Lake Washington and Redmond highlight joint-use projects, permitting delays and reopening of Old Redmond Schoolhouse

Lake Washington School District and Redmond City officials reviewed facilities partnerships, permitting timelines and shared-use operations during their March 3 study session.

Why it matters: the district and city coordinate on school construction, joint-use of gyms and fields, and community facilities. Delays or permit process differences can affect construction schedules and community access to recreation and meeting spaces.

District Associate Superintendent of Business Barbara Posthumus described the partnership with Redmond planning and parks staff as “a great working relationship,” while also noting permitting in Redmond typically takes “about three to six months longer than our other jurisdictions” because the city does not allow concurrent land-use and building-site permits. The district said it accounts for that added time when scheduling projects.

Officials also described the district’s joint-use agreement under which the city manages public field reservations and the district provides gym and field access. Posthumus and district staff said they are interested in expanding joint capital projects — examples cited include a recently completed joint field project at Inglewood Middle School and grass upgrades by Kirkland at some elementary sites.

The parties also discussed the Old Redmond Schoolhouse, a historic building the city and district renovated and reopened for preschool. Posthumus said the facility’s reopening included an ADA ramp and interior upgrades; the project experienced about a one-year delay because of building moisture issues but the finished space, she said, provides preschool classrooms and a small revenue stream from a city lease. Mayor Angela Birney and council members praised the outcome and noted the site’s value as a community landmark.

City staff noted other shared sites such as the Redmond Senior and Community Center and Marymoor Village Community Center as potential meeting space for district events during daytime hours. The parties also raised operational issues: limited daytime availability of some joint spaces because of security concerns during the school day, and traffic impacts when joint programs coincide with preschool drop-off and pick-up.

Ending: Both sides said they value the quarterly staff coordination meetings that include district COO and city planning and parks staff, and they expressed interest in exploring additional joint capital projects and better early engagement between developers, city planning staff and the district to resolve design concerns earlier in the permitting process.