4/07, Update - Council rejects downtown residential rezoning of manufacturing parcel
Well, the full council was in session this week and they voted 5-2 to keep "Marymoor East Square" zoned manufacturing and reject the landowner's request for residential development.
Allen and Robinson were the dissenting votes and favored rezoning the property to residential or condominiums. The planning commission voted 5-2 with McCarthy and Querry the two votes for commercial. (vote is being confirmed).
This is a big deal because this vote represents a big piece in the city's strategy as to where they want to concentrate our housing density. It looks like building density in our neighborhoods has greater priority than density downtown. Too bad, because this prioritization is not logical from many viewpoints.
Councilmember Robinson named a few: 1) traffic congestion has been proven to increase the further housing is from the workplace. 2) 12,000 Microsoft workers (plus the multiplier) will migrate into Redmond within 10 years and we are already fighting an imbalance between homes and jobs. Marymoor East offers a housing opportunity we can't afford to pass up. 3) With the high price of land in Redmond there is no indication of a "land rush" for office park space even for high-tech or R&D.
Councilmember Allen concluded that residential is compatible and appropriate in Marymoor East owing to:
1) residential property is located right across the street,
2) a children's gymnasium is in walking distance,
3) a nearby trail leads right to Marymoor Park,
4) the land is expensive for manufacturing ; manufacturing space in Kent and Auburn is approximately .40/sf versus .90/sf to 1.10/sf in Redmond. The Marymoor Park East side of Redmond has been idle for over a year with no takers .
5) a wetland 'amenity' is on the 3 acre property.
The council majority thought different: Cole decided we would be "plopping" residential into the wrong place and would drive out manufacturing, what little we have. Marchione said lowering the supply would increase the cost of manufacturing and he said the Square was "an island" removed from "downtown".
Resha was as concerned as Robinson and Allen about the housing/jobs imbalance but he said manufacturing is part of what makes Redmond , Redmond. McCormick iterated from the last study session her conclusion that "we have met our housing targets" and we don't need or want downtown residential density at this time.
On several occasions Cole reminded Council of the large increase in land value the Chee's would benefit from in a rezone. Mr. Chee is a Korean immigrant and I believe his son runs the property business. They attended every planning commission and council meeting and spoke up during Items from the Audience. We are fortunate to have the Chees as business persons in Redmond. And shouldn't they rightly deserve to benefit from developing latent property as would any other developer that sticks their neck out? e.g. Camwest's Kempin rezone approval.
Councilman Jim Robinson was so upset and surprised by the 5-2 vote that he recommended Mr. Chee to get a good lawyer, confident Mr Chee he would win.
It's unfortunate we can't build housing density in the downtown area, a logical location and alternative to neighborhood open space. It's not like anyone is lining up to the site from that part of Redmond to build manufacturing. There have been no takers. And we need smart housing choices.
As Councilwoman Kimberly Allen summarized, "The real losers were the Chees--they are stuck with a nostalgia vote to maintain the manufacturing label on their property at all cost--even if no one wants to site new manufacturing concerns in [that part of] Redmond. If this [council] majority were voting on it, we would still have hitching posts and a feed store in downtown Redmond even though the last horse left years ago." 4/19/07
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5/6/07: UPDATE: CHARLIE McCARTHY, PLANNING COMMISSIONER ASKED COUNCIL ON 4/5/07 TO RECONSIDER THEIR 5-2 VOTE AGAINST RESIDENTIAL. HE THOUGHT THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN A MISTAKE TO VOTE FOR MANUFACTURING BECAUSE THAT AREA SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ZONED MANUFACTURING IN THE FIRST PLACE. HE URGED COUNCIL TO "DO THE RIGHT THING". HE THOUGHT IT WAS A POOR PLACE FOR TRADITIONAL MANUFACTRUING.
One of the 5 majority councilmenbers must change their vote to allow reconsideration. Charlie was one of two commissioners voting FOR manufacturing earlier. Querry was the 2nd.
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