Residents urge Issaquah leaders to pause High School 4 project over tree clearing, salmon habitat concerns

Dozens of residents used the public-comment period at the Feb. 2 Issaquah City Council meeting to call on elected officials to intervene in the Issaquah School District’s High School 4 project near Providence Point.

Denise Darnell, a Sammamish resident and member of Save Our Sammamish, said she recently learned the district plans to start clear‑cutting in March and described "over 2,100 trees" slated for removal. "Isn't there something we can all do to try to preserve at least some of it?" Darnell asked, urging the council to seek alternatives that would reduce the site footprint and protect the forest.

Heather Murphy Raines, also speaking as a Sammamish resident, asked the council to require the district to pause the project and commission an independent, updated environmental impact statement (EIS) that aligns with Issaquah’s Climate Action Plan. "Issaquah's Climate Action Plan recognizes mature forests as essential carbon sinks," she said, and argued the proposed removal of nearly 2,200 mature trees would conflict with the city’s goals.

Concerns at the meeting extended beyond trees. Dr. Wally Perea, a kokanee working‑group member, warned—via remarks read by Beau Raines—that the development and associated sports fields and grading could harm Laughing Jacobs Creek, a key spawning tributary for Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon. The statement said the Issaquah School District’s EIS review process had not meaningfully addressed those impacts and urged regional coordination, including that Sammamish withhold right‑of‑way approval until project modifications address salmon and watershed concerns.

Transportation impacts were also raised. Jay Shernoff urged council review of Issaquah and Sammamish transportation improvement plans, questioned whether right‑of‑way and road‑use permits and traffic mitigation for hauling removed trees had been accounted for, and warned of congestion and emergency egress risks if planned road improvements are not synchronized with the project’s heavy truck activity.

Speakers proposed specific alternatives: building a smaller "choice" school focused on health or environmental sciences, siting a new school on already‑cleared property, sharing athletic facilities with existing high schools, and delaying or downsizing sports fields to reduce environmental harm and traffic. Commenters also noted district enrollment declines and questioned the timing and scale of permanent land conversion for a comprehensive high school.

The council received the comments but did not take formal action during the meeting. No council motion or vote was recorded on the High School 4 project during the Feb. 2 session. Several speakers said they want the councils of both Issaquah and Sammamish to coordinate more closely on permitting and mitigation.

Next steps: residents asked the council to consider requesting an updated independent EIS, to use permitting authority to press the district for design changes, and to coordinate with Sammamish on right‑of‑way and road permits; the council’s response and any staff follow‑up were not recorded at the meeting.