Spring 2005 Neighborhood Meeting

The West Lake Sammamish Association

Spring 2005 Neighborhood Meeting Summary

WLSA’s Spring meeting convened at Vasa Park’s Ballroom Wednesday evening, Feb. 16^th. More than 75 residents attended, heard information on the status of Bellevue’s current project, asked questions, made comments, and, ultimately, requested WLSA’s Board to respond favorably on the alternative.

The focal point of discussion was the Staff Recommended Alternative that has been developed since last summer following a year long planning effort by Bellevue. Current WLSA President, Marty Nizlek, described the features of the alternative, noting that staff had attempted to respond to concerns expressed about the previous 5 alternative concepts. Under the new alternative one of three treatments would be applied along the road instead of a single design imposed along the 5.5 mile Bellevue section. (Click here to view the New Alternative)

Key features of the design treatments were described, including:

	A 4 ft. unmarked shoulder along the lakeside (common to all 3 cross-sections),
	Narrowing of the southbound travel lane to 10 ft. (common to all 3 cross-sections), and
	Three treatments of the Westside shoulder –

- A shoulder similar to today’s pedestrian-bike path,

- A multi-use trail separated by a 2 ft planted buffer, or

- A buffer of 5 ft. where there is sufficient width.

Marty also indicated that a signal is planned at SE 34^th as part of the project.

Nizlek concluded his comments by indicating that WLSA's Board had voted in favor of this new alternative. Since the vote was not unanimous, Nizlek turned the floor over to former WLSA President, Diane Tebelius, who provided the minority opinion that the landscaped buffer, nothing more than a long, skinny park, would be expensive to maintain, and would be costly to build; the latter aspect possibly delaying implementation.

About a dozen attendees then commented on the alternative. (Click here to see Summary of Comments). The vast majority supported the alternative and appreciated staff’s effort, yet many described concerns with several features. Chief among these were: potential negative consequences of a 4 ft. shoulder on the lakeside, encouragement of more traffic via installation of a signal with turn pockets, and the need for lower speed limits.

Mark Sussman, President of Sammamish Shores Home Owners reflected the opinion of his Board as also in favor of the alternative and included several recommendations:

	As with variations in treatment on the westside, the 4 ft. eastside shoulder should be permitted some variation if this would avoid adverse impact to properties,
	To counter hazards of added pedestrians and cyclists, especially with the reduction in lane width, the speed limit should be lowered to 25 or 30 mph,
	A refined study should be undertaken to identify strategies to place power underground and provide residents refined cost estimates of doing so.

A representative of Cascade Bike Club was the last to address the group, indicating that CBC believes a southbound, exclusive bike lane needs to be added to the design.

At the conclusion, attendees were asked for a show of hands on three questions –

	Should WLSA represent to the City that the staff recommended alternative is an acceptable compromise?
	Are you in favor of a 4 ft. unmarked, parking restricted shoulder on the east/lake side?
	Would you be in favor of placing power lines underground, even if you had to participate financially?

(Click here to see Voting Outcome) Return To HOME Page