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Residents urge Sammamish council to reject proposed doubling of Town Center housing; traffic and school impacts raised
Summary
Multiple residents and a grassroots group told the council they oppose increasing approved Town Center housing from 2,000 units to 4,000 and higher building heights. Comments focused on traffic, school capacity, environmental impacts and loss of community character.
Dozens of Sammamish residents told the City Council on Tuesday they oppose proposals to double the Town Center housing allocation and to increase maximum building heights, saying the change would overwhelm local roads, schools and environmental resources.
Speakers during the meeting’s public-comment period repeatedly argued the current approved Town Center plan (about 2,000 units) is already large and that a 4,000-unit alternative under review in a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) would be excessive. Heather Murphy Rains, representing a citizen group called Save Our Sammamish, said the proposed 4,000 units — and an associated increase in height to 85 feet — “would bring the total to 4,000 units, double the growth management act requirements.”
Residents cited traffic on main arterials — especially 220th and Eighth Street — as a primary concern. Disha Govan said current transit options make daily travel by car the only practical choice for many households and warned that adding thousands of units “is going to make traffic a nightmare.” Others raised school overcrowding, the potential environmental harm to creeks and kokanee salmon habitat, and impacts to the city’s suburban character.
Several commenters urged the council to adopt alternative planning approaches that add a broader mix of housing types across the plateau, including more “a, b and c” housing types (as one commenter described affordability and product types) so the workforce could live in Sammamish without doubling Town Center density. Paul Stickney and other speakers recommended long‑term adjustments to the comprehensive plan to add a range of housing types and limit Town Center density.
Council members and staff listened without responding during the public-comment period; officials said they will continue to evaluate the SEIS and other planning documents. No new council action or ordinance was adopted Tuesday; several residents asked the council to represent current Sammamish residents’ interests and not to commit to a higher-density path without additional public review.
The SEIS, released Monday according to public comment, is part of the city’s review process for Town Center alternatives; residents said they are concerned by language in the document about pursuing regional growth-center status and the possibility that eligibility for future grants could carry later building mandates. Staff said the SEIS and related planning materials remain under review and will be part of future council deliberations.
