With a new year comes a new venue for Issaquah’s annual state of the city address. On Feb. 7, Mayor Mary Lou Pauly gave the state of the city presentation to the student body in the auditorium at Issaquah High School.

Mayor Pauly began by outlining how much has changed in the city over the past 20 years and photos from 1998 were displayed. Students got a chance to look back on the city and even saw a photo of the old Issaquah High School campus, originally built in 1962.

Since the ‘90s, Mayor Pauly said, Issaquah has become one of the fastest growing cities in the state, and now must plan for more urban mixed use redevelopment on the Valley floor around Interstate 90, while still maintaining the character, open space and environment that surrounds the city.

To achieve this, Pauly said the city is in the works on its first ever strategic plan, based on comments from citizens received about preserving existing neighborhoods, focusing on travel around town, and managing growth and the natural environment.

“Our community wants to ensure these natural treasures are enhanced and protected and stewarded,” she said.

The strategic plan will act as a guide for how to allocate the budget, resources and staffing to meet the community’s priorities. Along with a mixed-use, urban vision for the central Issaquah commercial core, Pauly also highlighted projects like the upcoming 2019 Costco headquarters expansion, apartment and senior housing developments, and plans with the school district to build a new middle school near the Talus neighborhood.

Increasing affordable housing options is a primary goal of the city as well. Pauly cited the city’s partnership with other King County cities to increase and diversify the supply and quality of housing in the region.

Traffic has become the number-one community concern since the 1960s, Pauly said, and in response, Issaquah has recently formed its first transportation advisory board to work through related issues, including the development of a Mobility Master Plan. Pauly also highlighted the recent completion of the Southeast 62nd Street improvement project, the largest capital project in city history.

On parks, the mayor reflected on the projects completed because of the $16.3 million raised through the previous parks bond and grant funding. Investment in the parks system has been implemented through upgrades and maintenance to existing parks, as well as future projects for a mountain bike park and a new dog park. She also talked about the city’s purchase of the 46-acre Bergsma property to be preserved as open space and used to connect the regional trail system.

Pauly concluded her address with city’s vision that the characteristics valued today would be vital to the community over the next two decades.

“I hope that 20 years from now, as you return to Issaquah for your own reunions, the aspects of Issaquah you remember and love are still preserved while you also find vast opportunities to come home and build a life here,” Pauly said.