By John Haro and Tom Hinman

On Sept. 30, about 25 residents from (mostly) the eastern end of the Bel-Red Corridor attended the first joint Bellevue/Redmond City Council meeting in seven years. While many pressing issues appeared on the two-hour agenda, one of the more heartening outcomes of the meeting was a shared pledge to gather annually for staff updates and mutual problem-solving. Next year an item dealing with increased school population in that area should be featured.

In other outcomes, respective city staffs were directed to share findings on human services/public safety and economic development strategies after which the councilmembers addressed the complex subject of transit, traffic congestion and road improvements in the Overlake district.

Imagine Overlake and neighborhoods bordering the frequently-gridlocked epicenter of Bel-Red Road, 156th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 24th Street have been concerned about the tsunami of vehicles that soon will start rippling through the community as growth begins in developments such as Overlake Village’s Esterra Park and Bellevue’s Bel-Green Development – formerly Group Health and Angelo’s Nursery, respectively. Councilmembers David Carson (Redmond) and Kevin Wallace (Bellevue) citied the importance of roadway improvements and Bellevue Councilmember John Stokes added that impacted neighborhoods should be engaged in the planning process — a notion we heartily endorse.

It was encouraging to learn that traffic planners from both jurisdictions will update their projection of future travel patterns and (hopefully) begin a mutual infrastructure improvement effort that would benefit area residents and businesses.

Bellevue and Redmond councilmembers also agreed to continue mutual efforts on the Eastside and in Olympia to obtain funding for transit, the East Link light rail line and various road improvements. At the local level, both jurisdictions are initiating review of their next biennial budgets that will contain line items for capital projects.

Intersection improvements in the Overlake area must keep pace with the additional vehicles brought into this burgeoning neighborhood. We encourage all Bellevue and Redmond citizens to inform themselves and provide testimony to their leaders on capital investment programs and other matters they feel critical. It will be two years before you get another chance.

John Haro is vice president of Bellevue’s Sherwood Forest Community Club. Tom Hinman is a Redmond resident and facilitator of Imagine Overlake.

Left: The former site of Angelos Nursery. Bellevue Reporter File Photo

Middle: The 28-acre former Group Health Cooperative Redmond campus, now under construction, will include more than 3 million square feet of space including 1.1 million square feet of office and retail space, more than 1,400 residential units and nearly 300 hotel rooms. The site is on 156th Avenue Northeast just north of Bel-Red Road. Craig Groshart, Bellevue Reporter

Bottom:Drawing shows the proposed look and layout of a project on the former site of Group Health in Redmond. Courtesy Photo