College Drive construction starts soon in highlands
April 26, 2011
Construction should start in early May on a road to access the Bellevue College satellite campus planned for the Issaquah Highlands.
Crews plan to start staging equipment and clearing land for Northeast College Drive soon. City permits for the project need to be issued before roadwork can start.
Plans call for the road to snake for about a half-mile behind Grand Ridge Elementary School and link to the existing street grid at Central Park. In addition, the road through The Highlands at Wynhaven apartment complex is due to be improved and turned into 15th Avenue Northeast. College Drive is planned to form a T-shaped intersection at 15th Avenue.
The road should be completed at about the same time as the start of the 2011-12 school year.
Though the project is not far from the Grand Ridge Elementary campus, the road is not designed to alleviate congestion during busy mornings and afternoons at the school.
County seeks proposals for youth sports facilities
April 26, 2011
Youth sports organizations can apply for King County grants to build or upgrade recreation facilities.
The county Parks and Recreation Division is accepting applications from qualified groups for Youth Sports Facilities Grants. Applicants must partner with a public agency, such as a school district or municipal parks department, to develop or renovate sports facilities.
The fund has helped organizers build or renovate hundreds of public sports amenities in neighborhoods throughout the county.
Past grant recipients in the Issaquah area include city-run Central Park in the Issaquah Highlands and county-run Duthie Hill Park in Sammamish.
“Thanks to robust partnerships with community groups, we are using our limited resources to bring new or improved recreational amenities for King County residents that otherwise wouldn’t be possible,” County Executive Dow Constantine said in a release.
The program provides matching grant funds of up to $75,000. Grant requests range from $5,000 to $75,000.
City preserves Tiger Mountain forest in historic milestone
March 29, 2011
Park Pointe protection occurs after years long effort to stop proposed construction
By Dona Mokin
The long-running saga to preserve Park Pointe — a slice of Tiger Mountain forest near Issaquah High School — ended late March 24, after more than a decade of public and behind-the-scenes negotiations to halt construction of hundreds of houses once proposed for the land.
The tradeoff: Under the agreement, city leaders steered construction from Park Pointe to the Issaquah Highlands instead, and, as a result, preserved more than 140 acres in the process.
“I think that this will transform the community in a very, very positive way,” Mayor Ava Frisinger said, minutes after the deal closed. “It has the three elements of sustainability. It has the environment — the environmental protection and preservation. It has a huge social element. It has economic vitality benefits as well.”
The historic conservation effort is part of a complicated transfer of development rights.
City planners and officials shepherded the agreement through the arduous process after Frisinger outlined the landmark opportunity to preserve Park Pointe in late 2008.
In the years since, representatives from the city, highlands developer Port Blakely Communities and other partners pursued the project until the recession scuttled the developer behind the proposed Park Pointe development.
Since a Seattle bank foreclosed on the land from the defunct developer last March, the preservation effort lurched into gear. Issaquah and King County officials adopted a series of agreements late last year to advance the process.
Press Editorial
March 29, 2011
Preserving Park Pointe is a triumph for entire city
The momentous effort to preserve Park Pointe is complete.
Issaquah leaders and residents can celebrate after more than a decade of squabbling and maneuvering to stop hundreds of homes from rising on the land.
The transfer of development rights benefits the entire city.
Park Pointe, a majestically named parcel on Tiger Mountain near Issaquah High School, is forever preserved as public open space. So, too, is a 43-acre forest near Central Park in the Issaquah Highlands.
In exchange, homebuilders can construct up to 500 residences on 35 acres in the highlands. Despite the large figure, developers proposed far fewer homes for the site.
The deal protects land ill-suited for development and shifts construction to a site near roads and utilities.
In addition, the added residents to the highlands could help attract the retail businesses promised to neighborhood residents so long ago.
The deal is not perfect, but the benefits outshine the problems.
Issaquah preserves Tiger Mountain forest in historic milestone
March 24, 2011
Park Pointe protection occurs after yearslong effort to stop proposed construction
NEW — 6:45 p.m. March 24, 2011
The long-running saga to preserve Park Pointe — a slice of Tiger Mountain forest near Issaquah High School — ended Thursday afternoon, after more than a decade of public and behind-the-scenes negotiations to halt construction on hundreds of houses proposed for the land.
The historic conservation effort is part of a complicated transfer of development rights. Under the agreement, city leaders steered construction from Park Pointe to the Issaquah Highlands instead, and, as a result, preserved more than 140 acres in the process.
City planners and officials shepherded the transfer-of-development-rights agreement through the arduous process after Mayor Ava Frisinger outlined the landmark opportunity to preserve Park Pointe in late 2008.
In the years since, city leaders and other partners continued to pursue the project until the recession scuttled the developer pushing for the project.
County seeks proposals for youth sports facilities
March 20, 2011
NEW — 10 a.m. March 20, 2011
Youth sports organizations can apply for King County grants to build or upgrade recreation facilities.
The county Parks and Recreation Division is accepting applications from qualified groups for Youth Sports Facilities Grants. Applicants must partner with a public agency, such as a school district or municipal parks department, to develop or renovate sports facilities.
The fund has helped organizers build or renovate hundreds of public sports amenities in neighborhoods throughout the county.
Past grant recipients in the Issaquah area include city-run Central Park in the Issaquah Highlands and county-run Duthie Hill Park in Sammamish.
Mayor predicts ‘momentous year’ in State of the City speech
February 15, 2011
City is poised to complete long-term projects in coming months
Mayor Ava Frisinger offered a bold prediction for the year in the State of the City address last week.
“2011 will undoubtedly be a momentous year for Issaquah — one that will not only reinforce the importance of our day-to-day business, but will also celebrate our larger accomplishments,” she said during the Feb. 7 address.
The can-do speech highlighted projects scheduled for completion in the months ahead, including the city-coordinated zHome townhouses and a landmark effort to outline redevelopment in the 915-acre business district.
“2010 sets high expectations for this year, and I am confident that we can meet them,” Frisinger said. “Our list of goals for 2011 is extremely impressive and yet very feasible.”
The annual address — like the spring City Council goal-setting session and the autumn budget announcement — helps city leaders outline priorities for the public.
Frisinger used the speech to shine a spotlight on long-term efforts on track to mark milestones.
The city is poised to complete the long-running effort to preserve forested Park Pointe on Tiger Mountain soon.
AT&T cell tower in Issaquah Highlands enters operation
February 10, 2011
NEW — 10 a.m. Feb. 10, 2011
The long-planned AT&T cell tower in the Issaquah Highlands has entered operation.
The structure is near a 45-foot T-Mobile tower close to the Park Drive Northeast entrance to Central Park and a reservoir. Landscaping at the AT&T site is almost complete.
Council Utilities, Technology & Environment Committee members unanimously approved the agreement last May after a long process. The measure did not require a vote by the full City Council.
Legislation for the AT&T tower reached the City Council in 2008. Officials asked AT&T to add the ability to co-locate — or lease space to — other carriers on the tower. The measure returned to the council in 2009 and included stronger co-location language. Officials finally approved the pact last year.
Mayor highlights accomplishments in State of the City address
February 8, 2011
NEW — 10 a.m. Feb. 8, 2011
Mayor Ava Frisinger offered a bold prediction for the months ahead in the State of the City address Monday night.
“2011 will undoubtedly be a momentous year for Issaquah — one that will not only reinforce the importance of our day-to-day business, but will also celebrate our larger accomplishments, ” she said.
The can-do speech highlighted projects scheduled for completion in the months ahead, including the city-coordinated zHome townhouses and a landmark effort to outline redevelopment in the 915-acre business district.
Frisinger used the annual address to shine a spotlight on other long-term efforts.
Bellevue College president sketches bold vision for Issaquah campus
January 4, 2011
Hurdles remain before construction can start in Issaquah Highlands
Jean Floten
The formula for the Issaquah Highlands remains, for the most part, unchanged since residents settled in the community a dozen years ago: homes built almost eave-to-eave on tree-lined streets, even as plans for offices and retail offerings sputtered.
Bellevue College could juice up the long-established formula, or so community leaders hope.
The college campus proposed for the highlands could someday serve as a learning center for groups as assorted as school-aged children and retirees, a gathering spot for cultural festivals and fuel for the economy — if Bellevue College opts to transform a forested parcel near Central Park into a satellite campus.
College President Jean Floten started to consider the possibility more than a decade ago, as the population boomed on the Eastside.
