Getting Around Redmond Lights 2023
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| Angie Nuevacamina defeated David Carson, 53.67% (5937) to David's 46.07% (5097.) |
The meaning of the butterfly is cultural to current day Mexico and Senegal- where I have heritage from. It signals transformation, hope, and are quite a force when moving together. In the design, my name is in the middle- acting as a bridge and being able to hold multiple perspectives. - Angie Nuevacamiona.
The demographics of Redmond have changed dramatically in the last five or so years (~ 50% brown.) Angie ran on "inclusive," "welcoming," and "equity," and it paid off. She also prioritized affordable housing, safety, a healthy community and transparent government. She rallied the voters with a call for "Nothing about Us without Us." Angie is a member of the LBGTQ community, a queer artist, and small business owner, as a financial services professional. She currently volunteers on the City planning commission.
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David M. Carson, the conservative incumbent of 16 years placed most of his cards on safety: 1) extra police coverage for light rail users, 2) keeping the county accountable for a drug-free homeless facility in Overlake. 3) he flipped flapjacks for the fire fundraiser at every Derby Days. 4) he served on regional emergency coalitions. As Presiding Officer on the Parks Council he advocated for access to Redmond's seven "String of Pearls" park properties. He is a OneRedmond Board member, Foundation member and Kiwanis member. He praised the Police Department "Sniffer" canine in his political statement. All this, and Marymoor Village, the new fire station, Senior Center and other facility improvements weren't enough to win over the voters.
The voters chose values embracing the Redmond's welcoming culture, over a developer/business centric incumbent valuing safety.
-- Bob Yoder, Opinion, 11/25/2023
Find 16 years of articles and opinion on Councilmember David Carson HERE
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| EvergreenHealth / Seattle Times |
"On February 28, 2020, EvergreenHealth's Kirkland campus became the first hospital in the U.S. to respond to the first known cases of community spread of COVID-19, marking the beginning of the global pandemic in the U.S. Given that we had been actively engaged in disaster readiness planning for many years prior to the pandemic, our hospital system was ready to face the challenge."
Read more about EvergreenHealth's response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
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| I'm standing next to one of many Commissioner Jeffrey Cashman's political signs. The number he staked was enormous. I endorsed both Jeff and his opponent, Amber Wise. I supported Amber. Mr. Cashman planted his campaign signs heavily throughout Evergreen Public Hospital District No. 2 -- Redmond, Kirkland, Woodinville, Mill Creek, Kenmore, Duval, Sammamish, and parts of Snohomish county. Never has a local candidate spread their political signs so far and wide. If the residents of EvergreenHealth Public Hospital didn't know they lived in a taxing district they certainly do now. Currently, residents and landlords are levied ~ 2% / $1,000 appraised property value. Total Levy Revenue in 2022 was $28,556,467. Do you know how this money is spent? 70% goes towards capital projects, 30% towards programs like referral networks, CHATT, and North Shore Senior Center. The commissioners keep this close to their chest. I learned about the 70% / 30% split at a Board meeting. A full report is forthcoming. Commissioner Cashman defeated PCC meat-cutter Amber Wise, a union worker and mental health advocate, by roughly 58%. -- Bob Yoder, 11/9/2023 I was struck with Covid a few days before the election; this, after 6 vax. It hit me very hard. |
At the top and/or bottom of the hour from 8 - 10 a.m. the following block of helpful and interesting programing is run continuously. I highly recommend tuning in. No commercials! ☝
City Council and Planning Commission meetings are available on RCTV, as well. They are also live streamed on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/CityofRedmond) and YouTube (www.YouTube.com/CityofRedmond).
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| Mayor Birney with parks staff She's giving her Green Redmond speech and proclamation in front of the Heron Rookery |
Hey, you History Buffs! Join the Redmond Historical Society next Saturday, Nov. 11th, 10:30 AM, for a journey into the Mount St. Helens blast zone--40 years later. Writer and biologist Eric Wagner talks on the remarkable recovery of the Mount St, Helens ecosystem. Nature finds a way!
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| Esterra Park as seen from Verde Apartment. Note the green roof. Four surrounding buildings also have green roofs. Two restaurants serve park visitors. One features soft serve and pizza! / credit Bob Yoder |
The park was created by leveraging developer incentives written in Redmond’s Zoning Code, with the goal to benefit the entire community. Together, the City, Capstone Partners, and JLL worked with care and intentionality to determine how the community would engage with the space.
From its layout to its accessibility features, as well as the selection of plants and reclaimed wood seating areas, the design elements were meticulously selected to be welcoming and accessible to the community. Notably, the inclusion of a wildflower native pollinator mix aligns with the City and partners’ shared commitment to supporting local ecosystems and providing a haven for the birds and bees.
The completed park, which was designed and approved by the Parks and Trails Commission in 2014, includes public art, a plaza, an accessible elevator, tree groves, a meadow, an amphitheater, and integrates a hill climb to the north of the park to easily access the nearby light rail station.
To learn more about the project, visit redmond.gov/1979.
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| *Redmond Middle School Certified Teachers (71) click image to enlarge Redmond Middle School - Teacher Demographics (self-reported) 68.8% female / 31.3% male White: 89.1% Asian: 6.3% Hispanic/Latino 1.6% Two or more races 1.6% Opportunities for diversity and inclusion are when a teacher retires, quits and moves, is terminated and enrollment increases. I'm sure the District is doing the best they can. https://washingtonstatereportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ReportCard/ViewSchoolOrDistrict/101528 *Image may include nurses, counselors and some classified staff Zakiya Cita is the new LWSD Director of Human Resources Talent Acquisition. 425-936-1421, zcita@lwsd.org. I met Ms. Cita at a WorkSource Fair, Redmond Library. Opinion: Bob Yoder, 10/24/2023 |
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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
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| Advait Badrish |
According to the competition’s website, the Thermo Fisher Junior Innovators Challenge, a program of the Society for Science, seeks to inspire young scientists, engineers and innovators who will solve the grand challenges of the future. The finalists in this year’s event will travel to Washington, D.C. from October 28 – November 2 to participate in the Finals Week of the competition. Each student will be judged on both their science research projects as well as their demonstration of collaboration and critical thinking skills during team challenges, emphasizing the importance and value of teamwork in STEM fields.
Post and photo by Bob Yoder, 10/22/2023
"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.
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** 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.)
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