Ribbon-cutting Celebrates Completion Of Redmond Central Connector Trail

 

The third and final phase, being celebrated next month, covers an additional 1.6 miles to Redmond’s city limits and connects with the Eastrail, where it branches north toward Woodinville and west toward Kirkland.

Redmond Celebrates Completion of Major Bike and Pedestrian Trail

REDMOND, WA - Redmond Mayor Angela Birney will lead a public ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 12, to mark the completion of the third and final phase of construction of the Redmond Central Connector Trail.

The event will take place on the trail near Overlake Christian Church on Willows Road and celebrates the opening of the final 1.6 miles of trail that completes the 3.9-mile Redmond Central Connector bike and pedestrian trail, connecting Redmond to the 42-mile Eastrail trail network and beyond. With this, Redmond becomes the first city to fully complete its section of the Eastrail, an important milestone in connecting the region.

Event Details

• What: Ribbon-cutting to celebrate the completion of the Redmond Central Connector Trail
• When: 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 12
• Where: Redmond Central Connector Trail near Overlake Christian Church
• How: Media wishing to cover the event are asked to RSVP with City of Redmond Communications Manager Kelly Schutz for further details

Event Speakers

Speakers from the City of Redmond will include Mayor Angela Birney, Council President Vanessa Kritzer, Council Vice President Jessica Forsythe, Parks and Recreation Director Loreen Hamilton, and Public Works Director Aaron Bert. Speakers from the project design team will include Berger Partnership Principal Guy Michaelson and Otak Principal Nico Vanderhorst. United States Rep. Su.zan Delbene and Eastrail Executive Director Katherine Hollis will also share remarks

“Completing the Redmond Central Connector Trail marks the culmination of a decade and a half of visionary leadership and hard work,” said Redmond Mayor Angela Birney. “This trail not only connects Redmond to our neighbors in Sammamish, Kirkland, and Woodinville—it also connects us to many of the things that make Redmond special, including the natural beauty of the Sammamish Valley, parks, gathering places, public art, transit, local businesses, and the energy of Downtown.”

The first phase, a one-mile segment through Downtown, was completed in 2013 and included Redmond Central Connector Park, with multiple public art installations. Phase two, completed in 2017, constructed 1.3 miles of trail from east of the Sammamish River to the intersection of Willows Road and the 9900 Block, near DigiPen and Overlake Christian Church. This phase included retrofitting the Sammamish River Trestle. The third and final phase, being celebrated next month, covers an additional 1.6 miles to Redmond’s city limits and connects with the Eastrail, where it branches north toward Woodinville and west toward Kirkland.

From 1889 to 2008, a railroad ran through the heart of Redmond, connecting the City to the wider region, but also creating a barrier through the center of town. The City acquired the property in 2010 with a new vision for the abandoned rail corridor: to create a trail that would bring our community together and draw people to Redmond.

Redmond Central Connector Amenities and Connections

• East Lake Sammamish Trail
• Bear Creek Trail
• Sammamish River Trail
• Powerline Trail
• Eastrail
• Redmond Central Connector Park
• Public Art Installations
  • Erratic
  • Signals
  • Sky Painting
• Sammamish River Trestle
• Sound Transit Light Rail - 2 Line – Downtown Redmond Station

Downtown / Marymoor Village Light Rail Station Celebration

     Seattle Times article on the Opening 5/10 

Join the community, leaders, and contributors from across the region on May 10 to celebrate two new stations on the 2 Line. ... Downtown Station / Marymoor Village Station.  

At 10:30 a.m., a speaking program will kick off the day at Downtown Redmond Station (16620 NE 76th St. Redmond, WA 98052), followed by a ribbon cutting.

Light rail is coming to Downtown Redmond! Move Redmond is excited to host Trail 2 Transit presented by Sound Transit and in partnership with Eastrail Partners & Africans on the Eastside. Join us May 10th from 12:00pm-4pm along with Sound Transit, Eastrail Partners,  Africans on the Eastside, and others to celebrate the Downtown Redmond light rail opening, a new critical connection into Downtown Redmond! During the day’s festivities, walk, bike or roll between Redmond light rail station and Redmond Central Connector to celebrate the opening of light rail with vendors, live entertainment, delicious food, and family friendly activities.

Sound Transit, 5/9/2025 At Downtown Redmond Station, join Move Redmond for a stroll or roll along Redmond's Central Connector Trail from the train station to the park. All along the trail you’ll find local vendors, live music, tasty food, and family-friendly fun. 

How to get there

The following bus routes serve Downtown Redmond Station: King County Metro Route 250, RapidRide B Line, and ST Express 545 (drops off one block away).

Microsoft will also provide shuttles and ADA minivans running every 15 minutes between Redmond Technology Station, Marymoor Parking Garage, and Downtown Redmond Station from 9 a.m. until service begins.

Downtown Redmond Station does not have a parking facility, and Redmond Town Center does not allow event parking. We encourage you to take public transit to the event, if you can. show hosted by Africans on the Eastside. Music, dancing and a fashion show hosted by Africans on the Eastside.

Let's Move Redmond: An Open Streets Festival

This video interviews attendees of the first Let's Move Redmond event. MOVE REDMOND opened up 161st Street in Downtown Redmond, WA so people could bike, scoot, walk, and play in the streets.

IF YOU DON'T LIVE IN A DOWNTOWN APARTMENT, A GOOD PLACE TO PARK IS IN THE REDMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL LOT OR RIDE A BIKE, TAKE A SCOOTER, OR WALK FROM YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.  I WOULD NOT ADVISE DRIVING.

"Bicycling in Redmond" -- Historical Society Speaker Series

A YouTube Video of the Meeting!

 

Saturday Speaker Series - Bicycling in Redmond – Past, Present, and Future

Time & Location

Apr 13, 2024, 10:30 AM

Old Redmond Schoolhouse, 16600 NE 80th St, Redmond

Redmond is home to the headquarters of several major bike manufacturers. However, there’s not one thing that makes Redmond a great place for cycling, but many things put together that has earned Redmond the designation of "Bicycle Capital of the Northwest"―from Derby Days races to “Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day” (RAMROD) to the Jerry Baker Memorial Velodrome at Marymoor Park. Joe Matthews, President of the Redmond Cycling Club, will give a short history of that organization.

Speaker bio:

Joe Matthews only got into long-distance cycling after his brother challenged him to complete the Seattle to Portland (STP) bike ride in the 1990s. Matthews couldn’t back down, of course. After STP, the Redmond resident wanted more, so he embarked on the Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day (RAMROD―a single-day event that celebrates the beauty of Mount Rainier National Park and features a challenging course of 150 miles and 10,000 feet of climb. He was hooked. Since then, Matthews has cycled in myriad races and challenges and now serves as president of the Redmond Cycling Club (RCC). RCC was founded in 1978 amid increasing popularity of cycling in the U.S. The club began from a core group of friends who were riding regularly. Within a few years, RAMROD founder John Dixon brought the RAMROD cycling event to RCC, which it now stewards.

UPDATED OPINON 10/26: Seattle Times Spotlights City Of Redmond Planners

 Post and photo by Bob Yoder, 10/22/2023

Under construction, Redmond Square Apartments (aka The Grand) located in the heart of Redmond (Redmond Way and 166th Avenue NE); narrow sidewalks, limited bicycle infrastructure, pedestrian and street shadowing, flat facade. Legacy Partners ($3 billion) partnered with a Bejing-based company to build this monolith. They didn't partner with the community as are the Redmond Town Center owners. 

Below are excerpts and highlights from Gregory Scrugg's Seattle Times October 10, 2023 opinion: "Redmond Could be a Model for Re-inventing Suburban Downtowns."  Mr. Scruggs is their outdoors reporter. The story primarily focuses on multimodal transportation in Downtown Redmond, not building design or character.  

"As Redmond has grown to 76,000 residents, a proper downtown has sprouted up around the city center’s handful of pre-World War II buildings. This kind of reinvention is happening around Puget Sound and across the country, a phenomenon called “retrofitting suburbia” in a 2008 book of the same name. Some argue multimodal Redmond is a national model for the trend.

Planners like the city of Redmond’s Jeff Churchill are tasked with a tricky job: figuring out how to revamp an outdated, car-dependent suburban template into a place that’s easier to get around on foot, bike or transit.

“The vision for this area becoming what it’s becoming has transcended multiple mayors and city council members,” Churchill said. “It’s been a very durable vision with a fair amount of buy-in.”

** “We’re going to put all our growth into downtown,” Churchill said. “That’s been the plan since the 1990s.” 

Civic interest in Redmond’s future remains high. On a September weeknight, several dozen people — local residents, civil servants and elected officials — joined advocacy group Move Redmond to see highlights and lowlights of navigating downtown Redmond on foot. 

The existing transit center, where express buses whisk residents to Microsoft’s Overlake campus or further along Highway 520 to Bellevue or Seattle, generally won praise. A curbless shared street between two apartment buildings, also known as a woonerf, elicited interest. A block lacking sidewalks near the new light-rail earned a “thumbs down.”

“Redmond is a suburb but downtown is trying to be a city,” Stevens said. “But it could be so much more.”

For example, Redmond touts itself as the bicycle capital of the Northwest, with its annual Derby Days races and its cycling velodrome at Marymoor Park, but on-street bike infrastructure is lacking. 

“I’m comfortable riding in the street, but I want the kids I see riding on the sidewalk to feel comfortable being out on the street, especially because that’s something cool about Redmond: families are living downtown,” Stevens said.

These were the kinds of insights that Move Redmond Executive Director Kelli Refer hoped to hear. Folks are eager to see what’s next, provided downtown Redmond keeps sticking with the plan.

That kind of steady hand offers lessons for retrofitting suburbs everywhere.

“Redmond is setting itself up to be a national model,” Refer said."

Gregory Scruggs: gscruggs@seattletimes.com; Gregory Scruggs is the outdoors reporter at The Seattle Times.

###

** What's coming next... (City of Redmond)

** Redmond 2050 is evaluating higher densities by allowing taller buildings (generally between 10 and 19 stories depending on the Overlake station area). This would accommodate 19,000 to 23,000 new housing based on the development alternative options selected.  (Draft: Future Vision for Redmond:  Urban Centers.)

Redmond's Downtown Building Designs

Redmond 2100 ??

The city wants to talk about Downtown architectural and building designs for new development. Help them plan the buildings of 2050.  The 23-acre Nelson downtown village stands out. Townhouses and triplexes are planned for the residential neighborhoods.  Overlake-south will have two new villages.  

Tell the city what you like and don’t like in architectural and building designs.  23 building designs are displayed for your opinion and comment.  Add your own ideas for Downtown buildings and comment on the designs.

The city will use your feedback to develop Downtown’s design standards for new development.  Give your feedback here.  

Questions?  Principal Planner, Kimberly Dietz, kdietz@redmond.gov, 425-556-2415

Posted by Yoder

UPDATED, 11/7/2022 Redmond Town Center 12- Story Building Heights

A rendering of the new Redmond Town Center

Two, 8-story buildings are currently zoned for Redmond Town Center. Scale, massing, and village character are important considerations that may raise or lower the acceptable height.  To incentivize the Applicant (owners) to build up to a maximum of 12-stories the following benefits could be considered:  

2. Benefit:  Covered outdoor entertainment space and children's play area  

3. Benefit:  Covered retail is already in place.   

4. Benefit: Indoor / and covered outdoor common areas appointed with significant art.

.

5. Benefit:  Covered ped/bike urban pathway to light rail station; uncovered pathway in the Marymoor corridor.

5. Benefit:  Green Building Incentive Program:  green walls, trestles, LEED Platinum medal construction.  Plush landscaping with 10 foot trees. Activated, landscaped rooftop patios.

6. Benefit:  Affordable housing.  3 and 4 room apartments for families.

7.City "Safety Station" maned to oversee the light rail station, homeless, and Lime bikes.

8. Benefit:  Community WiFi and coffee plaza / visitor center kiosk.

9. Benefit:  Community bike repair, e-bikes, washing and charging stations.

10.Benefit:  City stoplight at SR520 / Bear Creek gateway to parking areas.

11.Benefits:  Architecture, significant cultural art, pedestrian sidewalks safe from scooters, plazas, alleys, setbacks, dynamic water feature.  

12.  Wayfinding, dog-sitting, mini dog park with wash, food trucks. (whistles and bells)

-- Bob Yoder, 10/26/2022. updated 11/7/2022 opinion

FOR MORE INFORMATION about the proposed Redmond Town Center Code Amendment, Visit  redmond.gov/1860/Redmond-Town-Center. Write to the Planning Commissioners  if you have any comments and  questions, or would like to be a Party-of-Record on this proposal, please contact Glenn Coil, Senior Planner, 425-556-2742, gcoil@redmond.gov.  

Unapproved LIME e-Bikes Are Left in Our Parks

 

Years ago the City approved LIME BIKES. Not now. This one is on Education Hill / credit Yoder

My wife was walking our puppy near Hartman Park and saw a LIME e-Bike on the park grass.  A City worker told her he hated them because they get in the way of his mower and they look bad. He complained when he reports them it takes 2-3 weeks before they're removed.  

Mayor Birney mentioned about a month ago the City didn't have a contract with LIME for their bikes.  New news. When the City had a contract the bikes looked like the one above, with a wire basket.  The new ones have a lime-colored plastic basket usually with graffiti on the stem.  

Council Member David Carson dislikes them and especially can't stand abandoned shopping carts. He  promotes a City Facebook App for reporting pot holes, etc. to customer service.  I'll try to find it for you.  In the meantime email Info@redmond.gov for customer service.  

-- Bob Yoder, 10/21/2022

The Education Hill Earthquake Event

In 2001, a *6.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Education Hill.

It seems like only yesterday this earthquake shook the homes and schools on Education Hill.  My wife, Pam was in the clothes closet when it happened. I was out of town on business.  Pam was on the "Earthquake Emergency Committee" at Horace Mann where my daughter attended.  By the time she got to Mann the Principal had already moved the children out of the building; the Principal panicked so the gym teacher took over.  The school's "emergency metal container" was opened but unused. Tents, triage materials, food etc. Pam and two other mom's phoned as many parents as they could.  Pam guesses "the ground shook maybe 30 seconds."  She said only a couple of students were panicky.  

Our tri-level is next to the Bike Park.  Apparently, the chandelier swung mildly.  A weight-bearing beam in our 2-story rental on Ed. Hill cracked, shifted and had to be replaced.  

Stephan A. Siebert, P.E. with Associated Earth Sciences, Inc. in Kirkland is an Associate Geotechnical Engineer.  Mr. Siebert wrote in "Rosehill Cottages" Redmond project report:

Earthquakes occur in Puget Lowland with great regularity.  Large, deep earthquakes occur as evidenced by the 1949, 7.2-magnitude event; the 1966, 6.5-magnitude event; and the 2001, *6.8-magnitude event.  The deep 1949 earthquake appears to have been the largest in this area (Redmond) during recorded history.  Evaluation of return rates indicates that an earthquake of a magnitude between 6.0 and 7.0 is likely every 25 to 40 years in the Puget Sound area.

Is it time the school district updates their earthquake preparedness safety manual?

Is it time the City of Redmond updates their earthquake preparedness safety manual?

-- Bob Yoder, 9/9/2022, opinion

Downtown Redmond sits on a three-six foot deep aquifer in places!  video  

San Francisco earthquake liquefication event video.  Redmond's downtown aquifer has similar characteristics. 

Seattle fault zone / 3 earthquake types in the Pacific Northwest.  video

File:   LWSD, COR

Updated: City To Apply "Slurry Seal" To Select Education Hill Roads

 FINAL REPORT:  COMPLETE DISCLOSURE, 9/12/2022

ORIGIONAL SOURCE:  CITY PROJECTS, July, 2022

180th Ct NE and NE 105th Way.   Education Hill  Call 425-556-2776 to confirm

Beginning August 19, 2022, a City of Redmond contractor will place a slurry seal on 180th Ct NE and NE 105th Way. This is a pilot project to test the effectiveness of slurry seals as a pavement maintenance technique. 

Project Overview

In Summer 2022, a City of Redmond contractor will place a slurry seal on 180th Ct NE and NE 105th Way. This is a pilot project to test the effectiveness of slurry seals as a pavement maintenance technique. 

What is a Slurry Seal?

A slurry seal is the application of a mixture of water, asphalt emulsion (mixture of asphalt and a form of soap), aggregate (very small crushed rock), and additives to an existing asphalt pavement to help the roadway last longer.

After Application

• Slurry seal is brown and sticky, and residents will not be able to drive, bike, walk or allow their pets on the street during the day of construction till the slurry seal has fully cured (will look black and dry).    
• The road’s new surface has more friction and sheds some of the larger aggregate, creating small gravel deposits on top of the new slurry seal.  Crews will sweep the streets one week after application, then again in three weeks.  Over time, the road surface will smooth out. 

Derby Days Returns July 8-9th Of This Year

REDMOND, WA – Redmond’s signature summer festival, Derby Days, returns on July 8 and 9, 2022 at Redmond’s City Hall campus. This year’s event features live music, parades, carnival rides, local food, a beer and wine garden, and more. New this year will be a dedicated craft market with Urban Craft Uprising, elite bike races and kiddie kilo at the Jerry Baker Velodrome at Marymoor Park, and a virtual community bike race for all.

“I am excited for the return of Derby Days, our family-friendly festival that kicks off the summer,” said Mayor Angela Birney. “This event celebrates our community coming together again, in the spirit of friendly competition with the longest-running community bicycle race in the United States. We are proud to continue this legacy in 2022.”

Derby Days begins on Friday evening, July 8, with a lineup of live, local music, and a family-friendly 5K walk/run. Event attendees are invited to watch one of the races at Marymoor Park, then take a shuttle to City Hall to have dinner from the food trucks and booths, shop the craft market, and enjoy the Derby Days Beer and Wine Garden on opening night.

Saturday kicks off with the Kids’ Bike Parade - a tradition dating back to the first Derby Days in 1940 that ushers the way for the Derby Days Grand Parade directly after. Derby Days continues throughout the afternoon with live music, kids’ performances and activities, and carnival rides. Attendees can sign up for the Derby Days Cornhole Tournament in the Beer and Wine Garden, walk through the new craft market, and relax with the music from the main stage.

For additional details and information on how to participate, visit redmond.gov/DerbyDays or contact events@redmond.gov.

-- City press release

Derby Days was COVID cancelled in 2020 & 2021 

Redmond's "Verde Esterra Park" Is 644 Units With A Bicycle Shop

 

Overlake's Verde Esterra Park to open January, 2022 / Yoder, 12/17/2021

The vision
Capstone designed the park and ran it past Council and Parks & Trails Commission.  The City won't maintain it. 

The last phase of Esterra Park, the 28-acre mixed-use redevelopment of an old hospital property (Group Health) in Redmond, will be carbon neutral. This phase includes an office building leased to Microsoft, which has a stated goal of operating as a carbon negative company by 2030, more than 600 apartments and the overall project's centerpiece, a 3-acre park.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Verde at Esterra Park is a 634-unit residential development located in the Overlake community of Redmond, WA. The property abuts a 2.6-acre park and offers easy access to the region’s largest employer and to public transit. Verde at Esterra Park features 34,000 SF of outdoor amenity space, including two courtyards, two rooftop decks, and a central mews. Interior amenities include a collaborative working space and an on-premise bike shop. Bike-friendly facilities and easy access to public transit help reduce residents’ dependence on vehicles.

Verde at Esterra Park takes the site’s challenging grade and transforms it into a celebrated feature, with unique stepping of the building masses mimicking the natural landforms and patterns of the Sammamish Valley. The development’s folded planes maximize solar exposure for units and frame memorable vignettes of the park and surrounding context. Amenity spaces and exterior courtyards are located adjacent to the park to enable interaction with nature.

-- Runberg Architecture Group

Website information:  "If you could design your own park, (Esterra Park) what would you include? Exercise, music, food trucks, restaurant pop-ups, gathering spots, a comfortable work area, green space? We agree with you. When completed in 2022, The Park will have all that and more."

Yoder, 12/17/2021

UPDATED OPINION, 11/7/2021: What Will Redmond Look Like In 2050?

Is it too late to make the massive 22-acre downtown Nelson "Village" palpable and resident friendly or will our elected officials cave to this developer?

In 2007, Redmond hired consultant Guy Michaelson from Berger Partnership of Seattle to give a vision  and suggestions for the development of Downtown Redmond.  Below, are two points he made, salient to Redmond 2050:

Guy emphasized the importance of "promenades" for connecting a hierarchy of streets. Promenades are not boulevards but important avenues with canopy and wider (20')sidewalks.  The Parks Director and Mayor Ives talked with excitement about street-side cafes, book stores, spilling over onto wider sidewalk promenades. (Thank you COVID for the later.)

Guy suggested improving the "green ring" along the Sammamish River by softening the eastern slope of the river with a more gradual grade to "get out of the ditch". He suggested building a bike/running trail on the west side to allow for more passive activities on the eastern slope. He thought Luke McRedmond Park had great potential. [He failed to point out King County has jurisdiction over the river corridor.]

Mayor Birney and Council, please zone for greater use of promenades, wider sidewalks and bike lanes, specifically in the Nelson Master Plan and SE Redmond Neighborhood (where new schools are planned.)  Thank you.  B. Yoder

READ MORE for the abridged Berger report and my opinion:

City Consults With Berger Partnership On Downtown Parks

Heron Rookery adjacent Leary Way

I was one of the few public attending the "Downtown Parks Open House" meeting on April 24 at the Old Redmond School House. (It was posted on the city website).

The mayor, councilmembers Vache, McCormick, and Jim Robinson (Parks Chair) were in attendance along with Sue Stewart, Park Board Chair and Gary D. Smith of the Trails Commission.

Parks Director, Craig Larson introduced a well-paid consultant, Guy Michaelson, from Berger Partnership in Seattle. (206-325-6877) to address the audience. Mr. Larsen showed a map depicting 6 downtown projects underway. Most of them were residential.

Guy spent most of the night evaluating our downtown parks, topography, and making suggestions for improvement and park development.

I posted the above photo of a Great Blue Heron rookery because the consultant informed us the 3-acre heron rookery (behind the Workshop Tavern) is 'sterile' and without nesting activity. If fact, Guy recommended planting new trees to improve the defunct rookery woodlands.

To be frank, I was quite shocked to learn of our rookery loss since the Great Blue Heron is by law our state protected "species of local importance". How could the city let this go? I think (and hope) we have one other rookery behind Safeway along Bear Creek. If we don't have another productive rookery then we have a problem of not protecting the most important species in our city. The Critical Area Ordinance applies here.

Besides the above rookery announcement, I found Guy's observation of the unique character of our "wooded hillsides" surrounding the city interesting. He thought they were an under appreciated city asset.

Guy emphasized the importance of "promenades" for connecting a hierarchy of streets. Promenades are not boulevards but important avenues with canopy and wider (20')sidewalks. Craig and Rosemarie both talked with excitement about street-side cafes, book stores, spilling over onto wider sidewalk promenades.

Guy suggested improving the "green ring" along the Sammamish River by softening the eastern slope of the river with a more gradual grade to "get out of the ditch". He suggested building a bike/running trail on the west side to allow for more passive activities on the eastern slope. He thought Luke McRedmond Park has greater potential.

He spent a lot of time talking about where he envisioned the heart of our downtown. He identifies our "heart" at the confluence of the sterile heron rookery, Bear Creek Parkway, and the Burlington Northern corridor; and the Haida House as the "spirit" of our downtown. Gary Smith (trails commissioner) disagreed, suggesting artist Dudley Carter's Haida House -- adjacent to the Leary bridge and Sammamish River -- is the "heart" of our downtown. The park will be used for storage of  materials  the King Council Sewer project. 

Guy felt our skateboard park has much potential to provide more to the community. I concur. Known as "Edge Park" , he suggesting a railing (to lean on) circling around the skateboard ramp-park. Pam and I drove by the Woodland H.S. today and we saw their "skateboard park". It's awesome and packed with a variety of activity stations and places to rest. Totally different from our modest park.

Guy's only complaint about Redmond is we don't have a "major destination". What do you think??

Well, I guess the Downtown Park is the answer.

Nov. 9 2007