As part of the anticipated extension of light rail to Northgate Transit Center, the area around Northgate Mall was identified by the city as an "urban village" in 1993,[REF] with heavy potential for transit-oriented development.
In 2009, one of the mall's surface parking lots was converted into a mixed-use, transit-oriented development called "Thornton Place", with 109 condominiums, 278 apartments (including affordable units), a movie theater, and of retail space [REF].