Inside Redmond

Some of you may find long-range planning “pie in the sky”, but it is through this planning process that the vision and direction of Redmond is formed.  This is why it is critical to be involved in this part of the process — this is where important decisions are made long before a development is conceived or the bulldozers show up.

The update of our Comprehensive Plan is beginning now.  The first step is to determine the nature and scope of potential updates. I encourage all of you, residents and businesses alike,  to provide your ideas and priorities to the City.  You can do this either by attending the Planning Commission’s public hearing (Wed. Feb. 17, 7pm at City Hall) or by submitting written comments in advance of the hearing.  Submit your comments to the project leads, Sarah Stiteler (sstiteler@redmond.gov) or Jeff Churchill (jchurchill@redmond.gov).

It takes all of us to make Redmond an even better city.

In 2010, we will tackle our biennial budget for 2011/2012.  This will be the second time the City will go through it’s budgeting process using the Budgeting by Priorities (BP) model.  In 2008, we asked the community to help establish our priorities (based on what you said was important) and sought community input on what services and programs we should perform.  BP starts again with a community meeting on March 1, from 7 to 8:30pm in the Council Chambers of City Hall.

Please come to learn about the results of our first BP process and help clarify the community’s needs for 2011 and 2012.  I hope to see you on March 1 at 7pm.

The City’s updated Draft Parks, Recreation, Open Space, Trails and Arts Plan (PARCC) will be available for review on the City’s website from January 25 to February 26.  Public comments will be accepted at public meetings, during public comment times at various commission meetings and via email or mail to the project manager.

A public meeting will be held on Thursday, February 11 at 6:30pm in the Redmond City Hall Council Chambers, 15670 NE 85^th Street.  For a list of all public comment opportunities, visit the project page. 

The PARCC Plan provides an inventory of the parks system, updating the existing conditions within the plan; projects the future park systems needs for the next 20 years based on a demand analysis and public involvement; and prioritizes the projects in a capital improvement program.

If you are interested in the Overlake neighborhood, make sure you plan to attend a community meeting on Thursday, January 21, from 5:30 to 7:30pm at the Redmond VFW, 4330 148th Avenue NE to hear the most recent developments in the Overlake Stormwater/Park facilities planning.  A presentation will be at 6pm.

More information is available on the project website on the City’s website. 

For thosse who want to know more:
The City is working on a plan to make the Overlake Village area an even better place to live, work and play.  Integrating stormwater facilities with parks and urban green spaces will give residents and workers a gathering space while providing needed stormwater retention facilities for the area.  This combined park and stormwater facility will reinforce the long-term vision for the neighborhood as well as meet the future growth needs within the Kelsey Creek Watershed.

At the meeting, staff and consultants will present engineering, parks, planning and economic analysis along with the alternatives developed for the proposed facilities. Following four weeks of public comment, a preferred alternative will be selected and conceptual designs with an implementation plan will be developed and presented in a community meeting in the spring.

Redmond has been featured as the “Best Place to Raise Kids in Washington” by Business Week.  (See the featured article http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/11/1117_best_places_to_raise_kids/48.htm.)   One city in a major metropolitan area in every state was chosen and a local family or, in some cases, a child (or children) with either the skyline or a prominent feature of the metropolitan area in the background was photographed.  Redmond was the choice for Washington, with Shoreline and Bellevue as runners-up. 

Our parks have a lot to do with our livability.  As the weather gets warmer, get out doors and have fun in our many parks and trails.

If you regularly drive SR 520 in Redmond, be prepared for changes in the way you enter the freeway. Starting on Wednesday Jan. 6, drivers headed from eastbound SR 202 to westbound SR 520 will access the freeway from a newly built on-ramp.

The new ramp is part of the project to widen SR 520 between SR 202 and West Lake Sammamish Parkway. Before the new ramp opens, crews will need to close multiple ramps tonight in order to stripe, install guardrail and other signs. Please visit the construction update report for specifics about the closures.

The City Council approved the siting of the new Downtown Central Park and directed staff to begin the process of aquiring land.  The approved site is located between Cleveland Street and Redmond Way and bounded to the west by the proposed 161^st Street extension and to the east by the historic Stone House property. 

This new park will provide a destination for downtown residents and workers, strengthening neighborhood connections and reinforcing the historic ‘heart’ of Redmond.  It will become downtown Redmond’s living room; a place filled with life and activity that celebrates Redmond’s past, present and future.

The City of Redmond was selected to receive a $66,000 Energy Efficiency Thorugh Transportation Planning grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce.  This grant will fund efforts to: Update the Comprehensive Plan to address energy, climate change and sustainability; assess energy and greenhouse gas impacts of our Transportation Master Plan and increase awareness of energy and climate change impacts of travel choices.

Last Thursday I visited the City’s Maintenance and Operations facility and observed the new/modified equipment that we will use for this year’s snow response.   Everything is staged and ready to go or available as needed.  This includes a new de-ice chemical along with different types of snow plow blades.  I was also briefed on the additional training that our crews have received.  Mother Nature will dictate the next steps.

Here is a Redmond Patrol car in Tuesday’s procession.

Photo by Commander Shari Shovlin