Will Issaquah develop into another Bellevue? Or should the city go back to becoming “Mayberry”?
The hypothetical question was one of many addressed by city planners Nov. 10 as they discussed the future of Issaquah’s housing with The Central Issaquah Plan Advisory Task Force, a panel of community activists, city commissioners and local business leaders.
The group focused on building affordable housing and spurring more redevelopment opportunities, apartment buildings and condos, and compliance with the county’s Growth Management Act.
Issaquah is currently meeting more than it’s share of growth, but planners believe the city may need to build another 2,900 housing units to meet their obligation in 2030.
Approximately 25 percent of Issaquah residents are renters, and rents in Central Issaquah go for about $1.02 to $1.28 per square foot. That’s lower than many Eastside communities.
But encouraging developers to build this type of housing in Issaquah could be a challenge, said real estate consultant Doug Larson, given the city’s “onerous” building regulations.
Larson said landlords would rather hold on to current land uses, such as strip malls and retail development, rather than build residential units, because it earns more revenue.
Rowley Properties Consultant Lisa Picard agreed, describing her company’s attempts in the recent past to build residential units in Central Issaquah, where they found cost estimates prohibitively high.
“We couldn’t do it if you gave us the land for free.”
Regulations that discourage multi-family residential building construction include two parking spots for any unit larger than a studio, set-backs on tall buildings, and impervious surface limits, Larson said.
“There are only two ways to encourage residential housing: to increase project revenues or to decrease costs,” he said.
ARCH affordable housing representative Arthur Sullivan said it was important to develop housing goals ahead of time and anticipate future demand.
He used downtown Kirkland as an example of what not to do. No affordable housing was built there and once new incentives and regulations were in place redevelopment had stopped.
The task force’s next meeting is Dec. 8 at the Pickering Room in City Hall Northwest at 1775 12th Ave. Northwest.
