ISD gets green light for new middle school

Issaquah Development Commission approves site development permit application for new ISD middle school.

By Madison Miller • February 24, 2020 1:30 am

A new middle school will be coming to Issaquah in 2021.

Issaquah’s Development Commission recently approved a site development permit application related to the proposed middle school in Talus. The commission started its public hearing for the proposed middle school on Jan. 15. It concluded Feb. 10.

Some of the topics discussed included bus circulation, field lighting, noise, parking, traffic circulation, trash enclosures and treatment of walls.

The land-use permit approval allows for a new middle school campus with about 144,822 square feet of academic and school administration space in a six-story building.

The new middle school is scheduled to open September 2021 and will serve 850 students in grades 6-8. The Issaquah School District (ISD) said the building will help reduce student populations at five existing middle schools and meet the district’s needs into the future.

The new middle school — currently referred to as Middle School #6 — will be a high-performance building. The educational program will include core learning environments, a science suite, music, athletic facilities including an all-weather turf athletic field, community spaces (library, gym, commons with stage and dining), administrative areas, special services and building support spaces.

The district says it has been approved to use progressive design/build by the state Capital Projects Advisory Review Board on two upcoming projects: New High School #4 and New Middle School #6.

The process brings the designer and builder team on earlier to help with a project’s design and construction costs, the district said. Design/build is an alternative process that ISD has not used before.

Progressive design/build is different than traditional design/build in that the architect/contractor (design/build) team is selected based on qualifications rather than selected in a competition of design and cost proposals, the district said. The process allows the selection of the best-qualified team providing the best cost of services proposal. It also allows design work to begin sooner with the district involved in the design process from the start.

The site also will include a new lighted athletic field, a new public trail, a two-level parking garage and a small surface parking lot.

ISD now is able to apply for construction permits. Construction could start sometime in the spring. For more information, go online to the ISD website https://www.issaquah.wednet.edu.