A new vision for downtown: Meeting explores proposed changes

City staff welcomed residents and business people to a community meeting about the future of downtown Redmond on Monday night.

By Mary Stevens Decker • November 19, 2008 5:36 pm
This rendering shows what the proposed Downtown East/West Corridor Study project would look like once constructed. The view is looking east on Cleveland Street between Cleveland Square and Redmond Town Center towards 166th Avenue Northeast.
This rendering shows what the proposed Downtown East/West Corridor Study project would look like once constructed. The view is looking east on Cleveland Street between Cleveland Square and Redmond Town Center towards 166th Avenue Northeast.

City staff welcomed residents and business people to a community meeting about the future of downtown Redmond on Monday night.

At Redmond City Hall, citizens perused maps and drawings of the proposed changes and were asked to write their likes and dislikes on comment cards. Mayor John Marchione briefly addressed the crowd in City Council Chambers.

Referring to the East/West traffic corridor of Cleveland Street and Redmond Way, “or one-way couplet,” Marchione joked, “it’s been said that all roads lead to B & B Auto Parts.” People not familiar with downtown Redmond often get lost, driving around in circles and ending up back where they started, he explained.

He said he frequently hears from retail owners that the one-way streets discourage foot traffic and that passing cars can’t slow down enough to see what they’re missing.

“We are trying to educate Redmond about creating choices and connecting our community,” said Marchione.

Joel Pfundt, senior transportation planner for the City of Redmond, said the purpose of this meeting was to reaffirm that he and other planners are heading in the right direction. “Your opinion matters,” he assured the attendees.

Throughout the summer and fall, the mayor and city planners have cited downtown goals such as improving traffic circulation, adding more on-street parking, expanding travel choices, enhancing parks and open spaces, building “great streets” — especially one with a boutique or old-fashioned “Main Street” feel — and utilizing the areas along the BNSF railroad tracks.

Phase 1 of downtown’s revitalization is the Bear Creek Parkway Extension project, which is currently underway and set to be finished in 2009. Phase 2, taking place in 2009-10, will focus on designing the two-way traffic conversion, the build-out of Cleveland Street (as the boutique street) and a Central Promenade. Construction for that piece of the project should take place in 2010-11.

Next, there’ll be design and construction for a widened Redmond Way and new connections between Redmond Way and Cleveland Street — beginning in 2010.

Last, there will be design and implementation of plans to make the BNSF railroad track corridor more like a park or regional trail, but still allowing for the possibility of light rail.

The City of Redmond and King County will work together in 2009 to further develop those ideas, Pfundt noted.

A short question-and-answer session revealed that traffic flow and adequate parking are citizens’ main concerns, as more mixed-use buildings are added to downtown Redmond.

Pfundt said that as sidewalks and connections between streets are improved, more people will be willing to walk in the downtown area. Right now, the bottleneck of traffic in the heart of downtown is related to the confusion that comes from the one-way streets. Drivers not spotting their intended destination may go around multiple times to find their way.

As for better management of downtown parking, “the problem is people using street parking and then getting onto a bus and going into Seattle,” Pfundt remarked. Setting a two-hour parking limit could break them of that habit and free up more parking.

To learn more about Redmond’s downtown development plans, visit the city’s Web site, www.redmond.gov.