Where’s water?
July 2, 2008
Developers could build more houses if the projects are eco-friendly
Sammamish planners want to encourage developers to minimize their impact on the environment by enticing them with benefits.
City planners are proposing a low impact development (sometimes called Read more
Ridership exploding
July 2, 2008
As gas goes up and traffic worsens, more people are riding the bus
Rafiq Shahul has a laundry list of reasons that he takes Metro Transit’s 216 bus to work in Seattle instead of driving.
He can listen to music, protect the environment and save money and stress all at the same time.
“To Seattle it’s a long commute. I don’t want to drive in the traffic,” Shahul said as he stood at the South Sammamish Park and Ride waiting for the 8:41 a.m. bus.
However, there is one drawback to commuting by bus, Shahul said. “The only problem is it’s crowded.”
According to Metro, King County’s transit agency, Sammamish buses were more crowded this spring than in 2007.
Average weekday boardings on Route 216, which runs from Downtown Seattle to the Bear Creek Park and Ride, rose from 492 in spring 2007 to 535 in spring 2008, an increase of 8.7 percent, said spokesperson Linda Thielke.
Average weekday boardings on the Route 269 bus that runs from Issaquah to Overlake went up 24.2 percent from 310 to 385, and boardings on Route 218 that runs from Downtown Seattle to the Issaquah Highlands Park and Ride rose 17.1 percent, from 1,336 to 1,565. Route 927, which runs between Sammamish and Issaquah, also had a slight increase.
“Right now it’s a little bit overcrowded, but not too much,” said Srini Reddy, a programmer who lives in Sammamish and works in Seattle, as he waited for the 216. “Bus service is pretty good all around.”
Across the street, Chevron sold gas for $4.42 per gallon. The escalating price of gas is one reason bus riders say there has been a recent increase in riders, making their commute a little less comfortable.
“There’s not always enough seats. People have to stand,” said commuter Mikmikhail Sheybian, a longtime bus rider who has seen an increase in ridership in the last few months.
Many Sammamish residents have also begun carpooling by van through Metro’s Regional Ridematch System, an online networking service.
Thielke said 40 people in each of Sammamish’s two zip codes signed up for van pool service between March 1 and June 15, 2008.
This makes up a significant portion of the total 134 new sign-ups in the 98074 zip code and 117 new sign-ups in the 98075 area that occurred between April 1, 2007 and June 27, 2008.
The service has become more popular in the last few years as well.
From March 2005 to March 2007, the service had only 124 new sign-ups in the 98074 area and 156 people in the 98075 zip code.
Thielke said Metro does not know whether those people still use the service.
Rochelle Ogershok, the public affairs supervisor for Metro, cautioned against attributing the increase in bus and van ridership directly to gas prices.
“We know that obviously fuel prices are a significant contributing factor to rider-ship, but they’re not the only one,” she said. “There’s a number of factors that come into play.”
Those factors include Metro’s ongoing efforts to add and restructure bus service to make it more convenient for riders, Ogershok said.
Metro is planning to accommodate some of the growth by increasing service on Route 269 in September from every 30 minutes to every 20 minutes at peak hours.
The agency also plans to make additional improvements over the next five years.
Those improvements will be paid for through a partnership with Microsoft and the cities of Sammamish, Redmond, Isssaquah announced this spring.
For information on Metro’s van and car pool service visit http://transit.metrokc.gov/tops/van-car/ridematch.html or call 1-800-427-8249.
Reporter Emily Keller can be reached at (425) 392-6434 ext. 242 or EKeller@isspress.com.
Issaquah school board member resigns
July 2, 2008
Issaquah School Board member Mike Winkler announced his resignation at the June 25 meeting.
It takes effect September 10.
“In all sincerity, I have had some significant changes in my personal life,” he said. “I have found that as much as I enjoy serving the children in the Issaquah School District, I have not Read more
City survey says permitting process improved
July 2, 2008
Obtaining a land use or building permit from the city has gotten faster and easier, according to city officials and Sammamish residents.
City staff processed a greater portion of home renovation permit applications within its target processing time in 2008 compared with 2007, said Kamuron Gurol, the city’s Read more
Planners propose municipal, critical areas code changes
July 2, 2008
City planners are proposing a series of changes to development and drainage requirements in Sammamish that they say will reduce bureaucracy and protect the environment.
But some environmentalists say those two goals are inconsistent.
At a June 19 meeting, the city’s Planning Commission heard recommendations Read more
LWSD reviews budget proposal
July 2, 2008
District proposes $217.9 million in spending
The Lake Washington School Board reviewed the 2008-2009 budget proposal during its meeting June 23.
The $217.9 million spending plan calls for an 8.42 percent, or $16.8 million increase in expenditures for the coming year.
The largest proposed increases are for transportation, special education, and Read more
Review editorial
July 2, 2008
City survey leads to more questions
The city of Sammamish recently hired Hebert Research to complete a community opinion survey of 393 residents to gauge how citizens are feeling their city. It’s interesting, but we’re not too sure what to make of it all. Let’s take a closer look:
The number one thing people like about living in Sammamish is the small town feel. Interesting that the city just approved Town Center, a plan that will allow up to 600,000 square feet of commercial space and up to 2,000 housing units.
Only 7.6 percent of survey respondents want more businesses to locate here, yet, ironically, many comments were specifically for more restaurants, more shopping (one suggested Wal-Mart) and more services. Equally as many want growth to stop or slow. “You can’t let too many people in,” said one responder.
Nearly 70 percent rated the city’s long-range planning as good or excellent. While 67 percent said they agree that the Town Center plan is heading in the right direction, more than 80 percent of those say they only “somewhat agree.”
The city continues to contemplate a park bond vote this fall, so it is interesting that 78 percent give high marks to the city for parks facilities. A full 93.9 percent are pleased with the appearance of city parks. Look closely at comments, though, and you’ll see that many voices are impatient for a teen center, community center, even a bowling alley.
The survey also asked about communications. It turns out that only 10.2 percent had watched the city’s TV channel for 5 minutes or more in the past month, although 31 percent had visited the city’s website. We’re tickled pink that most citizens get their city news from Sammamish Review, but dismayed to read comments that imply the Review is owned by the city. Not true! The Review is published by an independent journalism company, dependent on the advertisers who are dependent on your readership.
Surveys are only as good as the people who read them. We hope this one will be referred to often, as elected officials look for citizen guidance.
Sammamish Forum
July 2, 2008
Challenge Day can matter
I would like to thank the Sammamish Review for being such great community partners and communicating all the exciting things happening here in Sammamish.
In a (much appreciated) community article, Sammamish Read more
