The City Council chambers were filled with people — and confusion — on Monday night.
Dozens turned out for a public hearing on the closure of a portion of Federal Drive but many, if not most, of the citizens seemed confused about the actual plans for the Issaquah Highlands street.
For many, the confusion resulted from lack of information.
“The only information we received was from Connections,” resident Barbara Sutters said. “For something that significant, there should have been a neighborhood meeting.”
“I don’t think this is ready for voting,” resident Susan Nixon added. “This is inappropriate and premature. I would like residents to be taking precedence over retail in the future.”
However those who were fully informed — a minority — were in favor of the project.
Part of the confusion seemed to be that many did not understand that the project would not only create a ‘L’ shape from Franklin Drive Northeast to Northeast Eddy Way. Federal is currently a “S”-shaped road that connects Highlands Drive Northeast to Northeast Park Drive. In another aspect of the project, Northeast Park Drive — which is currently a one-way street from 10th Avenue Northeast to 9th Avenue Northeast — would be converted to a two-way street. It also would be widened for on-street parking. According to findings presented to the City Council, the proposed changes would in fact give more access to the Highlands, rather than the reduced access that many residents assumed and told the council they were concerned about.
Adam Pond, a member of the development committee in the Highlands, said that they tried to get the word out.
“We did our best to get this out, but obviously we failed,” Pond said. Along with several of his neighbors, Pond spoke out in favor of the street vacation, citing improved traffic, more through-routes and the potential to bring in more business to the Highlands, making it into a true urban center as it was envisioned.
The confusion was clear to the council members, who chose to table the discussion until their Sept. 4 meeting. In the interim, the issue will be discussed at the next Transportation committee meeting on Aug. 14 at 5 p.m. in the Pickering Room in City Hall Northwest, where the community is invited to listen to a presentation on the matter. Councilman Fred Butler also suggested that further education and outreach be done in the Highlands in the meantime.
Port Blakely has already made plans for a Aug. 6 town hall meeting for Highlands residents, and mailers will be going out shortly, Director of Legal and Community Affairs for Port Blakely Chris Hysom said.
“It’s important everyone gets all the information,” Hysom said.
The delay won’t impact the potential construction much. Port Blakely, which originally had plans to start during this construction season, had already pushed the timeline back to next spring before Monday’s meeting.
