By MARK HIGGINS
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Fostering community connections in time of change

The Ridge has a lot of young, upwardly mobile white families. Bruce and Glyn Devereaux are raising two children in their gracefully restored, turn-of-the-century home.

Like many Phinney Ridge homes, it sits high off the street, its yard held in check by a formidable retaining wall. Two couples, who are all lawyers, live across the street.

While it's great to see a lot of young families moving into the neighborhood, Bruce Devereaux says Phinney Ridge is losing its older residents. Many can't keep up with the maintenance on their homes or the rigors of climbing a lot of stairs. The neighborhood also has a dearth of minority families.

Devereaux says that, unlike previous generations, Phinney kids attend an array of public and private schools throughout the city, making it harder for the children to get to know one another.

Saying "it's important to feel connected," Devereaux credits the Phinney Neighborhood Association with maintaining community ties.

"In Seattle," says Devereaux, "it is easy to be anonymous and real easy not to even know your neighbors."

This year, the Devereauxs decided to open up their house as part of the Phinney Ridge home tour. Devereaux, a contractor, has painstakingly rebuilt the kitchen, finished the basement and redesigned the front yard. His wife, a designer, created a front-yard fence that incorporates a sled, small wheelbarrow, wagon, bicycle, hoe, rake and badminton racquets.

And those potluck dinners that the association organizes?

"I have had more fun with these things," says Joanne Brekke, a former state lawmaker who has been host to three potlucks in her five-bedroom home. "I just love them. You get to meet intelligent people who are just good company."

Brekke considered selling her big house after her kids were grown and gone. Instead she is "home sharing" -- renting to a graduate student, a young composer, a teacher and a computer programmer. "It works quite well," Brekke says.

Continued:

• Neighborhood's sense of spirit helps make it a family favorite
• Ridge's topography gives it a unique setting
• Zoo sounds add to area's playful air
• Phinney popular with residents and merchants