When I first moved to San Jose, Calif., for college in the fall of 1987, there were signs all around downtown that read, “San Jose is Growing Up.” There was plenty of construction happening and new buildings and businesses were slated to pave the way toward the city’s future.

At that time, the new additions were successful for a while, but most of the downtown plans eventually failed. (In the last decade or so, the city has rebounded and is now thriving with new business centers and more.)

While Kenmore and Bothell are obviously on the much smaller side than San Jose, it’s interesting to be around when these cities are set on “growing up,” as well.

Last month, Bothell finally kicked off its downtown Crossroads project with the mayor hammering a backhoe into the old Northshore Citizen office (my old work place — I hope there wasn’t a message being sent there!). And Kenmore is getting in on the act slowly, but surely with the relocation of its post office in Kenmore Village and unveiling of its new City Hall with an open house from 10 a.m. to noon this Saturday at 18120 68th Ave. N.E. A dedication ceremony is set for 9:30 a.m. to noon May 22.

Truth be told, I didn’t care much if San Jose grew up or fell down back then. But I’ve learned to appreciate it over the years when my wife and I head down to visit good friends and our old eating and live-music haunts.

As for Bothell and Kenmore, you can’t help looking at what’s there now and daydream a bit at what the towns will look like in the future. It’s been and will continue to be challenging for the city officials and planners to guide these projects to success. Schedules will surely be tweaked here and there and residents will surely complain about things (like the “grillwork” in Kenmore in last week’s letters section).

Sixty-seven percent of readers answered “yes” to our April 14 question about whether Bothell’s downtown revitalization plan will be worth the wait. That shows that people are indeed looking forward to watching this area “grow up.”