All councilmembers (Mr. Vache was absent) wanted the construction project approved, but two councilmembers Allen & Cole were seriously upset with the proposed alignment. In the beginning Councilman Carson went along with Mr. Cole's original stance against the project. By the end of the debate only Carson and Allen voted against the project. Cole reluctantly voted for it.
Allen and Cole (Carson agreed) were serioulsy disappointed with the road route and the small number of trees that would have to be removed at the Saturday Market and Heron Rookery. (According to Planner Cathy Beam and a city consultant the herons have been scared away by crows and eagles and the nests aren't active). Most thought the route more costly than the other two options. After confusing conversations by most councilmembers Mr. Cole decided to change his vote at the last minute to favor the alignment. The construction project passed 4 -2.
Mayor John Marchione shared his opinion after the vote:
"Regarding the Bear Creek Parkway route decision, it was made more than
two years ago. [The below PHASE 1 and 2 aerial photos show the Bear
Creek Parkway alignment]. You can see that a few trees to the north of
the rookery and a few to the west of the Saturday Market are removed. The
option that was not selected was cutting through the open space to the west
of RTC (or extending 159th on the attached photo). In my judgment, this route damaged wetlands, reduced wildlife habitat and produced less traffic improvement. Reasonable people can disagree which route was better. Either way, it was a tough choice for Council, but it is time to more on."
I am excited the project passed owing to Ms. McCormick's firm statement, we would be in total gridlock without the extension. The city will have to plant new trees to replace those removed. When completed, the new Bear Creek Parkway extension will feature a street connection from Redmond Way through Leary Way to Redmond Town Center. This project is the first of several City projects to enhance transit, vehicle, pedestrian, bicycle movement in downtown Redmond.
The roadway will include one travel lane in each direction, a center turn lane, street parking, and bicycle lanes. Pedestrian features include a 14 foot wide sidewalk with street trees and
pedestrian plaza and lighting. Landscaping amenities will add connections to the wooded area south of 161st Street and at Redmond Town Center. A new bike/pedestrian trail through the wooded area will connect the 520 and Sammamish River trails to the 161st Street to the Park and Ride.
The project also includes the first segment of the new downtown sewer and an upgrade to the Leary Way storm treatment pond. The total $23M transportation and stormwater package will be funded from Capital (CIP) funds. Every year 5% of our General Operating Fund transfers to the Capital CIP fund. Thus, this expensive project will be paid by "today's dollars" for use by future citizens years from now. I recall Mr. Marchione (as councilman) once recommended borrowing as a tool available to fund the Extension & other big projects since costs would be spread out to future generations of users.
The economic vitality of Redmond's Downtown will be reinvigorated. Click on the links to see the November 2007 color, aerial photos of the proposed project layout, Phase 1 and Phase 1 and 2, for the Bear Creek Parkway extension.
Construction for the Bear Creek Parkway Extension will likely occur in phases. Click on the link to view the proposed schedule for the Bear Creek Parkway Extension construction timetable. With the passage of this project the "proposed schedule" needs to be updated and I hope will be posted on the front page on the city website.
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Additional Project Information:
Project information
Key environmental issues
State Environmental Policy Act
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