Tag Archives: Sammamish

Common Cause Housing Balance for Sammamish

Posted on by
2

Editor’s note: This is the inaugural article of occasional Guest Contributor columns from Sammamish residents. See this post for details about contributing to Sammamish Comment.

 How to attain sustainable housing affordability, create vast community wealth and improve driver experiences.

Paul Stickney

By Paul Stickney

Guest Contributor

Article One of Three

Disclosure: I have, since 1997, had an interest in a five-acre parcel on the Plateau with Richard Birgh, who has owned the land since 1968. In 2008, this property became part of the Town Center.

In Sammamish we, as a community, are facing many important issues, including:

  • Trees coming down; Loss of tree canopy; Worries over wildlife habitat.
  • Tough commutes, traffic congestion and worsening driver experiences.
  • Storm water management; Erosion and sediment issues; Kokanee runs.
  • Preserving community character and aesthetically displeasing development.
  • Housing affordability and options to stay in Sammamish as ones needs change.
  • Capital needed to remedy extensive, inherited transportation deficiencies.
  • Voter tax fatigue – especially with recent impacts of McCleary and ST3.
  • Costs of community desires – Open Space; Parks; Trails; Arts; Human Services.

Several of the above issues are symptoms of two fundamental root ailments.

Continue reading →

City Council retreat begins Thursday; held in the city for first time

Posted on by
Reply

The Sammamish City Council annual retreat begins Thursday with dinner and continues through at least noon Saturday.

For the first time in the city’s history, the retreat will be held within the city limits—this time at the Plateau Country Club.

The retreat is the City Council’s annual strategy session at which goals for the year and medium- to long-term are set.

With four new council members this year, the largest turnover since the 1999 incorporation, this retreat takes on special significance.

Continue reading →

Guest Contributions now welcome to Sammamish Comment

Posted on by
1

Readers of Sammamish Comment have the opportunity this year to be a Guest Contributor.

Think of the Op Ed pieces that appear occasionally in The Seattle Times.

Contributions may be up to 1,000 words. They may be on any topic. They must be polite, but they may take a critical eye of policies, topics or actions of Sammamish. They may also be supportive of these.

Continue reading →

Malchow, Hornish selected as mayor and deputy mayor; new members sworn in

Posted on by
Reply

Christie Malchow, now Mayor of Sammamish.

Tom Hornish, now deputy mayor of Sammamish.

Christie Malchow and Tom Hornish were voted to be mayor and deputy mayor by their fellow council members tonight, at the first meeting of the meeting of the new year.

The votes were unanimous.

Malchow, who was deputy mayor for a portion of last year, will serve for two years. Hornish will serve one year. (The deputy position is a one-year term.)

Both are in the middle of their first two-year term.

Continue reading →

Top issues for Sammamish city council in 2018

Posted on by
4

Four new members of the Sammamish City Council are sworn in tonight. The mayor for the next two years and deputy mayor for the next year will also be selected.

This new Council has a plethora of thorny issues facing it this year. Many of them come with hefty price tags that could mean a need to raise new taxes, despite universal opposition to any in a county where tax fatigue has set in.

Top issues

Except for the declared No. 1 priority, traffic, there’s no attempt to prioritize these issues; they are listed in alphabetical order.

Continue reading →