City Council Special Meeting · Tuesday, July 21, 2015 · City Council Digest

2. AGENDA ITEMS

Olde Town Terrain Walk stops at Pedestrian Park, Historic Shell Station Feedback / Discussion AB 7035

packet pp.3–8

Topics: Land UseTransportationParks

Open packet at p.3 ↗

Staff report:

DEPARTMENT OF Economic Development, Andrea Snyder COUNCIL COMMITTEE LIAISON n/a OTHER COUNCIL MEETINGS n/a EXHIBITS A. Terrain Walk Map

764 segments .txt ↗

1:01 ↗ she's gone as of Friday let me text

1:05 ↗ barking yeah that's real you're right

1:08 ↗ i'll call the july 21st special meeting

1:13 ↗ of the City Council we've got one item

1:17 ↗ on our agenda that's agenda bill 70 35

1:21 ↗ old town terrain walk that will be a

1:27 ↗ presentation of old town of the old town

1:30 ↗ vitality goal the old town vitality task

1:35 ↗ force update and then our walk which

1:39 ↗ will not be televised and then we will

1:43 ↗ return back here for final observations

1:46 ↗ and that portion of the council meeting

1:49 ↗ will be televised this special meeting

1:53 ↗ focuses on Old Town and provides the

1:57 ↗ council an opportunity to discuss

2:00 ↗ current vitality efforts as well as the

2:03 ↗ future of old town with the mayor's Old

2:06 ↗ Town vitality task force and the

2:10 ↗ downtown issaquah Association who are

2:13 ↗ here and will be walking with us and

2:17 ↗ serving as guides as we take our tour

2:21 ↗ the public is invited to accompany us on

2:26 ↗ the terrain walk of the central business

2:29 ↗ district our first stopping point will

2:32 ↗ be pedestrian park at the corner of

2:36 ↗ sunset and front and there we will

2:40 ↗ discuss potential changes to the park

2:43 ↗ and perhaps how to invest the twenty

2:46 ↗ thousand dollars the council has set

2:48 ↗ aside for the park this year of staff

2:53 ↗ will be seeking feedback from the

2:55 ↗ council on these ideas at at that time

2:59 ↗ the tour will then proceed down Front

3:03 ↗ Street and each task force member will

3:05 ↗ pair up with a council member to

3:07 ↗ highlight specific observations and

3:10 ↗ themes

3:11 ↗ the task force has discovered our next

3:15 ↗ stop will be at the historic shell

3:17 ↗ station where deal will present on their

3:20 ↗ efforts to add vibrancy to that space

3:24 ↗ finally as I mentioned before we will

3:28 ↗ return via the Rainier trail to council

3:31 ↗ chambers where there will be an

3:32 ↗ opportunity to discuss final thoughts

3:35 ↗ and observations and to kick the meeting

3:39 ↗ off this evening our economic

3:42 ↗ development director Keith Niven for the

3:47 ↗ staff presentation

3:59 ↗ Thank You mr. mayor City Council Keith

4:01 ↗ Niven with economic development so this

4:05 ↗ evening we're not going to spend much

4:06 ↗ time here because the point is really to

4:08 ↗ get out and see some things and talk

4:10 ↗ about kind of what's going on downtown

4:13 ↗ but I wanted to just kind of give a

4:14 ↗ little bit of context so the city

4:17 ↗ approved the old town plan in October of

4:20 ↗ 1999 and here's the geography that

4:23 ↗ encompasses old town and you know the

4:27 ↗ plan itself has some very different

4:31 ↗ design standards and Development

4:33 ↗ standards for the old town and the CBD

4:36 ↗ area of our city and the idea was that

4:39 ↗ this area should stand out and be it'd

4:42 ↗ be different perceptually from the rest

4:44 ↗ of the city and so you know as we went

4:48 ↗ through the 2014 goal-setting session

4:52 ↗ there were a number of goals that were

4:54 ↗ proposed by the City Council that were

4:57 ↗ aimed at at the old town area and here's

5:01 ↗ a list of those proposed goals now after

5:05 ↗ we talked through those with the council

5:07 ↗ we kind of came to an understanding that

5:10 ↗ we would consolidate those into one city

5:14 ↗ council goal and that was to enhance old

5:16 ↗ town vitality now that goal had really

5:20 ↗ two actions associated with it the first

5:22 ↗ one was to identify an execute an

5:25 ↗ immediate public investment opportunity

5:27 ↗ for old town that will help enhance the

5:30 ↗ old helms vitality and we'll talk about

5:32 ↗ that tonight and I think that's part of

5:34 ↗ the conversation that we're going to

5:35 ↗ have at pedestrian park and the second

5:37 ↗ part is to form an ad hoc committee to

5:42 ↗ provide recommendations to the mayor and

5:43 ↗ what the community can do to enhance old

5:46 ↗ town's vitality and that's that's kind

5:48 ↗ of the balance of the conversation this

5:49 ↗ evening is to kind of talk with you

5:52 ↗ about how the conversations have been

5:54 ↗ going so far so with that I'm going to

5:57 ↗ stop and I'm going to turn it over to

5:59 ↗ Andrea who is going to I think lead you

6:02 ↗ through the next part of the

6:03 ↗ conversation Thank You key

6:10 ↗ so I just like to give you an update on

6:13 ↗ what the task force has been doing so

6:16 ↗ far first starting off with an

6:19 ↗ introduction of the task force members

6:21 ↗ who many of whom are here tonight so

6:24 ↗ we'll start with who's here first Karen

6:27 ↗ Donovan with the downtown issaquah

6:30 ↗ Association and also Keith woth who's a

6:34 ↗ commercial downtown property owner also

6:39 ↗ i'm going to pick on Cyrus who just

6:42 ↗ joined us Cyrus coron Cyrus Kron is

6:48 ↗ serving as representative for the

6:51 ↗ Chamber of Commerce on our task force

6:52 ↗ and he's also a downtown resident we

6:55 ↗ have Todd sergeant who is the city's

6:59 ↗ representative on the historic landmark

7:01 ↗ in committee and he's also affiliated

7:03 ↗ with the history museums and as an

7:05 ↗ architect so he brings those skills and

7:06 ↗ perspectives with him to the task force

7:08 ↗ Michelle drove doll who manages the

7:11 ↗ issaquah library Karen able with art

7:14 ↗ East and I'm just making sure I'm not

7:19 ↗ forgetting anyone else who maybe have

7:21 ↗ snuck in all right the other members who

7:23 ↗ were not able to make it our include

7:26 ↗ Corey Walters with disco food and

7:28 ↗ clothing bank and she's also a downtown

7:29 ↗ resident Trey Bailey with uphill running

7:32 ↗ which is a store in the front street

7:34 ↗ plaza area and he's also a downtown

7:36 ↗ resident and Barack rosenblum who's a

7:39 ↗ member of dia and he is an issaquah

7:41 ↗ entrepreneur and also a downtown

7:43 ↗ resident and then finally but not least

7:47 ↗ we have Rob hunts who is of course the

7:50 ↗ director of the village theater also a

7:52 ↗ commercial downtown property owner and

7:54 ↗ he has been involved in previous old

7:56 ↗ town planning efforts so he brings with

7:58 ↗ him that historical perspective as well

8:00 ↗ so as you can see we have a wide

8:02 ↗ representation of all sorts of

8:04 ↗ stakeholders within the downtown area

8:06 ↗ and I've been saying downtown because

8:09 ↗ while the goal is related to old town

8:13 ↗ and Keith showed that big old town map

8:16 ↗ which is actually a bigger area than

8:17 ↗ many of us realize that we've been

8:20 ↗ really focusing on the CBD

8:22 ↗ so the process so far has included a

8:25 ↗ walking audits that the task force has

8:28 ↗ performed we've also taken a look at

8:30 ↗ what other cities have done so what do

8:32 ↗ we like about these other cities what do

8:34 ↗ we think might work here in issaquah and

8:36 ↗ what would that look like here in

8:37 ↗ issaquah they perform their own version

8:40 ↗ of us strengths weaknesses opportunities

8:41 ↗ and threats analysis and we've also

8:43 ↗ taken some look at the existing city

8:46 ↗ code that governs old town in the CBD

8:48 ↗ and how it relates to city code in other

8:51 ↗ parts of the sea such as the newly

8:53 ↗ adopted central issaquah plan or the

8:55 ↗ highlands or other parts of our city so

9:00 ↗ one of the first questions that we had

9:02 ↗ to ask was what is vitality so as the

9:05 ↗ goal is to find their Charter the task

9:07 ↗ force's Charter is to give the mayor a

9:09 ↗ list of recommendations on things the

9:11 ↗ committee can the community can do to

9:14 ↗ enhance Old Town vitality so what is

9:17 ↗ vitality what does it mean to this group

9:19 ↗ what does it mean for downtown issaquah

9:22 ↗ and the first thing that we talked about

9:26 ↗ were all these images that come to mind

9:28 ↗ about what vitality is so we talked

9:30 ↗ about images that include you know lots

9:32 ↗ of outdoor public spaces people sitting

9:35 ↗ in cafes people having coffee playing

9:39 ↗ games interacting on that level local

9:42 ↗ stores that serve the community needs

9:43 ↗ and this is they they really emphasize

9:46 ↗ this point that it's a functional

9:48 ↗ downtown one that serves the community

9:51 ↗ that it's in that it's not 11 worth or a

9:55 ↗ Disney or something like that that's

9:57 ↗ more focused on tourists and serving

10:00 ↗ tourists but that it's authentic in the

10:02 ↗ way that it serves the local community

10:04 ↗ first and that if they do that really

10:07 ↗ well then the tourists and others will

10:09 ↗ come and appreciate it in the same way

10:10 ↗ that the locals will so if you hear that

10:13 ↗ word authentic being thrown around a lot

10:15 ↗ tonight that's what we really mean by

10:16 ↗ that where it's something that serves

10:18 ↗ the local community first also when we

10:21 ↗ talked about vitality there were other

10:23 ↗ images that came up of being walkable

10:25 ↗ that we have transit that there's more

10:28 ↗ housing than what we have now that

10:30 ↗ there's parking that it's safe that it's

10:33 ↗ well lit all these kind of images of

10:35 ↗ what that looks like

10:37 ↗ but with that focus that it's still

10:39 ↗ functional and well designed so what all

10:43 ↗ of these things kind of distilled down

10:44 ↗ to these are a lot of images and what

10:47 ↗ all of these things distill down to for

10:48 ↗ the task force was that that vitality

10:52 ↗ really for vitality sake doesn't doesn't

10:55 ↗ mean much but what it really means is

10:57 ↗ that it's it's facilitating interactions

10:59 ↗ among neighbors and that if that that's

11:03 ↗ our guidepost for this process so any

11:05 ↗ recommendations that they come up with

11:07 ↗ any discussions that we have we say how

11:09 ↗ is this facilitating these interactions

11:11 ↗ how are how are these recommendations

11:13 ↗ helping us and keep that that town feel

11:16 ↗ that we are having these interactions

11:19 ↗ and that's what really brings vibrancy

11:22 ↗ and vitality to our town so throughout

11:27 ↗ our discussions we've had some emerging

11:29 ↗ things and so I'd like to present some

11:32 ↗ of those findings and I think along the

11:34 ↗ tour and the walk we will probably get

11:37 ↗ into those a little bit more

11:38 ↗ specifically but keeping it a little

11:40 ↗ more higher level we found that first

11:44 ↗ design that the existing design of much

11:47 ↗ of our CBD can actually be a barrier to

11:50 ↗ facilitating those interactions so for

11:53 ↗ example right now the sidewalk in some

11:55 ↗ places is six feet wide which doesn't

11:59 ↗ allow for street furniture or places for

12:02 ↗ people to linger it instead Usher's

12:05 ↗ people on through giving them no other

12:07 ↗ options than to move along and go along

12:09 ↗ their way so which is really sending the

12:12 ↗ wrong message our downtown one of the

12:15 ↗ findings of the task force is that our

12:17 ↗ downtown is one where people really run

12:19 ↗ their errands they drop off their kids

12:21 ↗ for music lessons they go pick up what

12:23 ↗ they need from fishers meets and then

12:26 ↗ they're on their way so the space isn't

12:28 ↗ really designed in many parts of our CBD

12:31 ↗ at least the space really isn't designed

12:33 ↗ to compel them to stay and linger and

12:35 ↗ enjoy those interactions with their

12:37 ↗ neighbors it doesn't send them the

12:40 ↗ message that there's a reason to do that

12:41 ↗ and while that's functional to do your

12:44 ↗ errands it doesn't fill other needs for

12:47 ↗ social interaction

12:49 ↗ similarly another thing that we found is

12:52 ↗ underutilized spaces and some of these

12:54 ↗ spaces are places where we could have

12:56 ↗ those social needs that are met where

13:00 ↗ people could linger and so you see this

13:01 ↗ picture of pedestrian park for example

13:04 ↗ we're a growing community and such a

13:07 ↗ small downtown and yet there are these

13:10 ↗ spaces that could be adding to the

13:12 ↗ vibrancy and vitality but are just kind

13:15 ↗ of sitting there so we'll be visiting to

13:18 ↗ a few spaces tonight that are currently

13:20 ↗ or the task force finds that are

13:22 ↗ currently under utilized which are

13:24 ↗ pedestrian park and the historic shell

13:26 ↗ station but along the tour I bet you can

13:30 ↗ probably spot a few more areas that are

13:32 ↗ tucked away here and there that could

13:34 ↗ probably doing more to add to the

13:36 ↗ vibrancy of the downtown so as you're

13:39 ↗ walking around tonight I want you to

13:42 ↗ look around and think of the messages

13:43 ↗ that the current design and aesthetics

13:45 ↗ are sending and ultimately how that

13:47 ↗ affects the neighbors and how they

13:50 ↗ interact within that space task force

13:53 ↗ members feel free to talk with Council

13:56 ↗ and others about what we have been

13:58 ↗ discussing in our meetings and how a few

14:01 ↗ changes could affect how we use this

14:03 ↗ space and what you feel the benefits the

14:06 ↗ community would be if those changes are

14:07 ↗ made because I think that's what tonight

14:10 ↗ is really all about before we go on our

14:12 ↗ walk are there any questions i do Andrea

14:16 ↗ well could you just just remind us the

14:20 ↗ CBD the cultural business district what

14:26 ↗ just remind us you know well you know

14:29 ↗ how that exists what Foreman exists what

14:31 ↗ you know when when I see the word

14:33 ↗ district and people see the word

14:34 ↗ district that usually has some meaning

14:36 ↗ to it and I know that there are certain

14:38 ↗ design standards and the like but could

14:39 ↗ you just summarize the district and and

14:42 ↗ and how what it's supposed to achieve

14:45 ↗ and and how we should keep that in

14:48 ↗ context as we as we go through this

14:50 ↗ evening sure sure so um most other

14:54 ↗ cities have what they call a commercial

14:56 ↗ business district is the croisé

14:57 ↗ distinctive and that we've established a

14:59 ↗ cultural business district

15:01 ↗ and that's because we have a great

15:04 ↗ concentration of Arts and other cultural

15:07 ↗ amenities within our downtown area so

15:10 ↗ obviously that's the village theater

15:12 ↗ that's first stage but we also have a

15:14 ↗ lot of other historical amenities as

15:16 ↗ well and so and knowing that we have a

15:20 ↗ historical downtown and wanting to

15:21 ↗ celebrate that as well as that getting

15:25 ↗ to what your question is yes so it's

15:29 ↗ really just a description of an area I

15:31 ↗ mean there's you know I I know that we

15:33 ↗ have a sub area I think I might do one

15:37 ↗ at the end of this looking at Keith's

15:38 ↗ map so um so here's the here's one of

15:42 ↗ our zoning maps the CBD is in the dark

15:45 ↗ red so you can see at the top it's

15:47 ↗ defined in Northwest Holly Street that

15:50 ↗ would be to the north and then the south

15:53 ↗ border would be southeast which bush

15:55 ↗ street and then there's some spots along

15:58 ↗ sons that way so it's defined

16:01 ↗ geographically and it's kind of a

16:03 ↗ geographic zone so in a way it's it's

16:06 ↗ similar to the CIP and that the CIP has

16:08 ↗ the core zone which is kind of the most

16:10 ↗ active portion of the central issaquah

16:13 ↗ area and so within the old town area the

16:16 ↗ CBD zone is envisioned to be the most

16:20 ↗ active portion of this sub area and

16:23 ↗ there are special land use zoning or

16:25 ↗ other like building heights and

16:29 ↗ character development standards that are

16:32 ↗ attributable to that zone okay thank you

16:37 ↗ Mary Lou I'm a question about private

16:40 ↗ and public spaces so I assume one of our

16:42 ↗ exercises tonight is that we're kind of

16:44 ↗ imagining or envisioning how to activate

16:47 ↗ some of the spaces what is currently

16:50 ↗ allowed for example for restaurants and

16:53 ↗ bars the space that they occupy now in

16:56 ↗ front of them is permitted by the city

17:00 ↗ or it's their space like I'm trying to

17:03 ↗ figure out when we walk through

17:04 ↗ pedestrian part how that might connect

17:06 ↗ to those private businesses that are

17:08 ↗ there yes that's a great question and

17:10 ↗ some of those conversations we can have

17:12 ↗ in context

17:13 ↗ because it might differ on where we are

17:15 ↗ but I'm going to give you a general

17:17 ↗ answer right so general answer is that

17:21 ↗ where their sidewalk that's typically

17:23 ↗ city right of way and that is currently

17:26 ↗ governed by a special use permit so if

17:29 ↗ there is enough space that then

17:32 ↗ businesses could put out outdoor seating

17:35 ↗ and so you see some of this in front of

17:37 ↗ las margaritas for example or some of

17:39 ↗ the other businesses have some outdoor

17:41 ↗ seating that's there along the sidewalk

17:42 ↗ and they have to apply for special use

17:45 ↗ permit to do that every year they also

17:47 ↗ would have to comply with special

17:49 ↗ regulations to make sure there's enough

17:50 ↗ room for 88 clearance and things like

17:52 ↗ that so so I think there might be we've

17:58 ↗ been taking a look at that with the task

18:00 ↗ force I'm thinking how can we make it

18:01 ↗ easier for private businesses to take

18:05 ↗ advantage of some of that space and

18:07 ↗ maybe bring more activity to that space

18:10 ↗ and invest into it a little bit so I

18:12 ↗ think we can talk about that more within

18:14 ↗ the context of our walking tour hey

18:16 ↗ thanks hmm so we'll have an opportunity

18:20 ↗ after the walking toward to me back here

18:25 ↗ to talk about what we saw in there may

18:27 ↗ be a number of follow-up questions or

18:29 ↗ things like that but it's such a

18:31 ↗ beautiful evening and there's a lot

18:33 ↗ going on in our city this evening that

18:35 ↗ we're going to to recess from the

18:39 ↗ council chambers go on our walking tour

18:41 ↗ and return and that part of the meeting

18:44 ↗ will be televised so we are now recessed

18:48 ↗ for the walking tour

19:08 ↗ we have a few more meetings left to go

19:11 ↗ and in those next meetings will be

19:14 ↗ forming recommendations that speak to

19:17 ↗ the themes that we've been talking about

19:19 ↗ this evening and will also be examining

19:22 ↗ partnerships among the community to look

19:26 ↗ at programming like we discussed and how

19:31 ↗ we can activate some of these spaces

19:32 ↗ downtown we also want to come up with a

19:36 ↗ really thoughtful list of

19:37 ↗ recommendations so we don't want to give

19:40 ↗ the mayor a laundry list of things 105

19:43 ↗ things that ways that we can enhance

19:46 ↗ downtown by talat we want them to be

19:48 ↗ well thought out we want them to be

19:50 ↗ vetted we want them to also identify

19:53 ↗ who's responsible for these things it's

19:56 ↗ because it's a list of things the

19:57 ↗ community can do it's not just what the

19:59 ↗ city can do so we want to be able to

20:01 ↗ identify those partners and get some

20:03 ↗ partners on board we also want to have

20:06 ↗ an idea of what these costs are we want

20:08 ↗ to be realistic and grounded in these

20:10 ↗ recommendations so I think we still have

20:12 ↗ some more process to go through before

20:14 ↗ we come back to you and our deadline is

20:18 ↗ the end of the year and I think we're on

20:21 ↗ board on track and meeting that deadline

20:23 ↗ we're doing pretty well so those are the

20:26 ↗ basic next steps and wondering you know

20:28 ↗ what's next I think we still have a few

20:30 ↗ more things to do in a few more meetings

20:32 ↗ to have any questions about the task

20:37 ↗ force and next steps before we move on

20:39 ↗ to synthesizing thoughts from our walk

20:41 ↗ about Mary Lou I'm just one thing Andrew

20:48 ↗ that I was talking with keith watts

20:49 ↗ about when we were heroes Keith maybe

20:51 ↗ can't remember we were walking was that

20:54 ↗ we didn't talk a lot about sunset today

20:57 ↗ and one of the council members who

20:58 ↗ sponsored the school and it isn't here

21:00 ↗ this evening is 92 Milligan and one of

21:03 ↗ her areas of interest was to understand

21:06 ↗ how sunset would be integrated into it

21:09 ↗ so not asking for an answer tonight but

21:10 ↗ just making sure when you come back that

21:14 ↗ you know there's that that's discussed

21:17 ↗ as much as you have discussed it with

21:19 ↗ your group because that was very

21:20 ↗ important to her

21:21 ↗ yes yes thank you I think initially at

21:26 ↗ the beginning of this year when we put

21:29 ↗ the focus on the CBD at that time the

21:33 ↗ conversations about sunset and her her

21:37 ↗ wishes for that goal were more absorbed

21:41 ↗ into the master Mobility plan but as

21:43 ↗ those changes have occurred I I think

21:46 ↗ what we're looking at is there will be

21:49 ↗ some recommendations for perhaps in old

21:52 ↗ town plan re looking at the old town

21:54 ↗ plan which incorporates sunset so I

21:57 ↗ think we can probably address some of

21:58 ↗ her concerns through that and I'm trying

22:05 ↗ to recall whether they're at the

22:10 ↗ transportation survey that we recently

22:13 ↗ completed or getting the final report on

22:19 ↗ did that include a project on sunset yes

22:24 ↗ thank you other questions before we let

22:31 ↗ Andrea sit down okay well thank you very

22:37 ↗ very much we are back from our art or it

22:41 ↗ was exciting to be joined by the task

22:45 ↗ force and to hear some of the good work

22:47 ↗ that they are doing and the projects

22:51 ↗ that they are considering as they refine

22:56 ↗ their recommendations of their report

23:00 ↗ submitted to to the mayor discussion

23:07 ↗ observations or comments as a result of

23:10 ↗ our tour and we'll start with all thank

23:14 ↗ you then thank you for the members of

23:16 ↗ the task force and staff support very

23:19 ↗ pleased with what we were able to

23:21 ↗ achieve this evening I had a couple

23:22 ↗ comments on some of the Andrea some of

23:25 ↗ your opening comments I've wondered for

23:30 ↗ a long time what we meant by vitality

23:33 ↗ and what what did that really means I

23:35 ↗ was pleased to see that you tackled that

23:38 ↗ and two words that stood out authentic I

23:41 ↗ think that was the first word that you

23:43 ↗ used was authentic and I that resonates

23:46 ↗ with me very much i like that but then

23:48 ↗ the second mention and I'm looking at my

23:51 ↗ notes here is that it for it to be vital

23:57 ↗ to have vitality the that the goal it

24:01 ↗ should facilitate interactions among

24:03 ↗ neighbors I think I captured that so so

24:05 ↗ I like that sounds like something i

24:06 ↗ would write but you know that that

24:08 ↗ facilitates interactions and and when we

24:12 ↗ were so I like that a lot its what binds

24:15 ↗ people together right its what binds

24:16 ↗ community members together there's a

24:18 ↗ place to gather of common interest where

24:20 ↗ it's safe and they enjoy being there I

24:23 ↗ really could feel a lot of that

24:25 ↗ possibility more when we were in

24:27 ↗ pedestrian park the comments so just

24:30 ↗ this is just you know high level right

24:31 ↗ the comments I heard about creating you

24:35 ↗ know maybe tables or places where people

24:37 ↗ from can gather I see people use the

24:41 ↗ shelter down at confluence park quite a

24:43 ↗ bit I have a garden in the pea patch

24:46 ↗ down there and there was always people

24:48 ↗ coming and going at least during the

24:50 ↗ summer so this idea that we have places

24:52 ↗ where people can say i'll meet you there

24:56 ↗ for a picnic for example i'm not sure

24:58 ↗ that would happen at confluence park but

24:59 ↗ that so that is a very attractive idea

25:02 ↗ to me and I want to echo what was said

25:06 ↗ there as well in Andrea and your opening

25:08 ↗ comments you talked about the Arts and

25:11 ↗ how we have this association this

25:13 ↗ cultural district has associated with

25:14 ↗ the Arts and I and I shared with with

25:17 ↗ some of you during the walk that in my

25:19 ↗ my I like to think about both the

25:21 ↗ Performing and visual arts and when we

25:24 ↗ were at pedestrian park as well there

25:26 ↗ was the mention i think tola may be

25:28 ↗ mentioned someone asked the question

25:30 ↗ what about the opportunity to create

25:32 ↗ more of a space where you know

25:34 ↗ performances can take place of what

25:36 ↗ performing arts and I would just add I

25:38 ↗ think Josh talked about some type of

25:41 ↗ installation and

25:43 ↗ to me to me to celebrate and to and to

25:48 ↗ create further attraction and continue

25:52 ↗ this momentum of facilitating

25:55 ↗ interactions if a pedestrian Park

25:58 ↗ destination also had reminders of the

26:02 ↗ Performing and visual arts as part of

26:05 ↗ its plan and because that is so so

26:08 ↗ central to the identity and the

26:11 ↗ attraction of downtown I mean I would

26:13 ↗ look for those kind of elements in in

26:14 ↗ some type of long-range plan thank you

26:20 ↗ other comments or discussion reactions

26:24 ↗ oh I'm just very excited about where we

26:31 ↗ are right now as a city I'll say my own

26:35 ↗ journey to arrive at issaquah the having

26:37 ↗ the downtown that we have was one of the

26:40 ↗ two factors why I moved here I lived in

26:42 ↗ a very pleasant near the top of all the

26:45 ↗ ratings in Minnesota a city that had no

26:49 ↗ downtown its downtown was the mall and

26:51 ↗ so they shot off the fireworks from near

26:53 ↗ the mall and so to have to have what we

26:57 ↗ have here was it was really deeply

26:59 ↗ meaningful for me and combine that with

27:01 ↗ the school system and that's why I'm

27:02 ↗ here and not some other place and I feel

27:05 ↗ that you know I'm sure that the

27:08 ↗ community has seen how many that list of

27:10 ↗ goals that were submitted for last year

27:13 ↗ was just so formidable there was so much

27:15 ↗ that related to downtown and I just feel

27:17 ↗ we have we have done a good job with the

27:19 ↗ central issaquah plan and it now just

27:22 ↗ feels like the time has arrived for us

27:24 ↗ to put the focus to downtown and so I

27:28 ↗ took old town to downtown here and I

27:33 ↗ think that tonight was it was a good

27:35 ↗ jumping-off point for that there was a

27:37 ↗ lot of things that I learned about the

27:41 ↗ forgive me the the gas station I forget

27:45 ↗ that we get the new of it but I had I

27:46 ↗ didn't know they used it for for

27:48 ↗ multiple purposes I didn't know they had

27:50 ↗ events there and I think what I heard

27:54 ↗ the most that I was most excited about

27:56 ↗ was the club or

27:57 ↗ in between the different organizations

27:59 ↗ between dia and the various

28:00 ↗ organizations around and I feel those

28:02 ↗ collaborations will yield a lot of

28:05 ↗ things that I'm hoping that we as a

28:07 ↗ council are well prepared to engage on

28:10 ↗ Thanks other comments right Josh thanks

28:15 ↗ um so first I just want to thank all the

28:17 ↗ folks who came tonight and joined us for

28:20 ↗ the walking tour tour still here for

28:22 ↗ this portion of the meeting I'm just

28:24 ↗ constantly in all of the commitment that

28:27 ↗ folks have to not just as a koala but

28:29 ↗ particularly the CBD and just really

28:32 ↗ really impressed and amazed by the

28:34 ↗ commitment and the enthusiasm that

28:36 ↗ surrounds the work that's being done on

28:38 ↗ old town and the vitality enhancements

28:41 ↗ that we've really been striving for over

28:43 ↗ the last several years so you know the

28:45 ↗ other day we took a drive down south on

28:48 ↗ esqui Hobart road and just drove around

28:50 ↗ for a while it's better to sit in the

28:52 ↗ air conditioning I suppose and as we

28:54 ↗ were coming back up on Front Street

28:56 ↗ entering into the city I actually took a

29:00 ↗ moment to look at downtown issaquah from

29:03 ↗ the perspective of someone who might be

29:05 ↗ coming into it for the first time or

29:07 ↗ coming up from the south and it was an

29:11 ↗ interesting exercise just to think about

29:13 ↗ that for a moment as you come up front

29:15 ↗ street and what are the first things

29:17 ↗ that you see and the first thing I

29:20 ↗ noticed is that the 25 mile an hour as

29:22 ↗ you get into town is a suggestion and

29:25 ↗ then you finally get up to sunset and

29:27 ↗ you see the the library and you see the

29:31 ↗ gas station and you see the businesses

29:33 ↗ beginning to proliferate on that corner

29:35 ↗ and it's a really welcoming entrance

29:39 ↗ into the city and you know if you looked

29:41 ↗ at that corner at front and sunset which

29:43 ↗ is has long been the heart of the city

29:45 ↗ you you almost would have no idea about

29:47 ↗ any other development that's going on in

29:50 ↗ the rest of town you know we're tall

29:52 ↗ buildings or you know intersection

29:54 ↗ issues or anything you just sort of

29:56 ↗ drive in and you look at it is as just a

29:58 ↗ historic part of the city and I think

30:01 ↗ it's it's really a credit to everyone

30:03 ↗ who's worked together to make it

30:05 ↗ continued to be vibrant and looked at

30:07 ↗ way there are still challenges I mean as

30:10 ↗ we walked along it was still apparent

30:12 ↗ that getting people to these great

30:14 ↗ locations is difficult a lot of it has

30:17 ↗ to do with the topography some of it has

30:20 ↗ to do with parking availability ingress

30:22 ↗ and egress and just making sure that

30:25 ↗ there's enough spots for people who want

30:27 ↗ to stop and partake in businesses and

30:30 ↗ partake in recreational opportunities

30:31 ↗ and you know a lot of folks use the

30:33 ↗ library parking garage because that's

30:36 ↗ the parking garage that's available and

30:38 ↗ closest to a lot of the CBD so it still

30:41 ↗ is a challenge when it comes to issues

30:43 ↗ like parking and that's something that I

30:46 ↗ think since I've been on the council has

30:48 ↗ still really not been resolved or move

30:51 ↗ forward and we did a parking study and

30:54 ↗ that seemed to suggest that there wasn't

30:56 ↗ a problem which conflicts with a lot of

30:58 ↗ anecdotal evidence I think you'd hear

31:00 ↗ from folks around the city but be that

31:02 ↗ as it may the other thing I would just

31:04 ↗ say is there's a real big emphasis on

31:06 ↗ art and I think rightfully so because it

31:09 ↗ is really the center of the city when it

31:11 ↗ comes to promoting the arts and you know

31:14 ↗ you look at all the art galleries and

31:16 ↗ artiste and just the the the confluence

31:19 ↗ that we have of the arts community in

31:21 ↗ the downtown core and the opportunities

31:24 ↗ that exist and you know there's a lot of

31:26 ↗ cities around the country that go even

31:29 ↗ in the details one step further you know

31:31 ↗ paint garbage cans paint the fire

31:33 ↗ hydrants paint the lamp posts you know

31:36 ↗ do things that really bring out the

31:37 ↗ vibrancy add color add lighting there's

31:40 ↗ other things you know little details

31:41 ↗ that can be done that's more than just

31:43 ↗ reconfiguring a space but actually

31:45 ↗ making it visually attractive for people

31:47 ↗ who come downtown and then the last

31:49 ↗ thing is and I talked with a few folks

31:51 ↗ about this but emphasizing the family

31:53 ↗ friendly nature of coming downtown that

31:56 ↗ you know even though we've got bars and

31:58 ↗ potential beer gardens and pubs still

32:02 ↗ making it family-friendly because we've

32:03 ↗ got a library on the corridor and we've

32:05 ↗ got children who come to this area with

32:07 ↗ their families and we've got a memorial

32:10 ↗ field over here where there's a lot of

32:11 ↗ kids activities and so you know just

32:13 ↗ finding ways that you can really

32:15 ↗ emphasize the family friendly nature and

32:17 ↗ it's great to have colorful tables and

32:20 ↗ sort of an adult

32:21 ↗ hip atmosphere you know where you can go

32:24 ↗ in the evening after you've had glass of

32:26 ↗ wine and dinner but also look at the

32:29 ↗ families that will come to downtown and

32:31 ↗ spend time walking through this area and

32:33 ↗ making sure that we do something to

32:36 ↗ promote interest for them as well and so

32:39 ↗ if there's ways that we can use art

32:41 ↗ installations active sculptures that

32:44 ↗ sort of thing or just vibrant colors

32:47 ↗ activities there's things that can be

32:49 ↗ done that were really emphasize that as

32:51 ↗ well and so that was one thing that

32:52 ↗ really stood out at me is taken to

32:55 ↗ account the overall population and not

32:58 ↗ just a subset in terms of future design

33:01 ↗ you other observations or comments Stacy

33:06 ↗ I want to echo the comments I'm that

33:08 ↗ I've heard so far about thanking the

33:10 ↗ task force for all the wonderful work

33:12 ↗ that you've done it's we had a really

33:19 ↗ great presentation about the

33:21 ↗ possibilities over at pedestrian park

33:22 ↗ and the simplicity of the ideas stand

33:27 ↗ out but to get to that point takes a lot

33:31 ↗ of a lot of thought and a lot of

33:34 ↗ consideration about what could happen

33:36 ↗ and what what we might want to use that

33:38 ↗ space for and I thought it was tomorrow

33:43 ↗ what Josh mentioned the colorfulness of

33:46 ↗ it the you know the bistro sets the

33:48 ↗ lights all of those things are sound

33:51 ↗ very simple but the way that they might

33:55 ↗ be able to transform the space is just

33:57 ↗ super super exciting I as I mentioned a

34:01 ↗ couple people have were on the walk I

34:02 ↗ feel like I don't get out much sometimes

34:04 ↗ and so maybe one of these tuesdays we

34:08 ↗ can have a tour of concerts on the green

34:10 ↗ so that we can enjoy that but but but um

34:16 ↗ it really was an opportunity for us to

34:20 ↗ interact with a task force which was

34:22 ↗ planned and I'm glad it was planned it

34:24 ↗ was an opportunity to meet with folks

34:27 ↗ who have really done a lot of work

34:28 ↗ downtown and

34:29 ↗ really invested a lot of time downtown

34:31 ↗ and can give us a very thoughtful

34:34 ↗ feedback about what we could do down

34:37 ↗ there and so I'm deeply grateful for all

34:39 ↗ of the time that you've put in anyone

34:46 ↗ else well again my thanks to the task

34:51 ↗ force for being our guides and our

34:56 ↗ leaders this evening and for the work

34:59 ↗ that you are involved in I look forward

35:02 ↗ to the completed recommendations this

35:05 ↗ has been very enjoyable it's fun walking

35:08 ↗ around our city in the evening because

35:12 ↗ you do see a lot of activity and a good

35:15 ↗ cross-section I talked to someone who

35:19 ↗ was returning from the concerts on the

35:22 ↗ green as we were returning to the

35:24 ↗ council chamber and she was a lady with

35:27 ↗ a walker and she said Neil Diamond was

35:32 ↗ one of my favorite singers along with

35:36 ↗ above when I was very very young so we

35:39 ↗ indeed are appealing to a broad

35:41 ↗ cross-section of our community and with

35:45 ↗ that we are adjourned this evening

35:51 ↗ you

Approved minutes

Extracted from the next meeting's packet, where this meeting's minutes were approved as a consent-calendar attachment.

Open PDF

Attendance

Council / Members (6)

Eileen Barber

Stacy Goodman

Tola Marts

Mary Lou Pauly

Joshua Schaer

Paul Winterstein

Staff (8)

Fred Butler, Mayor

Bob Harrison, City Administrator

Keith Niven, Economic Development Director

Andrea Snyder, Economic Development Manager

Anne McGill, Parks & Recreation Director

Bret Heath, Public Works Operations Director

Sheldon Lynne, Public Works Engineer Director

David Fujimoto, Office of Sustainability Director

Excused

Nina Milligan