City Sees Meager Showing at Central Issaquah Plan Open House

It's a plan that could change Issaquah completely.

Buildings, many ten to twelve-stories high, covering the valley on both sides of the freeway. Parking lots and scanty landscaping replaced by impermeable material blanketing up to 90% of the surface. A necklace of parks winding its way through the landscape. Approximately 7,750 additional housing units in the valley serving as homes for about 20,000 more people. And countless more people from around the region visiting Issaquah to shop in 6.9 million square feet of additional commercial space.

The Central Issaquah Plan (CIP) paints a vision of economic opportunity for the City, property owners, business owners, and employees. It could also, as the City has noted, have a significant negative impact on the environmental characteristics that give Issaquah its appeal. 

To help ensure that the Plan meets the City's sustainability objectives while attracting developers, businesses, and residents, the City has implemented a CIP development process that gives the public ample opportunity to provide input. As part of this process, the City held an Open House on April 19th to provide the public with information about the CIP and an associated environmental impact study. City staff, property owners, and environmental groups attended to assess and influence public opinion. 

Marketing campaign or opportunity for open discourse?

The Open House featured several large poster boards summarizing the principles that helped guide the plan, the scope of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), and the three development alternatives considered. The boards featured images of multi-use structures two to five stories, vegetation, and pedestrians.

At first glance, it would appear to a casual observer that at least a dozen visitors were there at any point, to learn more about the draft CIP and its as associated draft EIS. Yet, most of the people present were very familiar with both documents and instrumental in their development. They were present to see how the City chose to present the draft plan and its environmental impacts, assess the public response, and perhaps influence it. 

Among the people who attended were representatives of Rowley Properties, Inc. and others representing environmental interests. They were faces that have become familiar in City Council and Committee meetings. While several such attendees seemed pleased with the presentation, others felt that it was intended to alleviate or prevent public concern rather than encourage discourse on the controversial aspects of the CIP.

"It's a farce," said one such attendee, looking around at the two to five story buildings on the poster boards. A Planning Department flyer seemed to reinforce the notion that the Issaquah of the future would not be dominated by ten to twelve story buildings, implying that Issaquah would resemble downtown Kirkland or Redmond. 

Mark Hinthorne, Issaquah Planning Director, said that the City has received considerable feedback about the perceived contradiction between the City's explanatory material and the actual vision embodied in the CIP, and indicated that the City would endeavor to provide a more accurate depiction in the future in order to encourage and consider public input.

Stakeholders still have a chance to be heard

If implemented, the Central Issaquah Plan is certain to change Issaquah completely.

Residents, employers, property owners, and developers have an opportunity to speak out about the Plan and help direct its final implementation. Concerned stakeholders can send comments and questions via e-mail to centralissaquah@ci.issaquah.wa.us or speak out during an upcoming City Council meeting. The deadline for comments on the draft EIS is April 27th.

Resources

Issaquah's Central Issaquah Plan site