voice in a neighborhood where residents are often detached from each other, said Molly Hanson, president of the group.

One of its biggest goals is to find a way to purchase the old Crown Hill School, preserve its current services and create a community center for the neighborhood.

"There's a disconnect here - there's no center," Hanson said. "There's great need for a community center in Crown Hill."

Currently, Small Faces Child Development Center and other services operate out of the building.

The non-profit child center and other agencies that lease buildings from the Seattle School District pay a discounted rent of 50 percent fair-market value in exchange for maintenance of the facilities.

District property management officials have recommended that several of those centers, including Crown Hill, be considered surplus. The School Board could vote in the next several weeks on whether to sell or lease the sites out long-term.

The district has said it would give current tenants first right of refusal before putting the buildings on the market. Still, a major concern is that it could be sold to developers and a much-needed community resource would be lost.

Hanson is working on a business plan to purchase the site in partnership with the child center and other community organizations that provide programs there.

"We want a community center, an essential element nurturing families and building strong communities," it reads on the groups' Web site.

Hanson hopes they can convince the city to help purchase the property, similar to a tentative agreement between the city and Phinney and University Heights groups, which also lease district owned buildings.

"I feel really good about this partnership," Hanson said. "There's support from the city and the school district. I feel confident it will happen."

The building already acts as a de-facto community center. It provides space for community meetings, events, fundraisers and access to playfields for Crown Hill's growing number of young families.

"It's where people come together and meet their neighbors," said Hanson. "It really increases the quality of life for the community."

A new park has also been planned and designed for a portion of the property through Pro-Parks Levy funds, but that's been put on hold too as the district decides the fate of the property.

The group has other lofty goals, including creating a "walkable" neighborhood and a "destination not a drive thru'" business district. It could prove to be one of the groups' biggest challenges.

Situated off a major truck route, 15th Avenue Northwest, new developments along that corridor include traffic-oriented businesses like a drive thru pharmacy and a discount gas station.

Hanson wants to see more locally owned businesses moving in, rather than corporate conglomerates.

Those kinds of developments "take away from the character of the community and doesn't serve the community," she said.

"We want to be able to walk to the store and feel safe," said Hanson. "We have a lot of work ahead of us, but there's support."

The group is hoping to get funding from "Bringing the Gap," the transportation initiative that voters passed last fall, to build sidewalks in the neighborhood and make other pedestrian improvements like traffic controls at busy intersections.

A group of neighbors who oppose a Safeway discount gas station planned for the corner of 15th Avenue Northwest and Northwest 85th Street are getting support from the new neighborhood group as well.

No Safe Way For a Gas Station, the citizen's group that has fought the development for the past several years, are appealing the land use decision through the city hearing examiner this month.

The group believes a high-volume gas station will create congestion and driving hazards on nearby residential streets and goes against goals of creating a pedestrian friendly neighborhood.

There are also growing concerns about crime and graffiti in Crown Hill. Hanson said that building a network of neighbors and community groups could be the best way to combat that.

"One way to confront that is to have a strong community," she said. "It just increases your sense of security."

The Crown Hill Neighborhood Association meets every fourth Wednesday of the month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in Room 4 at the Crown Hill School. For more information or to get involved visit www.crownhillneighbors.org.

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com