Planning Policy Commission reviews first Central Issaquah Plan draft

Published 12:11 am Thursday, December 11, 2008

At the Dec. 4 Planning Policy Commission meeting, the public was given a first look at design possibilities for the Central Issaquah Plan.

The plan is meant to bring mixed-use development to about 900 acres in central Issaquah, and help plan the re-development of the area from strip malls to a true town center.

City officials held a series of workshops and open houses in 2007 where they gathered public input on what central Issaquah should look like, and completed a tour of downtown Mercer Island and old Bellevue this past summer for inspiration on how they see the plan developing.

The draft plan calls for wide, clear sidewalks with street trees and landscaping separating them from the roads.

On-site landscaping, which will use tree preservation and rainwater harvesting among other things, is a major portion of the plan’s “green factor.”

It also calls for a substantial amount of public open space, screens for trash cans and service areas, screened parking that’s not at street level, transparent glass on all store fronts, trails and through-block passages, among other things.

Buildings will also include front set-backs and upper level set-backs, to create more usable space. Blank walls will receive treatments to improve their look and sidewalks will have weather protection covers.

Commission reactions to the draft plan were mixed. Some members were enthusiastic about the aesthetic appeal, landscaping and green technologies, while others simply said it “doesn’t look like Issaquah.”

The consensus from this opinion was that the plan was too ambitious, and made central Issaquah look more like a big city than a small-town center.

Commission member Irv Levin in particular didn’t think the draft was what he had envisioned when they made suggestions as to what they wanted to see.

“I almost thought I saw Bellevue descending on me when I looked at that,” he said.

Building height was a major issue for Levin. Many of the buildings in the draft rise above 50 feet.

Member Sajal Sahay agreed and said Bellevue came to his mind as well. He did, however, say the plan was a great step forward, but that it would be beneficial for the commission to see two or three different options instead of just one.

For more information in the Issaquah Central Plan, go to www.ci.issaquah.wa.us.