City Council is presently working on their biennium budget. A $1,267,396 sidewalk project was presented by a Deputy Public Works Director under the budget category: "Vibrant and Connected." $239,000 of the funding is a "Excise Real Estate Tax" on large downtown construction projects.
The deputy said the project "replaces 2,000 linear feet of sidewalk that was severely damaged by tree root growth" and 13 non-compliant curb ramps will be replaced with ADA ramps Sidewalk on 40th Street will be replaced from Bell-Red Road to 156th Avenue.
Council Member Sayna Parsi asked if the old trees will be replaced with new sidewalk compliant trees. The deputy said he'd look into it. The project memo gave a "2024- 2025 time frame." so is it already completed? There were no photos of the sidewalk in the agenda memo. Council has to approve all projects over $300,000. Council did not state this project would be placed on the consent agenda for approval.
-- Bob Yoder, 4/12/26
Two Redmond Neighborhood Park Forest Restoration Projects
NOW
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| Photo with Article by John Rienke |
SEATTLE – December 15, 2025 – Pagliacci Pizza has opened a new pizzeria in Old Town
Redmond, bringing new life to a familiar corner near the light rail station. The company’s
ninth Eastside location provides neighborhood residents with an inviting place for slices
and whole pies, easy takeout, and expanded delivery in Redmond and nearby
communities.
Pagliacci has transformed the former gas station at 16311 Redmond Way into a warm,
light-filled neighborhood pizzeria that preserves the original post-and-beam structure
and distinctive roofline. The design takes cues from the Pacific Northwest and
Redmond’s historic core, with white brick, striped wood cladding, and large windows
looking into the dining room and open kitchen. New landscaping, street trees, and
outdoor seating make the site more walkable and welcoming.
On Saturday, January 10, from 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Pagliacci will host a grand opening
party with a live DJ, swag, and free slices (while they last). Local muralist and pop-up
artist Dozfy will be on site creating custom live drawings on tote bags (provided by
Pagliacci) from guests’ pet photos.
“This new location is way overdue,” says co-owner Matt Galvin. “We have looked for
many years and finally were able to find the right location with the right landlord.”
As part of Pagliacci’s Envision Zero initiative, an effort to move toward carbon-neutral
operations with zero waste, the company has added an e-bike fleet to complement
deliveries from the Redmond store.
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| Internet photo |
"Maintenance is a crucial activity to the success of restoration and mitigation . Approximately 100-acres of maintenance sites are distributed around Redmond. Maintenance of restoration sites involves control of invasive weeds, litter pick-up, replacement planting, and other activities important to overall project success. This regular site maintenance enhances already completed projects, building on the initial investment, as well as improving the aesthetics of sites."
This project costs $289,880 and includes 4 extra weeks of crew time to assist with large scale noxious weed management and tree planting projects. WCC members are typically college-age students learning restoration techniques and gaining job skills. A crew consists of six staff that work a 40-hour work week, for 42 weeks, primarily managing noxious weeds and installing replacement plantings at City capital improvement projects. In addition, the crew helps with volunteer events, native tree planting, habitat assessment, small stream projects, site monitoring, and de-fishing stream projects.
-- Council Business Meeting memo, 9/14/25
REDMOND, WA - For the first time, the City of Redmond is launching a free tree giveaway to help grow the City’s urban forest and reach the goal of 40% tree canopy cover by 2050, as supported by the Tree Canopy Strategic Plan, Redmond 2050, and the Environmental Sustainability Action Plan.
“From enhancing the richness of life in Redmond and improving our health to protecting our streams and hillsides from erosion, trees provide countless benefits to our community,” said Redmond Mayor Angela Birney. “Trees are also an essential part of our City’s commitment to improve environmental sustainability and mitigate the impacts of climate change.”
Through this new event, Redmond is giving away 500 trees to Redmond residents, groups, and organizations, such as schools, faith organizations, nonprofits, HOAs, and small businesses with fewer than 25 employees within Redmond city limits. Educational materials will be provided to help participants choose, plant, and care for their trees.
The giveaway application is now open. A completed application is required before picking up a tree, as quantities are limited. The giveaway will take place on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, at the Redmond Municipal Campus.
Volunteer opportunities are available. For those who want to join the fun but don’t have a space to plant a tree of their own, there will be a community planting event with Green Redmond in October.
To learn more and apply, visit redmond.gov/TreeGiveaway. For questions about the tree giveaway, contact guestservices@redmond.gov.
Plans referenced above:
If you have concerns to report like campaign sign placement, commercial signs, and tree removal, please use this link. Request for Service - Redmond, WA
Elena McKee Code Enforcement Officer, City of Redmond | ||
425-448-0964 (cell phone) 425-556-2412 (land line) emckee@redmond.gov (email)
The Code Enforcement system is used to report non-emergency concerns and is only monitored during City business hours. Our Code Enforcement Team addresses concerns regarding potential code violations on private property like tree removal. We collaborate with other City departments and Redmond residents to develop and implement solutions for issues related to health and safety codes in our community. Our primary goal is to inform and educate you while promoting voluntary compliance. Please note that the City does not intervene in civil disputes, such as disagreements over property lines, hazardous trees on neighboring properties, or tenant-landlord issues. Please include the following information:
Please note this request system is public domain. Any correspondence from, to, or contained in this system is a public record. Accordingly, this request, in whole or in part, may be subject to disclosure pursuant to RCW 42.56, regardless of any claim of confidentiality or privilege asserted by an external party. -- Redmond.gov 6/30/2025 | ||
I really liked Deputy Park Director Dave Tuchek's presentation last night: His naturalized meadow growing efforts will develop this Priority habitat! His short explanation and education of pollinators was really interesting and brought things into a worldly perspective. Amazing in-house construction and design of the Anderson Community Gardens! And, Redmond wild flower seed packets to boot. ☝
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| Cottages in Kirkland / photo Master Builders After removal, replacement trees must be planted on and *off-site. |
OPINION: The city has not updated their tree regulations in over 26 years. They are procrastinating to accomodate much-needed housing. The removed trees are replaced with saplings but at numbers that can't reach Redmond's 40% canopy goal. Off-site planting sites for replacement trees should be identified by Parks, Planning and Public Works to broaden canopy cover. The replacement trees are supplied by the developer and installations financed with one-time money and CIP funds.
*Suggested off-site planting sites: Parks, trails, Keller Farm (forested) wetland tree mitigation bank, streets, sidewalks and by-ways, urban growth easements, Light rail stations, M&O Center and other large city projects, the Heron Rookery and western open space, schools, "plant a tree" neighbohood programs, Hartman forested wetlands, Green Redmond, RTC open space, mouth of Bear Creek, and more.
According to the Master Builders Association "A good tree code responsibly maintains or grows the level of tree coverage in a city while also allowing much-needed housing for current residents. newcomers and future generations."
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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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| Massive cherry tree specimen |
A view from my desk to our backyard cherry tree. You can't see, but it's a grouping of 2 landmark trees and 2 others (cabled) reaching over our fence. Can you find the bird house we nailed to the trunk years ago without use of a ladder? Yes, it's grown tremendously in our 36 years here. All kinds of wildlife live in this tree, including racoon families. On the downside, it's a garbagy tree. In the Spring, faint blossoms and copious pollen falls on our windshields for weeks, then in the summer and Fall a multitude of sepals, inedible cherries and leaves must be swept from the patio. Though this monster is my "therapy tree," I'll be glad to leave it behind when I move out of Redmond this year.
-- Bob Yoder, 1/25/2025
For personal reasons, I'm taking a break from this blog. I may be back in several weeks or so. [Most of the "Popular Posts" on the sidebar are dated.]
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| Downtown Park COUNCIL CONVERSATIONS, The Safety Table / photo Yoder |
I sat in at three tables conversing with councilmembers and residents at the busy Safety table, Environmental Sustainablity table and Miscellaneous table. Council V.P. Jessica Forsythe presided over the Safety Table. Feedback from a resident/family living in a downtown apartment was especially interesting. He wanted stop signs placed on Cleveland Street intersections and other downtown intersections -- said he saw pedestrians getting mildly brushed. He said Uber drivers were the worst; always looking at their cell phones. Another guy complained about gangs that prey on residents for their belongings. He thought only 4 - 6 police officers patrolled the whole city and asked for 16 more officers. I think Jessica said the department had over 140 officers (traffic, patrol, detective, drone, criminal, crime etc.) with plans for 4 more. CM (councilmember) Fields asked why the need for 16 more officers? I questioned the need for council taxing their city utilities and raising the business tax to fund a $6 million dollar public safety gap. IMO, the .25% city excise tax on construction was funding enough.
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| Credit: CSLA's Awards Atlas. |
Designed by PFS Studio, a leading planning, urban design, and landscape architecture firm based in Vancouver, BC, Redmond Downtown Park is a testament to visionary design's power in reinvigorating urban spaces. The park, located in the heart of Redmond, is a vibrant gathering place for community engagement and cultural activities.
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| Redmond Technology Station Train / credit "Experience Redmond" |
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| A Bobcat's "last stand" in Sigmund and Werner's backyard / credit Sigmund |
The photograph of this urban Bobcat was taken by Werner & Sigmund. Their home borders on a North Redmond 18-acre forest. Over 300 mature trees were cleared for 76 single-family homes with lot sizes ***4000 - 22,000 SF, according city documents. The project (178th Ct. NE & NE 116th St.) is known as "Pearce PRD" and is one of many environmentally sensitive projects in Redmond developed by Eric Campbell's Camwest Development, Inc. of Kirkland, WA.
According to a "Wildlife Study Report" filed by wetland , wildlife, and forest consultant Chad Armour, LLC on January 20, 2007 "the site may have the potential to support as many as 68 different species of wildlife". Sigmund has also observed coyotes and deer in her backyard and there have been neighborhood reports of *black bear. Where will they go?
Camwest paid an arborist for a tree preservation plan required by city permit. The arborist reported that 294 significant trees were clear-cut. That's 54% of the 489 significant trees on the project. 39 Landmark trees were presumed removed. Landmark trees are supposed to get special protections. (see Councilwoman Kim Allen's statement, below).
Chad Armour made two brief site visits. Among Mr. Armour's qualifications, he is a "certified wetland delineator" and has a certificate in commercial real estate. He was hired by Camwest to write environmental reports for the city land use permit.
Mr. Armour reported: nine wetlands and 20 State Priority habitat tree snags, ideal for Pileated Woodpecker nesting. He identified a foraging P. Woodpecker, and a Great Blue Heron "in the vicinity". The Great Blue Heron is valued by the State and Redmond as a Priority Species of Local Importance. Nesting P. Woodpeckers are potentially endangered and have protections when nests are present. I was told by a resident Armour spent only several hours during each of his two visits to the site.
Mr. Armour stated a heron rookery is located about one mile SE of the site. City planner Cathy Beam indicated months ago these eastern rookery nests were vacated. Mr. Armour also noted a stream map indicating coho salmon migrate to within a few hundred feet of the project site. A tributary to Bear Creek and two ponds are present.
Obviously, significant and devastating deforestation of "urban open space" has occurred. Habitat destruction was far more extensive than Camwest's Tyler's Creek and Perrigo Heights developments. Fortunately, Camwest does a good job restoring and enhancing their streams, wetlands, and forest buffers. However, according to the neighbors, the development will be setback only 20 feet from their properties and exposed neighborhood trees will be endangered by resultant high winds.
Councilwoman Kim Allen is to be commended for speaking up for the neighborhood during Werner's Landmark Tree Exception appeal. Councilman Richard Cole appeared insensitive during reconsideration of the Landmark Tree appeal stating Werner was slowing down the project. Ms. Allen is a qualified lawyer and is a strong council advocate for "green" protections and standards. ** Ms. Allen's statement urging amendments to city tree preservation standards are below. The city is holding a Community Meeting on Thursday, 7/28 to ask for ideas on how to improve Residential Development permitting. Contact Jeff Churchill for more information by emailing: jchurchill@redmond.gov.
*** The City Neighborhood Map and Notice of Application quote different lot size ranges.
**'Councilmember Allen read a written request to the staff as follows, 'Tree retention is an expressed value of the citizens of Redmond articulated in the Comprehensive Plan, Neighborhood Plans, and community meetings. Redmond’s tree retention law reflects that a detailed and thoughtful analysis by the Administrator of what should be a detailed and written account of extraordinary circumstances is required to justify the felling of any landmark tree or drastically reducing our declining canopy. In this case there is no record of that detailed analysis by staff which does both the staff and the citizens a disservice. Our Code Administrators should begin to provide a written and detailed analysis of their reasoning on all of these exceptions to our Tree Retention Ordinance and that the code should be amended to provide notice to adjacent property owners when such a request is made.' - contributed by Werner
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QUESTIONS: Was off-site mitigation required? It not, how where were they replaced? PRD' appeals are Quasi-Judicial. Was there adequate notice? Tom Hinman, a respected planning commissioner, influenced the city years later to map significant and landmark trees on the Notice of Application. Why did it take so long? In 2022, Tree Regulations were updated to protect/preserve Redmond's remaining trees on private properties. It's 2024 and the updated tree regulations still haven't been implemented owing to legal issues Kirkland is facing. No comment.
Opinion and report by Bob Yoder, ~ 2007, updated 1/29/2024
Additional "land use" articles are found using the blog search engine.
Excellent project! Design Review Board 1 Presentation Listen to the presentation!
Councilmember Vanessa Kritzer has been a strong advocate for more day-care space in Redmond. The Design Review Board reported day-care space is planned for this project! Massing of the prominent Redmond Grand apartments on 166th and Redmond way is terrible. This particular project (west & adjacent to the 8-story "Arco" project) has very creative architecture helping to reduce the massing affect. Harvey Fairbourne, the new owner of RTC could learn from this exciting new project.
16310 NE 80th ST (& Leary) is a new proposed 85’ tall, 1.18 acre residential apartment building located on 80th Street in downtown Redmond, WA. It is comprised of 8 floors above grade, one level below grade totaling 347,713 sf with 260 parking spaces and 270 residential units. It includes a 5-story wood-framed residential tower above a 3-story concrete podium. Ground level uses include residential lobby/lounge, units and indoor open space that serves the neighborhood, as well as residents.
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| White pipes irrigate tiny shrubs of the Bear Creek floodplain |
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| Mayor Birney with parks staff She's giving her Green Redmond speech and proclamation in front of the Heron Rookery |
