Levies, comprehensive plan and more on Redmond council’s docket

Published 2:00 pm Friday, May 8, 2015

With the year almost halfway through, Redmond City Council is getting geared up for a number of things to finish out 2015.

CURRENT AND ONGOING ITEMS

One of the main items on the docket for the year has been a pair of levies — which in April, council voted unanimously to put on the Aug. 4 ballot. One levy will address public safety and infrastructure, while the other one will address the city’s parks.

Council president Hank Margeson said the levies are a big deal.

“It takes a lot to get one on (the ballot),” he said.

Margeson said council talked a lot about the levies during their annual retreat earlier this year and said they believe they have laid out a good plan for the city. They hope voters agree, he said.

“That’s been the main driver of some of our attention,” Margeson said about the levies.

Now that council has voted to put the two levies on the August ballot, he said groups have been formed to write pieces in favor of and against the measures for the voter’s pamphlet.

“That should be coming out by the 12th (of this month),” Margeson said about the pamphlet, adding that council does not appoint the members of the pamphlet-writing group.

Another ongoing item of discussion for council has been the area’s homeless population and how the city can best proceed.

“(Redmond Police) Chief Gibson has been working diligently on it with (King County Library System) and the (Friends of Youth) Landing,” said council member David Carson.

Margeson added that one of the things they need to address regarding the homeless population is the city’s process for churches and other organizations to host encampments such as Tent City 4, which has come to Redmond a number of times in recent years. He said the city needs to find a way to still honor its current permitting process while not being a financial drain on the churches and organizations.

“We’re talking about it,” Margeson said. “How can we do better?”

UPDATING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN

The City of Redmond is also accepting applications for amendments to the city’s comprehensive plan and associated zoning code provisions.

A city press release states that the comprehensive plan establishes the city’s future vision and policy direction and guides decisions such as how property may be developed and where to direct investments in infrastructure. Zoning code regulations are based on comprehensive plan policy and some zoning designations cannot be changed without first amending the plan, the release states.

State law allows the city to update the plan once a year and Margeson said it is an ongoing process.

Amendment applications must be received by 5 p.m. on May 18 to be considered for the 2015-16 amendment package.

Applications must be submitted electronically; forms are available at www.redmond.gov/docket Consultation with staff is required prior to submitting an application.

A BUSY SUMMER AND BEYOND

There are also ongoing agenda items for council during this time of year such as preparing for the various events coming up in the summer.

The two main upcoming events are Derby Days, which will be July 10-11. Margeson said Redmond City Council will be in the parade and they will also have a booth during the festival.

In addition, council members are also looking forward to National Night Out (NNO), which is Aug. 4, Margeson said.

He said the night gives them an opportunity to visit with their neighbors, which is nice as they sometimes get so busy and are not able to get out into the community. Margeson added that during past NNO block parties council members have attended, citizens have brought up their concerns regarding the city’s homeless population and he expects similar conversations this year, as well.

Margeson said the city will also continue to move forward on various projects it has started such as the Downtown Park, which they have requested some funding for from the state. With this, he said, if they do not receive the money, it won’t kill the project’s progress, but it will hurt it and slow it down.

Other projects throughout the city that are still being constructed or coming up include the South Detention Vault in Overlake Village, the Redmond Central Connector and the two-way conversions of Cleveland Street and Redmond Way, Margeson said.

There is also a new recreation center and swimming pool that is still in the early planning stages.

“That is an issue that is going to be continued to be discussed,” Margeson said.

CELEBRATING COMPLETED PROJECTS

While there are a number of projects still in the works at the city, one project that has been completed is the restoration of lower Bear Creek. According to a City of Redmond press release, the project, located between State Route 520 and Bear Creek Parkway, behind Redmond Town Center, relocated about 3,000 feet of Bear Creek from the mostly straight, channelized “stream” to a meandering, reshaped and re-planted channel in an existing adjacent open space.

The project established stream buffers consistent with the city’s critical areas ordinance and allowed the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Stage 3 widening of the SR-520 freeway adjacent to Bear Creek, the release states.

“This collaboration between the city and state emphasizes how proactively addressing our regional transportation challenges and improving our environment can move us forward together,” said Redmond Mayor John Marchione in the release. “Relocating and restoring this portion of Bear Creek into a productive salmon-bearing stream continues the city’s commitment to protect and improve our environment.”

There will be a grand-opening celebration from 5-6 p.m. on Thursday, on the Bear Creek Trail (adjacent to 168th Avenue Northeast and Bear Creek Parkway).