Example of "Items from the Audience" -- a great way to talk to the Mayor and Council, or listen in.

Every other week the City Council and Mayor hold a business meeting where citizens during "Items from the Audience" are invited to speak up to four minutes on any topic they wish.  At last week's meeting 10 citizens talked about 7 different topics.  If you've got 40 minutes or are having a hard time getting to sleep, listen in; if not, it's summarized by topic below:  

1.)  Rezoning the SE industrial zone so development can occur around the SE Redmond (Marymoor) transit station.  It's expected a new "neighborhood" will develop in the vicinity of the station  Two massive parking garages are planned -- two developers asked council to consider a public-private partnership to put parking in their buildings.  Amazingly one of the developers (Mr. Morrelee) has a wife with decedents going back to Luke McRedmond, the founder of Redmond.  .

2.)  Safeguarding the 41 small business and 500 jobs within the new SE Redmond neighborhood.

3.)  Crumb rubber toxins city turf fields.  David Morton, PhD is a "frequent flyer" at Items.  He hasn't missed a week in over three years.  His talk topics have been:  Watson Asphalt air pollution, leaf blower noise and air pollution. and now crumb rubber toxins.

4)  The relocation of Evans Creek onto private property  Two Union Shares private property owners have been frequent flyers as well.  They are taking legal action against the city for abuse of the condemnation ordinance.  Evans Creek re-location is underway to 1) improve salmon habitat 2) create a wetland park with trails. Inadvertently, land value for owners south of the creek will improve.

5)  Permits underway to redevelop the concrete block building on Cleveland Street. J.D. Klein was concerned the building could be used for marijuana retail.  Mayor Marchione responded.

6)  Eliminating the "quasi-judicial" appeal process for land use decisions.  Retired councilmember Kim Allen spoke eloquently about how this archaic process constrained council from communicating with their constituents during controversial land use decisions such as the Parrigo Heights and SRA boathouse decisions.

7)  Emerald Heights proposal to build a 3-story assisted living facility.  This one was a doosie.  The wife of Councilmember John Stilin (probably Redmond's next mayor) argued against the proposal claiming:  1) the building was not in character with their Abby Road neighborhood. 2) landscaped screening was inadequate, and 3) zoning didn't mesh with the Comprehensive Plan.  Ms. Stilin said she and her neighbors will attend the June 15th Design Review Board meeting to comment on the landscaping plan.  It appears only the few know the public may comment at DRB meetings -- lousy transparency.

Bob Yoder

New contract between LWSD and Lake Washington Education Association

The Lake Washington School District  and the Lake Washington Education Association (LWEA) have agreed to a new contract for the next four years, the 2017-18 through 2020-21 school years. The LWEA represents teachers in our District. The School District Board voted to approve the new contract on Monday, June 5, at its regular board meeting. 

Key points of the contract:  

Additional Support:

The contract also provides for additional support in the areas of special education and elementary counselors. The district will invest in additional special education staff, including teachers and specialists. A full-time counselor will be assigned to each elementary school, to support student social/emotional development.

School year calendar adds one snow day

The built-in snow day -- the Tuesday after Memorial Day -- starts in the 2018-19 school year. If no school days are cancelled due to weather, students will get that day off.

Longer teacher work day

This provision gives more time for teachers to plan and prepare lessons. Teachers will be paid for an additional 30 minutes of work time. The additional paid time and a competitive compensation will enable the district to attract and retain high quality teachers. 

Increased compensation for substitute teachers   This change will attract more candidates in response to a shortage of substitute teachers. 

Source:  LWSD press release, June 6th

Click here to Reply or Forward

UPDATED: Downtown transit station designing moves forward

Redmond council members still haven't formally approved design and construction of the downtown light rail station but may take action soon once Sound Transit signs off. 

From everything I've read and heard, the west Downtown transit station will be elevated and located near Redmond Town Center in the vicinity of 164th Avenue and NE 166th Avenue. A spur may run towards Half Price Books....I don't know why.  Everyone seems to worry the elevated station being an eyesore - I'll be packing my ear-plugs! 

The east station will be in the vicinity of Maryooor Park. About 1400 parking spaces are planned in and around the Marymoor station, mostly to service Sammamish ridge commuters and future aquatics center users. Nancy McCormick (retired councilwoman of 24 years) says the parking spaces will also benefit Redmond commuters "by unclogging east-west streets."  It is not yet known if the parking will be in two garages or scattered around "the new neighborhood." President Margeson  doesn't care a wit for garage parking.  Two Marymoor developers are lobbying council to allow parking in their proposed buildings but they expect compensation for the lost space.  

Some trivia:  In their reports, city planners name the Marymoor station neighborhood a "sub area."  To personalize the sub area President Margeson's been calling it "Joe's Neighborhood."  Councilmember David Carson enjoys calling it "Marymoor Flats" and was the first to suggest a friendly name. Not so trivial, Councilmember Angela Birney insists on a more "eclectic" look and feel for the new neighborhood.  I totally agree...our city is in sorry need of some personality.  

Bob Yoder

Mayor Marchione appoints new planning director

Redmond, WA – Last night the City Council confirmed Mayor John Marchione’s appointment of Karen Haluza, AICP, as the new planning director for the City of Redmond.

Haluza has held various planning management positions for Orange County, California, where she worked in the cities of Brea, Santa Ana and Fullerton. Haluza has over 20 years of local government experience and most recently served as the director of Community Development for the City of Fullerton. As director, she managed all aspects of the Community Development Department including Planning, Building, Code Enforcement and Housing.

“I look forward to continuing to build on the many successes of the Planning Department,” says Karen Haluza. “I’m excited to engage with the community and work together on the future of Redmond.”

“Karen’s experience, knowledge and leadership impressed the hiring committee,” states Mayor Marchione. “Karen is known in her community for working with groups of diverse viewpoints and bringing a fair and calm tone to the discussion. She will continue our forward progress to meet the demands of Redmond’s growing population and exploding job market. Karen plays an essential role in further establishing Redmond as a great place to live and work.”

Haluza is a graduate of California State University with a Master of Public Administration where she also earned her Teaching Credential. She has a Bachelor degree in both Social Ecology and Psychology from the University of California. Additionally, Haluza received a Certificate of Geographic Information Systems from California Polytechnic University in Pomona.

Council poised to approve design and construction of Downtown light rail

Editor's note:  The Council hasn't formally approved the design and construction of the Downtown light rail...but they're close.  

Per last night's staff report posted on the consent agenda Council is poised to approve the design and construction of Downtown Redmond light rail project (Concept 2) with a scheduled opening to Downtown in 2024.

The City Council considered changes to the station location and vertical profile of the station and guideway as part of the Downtown Transit Integration (TRAIN) Study, which was conducted between August 2016 and February 2017. Four station area concepts are shown in the above video. 

Originally, the preferred alternative for the Downtown Redmond extension and station just east of Half Price Books called for an at-grade station / extension and a "retained cut crossing" under the SR 520 interchange. (According to a reader, "retained cut" is a walled trench, supposedly, in order to pass below the fly-over lanes.) 

After receiving community input, which strongly favored an elevated alignment (and a station in the vicinity of 164th Ave. NE and 166th Ave. NE), the Council recommended an elevated downtown station.  Key considerations for both the community and City Council were maintaining multimodal mobility in Downtown and reducing potential conflicts between light rail vehicles and pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers.

Council concluded significant factors in making their recommendation were the ability to connect the East Lake Sammamish Trail to the Redmond Central Connector, overall project affordability and bicycle and pedestrian access to the Connector Connector trail.

Bob Yoder, 6/2017

-- Source:  6/6/17 Council meeting agenda

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EvergreenHealth hosts mental health forum

Understanding Hoarding Disorders A Free Educational Forum Guest Speaker: Travis L. Osborne, Ph.D. Research on hoarding and the treatment of hoarding has advanced significantly over the last decade and Hoarding Disorder officially became recognized as a distinct mental health problem in 2013. This presentation will provide an overview of the features of Hoarding Disorder, as well as the current status of research on how to treat this problem. This presentation is appropriate for both individuals with hoarding problems, as well as family and friends of individuals with hoarding problems.

Evergreen Health Medical Center, Suite Tan 100 12303 NE 130th Lane Kirkland, WA 98034 Tuesday, June 20th, 2017, 7 PM - 9 PM Click here for more information.

www.nami-eastside.org

Phase 2 construction of the Redmond Central Connector advances

Looking north from 95th Street towards Overlake Christian Church
Busy Willows Road is on the left.  Commercial on the right. (click pic to enlarge)

Several amenities are only minutes from the trail by bike at this 95th Street location.  Black Raven Brewery, Hi-Fi Brewery, Eastside Gym, Willows Deli  Good stopping place!

This Redmond Central Connector is the artery of the City that links Sammamish, Redmond, and Kirkland and knits together Redmond Town Center, historic Downtown, Grass Lawn neighborhood, and Willows business district. (COR)

Redmond's Senior Park Planner, David Shaw is the narrator in this city video.  He works closely with Carolyn Hope, Manager of Parks and Culture.  Both designed and built the Redmond Bike Park.  David managed the construction, recruiting and directing scores of volunteers. (The Randall family was at the core of the park's development. Councilmember Hank Myers put in a day or two of shoveling.) 

ATTN: Neighboring Cities: Cleveland Street conversion update

Cleveland Street construction to convert to 2-way lanes.  Expected completion is end of 2017 according to the Mayor.  Suggest taking the Bear Creek Parkway whenever possible.  I took this video Saturday early morning when traffic was light. Traffic is nasty during the weekdays.

Redmond Way construction isn't so good either -- this video shows it (and 6-story rental construction.)

Historical Society's Walking Tour App Debut

The Redmond Historical Society recently launched its "Steps in Time" mobile App. The App  gives a walking tour of Redmond's landmark buildings, its cemetery, and other places of Redmond history.  Historian Tom Hitzroth created the guide and gives customized walking tours on a regular basis.  Register here.

The launch event was creative and fun, featuring costumed society members, interesting stories by Hitzroth, and youth coloring programs.  

Redmond Historical Society senior V.P. Mary Hanson coined the App "Steps in Time"

Richard Morris is the society webmaster

 

RHS President Joe Townsend's notebook page 

Historian Tom Hitzroth tells his story - don't miss it!

https://youtu.be/axFaj2aFsmI

John Tosh Homestead, by Hitzroth

https://youtu.be/gWnK_0fxSVY  

 Miguel Llanos, co-founder of Redmond Historical
Society and Redmond's friendliest cop.  

The costumes were donated by A Masquerade Costume  and bags to carry home literature and small gifts donated by city businesses. 

Posted by Yoder, March 2017, Edited 5/20/2024

LETTER: Don't allow homeless camping in Redmond's city parks

The city needs to build shelters now!  Info on how Vancouver, WA is handling the issue. Click Here. by

A recent article in the Redmond Reporter says that the City of Redmond is revising its rules for city parks. http://www.redmond-reporter.com/news/city-examines-changing-park-rules/

Among many other changes, the following was mentioned:

"Regulations surrounding camping in city parks could also be revised this summer that would direct police not to enforce a ban on sleeping or camping in parks if there are no beds available in local homeless shelters."

Electing to not enforce a law is to make something essentially legal. This would quickly turn our city parks into homeless tent cities without any of the oversight that tent cities have operated under in the past. Obviously, homelessness is a terrible problem, but turning our parks into unregulated campsites is NOT a good way to deal with it.

Tell the mayor and the city council that they must not allow homeless camping in our city's parks. 

For more details and to petition the mayor and council Click Here.

-- Ronen Barenboim

Mayor's first speech at the Downtown Park

Community donates $30,000 to schools this month

Over $30,400 was donated by PTA's last month to various schools in our district.  You can listen to Dr. Traci Pierce identifying and recognizing their generous donations on the "Consent Agenda" of their last business meeting.  Click Here to watch the meeting and then click "Consent Agenda." You'll see student art, too!

Public Comment will be taken at their next Board meeting, June 5, 7PM

Bob

Design Review Board studies 9-story twin towers

Design Review Board meeting June 15, 2017 at City Hall, 7PM

Design Review Board
15670 NE 85th Street, Redmond, WA 98052
Agenda for print (PDF version) 

MINUTES

Review and approval of meeting minutes:
April 6, 2017
April 20, 2017


APPROVAL  (click on the links!)
LAND-2016-02100, Redmond City Center
Description:  Construction of a nine-story mixed use building in two towers, with approximately 425 residential units and 49,000 sq. ft. of retail space
Location:  16135 NE 85th Street
Applicant:  Oscar Del Moro with Comos Development Company
Architect:  Robin Murphy with Sticker Cato Murphy Architects
Prior Review Dates:  12/05/13, 01/23/14, 03/05/15, 02/02/17 & 04/06/17
Staff Contact: Gary Lee, 425-556-2418 or glee@redmond.gov
Review Materials:  Memo   Design Checklist  
Presentation Option 1     Presentation Option 2     
Architectural Plans   Lighting   Landscape 
Color Options   Color Options 1   Color Options 2

[APPARENTLY THE PUBLIC MAY COMMENT ON COLOR OPTIONS, ARCHITECTURAL PLANS, LANDSCAPE, LIGHTING, HOWEVER STAFF DOES NOT SO NOTE ON THEIR AGENDA---POOR TRANSPARENCY]

The project entails the development of a new building with two 9-story towers, on the former Downtown Post Office site. The site is approximately 2.3 acres in area. The building will have ground floor retail (grocery store proposed) fronting NE 85th Street, with two 8-story towers above. The original proposal that was approved by the December 17, 2015 (under file # LAND- 2013-01989) included approximately 249 dwelling units, 25,000 square feet of retail space and 83,000 square feet of office space. The current proposal is a taller version with more dwelling units. The ground floor, footprint, and Site Plan generally remain the same as previously approved, however the building is proposed to be taller by adding mezzanines to several floors. The number of stories will remain the same as originally approved.

III. SURROUNDINGS, ZONING, AND STANDARDS   Surrounding Uses, Character The site is located within the Town Square district of the Downtown neighborhood. The intent of this district is to encourage higher intensity, multi-story, developments. It is envisioned that new development in this district be 6 to 8 stories tall and include office, entertainment, and residential uses. 

STAFF ANALYSIS At the April 6, 2017 meeting the Board expressed that they were not ready to approve the project as it felt that the colors, or architectural features should be bolder, more muscular – especially near the top of the building which will be most visible from a distance. The Board also mentioned that the shadow study did not look correct, with the buildings getting taller.  

Staff finds the updated plans have addressed the Boards April 6th comments, and finds the two proposed color options acceptable. Staff prefers Color option 2, however staff is amenable to approving both options, leaving it up the developer to choose at the time of development.

[Who on Staff reports to Council during Study Sessions and Committee Meetings? Or do they?]

Updated: Annual Redmond Historical Society Picnic

Annual Redmond Historical Society Picnic, Perrigo Park, Saturday, June 10

Join the Redmond Historical Society on the second Saturday of June for their annual tradition of friends, and great food (potluck!) at Redmond’s Perrigo Park. That’s right, the picnic is at Perrigo Park this year. We will enjoy more room, and have electricity and water available. All are invited. We also use this occasion to honor our annual History Hero award recipients.  Check our June newsletter for full details.

Perrigo Park Address: 9011 196 Avenue NE, Redmond, WA. 

Date: Saturday, June 10

Time: 11 am to 1 pm 

More park information Click Here

Seattle is fastest growing-big city in the nation - Redmond is growing faster than Seattle

Seattle Once again nation's fastest big-growing city. 
by Gary Balk, 5/25/17
Seattle Times

Excerpt:

"For the first time, Seattle is adding more people on average each year than during the post-Gold-Rush boom years. We’ve never grown this fast, and we’ve never been this populous.

Among Washington cities with at least 50,000 people, only one grew faster than Seattle: Redmond, with a 3.2 percent growth rate. Bellevue grew less than half as fast. And only one lost population, though it was just by a 10th of a percent: Shoreline."

Homelessness in Redmond From High Rents

Friday, March 17, 2017

Homelessness in Redmond

Many of the homeless in Redmond are invisible and the statistics are startling:  

According to a city web page:  

1.  357 homeless kids in the Lake Washington School District are homeless.

2.  There's a 39% increase in homelessness for every $100 increase in rent.

3.  Homeless families wait 6 months on average for housing in King County.  

Bob Yoder

I'm reposting this March article to share and understand Cloverleaf's invisible family struggles associated with our rapid rent increases:

"It's a true one though. Many like my family stay invisible. All it takes is a price jump at the same time as a life change [divorce?] to create an eviction judgement. Even if you reinstated 2 days later. The effects last for a few years. I had that happen when I went from a lower paying job to a higher paying job. I don't need financial help as I save. You would never know we were as we wear decent clothes, have family adventures, have good grades, and have good jobs. Our rent went up 1k in 5 years, 600 of it in the last 2."

  -- Cloverleaf, 5/25/17

Updated: Historic houses for sale near Anderson Park

At the time of this video, real estate salesman Micheal Moore, informed me these four contiguous properties were for sale.  The houses are on 170th Ave. NE. coined Adair Street by the Redmond Historical Society. They are historic homes circa 1924-1930; a short walk from Anderson Park.  Mr. Moore said there's road access from both the front and back sides.  He quoted a price of $4M at the time. I counted about 4 legacy trees on the parcels.  Mr. Alan Pope who's lived in Redmond pretty much all of his life uses his 1924 craftsman house for an office.  The Chris Gowing family, now living in Idaho, lived and rented out their two cottages.  Tax records document one cottage was, built in 1930, the other 1934; during Mayor "Bill" Brown's time.  The Gowings built a charming "Little Free Library" for their neighbors which still stands. That will probably be torn down too.  We made contact with each other via the library.  (Long story, so "Read More.")   Chris is an active blogger and very kind woman.  

During my investigation I learned most of the new 6-story apartments in the downtown are built "condo ready."  Apparently, though their exteriors and structures are very sturdy, the interiors are not all built to last for the long haul.  Obviously, these historic homes were built to last. Can One Redmond save them?

LWSD is committed to the arts

Director Siri Bliesner, a strong advocate for the arts, attended the Community Center Task Force meeting at VALA  ​Lake Washington School District recognizes the arts are an important part of a balanced education. Schools provide an opportunity for students to participate in band, choir, orchestra, drama, art classes, and more. Read recent stories of arts in education below. Additional activities will be added to this page throughout May. Wall of woven fabric welcomes Sandburg/Discovery families for art walk. Students braided and wove more than 1,000 pieces of fabric into the chain link fence at Sandburg Elementary and Discovery Community School before their art walk on May 18. They worked on the art installation throughout the week, mostly during lunch recess. The project allowed them to explore the process of weaving on a large scale and experiment with different weaving techniques. This year, teachers at Sandburg and Discovery have been field testing the art curriculum, “Deep Space Sparkle.” The curriculum was recently approved for use in LWSD elementary schools in the fall. The art walk gave students a chance to display their artistic creations. The walk also featured student work created with PTSA art docents, who facilitate art lessons in the classrooms.

Updated: South Education Hill is redeveloping

South Education Hill is redeveloping.  Yellow "Proposed Land Use" signs on NE 88th announce three short plats under review. Two of  the plats are on either side of this road and owned by an East Indian investor.  Once the three plats are approved 12 single family homes will be built removing habitat and adding more traffic to 166th.   According to the owner of the house you see (a retired pro baseball player and employee at Summit), these plats are remnants of an apple orchard.  A total of 10 apple trees remain.  Six are on the two short plats and four are behind the house.  A few of these apple trees are visible in this video.  The house owner said all trees on the plats (in the video) will be removed.  He said the 9 month long water-line construction on 171st will increase the water pressure to service the new homes.

According to the Planning Dept. there are quite a few more short plats under review.  If you have time, you might be able to find them on the city's "Project Viewer." 

Bob

Cassandra Sage announces her run for LWSD Director 3.

Cassandra Sage

I'm running for school board, LWSD Director 3. Nancy Bernard is retiring. This is my 22nd year in the district as a parent volunteer, PTA member and occasional para professional sub. (In other words, I'm the OLD mom now!).

At the school board meeting last night they adopted a new math curriculum for Algebra I, II and Geometry. It looks like it has online supports/videos. I'm looking forward to exploring it. Since my stepson is in a Transition room and will be heading to Juanita High in the fall, and my next oldest son is enrolling in Running Start (due to medical issues) I felt this was a good time to get further involved to improve outcomes for ALL students. Special Education, Vocational Education, College Prep.... all are important paths!

Cassandra Sage

Sage For Schools

Cassandra is endorsed by School Board Director Nancy Bernard. Other endorsements.  

Jason Antonelli Announces Campaign for Council Position #6

Jason Antonelli Announces Campaign for Redmond City Council Position #6

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
E-mail: press@jasonforredmond.com

May 22, 2017

REDMOND, WA – Today, Jason Antonelli announced he is a candidate for Redmond City Council Position #6. Jason is running to reduce traffic congestion, increase safety in the community and better listen and address the concerns of the residents on local issues.
Jason graduated from the University of California at San Diego and has lived in Redmond for more than 20 years. He has been a long-time Software Engineer at Microsoft and currently resides in the Education Hill neighborhood of Redmond.

Jason is the husband of Denice and father of two children Ava and Dylan. Both children currently attend Montessori Children’s House in Redmond and Ava will be starting kindergarten at Norman Rockwell this coming September. Denice is a local small business owner.

Learn more about Jason at www.jasonforredmond.com or connect with him on Facebook or Twitter @JasonForRedmond.BSIT