Following a discussion on the Storm and Surface Water Comprehensive Plan during a City Council study session Tuesday night, Sammamish Deputy Mayor Ramiro Valderrama asked council members to begin a “60-day process” of gathering public input and staff recommendations toward potentially establishing a moratorium across the city’s Town Center.

No action was taken, though after nearly an hour of discussion, the council decided to look into the general implications of a moratorium at its next regular meeting Sept. 20.

Though Valderrama’s suggestion came unexpected to council members, enough expressed a willingness to further explore the topic and add it to the next meeting’s agenda.

Valderrama suggested the city look into the potential moratorium, saying the city was faced with too many unanswered questions that affected planning, including with transportation and sewage issues. He said a lack of priorities has affected how the Capital Improvement Plan for storm water will be done, and that there is a lack of vision for storm water. He also said questions haven’t been answered in regards to mitigating the storm water affecting aquatic and wildlife coming off the Town Center.

“It’s become very apparent that the reason that that happens is basically because the growth has been so rapid in our city and we’re not able to keep up with what’s going on,” Valderrama said. “Growth is outpacing our ability to put infrastructure in the plan.”

Councilmember Tom Odell commented the topic “came out of the blue” and suggested the council take its time with discussion of a potential moratorium.

“I get the fact that people are unhappy, but I don’t want to blow my own foot off in the process of trying to do something quickly,” Odell said.

But a few of the council members, including Valderrama, expressed that time may not be on the council’s side.

“What concerns me is taking our time,” Valderrama said. “That’s how we got to this problem that we’re in.”

City Manager Lyman Howard said city staff was currently working on categorizing and bringing community feedback to the council from the Sept. 8 roundtable on growth and also from the city’s Virtual Town Hall public input portal. Howard expected the feedback to be ready within the next two weeks.

Howard added that while he thought having the discussion about a possible moratorium was worthwhile, he cautioned council members that the process may be “very difficult for all parties concerned” as council members and city staff are set to begin the city budget process in the next 60 days. Howard also commented on the impact a moratorium discussion would have on current developments.

“As soon as we have a moratorium discussion, basically you’re going to force a lot of developers to speed up their plans,” Howard said.