City planning staff on Tuesday briefed the City Council on a proposed master plan and development agreement (MPD) for Redmond Town Center, a roughly 19-acre site adjacent to the Downtown light-rail station. Staff said the applicant proposes a five-phase, 10–15 year redevelopment that would preserve much of the existing retail center, add new mixed-use buildings up to 12 stories through an incentives program and deliver public benefits — but the project raises questions about pedestrian-generating commercial square footage and aquifer protections.

Senior planner Alex Hunt summarized the proposal as a conceptual MPD that sets massing, uses, open-space locations and public-benefit commitments; phase-level design and site engineering would return later in individual land-use entitlements. “This master plan is proposed to be developed in 5 phase, 5 phases. The 5 phase master plan development would be the long term development plan, for this site to be developed over the next 10 to 15 years,” Hunt said.

Key project elements and public benefits
- Site and phasing: The proposal covers a roughly 19-acre site divided into five phases. About 9 acres would be affected in the redevelopment footprint; the center sits within Critical Aquifer Recharge Area 1. The project would use above-grade structured parking (no subterranean parking) to limit groundwater impacts.
- Housing and commercial: At full build-out the applicant estimates approximately 676 to 1,020 residential units depending on phase options (the developer's phase 2 has either two 12-story residential mixed-use towers totaling 504 units or one 12-story residential and one 12-story office building). Phase 3 would propose an 8-story mixed-use residential building (about 136 units); phases 4 and 5 would be 7-story mixed-use residential buildings (about 148 and 140 units respectively). The application proposed about 55,000 square feet of new commercial/retail space.
- Exceptional-amenities incentive: The applicant requests increased height (up to 12 stories) via the city's exceptional-amenities program. Proposed amenities include a minimum 20% affordability target for residential units at 60% area median income, dedicated space to support small and local businesses, startup-support retail footprints, and a LEED Platinum (or equivalent) commitment for buildings.
- Public realm improvements: The development agreement includes a proposed north'south linear pedestrian plaza to link the center with Bear Creek Parkway, street and pedestrian improvements along Northeast 70th/4th Street, bike infrastructure, mid-block crossings, weather protection and pedestrian-scaled lighting — and a commitment to create or maintain roughly 71,731 square feet of additional dedicated open and pedestrian space in the center.

Flexibilities requested by the applicant
- Pedestrian-generating (PG) uses: The applicant requests flexibility to reduce the formal pedestrian-generating-use square footage in the center from roughly 270,000 square feet today to about 170,000 square feet under build-out. Hunt said the proposed flexibility is intended to allow the owner to fill vacancies with a broader range of commercial uses rather than holding space empty to meet a strict PG quota; staff and the developer negotiated the proposed square-footage compromise and included reporting obligations. Council Member Stewart described the flexibility as a way to help maintain occupancy during phased construction.
- Vesting and phasing: The development agreement requests standard phasing and vesting protections (ten-year agreement with potential five-year extension and vesting to 2025 land-use controls) to give the applicant predictability over a long build-out.

Council issues and follow-up items
- Pedestrian uses and open space: Council Vice President Forsyth asked for the presentation slides and clarification of which commercial uses qualify as non-PG (for example, medical or other office uses). Staff said non-PG uses commonly include medical and professional-office uses and that the proposed approach would allow flexible commercial spaces so that vacancies can be more easily filled.
- Aquifer and parking: Staff noted no subterranean parking is proposed to avoid aquifer impacts in the Critical Aquifer Recharge Area 1; structured parking will be above ground.
- Open-space protections: Council members asked how the proposed public open space would be delivered and what commitments are binding at master-plan approval versus site-plan entitlement; staff said the development agreement commits to a linear plaza, enhanced pedestrian thoroughfare improvements and a quantified open-space commitment of ~71,731 square feet, while detailed design will be reviewed at subsequent entitlement steps.
- Timing and next steps: Redmond Technical Committee recommended approval in July; staff will return for a public hearing on Oct. 21 and may present a decision at that hearing if the council chooses to act. Staff also noted a forthcoming resolution laying out sewer-connection charge allocations tied to the MPD’s future sewer needs.

Why it matters: The MPD would add dense housing within walking distance of light rail and reshape the pedestrian connection to Bear Creek Parkway, but it also asks for long-term vesting and flexibility on pedestrian-generating commercial uses and sits inside a critical aquifer recharge zone, all of which drew council scrutiny and public interest.

Next steps: staff will circulate the presentation slides to council, pursue a public hearing Oct. 21, and return materials, including a sewer-connection-charge resolution, ahead of the hearing.