Committee weighs expanding downtown retail overlay, higher 90% storefront retail target for Snoqualmie Ridge

Chair Louis Washington and the Community Development Committee on April 23 discussed Planning Commission recommendations to tighten retail-use rules downtown and on Snoqualmie Ridge, including expanding the downtown retail overlay, applying a 90% minimum retail storefront requirement along Center Boulevard Southeast on the Ridge, and eliminating the municipal code's 120‑day retail‑waiver process.

The Planning Commission recommendation, presented by land use consultant Andrew Levins, would "expand the scope of the amendments to apply to all storefronts facing Center Boulevard Southeast on The Ridge. It would revise the minimum retail percentage to 90% retail uses, 10% non veil commercial uses, and it would remove the retail waiver process," Levins told the committee. The same 90/10 ratio would apply to an expanded portion of downtown (portions of Falls Avenue and Railroad Avenue), he said.

The recommendation would also remove two conditions (conditions 4 and 5) in the Snoqualmie Ridge 1 mixed‑use final plan so that changes made in the Snoqualmie Municipal Code would flow through to the Ridge development standards. In addition, the Planning Commission proposed a new design limit that would prevent more than 50% of ground‑floor storefront windows along Center Boulevard Southeast from being covered with opaque material to preserve pedestrian sightlines.

Why it matters: Committee members said the changes are intended to strengthen downtown retail, increase sales tax revenue and encourage a more walkable,…