^
OK I split off your post into a new thread. Put all non-downtown Bellevue eastside projects news and discussion here.
OK I split off your post into a new thread. Put all non-downtown Bellevue eastside projects news and discussion here.
Non-Downtown Bellevue and Eastside Development News and Photos
I don't know if this has been posted already or if this is even the right spot but I thought it was interesting, especially since I grew up in Kirkland.
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsour...slug=kirkheight24e&date=20080124&query=kidder
Kirkland residents are fighting proposed taller buildings downtown.
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsour...slug=kirkheight24e&date=20080124&query=kidder
Kirkland residents are fighting proposed taller buildings downtown.
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Thanks Bond. I really didn't know where to put it lol.
....
oh good anybody know what the two cranes in downtown redmond are also I saw a new hole being dug in dt Redmond
oh good anybody know what the two cranes in downtown redmond are also I saw a new hole being dug in dt Redmond
I know theyre building some kind of "european village" in redmond next to the sammamish river...
Just north of the center there's also a 322-unit apartment planned, next to where they're doing a transit center garage. I have no idea whether either has started or they're a long way off.
Something from Issaquah:
Issaquah mapping its future
By Sonia Krishnan
Seattle Times Eastside bureau
Hop off the first exit to Issaquah from Interstate 90, and the first thing to greet you is that all-American suburban staple — the strip mall.
In fact, Issaquah's central zone is home to at least 10 such shopping centers, characterized by low structures and large parking lots. Not to mention miles of office space.
Maintaining this generic expanse isn't how city leaders envision Issaquah's future in 20 to 30 years. They say it's time to change the direction of development in the city's geographic core and transform the 900-plus acres into a vibrant community with transit, housing, parks and retail.
"The intent is to move from a suburban area to an urban area," said Trish Heinonen, the city's planning manager. "If we didn't want to grow the way we already look, then it was time to be proactive."
That desire — coupled with a mandate to limit growth to certain areas under the 1990 state Growth Management Act — led to the creation of the Central Issaquah Plan last summer. A series of public workshops are helping to shape the direction of this new town center, with adoption of the plan expected for winter 2009. Another workshop is tentatively planned for March.
Some already-established guidelines include:
• Integrating development with natural settings, such as creeks and views
• Adding housing to the area in a variety of types and affordability levels, including new mixed-use projects on existing commercial sites
• Promoting environmental sustainability, improving architectural design, and creating new public spaces such as parks, plazas, pedestrian corridors and streetscapes.
• Improving vehicle, transit and pedestrian mobility
"The idea is not to replace one strip mall with another strip mall," said Councilman David Kappler. "We want to make it interesting and nice enough so people will want to live there."
The area is bordered roughly by Northwest Sammamish Road, Newport Way and East Lake Sammamish Parkway. This swath, which comprises about 89 percent of the city's commercially zoned land, serves as the "economic hub" of the city, according to documents.
"The commercial core has really developed over the years, without us thinking too much about pedestrian access," said Councilman John Rittenhouse. "It's important we really examine how we want that area to look."
More and more, cities are turning away from car-centered developments of days past in order to build cohesive town centers.
But one major hurdle exists in Issaquah: I-90. It slices through the center, practically splitting it in half. Options are being explored now on how to bridge the divide, officials said.
The city is working on getting grants for a pedestrian/bike facility to cross I-90 near Highway 900, Kappler said.
Heinonen said such connectors are crucial for the town center to be viable.
"But it's so early, it's hard to say at this point what it will be," she said.
One thing is for sure, Kappler said. This plan will do more than any other to define the city's core. "We're hoping to see new growth done efficiently and sustainably — instead of losing more wooded hillside," he said.
Issaquah mapping its future
By Sonia Krishnan
Seattle Times Eastside bureau
Hop off the first exit to Issaquah from Interstate 90, and the first thing to greet you is that all-American suburban staple — the strip mall.
In fact, Issaquah's central zone is home to at least 10 such shopping centers, characterized by low structures and large parking lots. Not to mention miles of office space.
Maintaining this generic expanse isn't how city leaders envision Issaquah's future in 20 to 30 years. They say it's time to change the direction of development in the city's geographic core and transform the 900-plus acres into a vibrant community with transit, housing, parks and retail.
"The intent is to move from a suburban area to an urban area," said Trish Heinonen, the city's planning manager. "If we didn't want to grow the way we already look, then it was time to be proactive."
That desire — coupled with a mandate to limit growth to certain areas under the 1990 state Growth Management Act — led to the creation of the Central Issaquah Plan last summer. A series of public workshops are helping to shape the direction of this new town center, with adoption of the plan expected for winter 2009. Another workshop is tentatively planned for March.
Some already-established guidelines include:
• Integrating development with natural settings, such as creeks and views
• Adding housing to the area in a variety of types and affordability levels, including new mixed-use projects on existing commercial sites
• Promoting environmental sustainability, improving architectural design, and creating new public spaces such as parks, plazas, pedestrian corridors and streetscapes.
• Improving vehicle, transit and pedestrian mobility
"The idea is not to replace one strip mall with another strip mall," said Councilman David Kappler. "We want to make it interesting and nice enough so people will want to live there."
The area is bordered roughly by Northwest Sammamish Road, Newport Way and East Lake Sammamish Parkway. This swath, which comprises about 89 percent of the city's commercially zoned land, serves as the "economic hub" of the city, according to documents.
"The commercial core has really developed over the years, without us thinking too much about pedestrian access," said Councilman John Rittenhouse. "It's important we really examine how we want that area to look."
More and more, cities are turning away from car-centered developments of days past in order to build cohesive town centers.
But one major hurdle exists in Issaquah: I-90. It slices through the center, practically splitting it in half. Options are being explored now on how to bridge the divide, officials said.
The city is working on getting grants for a pedestrian/bike facility to cross I-90 near Highway 900, Kappler said.
Heinonen said such connectors are crucial for the town center to be viable.
"But it's so early, it's hard to say at this point what it will be," she said.
One thing is for sure, Kappler said. This plan will do more than any other to define the city's core. "We're hoping to see new growth done efficiently and sustainably — instead of losing more wooded hillside," he said.
^
There's a proposal to replace the Skippers in downtown Issaquah (now closed) with a 2-story mixed-use office/retail building.
There's a proposal to replace the Skippers in downtown Issaquah (now closed) with a 2-story mixed-use office/retail building.
I'm glad to hear that ours suburban communities are becoming urban centers. I wonder if any US cities will follow this model?
Nooo! Save that building! It has such a unique design. And Skippers are a dying breed. We should preserve these iconic structures so we remember our past and the uniqueness of the clasic architecture.^
There's a proposal to replace the Skippers in downtown Issaquah (now closed) with a 2-story mixed-use office/retail building.
I don't think there are any Skippers left in Ballard either.
^^ I'm not fond of Skipper. I tried one in Bend, Oregon few years ago and not impressed with their food.
The above was total sarcasm on my part. Not so timely given todays sparring!! 
Yeah, Jim. Skippers has a unique architectural style all its own...especially when they have that big anchor sign thingie out front. Ha ha... With all of the traffic there at that corner, I wonder if a two story retail / comm mixed use is big enough to take advantage, or if it's too big to get access?
They're gonna build a new Marriott hotel in Issaquah near the park-and-ride on the parking lot next to the Cascade Bank building (across the street from that new-ish office building).
In case anyone's interested.
In case anyone's interested.
Also, I just put a link to this thread at the top of the downtown Bellevue compilation thread, in case anyone forgets it exists or can't find it.
Yeah? How big this hotel will be?They're gonna build a new Marriott hotel in Issaquah near the park-and-ride on the parking lot next to the Cascade Bank building (across the street from that new-ish office building).
In case anyone's interested.
Not very big, just a few stories and about 180 rooms. Your standard suburban hotel, not too different from the nearby new Hilton Gardens, according to the rendering in the Issaquah Press.Yeah? How big this hotel will be?
Ahhh I see.Not very big, just a few stories and about 180 rooms. Your standard suburban hotel, not too different from the nearby new Hilton Gardens, according to the rendering in the Issaquah Press.
Whenever I drive by Factoria on 405 I think about that little cluster of buildings there. It doesn't get any credit as a "skyline" though because it's a bunch office complexes built away from the road into a hill side, and the hill side is taller than the buildings lol.
It is nice though and thank you for the pictures!
It is nice though and thank you for the pictures!
1 - 20 of 1711 Posts
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