Sammamish Council directs staff to study up-to-4,000‑unit town‑center alternative

The Sammamish City Council on July 15 directed city staff to advance the “action” alternative in the draft supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) for the Sammamish Town Center subarea, asking planners to study code and plan changes that would allow up to 4,000 housing units and streamlined permitting for mixed‑use, mid‑rise and low‑rise development.

Councilmember Pamela Stewart moved to approve the action alternative and said the step did not itself change city law. “This is not taking legislative action…This is so that we can get more of our questions answered,” Stewart said during the council discussion before the vote.

Why it matters: The council’s decision signals a shift toward studying larger, denser housing options in the city’s core after the city’s 2024 comprehensive plan update and new state laws on housing. City staff and the SEIS authors said denser, mixed‑use development in centers is the primary way to add the kinds of housing types that meet deeper affordability bands required by recent state guidance, while opponents warned the plan could strain evacuation routes, stormwater systems and neighborhood character.

Staff, consultants and council members framed the vote as the next procedural step — a direction to prepare a final SEIS and potential code drafts for public review rather than an…