The Neighborhood Planning Office (NPO) was created in 1994 to implement the goals of the Comprehensive Plan for neighborhood planning. The office began work in January 1994 with a goal of creating 30 neighborhood plans in four years. The program was extended for a fifth year, after which the office was folded into the Department of Neighborhoods (DON). Throughout the planning process the NPO worked with the Office of Management and Planning (OMP) and DON. Each neighborhood was assigned a staff member to oversee the planning process, and consultants were hired to facilitate communication between community members. Areas of priority were urban centers, manufacturing and industrial centers, urban villages, and distressed areas.
The Public Information Officer (PIO), Laurence McGuire, worked to distribute information to the community about the Neighborhood Planning Office (NPO); he maintained binders of information on NPO programs as a resource for community developers. For further information about the NPO, please see the Neighborhood Planning Office Director's Subject Files finding aid.
From the guide to the Seattle Neighborhood Planning Office Public Information Officer Records, 1994-1999, (Seattle Municipal Archives)
