School forces city’s hand on code

Eastlake High School has found itself at the center of a planning debate that could shape how the city of Sammamish looks in the future.

For the past few years, staff, students and parents have been lobbying for an electronic reader board style sign to replace the old, manual lettering sign that has been at the front of the school since it was built 16 years ago.

The school has funding for the sign, and there seems to be little argument that it is sorely needed. But this is where it gets complicated.

In their desire to ensure the development of Sammamish follows guidelines that will maintain the area’s valued aesthetics, the city’s planning managers have restricted the construction of a number of features – including digital reader signs – in residential zones.

City of Sammamish Planning Director Kamuron Gurol is now wedged between the reasonable request of Eastlake High School and the need to keep a firm handle on the appearance of the city as it grows.

Further complicating the matter is the present planning status of the Sammamish Town Center, the guidelines for which are currently being drafted.

What that means is that any decision the city makes regarding the Eastlake High School sign will set a precedent for the all future development.

Eastlake’s Assistant Principal Chris Bede said this week that the school was seeking either a waiver of the current sign ordinance for the benefit of the school, or a permanent change in the regulation.

He said that students and the community are suffering in the current manual operation of the sign.

“It has to be changed manually by students using ladders in all kinds of inclement weather,” Bede said. “Students have to leave class in order to do this and it can take up to 30 minutes each time, using valuable instruction time for something that could be accomplished easily with an electronic board from within the school.”

In a presentation to council in December, Bede was joined by Eastlake student Reid Backstrom, who told the council that there were times when they could not inform the community of events like football games and parent meetings, events that were important to the students and the running of the school.

Although neighboring jurisdictions have similar ordinances against digital reader boards, at least one school, Lake Washington High School, has come to an agreement with their city council to allow such a structure.

Further frustrating the school is the rigidity of the zone designation.

Although they are zoned residential, the school occupies an area, at the intersection of 228 Avenue Northeast and Northeast 8 Street, which is primarily commercial. It borders a major supermarket, and the majority of land parcels around it are zoned commercial.

Gurol says digital signage policy has always been deliberately restrictive.

“Early on the city addressed the issue of illuminated signs, and were sensitive to a desire to preserve the area’s character,” he said. “We have to be careful with our decision here, because the question then is where to stop,” he said. “If Eastlake gets a sign, then what about other schools, then what about the YMCA, then what about the gym? It sets a precedent that would become increasingly difficult to manage.”

Gurol said the height and size of the sign, the speed of the text scroll, and the level of illumination were the kind of variables that would be explored by his staff.

Contact Sammamish Reporter Editor Jake Lynch at editor@sammamish-reporter.com.

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