Tag Archives: John Galvin

Applicants seeks 2m sf in Town Center

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Update: Reader Bump is correct in his comment below.

Original Post:

The Docket request filed by some landowners in the Southeast Quadrant in the Sammamish Town Center seeks a general upzoning over the 600,000 sf approved to a total of 1.38 1.98 million sf so the quadrant can have a “proportional” increase from 90,000 sf to 300,000 sf.

The Docket request also proposes a 20% increase in the SE Quadrant residential zoning (from R-15 to R-18), which accounting for the “proportional” request means the total residential units in the TC would increase to 2,400 from 2,000 approved by the City Council in 2008. Another estimated 225 residential units are possible through the proposed transfer of development rights still being prepared by the City staff.

A close reading of the Docket request by this column revealed the true nature of the Docket, which has been represented by the applicants as desiring 300,000 sf of commercial and 144 more residential units than in the approved TC Plan.

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Town Center: East vs West

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Recent letters in The Sammamish Review (Jan. 13, 2010) and The Sammamish Reporter (Jan. 15) by John Galvin saying he isn’t proposing adding 210,000 commercial space and 144 residential units to his Southeast Quadrant in the Town Center, instead proposing to shift it from other quadrants, is highly revealing.

First, it demonstrates that his long campaign is about him and not about what’s best for the Town Center landowners and the City of Sammamish. He suggests taking zoning from other landowners who are counting on decisions made by the City over five years. These landowners depend on the financial benefits from these upzonings. Galvin proposes taking this away from these citizens for his own benefit. I imagine that the Westside landowners will find this revelation distressing.

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Conflict of interest at City Hall

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The last 18 months was rife with conflict of interest at City Hall. Maybe this year will be better.

It started with a proposal by the City staff to identify an area called “the Notch” as a potential annexation area (PAA) for the City’s Comprehensive Plan. This is 44 acres surrounded on two sides by Trossachs in the far southeast part of the City, one side by High Country and fronted by Duthie Hill Road. The Urban Growth Boundary Line (UGB) follows Duthie Hill Road but carves out this 44 acres–the Notch–for reasons that made no sense when it happened.

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