Issaquah Gives Its Blessing To Giant Grand Ridge Project

ISSAQUAH - The City Council voted 5-2 last night to approve its share of the transportation financing package that has been the last hitch in the Grand Ridge home development project.

Council President Harris Atkins opposed the funding plan, saying the city would have to pay $1.4 million more than expected for new roads. The city's share has been set at $16.7 million.

The core roads package, totaling $77.8 million, is to be a four-way agreement between the city of Issaquah, the project's developers, King County and the Sunset Interchange Foundation.

Grand Ridge, which would bring 9,000 residents to an area just north of downtown Issaquah, would nearly double that city's population. The project, being developed by Port Blakely Communities, calls for clustering 3,950 housing units, 2.1 million square feet of commercial space and 425,000 square feet of retail space. In addition, there would be 1,400 acres of public open space.

The Metropolitan King County Council is expected to vote next Tuesday on the project's transportation financing plan.

Neighbors of the proposed urban village are protesting some road alignments and say the planned configuration would result in gridlock.

The County Council still has to work out an access route to a 300-acre tract on the east side of the Port Blakely property, near High Point, that a private interest wants to buy. Also to be resolved are improvements to the intersection of the Issaquah-Fall City and Black Nugget roads.

More than 50 homeowners have asked the county to reconsider using Black Nugget Road as an access road to the proposed Grand Ridge development.