Marymoor Village
Marymoor Village
The Marymoor Village center was created in 2017, so most of the revisions under review as part of Redmond 2050 are to address new opportunities and ways to meet community priorities that emerged in the visioning process. Updates will address:
- design guidelines updates,
- transition from a local center to a countywide growth center,
- reducing the number of zoning districts,
- updating the incentives and TOD area,
- adopting a SEPA Infill Exemption, and
- pilot project for inclusive neighborhood, and
- placemaking features that incorporate importance of this area to local tribes.
8/9/23 Planning Commission Study Session: Marymoor and Southeast Redmond
Rezoning Proposal
Staff is exploring ideas to improve efficiency and clarity through policy and code updates, but also through the reduction of the number of zoning districts. There are five (5) zoning districts within the Marymoor Village design district area. Staff is proposing reducing this to three districts.
Current Zoning Map | Draft Zones (subject to change) |
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Innovative Ideas Being Explored for Marymoor Village
Inclusive Neighborhood Pilot Project
Equity and inclusion is a main theme of Redmond 2050, with a special focus on inclusive design and accessibility improvements. We are looking at ways we can update how we design and build our community to make it more inclusive - including removing policies and codes that have been used to exclude some community members or that have unintentionally caused barriers. Our focus has been on studying ways that our built environment impacts different people in different ways, and to identify opportunities for change, with specific code and policy examples and recommendations, that will have a measurable outcome on making the design and construction of our communities more inclusive.
To that end, we have held a series of focus groups, community conversations, and completed an accessibility study that included “walk and roll” tours with community members. We have also compiled a number of resources for education and inspiration, which have been posted online at www.redmond.gov/2057/Inclusive-Design.
We are incorporating a number of inclusive design elements into Overlake, Marymoor Village, and Downtown, so that our areas around our new light rail stations fit within our goals for equitable transit-oriented development (TOD), but we wanted to do something special for Marymoor.
Housing for adults with disabilities, especially near transit was a high-priority for this update, but housing alone does not facilitate and help maximize independence and community participation. To that end we are researching options for how we can build out Marymoor Village to be as accessible as possible – the buildings, site, and blocks, with a specific focus on housing and the public spaces.
Staff is working with accessibility and universal design experts to look at checklists, design guides, incentives, and other ways to design and build the Marymoor Village core as a fully-inclusive neighborhood. Staff is exploring lighting, sound, signage and wayfinding, sidewalks and other design standards. An idea board for community contributions was started in 2023 but will get more focus in 2024 - www.letsconnectredmond.com/redmond2050/brainstormers/inclusive-neighborhood-pilot-project.
Additional outreach will occur in 2024 as we draft code updates and incentive package revisions for Marymoor.
Tribal Connection/Integration
The connection to the Sammamish Valley runs deep for the affected and interested Tribes. They consider this land to be the place of their home and family from time immemorial. It has been described to us as “we have never left, we are still here”. By integrating that connection into the design and other features of the neighborhood it would provide a unique sense of place and celebrate that connection in a visible, interactive way.
Staff is proposing that we integrate the importance of this area to our local tribes in placemaking efforts as another of the ways that makes this neighborhood look and feel unique.
The integration would need to be carefully planned. The Tribes do not have staff to regularly review development proposal outside of the CRMP process (all development must consider possible cultural resource presence by way of a survey, monitoring, or under the requirements of an inadvertent discovery plan). Staff is proposing, and has been discussing with tribal representatives, the following ideas:
- Art and Architectural Details.
- Curating a list of native artists for the web site that is verified with the local tribes to ensure accuracy.
- All public art opportunities would then be shared with the artists on the list so that local native artists have an awareness for opportunities.
- Staff would like to propose prioritizing at least one public art piece for each project be by a native artist.
- Using Tribal art for the evacuation station art concept that emergency management is looking into – maybe even a tall totem pole so it’s visually easy to spot from far away.
- Encouraging designers to work with native artists on architectural details (and potentially colors) to include in areas of high pedestrian activity. A plaque or other signage (in English and the language of the artist) that explains the context.
- Signage
- An outdoor interpretive area/signage (like is done at wetlands, etc.) that describes the history of tribes and their use of land in our area (could be Redmond generally) – this might be great on the property King County is looking to buy as the entranceway into Marymoor Park by the velodrome.
- Signage and new street names to honor tribal history and elders (their choice)
- Edible landscaping with relevance to the tribes and signage to explain selections/use of plant materials.
- Uses and spaces
- Looking to see if we can meet tribal community space needs as we look at open space or other incentives
- Allowing cohousing and other housing types that might be better suited to tribal housing needs
- Making sure that art museums and cultural center uses are allowed in Marymoor
These ideas will be explored further in 2024 as we work on the code updates for Marymoor Village. Since many of these ideas would create a de-facto art/cultural district and would create for great walking tour opportunities, staff is also considering adding a Marymoor Village cultural district to the new RZC 21.05.
Community members, caregivers, and service providers familiar with mobility challenges are invited to share your thoughts and experiences with us as we seek to improve the experience of all Redmond residents.
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Beckye Frey
Principal PlannerPhone: 425-556-2750