Tag Archives: City Politics

Sammamish and “the vision thing”

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In 1987, Vice President George H. W. Bush was gearing up to run for president. The Vice President was well known for mangling his syntax (like father, like son, as it turned out) and often had difficulty articulating his thoughts (as we said…).

This inability led to his famous characterization of “the vision thing.”

Sammamish has a Vision Thing problem.

First, it must be acknowledged that governments in general typically lack vision. Out of necessity, days are consumed with simply running things and fixing day-to-day problems. But Sammamish, since its inception, has had trouble with “vision.”

I’ll concede that the City has looked into the future and taken some steps on this or that. But action often becomes years in the making and vision, if it is recognized at all, often becomes inaction.

The greatest example is the Community Center. Consider:

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City advances SE Quadrant Docket Request

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Overruling the Staff recommendation opposing action on the SE Quadrant Docket Request, the City Council approved moving forward with it. The City Council also approved a revised Staff recommendation putting the issues raised by the Docket Request on a parallel track of examining the issues at the Council’s Economic Development Committee.

The Council also decided to expand the Quadrant’s Docket Request issues to the entire Town Center.

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Council directs Staff to proceed toward agreement with Ace

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The Sammamish City Council tonight on a 7-0 vote directed Staff to proceed toward crafting a Development Agreement and, if necessary, an emergency ordinance to clear the way for Ace Hardware to relocate to land immediately south of the Starbucks and bank at NE 4th St.

The agreement and ordinance is targeted to be presented to the City Council on January 8. A public hearing will be required and there are a whole host of issues that have to fall into place.

This is not a done deal by any stretch, but progress is being made and the Council effectively overruled the Dec. 4 Staff conclusion that it was too late to do anything.

I want to emphasize, however, that the Administration, Staff and Council have worked for a year to try and find a solution for Ace. For those who may have seen the movie Argo (a very good movie, by the way, even if over-dramatized at the end), there was a line in it that said “This is the best bad decision” we have. This property where Ace wants to relocate falls in this category. It’s a lousy choice to build on because of all the environmental constraints. But it’s the best bad decision left to Ace and to the City.

Ace has become a city institution. When scores of people appeared before the Sammamish City Council Dec. 4 to support Ace Hardware, many people spoke of the employees as family and the store as a key, integral part of the community.

I could not help but think of Floyd’s Barber Shop in the Andy Griffith Show.

With luck and dedication, we may see the City and the Ace principals make it work.

 

City to small business: not a word about you

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There is absolutely no sense of urgency or problem-solving for locally owned, small businesses in the City Council packet going to the Council tonight.

It’s as if small businesses, other than Ace Hardware, do not exist in the City’s mindset. These are left to the whim of Regency, the absentee landlord who has made it clear our locally owned small businesses can go to hell.

Despite the loss of several small businesses at the Sammamish Highlands center, and the doomsday countdown for Civilized Nature now started, there is nothing in the council packet to suggest the Administration is looking for solutions and alternatives to help small business.

I find this lack of foresight to be appalling. The Administration last week pretty much said everything can wait to the 2015 Comp Plan rewrite, three years away. Implementation of a rewrite would not happen until the following year, four years away. This leaves small businesses entirely at the mercy of Regency.

Our City Council must step in and fix this. But will it? It’s hardly shown much foresight, either.

Details of the Ace Development Plan and the initial Staff Response rejecting the plan

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Here are the details of the proposal by Ace and a land-owner to develop property immediately south of the Starbucks at NE 4th St. The plan involves a land-swap between the City and the property owner.

The key issue is that both parcels are highly constrained by wetlands, George Davis Creek, and buffers. The property owned by the developer is considered unbuildable due to wetlands. The City property has some buildable land but officials consider it too small for the Ace project. It’s also currently used for two storm water retention ponds.

The Ace proposal calls for swapping the ownership, with Ace rebuilding the ponds on the swapped property. The full, five page proposal is here: AcePlan120412.

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