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

Local candidate filings

THE PRIMARY IS ON AUGUST 1ST

Redmond City Council Position 2 

Byron Shutz (incumbent)
Steve Fields (mayoral candidate, 2016)
Osama Hamdan

Redmond City Council Position 4 

Tanika Padhye (appointed Incumbent)

Eugene Zakhareyev

Redmond City Council Position 6 (currently John Stilin)

Jason Antonelli

Roy Captain  (Planning Commissioner / realtor)

Jeralee Anderson)

Lake Washington School District 414, Director District 3

• Christian Cahua
• Anita Damjanovic
• Cassandra Sage (endorsed by current Director. Nancy Bernard)

Legislative District 45, State Senator

• Jinyoung Lee Englund (Prefers Republican Party)
• Manka Dhingra (Prefers Democratic Party)
• Parker Harris (States No Party Preference)

Back to top

Legislative District 48, Representative Position 1

• Vandana Slatter (Prefers Democratic Party)*
• Ciaran Dougherty (Prefers Libertarian Party)

Back to top

Legislative District 48, State Senator

• Patty Kuderer (Prefers Democratic Party)*
• Michelle Darnell (Prefers Libertarian Party)
• Richard Knierim (Prefers Independent Dem. Party)

Source:  King County Elections

172 Avenue NE punch-through

When is this road going to open?

(Updated: Spring 2017)

Residents in North Redmond have been inquiring about the status of 172 Ave NE, and when it might be open to through traffic [to 124th Street.]

Currently 172 Ave NE remains closed, with a gate at NE 124 Street (Redmond City limits), but is accessible to emergency response vehicles as well as pedestrians and bicyclists.

172 Ave NE will open to general vehicular traffic when the following conditions are met:

• The intersection of 162 Place NE and NE 124 Street meets warrants for a traffic signal, which will happen when enough residential units are built and occupied in North Redmond to generate sufficient traffic volumes.
• Funding is identified for a traffic signal and left turn lanes at 162 Place NE and NE 124 Street and the project is constructed. (This intersection is currently owned by King County.)
• Traffic calming is completed on the corridor between NE 111 Street and NE 128 Street. Propoased traffic calming will be coordinated with area residents and King County.

As a side note, the existing gate was recently damaged by an unknown vehicle. The City is working with a local contractor to have the gate repaired.

-- Redmond.gov

2/22/17

Based on the construction status of the two subdivisions on 116th I'm guessing 172nd won't be punched through until  around 2020.  This punch-through will add to already heavy Avondale and 166th Av. volumes.  by

Downtown Park Groundbreaking 2

Credit/Jeni Craswell

Nancy McCormick (retired CM) is far left.  She's a strong advocate and defender of the Downtown Park. On the night of her retirement from Council she gave a check towards the Downtown Park to Mr. Mayor. Nancy is now a member of the One Redmond Foundation.  Rep. Joan McBride of the 48th District is right of Nancy.  Councilmember David Carson is the tall guy in the blue shirt. Molly Hill, the wife of Sen. Andy Hill is speaking. Mr. Mayor is behind her. King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert was present.  Is that John Aftebro  (V.P. RHS) in the foreground with the blue cap?

The photographer, Jeni Crawsell was Marchione's 2007 campaign manager, the Executive Director of  "Realize Redmond" (precursor to the One Redmond Foundation) and now works for Hopelink.

An individual on Facebook thought the Park should be named after John Couch, the city's Park director of 30 years.  Nancy McCormick the "Facebook park defender" responded a park can't be named for someone until they've been deceased for at least 2 years.

Photo source:  Facebook

UPDATED: Downtown Park Groundbreaking 1

l-r, David Carson, Hank Myers, Byran Schutz, Molly HIll (State Senator Andy Hill's wife) John Marchione, Nancy McCormick, Joan McBride 48th District, Hank Margeson, Tanika Padhye, Angela Birney, John Stilin  credit/C.O.R

King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert was present but is not in the photo.  She lives on Education Hill

UPDATED, 5/21: Hawks Glen

Quadrant removed this brick rambler, oversized garage and barn; the demolition was covered with straw

You are looking at land Quadrant names "Hawks Glen," formally "Ray Meadows."  It's 9.77 acres. Is this the last vestige of undeveloped agricultural land in Redmond? (The Conrad Olson Farmstead is a "park" and Keller Farm, a Mitigation Bank.)  A city employee in Planning said three other Preliminary Plats remain....two on Rose Hill and I think one in No. Redmond.  I doubt they're undeveloped agricultural lands. [still investigating this]

Hawks Glen has been unfarmed for as long as I can remember.  I think Councilmember Hank Margeson knows who owned it. It was sold to Quadrant by a limited partnership for $2.9M.  Matt Perkins, the Quadrant Manager said the land was ditched and used for agriculture.

The parcel is located in North Redmond on NE 116th and 178th Ave. NE.  It will be subdivided into 27 residential lots, including a duplex for affordable housing.  According to Matt, construction will begin in 2018; so expect additional car trips on Red-Wood, 166th and Avondale roads starting 2019-2020.  Below, is some interesting habitat, fish, and drainage data found in the permit file:

Monticello Creek –The on-site stream enters the property from the north, flows south/southeast, and exits the site on the east property line. It's not intermittent.  It flows into a culvert near the east property line and under 178th Avenue NE. The on-site stream is known to support resident Cutthroat trout (Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife). Coho salmon presence has been documented immediately downstream of the site by the City of Redmond. (Can't you just see a farmer and his kids fishing this creek?) There are no known obstructions or fish barriers within the Stream A channel on-site. According to the City of Redmond, this stream is a Class II stream and receives a 150-foot buffer consisting of a 100-foot inner buffer and a 50-foot outer buffer.

Fish Habitat:  According to WDFW Priority Habitat mapping, the on-site stream is inhabited by resident cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki). Coho salmon presence has been documented immediately downstream of the site by the City of Redmond. This stream connects to Bear Creek, which is also known be habitat for Chinook salmon, Coho salmon, Sockeye salmon, and steelhead trout (WDFW Salmonscape). These additional salmonid species may use the on-site stream since no barrier is documented between Bear Creek and this tributary. Ideal spawning conditions appear to be somewhat limited, due to limited gravel and pools within the stream. The stream appears to have potential for smaller resident species as well.

PSE "Energize Eastside" Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is open for comment

Maybe you've heard about PSE's plans to collect up to $1 billion through higher energy bills to build the “Energize Eastside” transmission line. PSE hopes to install giant new poles (80-100' tall) and high-voltage wires through 18 miles of the Eastside. The line would be constructed within feet of the aging Olympic jet fuel pipeline - the same one that exploded in Bellingham in 1999. This project will not measurably increase reliability or decrease the most common types of power outages.

Th draft 2 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) has been released and is open for comment until 6/21. A group of dedicated residents recommends smarter solutions to increase reliability - cense.org. CENSE will host a workshop THIS Saturday (5/20) from 10 a.m. - noon at the Eastshore Unitarian Church (12700 SE 32nd St, Bellevue, WA 98005) - free coffee and pastries. Volunteers will share their findings and help you focus on questionable areas in the EIS to make your comments extra effective. They have read 800 pages so you don’t have to!

-- Shannon Madonna, "Nextdoor"

Grasslawn neighborhood

Posted to 42 neighborhoods in General 2d ago

Bood Drive June 20

BLOOD  DRIVE, Tuesday,June 20th, 1-7pm

We’re doing it again….asking you to donate an hour of your time to save a life!  Redmond United Methodist Church is hosting a blood drive, June 20th from 1-7pm (break 3-3:45pm).  Whether they use your blood whole or spin it into three components, only you can help meet the daily need for Puget Sound hospitals.

I was registering donors yesterday and a young women came in because she saw the signs.  She donated FOR A FRIEND THAT NEEDED 8 UNITS after complications with a delivery of a baby.  It underscores that any of us or a family member might need it.

EMAIL:  bpeltola@gmail.com  for an appointment!  We’ll  have some wonderful cookies or brownies to thank you for your generosity!  

Tina Paul

Four LWSD students receive National Merit $2500 Scholarships

Distinguished seniors part of only 50 selected statewide

Redmond, Wash. – The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced today that four Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students will receive National Merit $2500 Scholarships. Fifty students were selected statewide for these awards.

The students receiving National Merit $2500 Scholarships are:

·         Shloak Jain (Redmond), Redmond High School

·         Alicia Kacharia (Redmond), International Community School

·         Abhinav Singh (Redmond), Tesla STEM High School

·         Marium Raza (Woodinville), Redmond High School

These students are four of the 2,500 distinguished high school seniors nationwide to win this scholarship. They were selected from a talent pool of more than 15,000 outstanding Finalists in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship Program.

UPDATED: Writing Your Way to Happiness

Credit/ "Well"  

By TARA PARKER-POPE

 JANUARY 19, 2015 5:30 PM
The scientific research on the benefits of so-called expressive writing is surprisingly vast. Studies have shown that writing about oneself and personal experiences can improve mood disorders,  [Writing my blog helps me] help reduce symptoms among cancer patients, improve a person’s health after a heart attack, reduce doctor visits and even boost memory.

Now researchers are studying whether the power of writing — and then rewriting — your personal story can lead to behavioral changes and improve happiness. [I do this on my blog.  I "update" all the time.]

The concept is based on the idea ] we all have a personal narrative that shapes our view of the world and ourselves. But sometimes our inner voice doesn’t get it completely right. Some researchers believe that by writing and then editing our own stories, we can change our perceptions of ourselves and identify obstacles that stand[ in the way of better health.

It may sound like self-help nonsense, but research suggests the effects are real.

READ MORE to find a personal story at the end of this article