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City of Sammamish staff preview draft town center plan, study to test 4,000-unit alternative
Summary
City staff presented a draft update to the Sammamish Town Center plan and supplemental EIS that would study increasing the town center capacity from 2,000 to 4,000 dwelling units; commissioners and residents pressed staff on traffic, transit, affordability and the town square location.
City of Sammamish planning staff on May 15 described a forthcoming draft town center plan and supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) that will study raising the town center dwelling-unit capacity previously carried in the 2007 FEIS from 2,000 to a 4,000-unit alternative.
The presentation by Matt Brandmeier, deputy community development director, and a subsequent question-and-answer session with members of the Planning Commission and the Parks and Recreation Commission focused on traffic impacts, housing types and affordability, parks and pedestrian connections, the proposed “green spine” promenade and where a future town square might be located.
The draft plan and SEIS will be published for public review in early June; Brandmeier said staff expects to post the draft plan for public comment around June 9 and to brief City Council in early June. "We're going to publish our draft plan," Brandmeier said, and the city will open a 30-day comment period once the draft is posted.
Why it matters: the town center is a 240-acre subarea of the comprehensive plan that has guided development for nearly two decades. The update seeks to align the subarea plan and development code with the city’s recently updated comprehensive plan, state planning requirements and changed market conditions. How the city balances housing capacity, traffic mitigation, public-space design and utilities will shape future development in the city center.
What staff said: Brandmeier reviewed the plan area and pipeline projects. He said of the 240 acres, 83 acres are mapped as critical areas that remain protected. "That civic area, which is where we are now, including the library, is 26 acres," he said. He reported 326 units built to date and roughly 730 units planned or under construction, leaving about 944 units of remaining capacity under the original EIS. The original FEIS analyzed both a 2,000-unit and a 4,000-unit scenario; staff said the supplemental study will re-examine impacts up to the 4,000-unit alternative.
On land use and code changes, Brandmeier described a proposed map that consolidates multiple small "A" core nodes into a single urban core, adds an "urban mixed" zone outside that core, and retains a transition zone adjacent to existing neighborhoods. He said the proposed change is intended to encourage larger mixed-use apartment or condominium buildings in the core rather than predominantly townhomes.
On transportation and traffic: commissioners and residents repeatedly pressed staff for details. Brandmeier said the city is waiting for traffic-engineering results that will be part of the SEIS and cautioned that development to the studied capacity would not happen overnight. "We also have to consider the rate of development," Brandmeier said. He added that concurrency requirements remain in place and that developers must mitigate impacts or cannot proceed.
On parks, walkability and the "green spine": Brandmeier said the draft will include a chapter on public spaces, parks and trails and described a "green spine" promenade linking the commons through the urban core toward Fourth Street. He said some developments under review already propose plazas and green streets consistent with the concept.
On housing and affordability: two public commenters urged more and smaller apartments and condos in the town center. Paul Stickney, a Sammamish resident, said the city has roughly "23,000 housing units in our city" and argued adding a mix of unit types would reduce traffic and school impacts compared with single-family growth. Another commenter, who identified herself as Mary, told commissioners that "single family homes require a lot more water than multifamily homes do," citing the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District’s water storage needs as an example.
On design, identity and sequencing: commissioners expressed interest in a clearly designed town square and gateway features on 228 and Fourth Street, and asked for renderings and comparative examples. Brandmeier said the plan will establish parameters for a future square and that a separate design or master-planning step would likely be needed to finalize its location and configuration.
Next steps and directions: staff will publish the draft SEIS and draft plan in June, run a 30-day public comment period, and return draft materials to the planning commission and city council in the summer/fall for additional review. Brandmeier said the draft code will follow the plan release and that the city expects later public hearings on impact fees and the code changes.
What was not decided: the commissions received an informational presentation and did not adopt a target for total units; City Council could choose to retain the 2,000-unit target, adopt a 4,000-unit limit, or set a different number after hearing the SEIS and public comment. No formal action or vote on plan content occurred at the May 15 meeting.
