Non-downtown Bellevue eastside projects

[USAPatriot]

^ Thanks for providing a link to that info.

I hope this fairly new city (incorporated in 1994) will become a good leader for what to do in town cores like Mill Creek has successfully done. Many are following Mill Creek, Renton, Kent, etc.

[bgwah]

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...tcampus20.html

Wow, and I was thinking company towns were a thing of the past... Microsoft even has a faux-Pike Place Market now.

It would be really interesting if Microsoft somehow threw housing into the mix.

[CrazyAboutCities]

Microsoft is trying to compete with Google. Google has reputation for making their workers to stay in their campus longer than average American worker such as provide the workers with daycare, doctor offices, dental services, gym, yoga classes, restaurants, shopping area, banks, etc. Microsoft is doing what to make its workers to stay longer and motivate them to work by offer what they wants for their workplaces.

[Bond James Bond]

I drove through Sammamish yesterday and I *can't believe* they finally finished that Evergreen Christian Church thingy.

[bgwah]

Originally Posted by Bond James Bond

I drove through Sammamish yesterday and I *can't believe* they finally finished that Evergreen Christian Church thingy.

I liked the old house that used to be there better.

The new church just might be the ugliest building in the city. What an abomination.

[Bond James Bond]

I don't think I ever saw the old house there. When I moved there they had already cleared the lot and started building the underground concrete stormwater detention tank.

The other thing I can't believe they're starting to build are those townhouses. Those are looking pretty nice. Too bad they started building them just as the real estate market started to crash!

[bgwah]

Originally Posted by Bond James Bond

I don't think I ever saw the old house there. When I moved there they had already cleared the lot and started building the underground concrete stormwater detention tank.

It was a nice old (but abandoned) farm house. I really do hate the church, though. It's pure ugly and there's a gigantic parking lot up against 228th in between the city's northern retail/apartment/townhouse core and the future town center. It really is going to scar the city for decades to come. I hope all involved in its construction are ashamed of themselves.

The other thing I can't believe they're starting to build are those townhouses. Those are looking pretty nice. Too bad they started building them just as the real estate market started to crash!

Yeah, they cleared the trees for those townhouses in like, 2004? And they only just started building them last year. Don't quite know what's up with that.

[mhays]

If you can start a project right now, you have a big advantage -- sharply lower construction cost, and much less competition when you finish.

[Bond James Bond]

Given the amount of time it took them to build that church, I'm guessing the reason it's so ugly and cheap-looking is because they had to do it on a really tight budget.

Woulda been nice to make it look like the Catholic church or even the Presbyterian church (with the remodel).

[bgwah]

Originally Posted by Bond James Bond

Given the amount of time it took them to build that church, I'm guessing the reason it's so ugly and cheap-looking is because they had to do it on a really tight budget.

Woulda been nice to make it look like the Catholic church or even the Presbyterian church (with the remodel).

Haha, the Catholic church reminds me of a spaceship. But I do like it. It has nice views of Seattle.

I also like the Hindu temple. You're driving down 228th, lalala brown/green/gray *bam* pink

[Bond James Bond]

Originally Posted by bgwah

I also like the Hindu temple. You're driving down 228th, lalala brown/green/gray *bam* pink

Yeah I like that one too. I get a laugh at the pink every time I drive by it.

[urbansnoco415]

I'm really surprised that I haven't heard anything about this (not really worthy of being on this forum, but whatever):

From: http://thesledgehammer.wordpress.com...moves-forward/

Update 2 (1/20) : Another version of this post has now been posted at Kirkland Views, which discusses the potential effect that a Costco in Redmond may have on the Kirkland store, which is a significant source of sales tax revenue for the City of Kirkland. That article may be found here.

Update (1/20) : In response to an inquiry, I have received the following information from Asma Jeelani, the City of Redmond project planner working on this application:

The application for the Costco store itself has been approved;
A public hearing for the gas station has been scheduled for February 9th (as mentioned below);
The city is working with the applicant on civil construction plans;
Construction of infrastructure and roads for this project is expected to begin by April 1st.
I will also post any further updates that I hear of on this.

I am just now getting around to some of the things that I missed around here last month while I was either trying to hide from the weather, run away from it or celebrate it in some festive manner, all while trying to convince myself somehow to believe in fairy tales. It turns out that there’s a surprising amount of stuff going on around here, so I am trying to catch up on some of the things that I missed, and try to get a couple of other projects underway.

For some time now, we have known that Costco has been planning to build a new warehouse in Redmond out near Union Hill Road, although for one reason or another, the process has been delayed for some time. Initially, the proposal made in 1997 when the portions of the current Cadman site it will be built on was purchased was for it to be open by Fall of 2008, but since we now are into 2009 and nothing appears to have happened yet, we can assume that this schedule has been pushed back. There was some concern when a proposed Costco store in Bellevue was cancelled that it might affect the proposed Redmond location as well, but since it turns out that the cancellation in Bellevue was more the result of zoning issues and red tape than economic issues, the Redmond location would not be affected.

In mid-November, three land use applications were filed with the City of Redmond pertaining to the Costco store and its site which shed some light on the proposed Costco store’s location, and what else might be done with the area. Two of the three applications pertain to the Costco store itself and the Costco gas station which will be located on the premises. Included in the application for the store is the tree preservation plan shown above, which not only shows how the site will be landscaped, but also how the site will be laid out. The store itself looks like it should have virtually the same layout as the Woodinville store that opened a couple of years ago. The third application deals with plats for the Costco site and seven other sites in the area totaling 60 acres, as part of what will eventually be known as the Union Hill Corporate Center. This application also deals with construction of the necessary roads, as outlined below.

[CrazyAboutCities]

I wish Costco would change its image from having a big box retailer with sea of parking lot to streetfront store with parking garage underground (similar concept as Target in Northgate or Ballard Block) to save spaces for other developments. Only Costco store that I really like is in Vancouver, B.C.

[Seattlelife]

Sure that'd be great but you're comparing Vancouver (one of the densest cities in NA) to Redmond. Of course they're going to continue to build big box style stores with large parking lots. They have no real incentive to change, it's not a fault, it's their business.

[Seasun]

I think I've been to a San Francisco Costco that has parking underneath it - years ago so it's a fuzzy memory!

[bgwah]

That's kind of a strange location. Seems kind of hidden.

[uwhuskies]

Originally Posted by Seattlelife

Sure that'd be great but you're comparing Vancouver (one of the densest cities in NA) to Redmond. Of course they're going to continue to build big box style stores with large parking lots. They have no real incentive to change, it's not a fault, it's their business.

the reason why Costco does well is that its prices and margins are kept low. if they started building parking garages for all their new stores do you think that would drive up their construction costs and lead to higher prices?

regarding the location, why not try to work with Sound Transit to create the first TOD Costco? That would be really cool if people could go to Costco then take the train...and before you naysayers chime in...there would be another entrance for those that arrive by car to pick up their brady-bunch size portions of ketchup, toilet paper etc. The ideal is to get dual use parking and maybe then a Parking Garage would work with an real-time parking space management system where space is allocated based on use during the day. Short-term parking could serve double duty for shoppers and day-trippers, whereas the long-term spots could be for monthly pass users and commuters. heck, im gonna send this idea to Sound Transit.

[CrazyAboutCities]

I like that idea. I really love how new IKEA built its store right next to MAX station in Portland. It was designed for downtown dwellers to go on the train to IKEA store and purchase furniture then have it delivered it to their homes without any hassle. I really like how this system work. I like to see something similar to happen in Seattle metro area. I know that we will have it but it takes time to make it happen.

[mhays]

Parking garages cost money to build, but they save money on land. The decision to go vertical tends to reflect that.

[Bond James Bond]

Sammamish is #12:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/money...e/2009/top100/

*awaits bgwah sarcastic comment*