Annexation of Klahanie could cost $6 million
May 7, 2013
The area would add $600,000 annually to city coffers
Should the city annex the Klahanie area, preliminary reports say that it will come with a $6 million one-time cost and provide almost $600,000 in annual revenue.
The large sum was derived by Nesbitt Planning and Management Inc. Owner Tom Nesbitt presented a draft cost report to the Land & Shore Committee on April 9. The largest draw of funds from the initial annexation would be from Public Works operation and maintenance, including more than $5 million for things such as road improvements and storm water management.
Additionally, an estimated $500,000 would go to expanding the police force to provide adequate service to the area. However, while Nesbitt’s report called for an additional five officers, Chief Paul Ayers expressed a desire for a greater number.
City Council turns to veteran for vacancy
February 5, 2013
Joe Forkner (left) is welcomed back to the dais for another City Council stint by Eileen Barber on Jan. 29. By Greg Farrar
Joe Forkner returned to the City Council on Jan. 29 after a divided council appointed the former councilman, onetime city employee and longtime community leader to a vacant seat.
Forkner, a councilman in separate stints during the early and mid-2000s, did not fade from public life after departing from the council in 2007. The engineering technician and draftsman served as a member of numerous municipal boards and commissions in recent years, and spearheaded the initial plan to redevelop the business district along Interstate 90.
The depth of experience led the council to appoint Forkner, 59, to occupy the seat left after former Councilman Mark Mullet resigned to serve in the state Senate.
Issaquah re-examines Klahanie annexation
January 22, 2013
Last annexation attempt failed in 2005
The question of how a large-scale annexation on the Sammamish Plateau could affect residents in Issaquah, Klahanie and other unincorporated King County neighborhoods is under the microscope again, almost a decade after a citizen panel tackled the issue.
Issaquah leaders commissioned a $100,000 study and created a citizen task force to examine the Klahanie Potential Annexation Area — 10,800 people in about 3,900 households in the namesake neighborhood and adjacent communities.
The potential annexation area under consideration is in unincorporated King County, and bordered by Issaquah to the south, Sammamish to the north and west, and more unincorporated areas to the east.
Issaquah mayor eyes property tax hike
October 9, 2012
Issaquah homeowners can expect to pay about $5 more in property taxes next year, if City Council members adopt a 1 percent rate hike to fund long-term projects.
The property tax increase, proposed Oct. 1 by Mayor Ava Frisinger, is not expected to generate much next year. If enacted, city officials expect to raise only $69,707 — a drop in a proposed $35 million general fund budget.
The decision to raise the property tax rate by the maximum amount allowed under state law, 1 percent, is projected to cost the average homeowner $4.75 per year.
Issaquah’s Lakemont Orchard Apartments sell for $39.5 million
October 4, 2012
NEW — 10 a.m. Oct. 4, 2012
Issaquah’s Lakemont Orchard Apartments sold last month for $39.5 million, according to King County property records.
MainStay Investments, a division of New York Life Insurance Co., bought the 17-building complex from Invesco, a Dallas-based investment firm. The complex includes 201 units at 18305 S.E. Newport Way, near the Issaquah-Bellevue city line.
The complex opened in 1992. Invesco bought the apartment complex for about $21 million in 1998, according to county property records.
Issaquah annexed the area from King County in the 2006 Greenwood Point-South Cove annexation. The annexation extended city boundaries to include about 3,700 people.
King County carves up rural communities into service areas
July 24, 2012
King County could carve unincorporated neighborhoods — including Four Creeks and Klahanie just outside Issaquah — into community service areas, if a plan proposed July 19 is put into action.
The proposal is the latest in a yearslong effort to change the way county government and unincorporated communities interact. King County Executive Dow Constantine characterized the effort as a reform measure to ease access to government for residents in rural and unincorporated areas.
King County unincorporated area councils vary by geography, population
July 24, 2012
The county and the unincorporated area councils formalized a relationship after then-County Executive Gary Locke enacted the Citizen Participation Initiative in December 1994.
Then, about one-third of the county population — 500,000 people — resided in unincorporated areas. The number has since declined to fewer than 300,000 due to annexations and incorporations.
Construction starts on long-awaited Issaquah Highlands retail center
July 3, 2012
Earth-moving equipment works at the intersection of Highlands Drive Northeast and Northeast High Street on June 26 as construction starts on Grand Ridge Plaza. By Autumn Monahan
Finally, after years of plans and promises, developers and officials gathered in the Issaquah Highlands early June 26 to launch construction on a $70 million retail center in the neighborhood — a long-awaited amenity for residents and, in recent years, a symbol for the anemic economy and rebound.
Issaquah surpasses 31,000 residents in latest population estimate
July 3, 2012
Issaquah surpassed 31,000 residents in the past year, as population growth continues to inch upward after a decade of rapid expansion.
The latest tally from the state indicates Issaquah added 460 people last year to reach 31,150 residents. The state Office of Financial Management released the information June 25 for the period from April 1, 2011, to April 1, 2012.
City considers overseeing water, sewer service for all Issaquah residents
June 26, 2012
City and Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District officials could end up at loggerheads as the city embarks on a study to assume water and sewer service for the portion of district customers inside Issaquah city limits.
Issaquah officials budgeted $300,000 to study expanded utility service for the entire city. State law encourages municipalities to assume utility services in neighborhoods located inside city limits.
City officials said such a changeover could reduce confusion among customers and enable municipal government to better manage the water and sewer system inside city limits.
Such a change could lead to a showdown between the city and the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District, because the district is bound to shed hundreds of ratepayers if the city expands water and sewer service to all Issaquah residents.
