With their concerns apparently satisfied, Issaquah’s Urban Village Development Commission (UVDC) allowed a land-use application for a 240-unit multi-family housing development to move forward in the Issaquah Highlands at a Jan. 5 meeting.

The development, tentatively referred to as “Block 24”, was delayed for nearly a month as UVDC commissioners complained master-developer Port Blakely Communities hadn’t kept them in the loop — prompting them to delay necessary permits. One of their main concerns was that retail and office development wasn’t keeping pace with prescribed limits on residential units. The Block 24 development will push residential development of the Highlands to over 90 percent capacity.

Port Blakely reportedly said it had “dropped the ball” for their lack of communication.

According to City Public Works Program Manager Keith Niven, Bellevue developers Devco, Inc. now appear ready to move ahead with design drawings and permitting for utility and building work. He said they could technically break ground as early as this spring on the 9.5 acre plot, located east of Highlands Drive Northeast and south of Northeast Discovery Drive.