Resident Worries About Mobility and Parking at New Redmond Town Center

Andrew left his comment on the RTC consultant's "feedback website."   Your feedback is welcome too!

Here are my general thoughts on RTC and any potential enhancements to it: (1) I'd like to see some sort of pedestrian/ bicycle (but not automobile) connection to Marymoor Park, by either a pedestrian overpass or tunnel across WA-520 and the soon-to-open light rail tracks. (2) I support the expansion of light rail to Redmond, but I have always thought it ridiculous that the terminal station adjacent to RTC will not have parking. A suburban train station, especially one at the end of the line, needs parking in order to be reasonably successful; transit planners are living in a naive la la land if they think suburban commuters are interested in riding buses to connect to rail transit. I'd like to see any redevelopment of RTC include light rail parking. (3) I worry about traffic into and out of RTC; the area is blocked by 520 on the south and southeast, and routes in from other directions seem "tough", with lots of traffic lights and intersections and convoluted routing requiring lots of turns, on roads that already seem strained to capacity at peak times. (4) RTC needs some kind of a "hook" to be successful . . . some unique business or restaurants or experiences. Currently there is no reason for anybody outside of a 5-mile radius to come to RTC. I live 2 miles away and rarely come. Usually when I go it's to meet someone at Starbucks; I spend my $5 there, have my meeting, and leave.

-- Andrew K.