TWO (not one) "Massage," "Head Spa" and a "Handyman" sandwich board signs are "tented" on 85th St. near 166th Ave. NE. Across the street are two others. They are distracting drivers and proliferating almost daily. If this keeps up, our city will be tacky and visually polluted, yet small businesses need to advertise -- maybe not this way.
According to Code Enforcement Officer Rob Lewis, the city attorney is working on a sign code amendment. "We want to ensure the city is clean and presentable but also must ensure we're not infringing of constitutional free Speech rights while doing so."
A good start in the amendment process would be limiting the businesses to one sign on a street and give fines to those who don't.
Our right to free Speech is violated during elections when only candidates may post their signs. During elections, almost always ugly signs from one or two business are staked everywhere.
Forty - five percent of our clean potable water is supplied by five water supply wells; and they are compromised. Very recent sampling efforts have detected "PFAS" contaminating Anderson Park's two water supply wells (#1 and #2.) PFAS - are found in paint, cleansers, fire extinguisher foam, other man-made chemicals and *historic spills. Public Works Director Aaron Bert said in a staff report, "the City doesn't know the source."
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| 2006 photo of the district's stormwater treatment pond connected to Evans Creek / Bob Yoder |
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| I've lived in Redmond 44 years and have witnessed the severe tree loss. Fortunately, neighborhoods like Education Hill and Grasslawn have retained most of their character. Loss in the urban centers and outlying developments is severe. - Yoder |
City Tree Mitigation Update, 2025:
The City will remove, top or limb ~ 271 trees by late 2025 with more to come in 2026.
BACKGROUND: In 2023 the city assesseed 18,000 city-owned trees for health in parks, right of ways, open spaces, and street trees, to ensure public safety while preserving our urban forest. The assessment focused on trees that were 12” or greater in trunk diameter [significant and landmark trees] located within striking distance of a target, near streets, parking spaces, buildings, or structures.
In 2024 the 35 the city's highest priority trees were mitigated for health risks. Council Presisident Kritzer was unhappy when she heard of this and planned to look at them before they were cut.
David Tuchek, a Deputy Parks Director said about a third of the trees would be removed, a third would be topped into snags for wildlife habitat, and a third would be limbed or pruned. After hearing Tuchek's report, Council President Kritzer reneged stating the mitigation plan was a good for the city and wildlife habitat.
In 2025, the city will focus on the next 50-60 highest priority trees with additional funding for mitigation in 2026. That's a total of ~ 271 trees that will be mitigated (removed, topped, limbed, pruned) by 2025 with more to come in 2026. After a query by CM Fields the Parks Director listed several projects in place like Green Redmond for planting tree replacements.
-- 3/25/25 Council Committee of the Whole, Parks & Human Services
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| There's no stopping growth in Redmond / credit Bob Yoder A view from Mr. Nelson's downtown "Redmond Center" parking lot. The red crane is constructing his "The Charles." building. (Apparently, several members in Mr. Nelson's extended family carry the name "Charles.") When finished, the structure will reach 8-stories, have 244 residential units, 4,920 sf of live work space, and 4,316 sf of retail. The Charles is the first project of a 22-acre Urban Village he plans for our downtown. In part, it will encompass land along the Sammamish River, the Opportunity Building (OB), a large parcel adjacent to OB, the Redmond Center, and the parking lot behind QFC. The Nelson Legacy Group (NLG) has been family-owned since the early 1950s. NLG operates retail and office properties located in Redmond, Kirkland and eastern Washington, conducting leasing, developing and property acquisition from offices in Redmond. Two other significant Urban Villages in Overlake are approved. One of the villages is 14 acres including the demolition of Sears. -- Bob Yoder, 2/5/2024 Sources: Design Review Board Memorandum, 4/15/2020; Carol Helland, Director Planning & Community Development; Thomas L. Markel, NLG; CLARK BARNES "NLG Project One Design Review," 12/03/2020 |
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| The Ukrainian carolers at Redmond Town Center |
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| Underneath the RTC Christmas Tree Merry Christmas from Bob, Pam and Zoey Yoder! |
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| Redmond Silver Cloud Homeless Hotel credit Kirkland Reporter |
Q: Who will be considered to live in the building?
A: The target population is adults whose income is at or below 30% of the area median and who are experiencing or at risk of chronic homelessness. 35-65% of units are prioritized for individuals with local community ties.
Q: Will the building have 24/7 staffing?
A: All Health Through Housing buildings have 24/7 on-site support staff and comprehensive, wraparound services, including: • Employment navigators • Behavioral health services available on-site • Connection to physical and behavioral health care • Assistance in enrolling in Apple Health and other public benefits
Q: Will The Salvation Army provide these services?
A: The Salvation Army will provide property management and 24/7 support staffing services in-house. The Salvation Army will also partner with King County’s Department of Community and Human Services and local service providers to provide the wraparound services.
Q: Will there be security?
A: The Redmond Homeless Hotel will have experienced, 24/7 on-site staff who are trained in trauma-informed care, crisis support, and de-escalation techniques. As an evidence-based model, permanent supportive housing does not feature security guard services, but it does call for clinically trained staff to be on-site and on-duty around the clock. Further, The Salvation Army will be responsible for developing a Safety and Security Plan as required by Redmond Zoning Code
The City is dedicating more than $500,000 to this fourth round of city-distributed funding, specifically designed for the small business community. The grant is funded by American Rescue Plan Act federal dollars and a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) will be required prior to the award.
“The City of Redmond is committed to supporting small business owners,” said Mayor Angela Birney. “These small businesses bring a vibrant and vital energy to our local economy, and it is important that we nurture their success today, tomorrow, and well into the future.”
Echoing Mayor Birney, Kristina Hudson, Chief Executive Officer for OneRedmond, said, “Small businesses are the backbone of our economy, and they have been vulnerable to the lingering effects of the pandemic. OneRedmond is proud to partner again with the City of Redmond on this grant program to help support small businesses who are critical to our community’s economic vitality.”
Eligible businesses must be located within the City of Redmond zip code of 98052 and have 10 or fewer employees. Grants will be awarded through a lottery system performed by an external organization.
More satellites are made in Redmond, Washington than anywhere else in the world.
This brand was developed to showcase the dramatic growth of Redmond’s Space Cluster. According to research by Alliance Velocity, Redmond companies produce almost half of the satellites in earth’s orbit, and are projected to manufacture more than 75% of the world’s satellites in the near future based on current and future FCC approved satellites.
Redmond has a long history in the space industry dating back to 1967 when Aerojet Rocketdyne, broke ground on their first site in Redmond. Today, Redmond is home to an innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem alongside two of the largest satellite manufacturers in the world: SpaceX, and Amazon Project Kuiper.
Along with the two satellite manufacturing giants, Redmond’s robust and growing commercial space sector also includes Honeywell Aerospace, Kymeta, Microsoft’s Azure Orbital, RBC Signals, Spectralux, and Triumph providing a rich environment for small businesses like Xplore to locate in Redmond to grow and prosper.
Source: excerpts and edits from OneRedmond press release, 3/30/2023
OneRedmond is a public-private partnership for economic and community development. Supported by local private sector businesses in close partnership with the City of Redmond. OneRedmond strives to be the difference maker in connecting our local companies and educational community with resources to keep our local economy stable and growing. For more information go to www.OneRedmond.org
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| click image to enlarge |
Location: AMLI: Redmond Way & Avondale Way. Adjacent McDonalds and Anderson Park; in the old Value Village mall.
The applicant proposes the construction of two adjacent buildings, referred to as the “West” building and the “East” building respectively. The project includes a "pouch porch" dog run with space for hop scotch, 4-square and living green walls. The applicant is proposing a woonerf on Avondale Way to safely connect the buildings.
Plantings and a green wall element were added along the ground level to enhance the pedestrian experience along the Redmond Central Connector. Two variations for the integration of planters and vertical green wall trellises are proposed to create visual interest along the concrete wall.
The west building is a mix of residential and retail uses and varies in height ranging from five to seven-stories. 11,070 sf of commercial retail uses located along Redmond Way. On levels two through seven, there are 249 residential units. 237 internal parking stalls are also provided at ground levels B1 and subterranean levels L1
The east building is six stories and is a multi-family apartment building. Residential amenity space is provided at the ground level. On levels two through six, there are 127 residential units. 205 internal parking stalls are also provided at ground levels B1 and subterranean levels L1.
A future elevated rail line is proposed south of the project as a part of the Sound Transit Downtown Redmond Link.
-- Design Review Board, April 2022
Three additional posts on this innovative AMLI project are HERE.
Prepared by Bob Yoder, 9/26/2023
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| Kirkland's Urban Plaza - a similar 6-story building is across from a "living street" / Credit Bob Yoder |
Check out this 6-story mixed-use building and it's architecture. See the use of glass for the façade? I'm sending this photo to the new Redmond Town Center owner asking him to seriously consider glass materials. The owner, Fairbourne, is building two 12-story buildings; I hope he will build with innovative materials and architecture. Residents crave a creative, sparkling downtown building that will make us proud to live here.
I've been told Google owns all the Urban Plaza land. A local office is on-site. Of course, they have deep pockets and can afford architecture that looks great. It makes me wonder why the city couldn't broker a deal between Microsoft and the previous RTC owner. What a huge opportunity. Well, we have Fairbourne instead. They're supposed to be a premier retail developer. Let's hope they know how to design outstanding buildings as well.
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| 3 rows of carrots have sprouted! |
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Mayor Birney (in blue) with Redmond Space District Leaders show proclamations officially launching the Space District |
According to research by Alliance Velocity, Redmond-based companies produced almost half of the satellites in earth’s orbit, and are projected to manufacture more than 75% of the world’s satellites in the near future based on current and future FCC approved satellites.
“Redmond has a long history in the space industry dating back to 1967 when Aerojet Rocketdyne, broke ground on their first site in Redmond,” said Kristina Hudson, Chief Executive Officer of OneRedmond. “Today, Redmond is home to an innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem alongside two of the largest satellite manufacturers in the world: SpaceX, and Project Kuiper.”
Redmond’s innovative and entrepreneurial ecosystem leverages the region’s major strengths in information technology, manufacturing, and aerospace. Along with the two satellite manufacturing giants, Redmond’s robust and growing commercial space sector also includes Honeywell Aerospace, Kymeta, Microsoft’s Azure Orbital, RBC Signals, Spectralux, and Triumph providing a rich environment for small businesses like Xplore to locate in Redmond to grow and prosper.
"Positioning Xplore in this hub for space activity and innovation was strategic,” said Lisa Rich, Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Xplore. “We are surrounded by a community of customers and colleagues including SpaceX, Microsoft's Azure Orbital and Amazon Project Kuiper, and we have fantastic vendors and suppliers."
Washington State is positioned well to become a global leader in the space industry, with Redmond as one if its shining stars.
Mayor Angela Birney's 2022 State of the City Address (Video)
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OneRedmond is a public-private partnership for economic and community development. Supported by local private sector businesses in close partnership with the City of Redmond. OneRedmond strives to be the difference maker in connecting our local companies and educational community with resources to keep our local economy stable and growing.
Source: Kristina Hudson CEO, OneRedmond kristinah@oneredmond.org
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| Flatstick worker installing screening (click pic to enlarge) |
“This property presents a great economic development opportunity for the future of Carnation,” said Mayor Kim Lisk in the release, noting that the city expects to welcome in over 200 new homes in the future.
The property is currently zoned for light industrial/manufacturing use, but the RFI states that the city is considering amending the zoning designation for the property to agritourism. Desired uses include corporate offices, hotels, breweries or restaurants.
The Schefer Riverfront Park parcel is located at 4301 Larson Avenue, Carnation, near Tolt-MacDonald Park and Carnation Market. The property is currently owned by the city.
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| The open-air Redmond Town Center has often struggled to keep up with tawnier local shopping centers and has suffered from the rise of e-commerce. (Steve Ringman / The Seattle Times) |
You may have heard Redmond Town Center was purchased by Chicago-based Fairbourne Properties in 12/31/2019. Fairbourne owns or manages 16 other properties. The Center was on the market for 1.5 years. In 2013, the sellers purchased the 120 acre property for $127 million.
The property has three parcels: a two-story shopping center, former Macy's (now housing Amazon engineers,) and adjacent commercial property. The three parcels combined are 21.5 acres.
According to a Seattle Times article, "Redmond Town Center suffered from e-commerce. The "village style" open-air mall struggled to keep up with "tonier" Bellevue Square." (Is a large, covered pedestrian place in the offing?) The Times reports the tenant mix will lean heavily towards local retailers, restaurants, and health and fitness.
-- Bob Yoder, 7/15/2022
Source: Seattle Times, Paul Roberts, 12/31/2019
Hi Bob! I thought I'd suggest you do a story on Kringles Bakery and the difficulty they are having paying off their landlord and staying in their location. They are doing a gofundme campaign. I think their story may be representative of a lot of what's happening to small businesses in Redmond right now.
-- Emily Johnson, 3/4/2022 Thank you Emily!
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| Photo credit / Four Square |
Kringles Bakery is the yellow "cottage" building located at the junction of Cleveland Street and Redmond Way. You can't miss it! They've been in this location for nine years. The bakery is a flagship small business for Redmond owing it's high visibility, support to our community and amazing, one-of-a-kind kringles! OMG they're good, but notch your belt accordingly.
This is a bakery that really cares about our community. Every Sunday the Redmond Assembly of God parashers pick up baked goods for their morning. Rev. Robroy Ranger sometimes holds small group meetings in the quaint seating area. Day old goods are recycled back to the community. I know they do a lot more.
In these pandemic times, Kringles has one really good thing going for it. Councilmember David Carson is a frequent customer. I've chatted with him twice there; he's usually on his computer. David has strong ties with One Redmond, an organization that supports small businesses.
Kringles still needs community support in a big way. Donate what you can to the: gofundme campaign.!
Thanks for supporting Redmond's small businesses!
-- Bob Yoder, 3/4/2022
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| The Redmond Corner Market was a poorly lit convenience store. My daughter's coach bought his trophies from "Redmond Trophy." |
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| Herfy's is the cornerstone of the mall. |
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| Herfy's has the broadest selection of hamburgers at the lowest price. Great shakes too. Click to enlarge. Find the "mask required sign." Delta Covid variant is running wild. |
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| A warehouse will be built on this site, south of Sunrise. The popular Brown Bag restaurant was here. Click (double) to see a mall sign and Animal Emergency sign. |
