Visioning long-range plans for redeveloping the city, a citizen’s panel is trying to incorporate a significant “green necklace” concept into discussions on how to redevelop Central Issaquah.
Meeting monthly since last September, the Central Issaquah Plan (CIP) Advisory Task Force has been laying the groundwork for both common and distinct ideas on what new zoning regulations and guidelines are needed to encourage growth in several designated CIP subareas.
One of those ideas — to link a series of public spaces and parks together with improved, pedestrian friendly walks as a type of “green necklace” — is gaining traction and was part of discussions during a March 9 CIP task force meeting.
“We started realizing we’d need the green part,” said Issaquah City Planning Manager Trish Heinonen. “What would make people want to live in this part of Issaquah? Well, that real ‘green’ character of Issaquah is what makes us unique. And we need to provide green spaces that people can live close to.”
With an eye on residential and jobs growth targets set by the Growth Management Act, the city is revising its comprehensive plan next year to establish a unifying vision on how development in the CIP area will move forward and identify key elements of any future development in Issaquah.
The “green necklace” idea focuses on forming stronger connections between Issaquah’s “inner” ring of public parks and green spaces with green connections and linking it to an “outer” ring formed by the Issaquah Alps. Several trails and parks — such as Emily Darst, Pickering Farm and Tibbetts Valley — are already in place, but the task force is envisioning more public improvements to expand the livability and walkability of the area.
“You can walk your dogs, walk the kids and then you can go to the outer necklace and go find some bears,” said CIP Task Force member Ken Konigsmark, Vice President of the Issaquah Alps Trails Club.
Working from suggestions from consultant LMN Architects and the city on Tuesday, the task force identified park and walkway opportunities that could be expanded and improved upon in each of the 10 subareas. The “green necklace” changes would require more public investment in buying more park land and possibly changing street and building standards along the inner ring to have more green features. Some of the streets identified for a more intensive use by pedestrians and cyclists and de-emphasizing cars include Newport Way, Maple and Mall streets. Segments of the necklace could also include a “river-walk” segment along parts of Issaquah Creek, East Fork and Tibbetts Creek.
The various subareas in the CIP are identified as Western Gateway, Hyla, Tibbetts Valley, Gilman, Eastern Gateway, East Lake, Pickering, Sammamish Park, a “Flexible Developement” area along East Lake Sammamish Parkway and a “Service and Light Industrial” area along the foot of Grand Ridge.
Several weeks ago, City Council approved a plan to allow the CIP Task Force to continue, approving up to $100,000 to pay for consultant services.
The CIP Task Force was appointed by Mayor Ava Frisinger last year to create a draft proposal for the Central Issaquah Plan, which will be reviewed by the city, the Planning Policy Commission and then tentatively scheduled to reach the City Council for review by the end of this year.
