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Developer asks Redmond to docket rezone of Lehi site to allow housing, 10% required affordable units
Summary
Columbia Pacific Advisors asked the Redmond City Council during the public comment period on July 15 to docket a map amendment so its Lehi parcel can be rezoned to Corridor Mixed Use, a move the developer says would allow residential development and require 10% of new units to be affordable.
Columbia Pacific Advisors asked the Redmond City Council during public comment on July 15 to docket a proposal to remove a split zoning designation on the company’s Lehi property so the entire parcel would be zoned Corridor Mixed Use, a change the developer said would allow residential uses that were recently removed from the Business Park zone.
Rebecca Bloom, chief investment officer for real estate equity at Columbia Pacific Advisors, told the council the site — described in testimony as the Redmond Lehi site at 6901 180th Avenue NE — is currently split between Corridor Mixed Use on the west and Business Park on the east. "Docketing this request is a crucial step to bring an appropriately dense residential development to the site," Bloom said.
Bloom said the rezone to CMU would permit residential development and would require 10% of dwelling units built under the CMU zoning to be affordable. She also said staff determined the proposal meets the city's docketing criteria in a June 11 report to the planning commission and asked council to consider the request at next week's study session.
Why it matters: If the council dockets the map amendment and later approves a rezone, the property could be developed with denser residential uses adjacent to neighborhood assets Bloom cited, including Southeast Redmond Park and property owned by the Lake Washington School District. Bloom argued the change would further the city’s comprehensive‑plan goals of creating walkable neighborhoods and increasing housing supply.
What happened at the meeting: Bloom asked the council to place the proposal on the docket and said Columbia Pacific intends to file a formal letter before the study session. The city’s staff report was referenced as concluding the proposal satisfied docketing criteria; council did not take formal action on the request during the July 15 meeting.
Staff context and next steps: Bloom said the developer seeks that the council proactively docket the proposal, which under code the council may do. Docketing would place the amendment on the city’s review calendar; subsequent public hearings and land‑use review steps would follow if the council accepts the docket request. Bloom told council the alternative — denying docketing — could cause "years long and unnecessary delay" in bringing housing to Southeast Redmond.
Clarifying details from testimony: Bloom said the site is split zoned (CMU on the west, Business Park on the east), that recent state legislative changes removed residential uses from the BP zone, and that a rezone to CMU would trigger a 10% affordable housing requirement. She also said staff had reported the proposal meets docketing criteria in a June 11 planning commission packet.
No formal council action on docketing was taken at the July 15 meeting; Bloom said the applicant will submit a letter prior to the scheduled study session where the council may discuss the request.
