The City of Issaquah announced a proposed development agreement with downtown retail property owners Rowley Properties on Jan. 8 as officials review proposed changes to the city’s long-range planning.

Through a potential development agreement, Rowley would partner with the City in a site-specific planning process for the developer’s Hyla Crossing (61.7 acres) and Rowley Center (25.6 acres) properties in the Gilman subarea. The two properties were indentified by the City’s Central Issaquah Plan consultant team as having a high redevelopment potential. The agreement is a welcome development for the city that could eventually lead to an increase in tax base revenues.

“This agreement would provide detailed expectations of how Rowley Properties’ land would be redeveloped consistent with the Central Issaquah Plan,” Frisinger said. “This is also a great opportunity for Issaquah to initiate development under its updated comprehensive plan.”

The proposed accord is one of several proposed amendments to Issaquah’s Comprehensive Plan – a long-range planning document that helps guide future land use decisions.

Rowley Properties Board Chairman Skip Rowley said the agreement would provide the certainty and flexibility the company needed to achieve their building plans for the next two decades.

“It’s the only way we’ll be able to deliver something special and unique that meets our community’s expectation and continues to uphold the character of Issaquah we all love,” he said.

The proposed development agreement would be shaped by public input, as well as guidance from the Planning Policy Commission and Council Land Use Committee. Community members have envisioned that this area will evolve from a collection of strip malls and suburban offices into several vital urban neighborhoods.

Rowley Properties hopes to increase density in the two developments, enabling a bicycle/pedestrian focused mixed-use will evolve to be a vital asset of the community.

“A focus upon nature is a unique and fundamental characteristic of Issaquah. Our development efforts will be tailored to fit the community’s needs keeping in mind that Issaquah does not want to be another Bellevue nor Eastgate, for that matter,” said Kari Rowley-Magill.

A Mayor-appointed group of volunteers, the Central Issaquah Plan Advisory Task Force, is currently crafting a draft version of the Central Issaquah Plan, which will be reviewed by the Planning Policy Commission and is tentatively scheduled to reach the City Council for review by the end of this year.

By State law, amendments to the City’s “Comp Plan,” can only be made once a year. This year, the proposed docket of amendments includes:

· Annual population update, based on State Office of Financial Management data;

· Annual Capital Facilities and Level of Service updates based on Council’s newest budget; and,

· Evaluation of Klahanie Potential Annexation Area.

“It’s essential that when completed, the Central Issaquah Plan reflects our community’s goals and values, and is viable within our regional marketplace,” Mayor Ava Frisinger said. “We can create the perfect vision for our central area, but without private investment by landowners and developers as a catalyst, nothing will happen.”

The proposed docket of amendments is tentatively scheduled for City Council action in March. Once the docket is finalized, staff will then develop the actual amendments for further review and consideration.

Council action on the final amendments is scheduled for November or December of 2010.