The final Issaquah City Council wrapped up a number of issues in its last meeting of 2013.
–Polygon Northwest, which purchased the 63 acres in the Issaquah Highlands from Microsoft earlier this year for $54 million, will begin negotiations with the city on a development agreement. The property is eligible for 1.2 million square feet of commercial development and 265 housing units under the Highlands development agreement which expires in 2017. Keith Niven, the city’s director of economic development said Polygon wants to build 365 units, and no more.
The parcel is a TDR (transfer of development rights) receiving site, so Polygon would have to acquire 100 TDRs to make the plan work.
Council’s action directed staff to come up with an agreement the city and Polygon can both live with — it did not grant any new entitlements. The council’s Land and Shore committee will provide monthly oversight.
–Fees for land use permits will go up effective April 1, 2014. Phasing in the increases, which was previously discussed, is off the table.
A preliminary plat fee would rise from $16,208 to $17,000 for less than 15 lots, or $22,000 for more than 15 lots. A single family lot line adjustment will jump from $607.80 to $1,500. The goal is 100 percent cost recovery overall for the city, not per developer. The city needs $400,000 in additional fees so the general fund isn’t tapped to cover losses.
David Favour, development services deputy director for the city, said the average homeowner will still have an easy path. The fees that are going up are for complex developments that usually involve some sort of environmentally sensitive areas, he said.
The fees that are increasing are for land use such as moving lot lines and creating plats, not building construction.
“Nobody likes to see fees or taxes go up,” said council member Tola Marts. “Take a look at the budget process; it’s these type of decisions that have allowed Issaquah to meet the economic challenges of the last several years.”
–The King County Council gave the go-ahead for the annexation of Klahanie and surrounding areas to appear on the Feb. 11, 2014 ballot, at its meeting Monday, Dec. 16.
For purposes of the King County election pamphlet, committees of two were formed to write the pro and con statements. Writing the statement in favor of annexation are Klahanie residents Dick L’Heureux and Michael Foss. The statement against annexation will be written by former Issaquah City Council member David Kappler, along with Mark Seely from the citizen group Klahanie Choice.
The committees can seek advice and input from others, but those names would not appear on the statement.
Pro and con statements also will be prepared for the bag ban reversal controversy.
The con committee, or those who oppose the repeal of the ban on plastic bags, will consist of Sen. Mark Mullet, who originally proposed the ban while still on Issaquah’s City Council, and Susan Thoman, with Cedar Grove, an all organic composting company based in Seattle.
Writing the pro statement to support the repeal is Craig Keller, a West Seattle resident who maintains a P.O. box in Issaquah. He was successful in getting enough signatures on a petition to get the issue on the ballot. Joining him will be Tim Eaves, who made an unsuccessful bid for state house of representatives in District 41 last October.
