Light Rail Downtown Station Tributes

"Arnold / Redmond Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee"

Look around the Downtown Light Rail Station and you'll see plexi-glass panal tributes like this one of Arnold Tomac.  

There's a whole lot more to Arnie than his leading the "PED/BIKE Advisory Committee."  He was an early President of Redmond City Council, a Co-Founder of Redmond Town Center, to name a few.   

A kind and giving man ... 

-- Yoder, 5/16/25 

Arnold Tomac, a Redmond Town Center Founding Father

Arnie Tomac at Soul Food Coffee, 6/2022 / by

Arnold Tomac and Redmond Town Center go hand-and-glove.  In this piece, Arnie's the storyteller of his early involvement in Redmond and his role as a founding Father.  

 Arnie says...

In 1973, when we moved to Redmond, I noticed we did not have a neighborhood park so I started going to City Park Board meetings. In 1977, I, wife Mary and future mayor Chris Himes called over 500 residents asking for their support of a $2.5 million Park Bond. The bond measure passed and Viewpoint neighborhood park was built.

I also got involved with C.A.R.E. "Civic Action on Redmond Environment," which later led me into running for City Council.  (C.A.R.E. was a coalition of residents with a goal of saving the golf course from development.)  In 1977, Mayor Bud Young appointed me to Chair the City's first Development Guide.

In 1978, several land use issues brewed.  One was an uproar over completing the construction of SR 520.  The other was more serious.  A developer purchased the Old Redmond Golf Course and announced they planned to develop the site. Concerned citizens, many of whom had never attended a Council meeting (moi) descended on City Hall asking the City to stop development.  

I was elected President of Council in 1981.  The population of Redmond was 23,000. The downtown was separated by an operating railway. It served the grain elevator in Redmond and the milk processing Dairygold facility in Issaquah. Everything north of City Hall was blueberry fields.

There were only two roads leading through Redmond that being Cleveland and Redmond Way.  Basically, the downtown with minimal service.  The rest of the Council and I wanted to create a downtown.  

Just before I attended my first Council meeting, we got to review Mayor Young's budget. Every department was listed with number and dollars amount. (ie 87340 $12500.)  So I knew I needed to create a readable budget. We had a surplus the end of the year so we created the Capital Improvement Plan. (C.I.P.)  We also created a new Hearing Examiner position and a Technical Design Committee.  (Tomac has degrees in engineering mathematics.)

In the 1982 election, another CARE candidate Pat Vache' was elected to the Council and Arnold Tomac was elected Council President.  

Town Center Associates offered the city $6 million for the 89-acre golf course.  There was a misunderstanding about a 4.62-acre parcel north of Leary Way.  Town Center thought the sliver of land was theirs;  Councilmembers Vache', President Tomac and the city lawyer felt otherwise and negotiated the final purchase option.  It was approved 6-0 by Council. 

"Councilmember Pat Vache' called me (Tomac) one day and asked if I would come to his office to talk about the golf course. "I said definitely!"  I think the golf course is going to remain controversial until people have a chance to address a ballot issue on the purchase of the property." said Tomac. "Pat and I informed Winmar (the owners) if the bond did not pass we would support "reasonable development" of the property."  The bond did not pass. "Pat and I stuck to our commitment to move forward with development of the property. Of course we received push-back from our supporters who wanted to keep the golf course open."

"Marchione, Vache' and Tomac all indicated they thought "reasonable development" included keeping some of the green space around the golf course as a condition of development should the voters elect not to buy the property.  "I'd like to keep it (the links) as is," concluded Tomac.  "But, are we willing to pay to keep it?" 

The $6 million measure went out for vote; it lost by 2%.  Master planning of the site came with 37 goals and policies, with 50% of the property to be preserved as open space.  

Tomac's recommendation for enhancing RTC:  "I believe we are lacking vibrant centers in the evenings.  The nighttime activity at Redmond Overlake and downtown is negligible.  It turns out 70% of business income comes from the evening sales.  To have vibrant Urban Centers, policies and zoning regulations must be in place that supports businesses being successful."

-- Reported by Bob Yoder, 11/25/2022

Sources:  Soul Food Coffee House interviews, 2022.  Arnie's notes & family keepsakes.  Excerpts from the Sammamish Valley News. Circa 82-83.  Redmond Kiwanis Club. 

Pat Vache': Redmond Town Center's Early History

Pat Vache' in his early days / courtesy of Arnie Tomac

"What is known as 'Town Center' didn’t just happen.  It has history.”​  

-- Pat Vache'

As some know, just prior to the pandemic, the Redmond Town Center was purchased by Fairbourne Properties of Chicago for $192 million.  Fairbourne's vision is to redevelop Redmond Town Center from "an auto-centric, suburban campus to a walkable, mixed-use urban neighborhood with retail at it's core. ​Light rail is a major driver.  ​

In 2022, Pat Vache', a "Founding Father" of Town Center gave testimony encouraging Council  include the founders in the development process citing their previous experience (and collective wisdom.) He emphasized the need of engagement opportunities, especially town hall meetings.

Mr. Vache' stated “Throughout the history of Redmond Town Center two issues were foremost, 1) protecting open space and 2) creating a major retail facility for all to enjoy.  If history taught us nothing else, it is clear that three elements were important then and are critical today:

1) Redmond residents want and deserve the opportunity to engage, 

2) A robust retail environment is a necessity for Redmond residents and the economic sustainability of the City of Redmond, and

 3) Redmond residents demand a sustainable environment, an environment characterized by trees, lots of trees and open space, lots of open space," in fact a minimum of 43 acres."

THE EARLY HISTORY - a quick story

Town Center’s modern history began in late 1978 when the Old Redmond Golf Course​ (in King County)​ was purchased by Winmar, a Safeco company.  A total of 120 pristine acres were purchased, including the 87-acre golf course. Forty-four acres would remain open space. (C. Beason played a large role in that.) The acreage was  invaluable to the community.  Open space is a very big part of Redmond culture. 

Winmar proposed development​ of the 87 acre golf course twice, once in 1979​ ​for $4 million (per Town Center Associates) and again in **1982 for $6 million ($16.5 million in today's dollars.)  Though open space was desirable,​ The Sammamish Valley ​News​, ​​​businessmen​ and many residents wanted shopping and commercial ​development.

To counter development, in 1978 a coalition of preservationists​,​ “Civic Action for Redmond Environment” (C.A.R.E.) formed to retain the golf course and influence public opinion.​  One of the C.A.R.E. Presidents Richard Grubb, Pat Vache', Arnie Tomac, Chris Himes, the Beasons and other citizen activists organized the coalition. Grubb, Vache' and Tomac became councilmembers. Himes  became Redmond's first full time Mayor.  Nothing ever came of the 1979, $4 million Town Center Associates offer, probably because of C.A.R.E.  

Pat Vache', Redmond's first planning commissioner and a councilmember of 16 years, says ​"in over eight years ​the public, planning staff, ​and Policy Advisory Commission​​ had a series of public meetings, visioning exercises and just about any type of public process imaginable. Town Center didn't just happen. It has history." 

​​"Old Redmond" vs. "New Redmond" issues were reaching a boiling point. So, in 1982 Council​,​ led by Council President Arnie Tomac​ and councilmember Pat Vache',​ proposed a $6 million bond measure to “let the voters decide" if they wanted to purchase the land for preservation or take Winmar’s offer and develop it.  According to Rosemarie Ives, the 60% supermajority bond failed by 2%​.​  

Mayor Doreen Marchione is quoted in the Sammamish Valley News, “we have no choice but to annex the property for reasonable development.”  Former Mayor Rosemarie Ives​ felt the city ​should​​​ have immediately​ gone out for a second​ vote​. ​ 

With that, ​​Vache' notes by 198​6​, (Ord. 1328) 120 acres were annexed from King County, pre-annexation zoning was completed, the ***Master Plan was approved, and the property was incorporated into the City of Redmond. ​ ​*Seven years following the City’s 1988 approval (Ord. 1416) Winmar didn’t develop anything with Town Center, though there still was much debate and talk.​ In 1994, Winmar proposed an outdoor mall of 1.3M square feet of shopping and offices. The proposal was approved by Council in 1995 (Ord. 1841.) Construction started in 1996.  

-- written by Bob Yoder, 7/15/2022

Sources:  Sammamish Valley News, Pat Vache, Arnie Tomac, Nancy McCormick, Rosemarie Ives, Holly Plackett, 4/8/2022 Fairbourne Properties Letter to Redmond City Council, Seattle Times, 8/10/1997.

Arnold Tomac's Leadership and Involvement with Redmond Town Center.  Arnie is a good friend of Pat Vache'. 

* Quick stories:  Though, not directly related to Town Center, past councilmember and planning commissioner Holly Plackett wrote Winmar's seven "idle" years were spent developing Target, Mervyns, and Bella Bottega cinema.

This story is so interesting! As editor of the Sammamish Valley News at that time, I was deeply involved in studying the options for this property. Redmond was sorely in need of a better commercial zone….the town was growing and there really was a great need. Although Town Center perhaps failed to fulfill that dream entirely, there is still hope. The city has grown…the possibilities are still endless! I hope Redmond marches ahead, brings itself completely into this century to keep up with the vast population growth!

--Deb Akerstrom, 7/2022.  Deb is presently a Director on the Redmond Historical Society Society.  12/2022

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** The MASTER PLAN was approved in 1986:  "The design and development of this zone is controlled by a Master Plan established to ensure that development here integrates with and positively influences future development of the Greater downtown area and retains traditional building styles, street patterns, variety of uses, and public amenities."  (Ord. 1328.)  

The MASTER PLAN was scrapped in 2022.  New language:  "Design and development of this zone is controlled by zone-based regulations and additional  special design standards for development projects located within the downtown urban core."