Published January 11 2017
Also, Overlake Medical Center code amendment and Councilmember Slatter's last meeting
On Monday night at its extended study session, the City Council scheduled a public hearing for Feb. 21 to consider a request by Bellevue College for the city to vacate a portion of 145th Avenue Southeast, north of Southeast 26th Street. As part of the proposal, the college has also asked the city to waive compensation for the vacation.
The hearing will be during the council's regular meeting, which will begin at 8 p.m. An additional two weeks was added to the original proposed date, allowing staff more time to inform the surrounding neighborhoods. Following the hearing, the council could decide whether to proceed with the vacation and whether to waive monetary compensation. The council noted during the discussion that no decision had been made at Monday's meeting and any further action would be informed by community feedback.
Street vacation refers to a process in which the owner of property adjacent to a public right of way can petition the council to acquire the right of way. In the case of 145th Avenue Southeast, the 60-foot wide, 26,351-square-foot section of right of way has an estimated fair market value of $750,000 to $825,000. Bellevue College wants to use the stretch for a 137-unit student housing project, scheduled to begin construction in February.
Instead of monetary compensation, an option calls for Bellevue College to build a bikeway to city standards that would run through the campus and connect to the Interstate 90 bike trail via 142nd Place Southeast, filling a gap in the city's north-south bicycle corridor.
City to hold Overlake Medical Center code amendment public hearing
Later, the council approved staff's recommendation to hold a public hearing on the Overlake Medical Center request to amend the Land Use Code to accommodate Overlake's proposed campus upgrade plan. The project, dubbed "futureCARE," is a new five-floor "East Tower," which will hold a childbirth center, surgical nursing care units and other supporting functions. Representatives from Overlake say the additions are necessary for the hospital to remain regionally competitive with other providers.
The need for a code amendment was identified and prioritized by the council in early 2016. The proposed tower would be located in what is currently designated in the city's Land Use Code as "DA2." However, the applicable hospital uses are only permitted in "DA1" areas of the Medical Institution District. In November, draft language was completed in collaboration with Overlake. The city will announce a hearing date and begin outreach to the surrounding area in the coming weeks.
Councilmember Slatter to vacate seat
Earlier in the meeting, Councilmember Vandana Slatter announced that she will officially resign her seat on Saturday, Jan. 14. The move comes in the wake of Slatter's appointment last week to the state House of Representatives. Immediately following her comments, council colleagues took turns thanking Slatter for her thoughtfulness and collaborative spirit.
The council will have 90 days from Jan. 14 to fill the vacated Position 5 seat. The process for filling the seat will be determined at an upcoming meeting. Additional information on the appointment and seat vacancy can be found in an earlier news release.
NOTE: Due to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, the next regular council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 17.