Shelter Holdings Permit Application Dispute with City of Issaquah Continues
Public hearings soon to allow public comment in January
Special meetings held by the City of Issaquah Development Commission about future development along 9th Ave NE in Issaquah Highlands began last September and continued monthly through December 2018. These meetings are indeed “special” as they seem more like a court proceeding than typical development permit application reviews. As the meetings continued one to the next, there has not yet been time for the public to address the Commission.
These proceedings regard 21.5 acres along 9th Ave NE owned by Issaquah Highlands Investment Fund-Commercial, LLC (IHIF-C), better known to the community as Shelter Holdings. IHIF-C has applied for three development permits covering all this land:
- 111,000 square feet in retail businesses in 11 single-story buildings with 483 surface parking stalls
- 92,417 square feet in a 4-story medical office building with first floor retail and 394 parking stalls, most of them surface parking
- 105,000 square feet 4-story (one below-grade) self-storage facility with 34 parking stalls located on the street, and on-site surface and structured parking internal to the building
The overarching issue: which development standards apply to these permit applications? The applicant (IHIF-C) disagrees with the City about which development regulations govern. The difference could determine whether the applications can be approved. To learn more, you can view the Development Commission Special Meetings on the City’s YouTube channel.
Expect the public hearings to begin on January 15 and 16, 6:30-9:30pm in City Council Chambers at 135 E. Sunset, Issaquah. The public hearings will provide opportunities for the public to provide comments to the City’s Development Commission on this issue, although the date these public hearings will open is yet to be determined.
January meeting information from the City can be accessed here>>>.
For more information about this topic, please see Shelter Holdings Applies for Retail, Medical Office, and Self Storage development in Issaquah Highlands.
