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Record of Proceedings

Redmond Planning Commission Meeting - February 11, 2026: Code Amendments and Land Use Report

City Council — Wednesday, February 11, 2026
BodyRedmond, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, February 11, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:17

All right.

0:17

Welcome to the February 11th, 2026 meeting of the Redmond Planning Commission.

0:21

I'd like to call the meeting to order.

0:24

We'll start with a roll call.

0:25

Commissioner Aparna.

0:28

Present.

0:29

Commissioner Copley.

0:30

Present.

0:31

Commissioner Coleman.

0:33

Present.

0:33

Commissioner Ganyer.

0:36

Present.

0:38

Commissioner Van Nyman.

0:41

Vice Chair Woodyer.

0:42

Present.

0:43

And I am Chair Weston.

0:45

I'd like to thank the following staff for being present tonight.

0:47

Jeff Churchill, Glenn Coyle, Lauren Alpert, Kim Deeds, and Chris Wyatt.

0:51

I look for a motion to approve the agenda.

0:54

So moved.

0:55

Second.

0:56

All in favor.

0:57

Aye.

0:58

Aye.

1:00

All right.

1:00

That's approved.

1:02

And any corrections to the meeting summary from last time.

1:06

All right.

1:07

Then I look for a motion to approve the meeting summary from January 14th, 2026.

1:13

So mate.

1:15

Second.

1:16

Second.

1:17

All in favor.

1:18

Aye.

1:19

Aye.

1:20

Aye.

1:21

All right.

1:23

That's also approved.

1:24

It's now time for us to hear public comment and items from the audience.

1:29

Glenn, who do we have tonight?

1:33

We have three people signed up.

1:35

The first is David Morton.

1:38

All right.

1:38

And just a reminder to please keep your comments to three minutes and to start with your name and address.

1:46

Good evening, Commissioners.

1:47

I'm David Morton, Redmond, 98053.

1:50

I'd like to discuss a critical land use issue that affects Redmond's drinking water aquifer and may cause PFAS contamination in wells one and two.

2:00

Last week I testified before City Council about PFOS levels exceeding EPA's four parts per trillion standard in these wells.

2:10

Tonight I want to focus on the land use aspect of this problem, specifically the Evans Creek relocation project and the DTG recycle site, formerly Allwood Recycling.

2:22

The DTG site sits within Redmond's Critical Aqui for Recharge Area 1 or CARA 1, where groundwater contamination can reach municipal supply wells in under five years.

3:06

Bob Yoder's research suggests additional historic contamination sources at this industrial site, oil spills into Evans Creek, failing detention ponds, and septic systems that may have channeled PFAS contaminated water underground.

3:22

Here's the land use policy problem.

3:38

This is a significant gap in the environmental review process, especially given the site's MTCA contaminated cleanup status and location in Redmond's CARA 1.

3:50

Since the Planning Commission advises the mayor and city council on land use policies, I urge you to recommend that the city require PFAS testing at the DTG site before any ground disturbance occurs.

4:03

Identifying and remediating contamination sources is essential to prevent ongoing pollution of Redmond's drinking water.

4:11

With a 2029 EPA compliance deadline and costs for treatment of wells one and two, potentially in the tens of millions.

4:47

Thank you.

4:49

Thank you.

4:51

Next we have uh Andrew Connelly.

4:55

Great.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Code Amendment█████████████████████████████████████████████46%
Public Engagement████████████████16%
Sign Management████████████12%
Business Licensing██████████10%
Affordable Housing██████6%
Procedural█████5%
Water And Wastewater Management███3%
Environmental Protection██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Redmond Planning Commission Meeting - February 11, 2026

The Redmond Planning Commission met on February 11, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. in a hybrid meeting. Commissioners approved a report to Council on land use and zoning map amendments for 6900 188th Ave NE, and held a study session on the 2026 Code Amendment Series covering business improvements, fences, and legislative conformance. Public comments addressed PFAS contamination concerns, fence regulations along the Sammamish River Trail, light pollution, and tree removal.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Agenda: Moved, seconded, and approved unanimously.
  • Approval of Meeting Summary: The meeting summary from January 14, 2026, was approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • David Morton (Redmond, 98053): Urged the Commission to recommend that the city require PFAS testing at the DTG recycle site (formerly Allwood Recycling) before any ground disturbance, citing PFOS levels exceeding EPA standards in wells one and two and the site's location in Critical Aquifer Recharge Area 1 (CARA 1). He emphasized the need to address historic contamination to protect Redmond's drinking water aquifer.
  • Andrew Connelly (15618 NE 95th Way): Expressed appreciation for the Commission's work and requested sensitivity for existing legally nonconforming fences along the Sammamish River Trail, noting that new fence regulations could create a catch-22 where owners cannot repair or replace unsafe fences without violating code.
  • Andrew Brown (15602 NE 95th Way): Supported Connelly's comments and added concerns about light pollution from businesses along the trail and insufficient penalties for illegal tree removal in light industrial areas. He requested that the Commission consider light pollution and tree canopy as part of the Redmond 2050 plans.

Discussion Items

  • Land Use and Zoning Map Amendments – 6900 188th Ave NE: The Commission voted to approve the report and recommendation to City Council on the proposed Comprehensive Plan Land Use Map and Zoning Map amendments for the 6900 188th Ave NE property. No corrections or concerns were raised. Motion passed unanimously.
  • 2026 Code Amendment Series: Study Session: Staff presented three packages:
    • Business Improvements (Kim Deeds): Amendments to clarify commercial floor area deviation rules, require business open signs in traffic control plans, and clarify site plan entitlement for food trucks, pop-up retail courts, and publicly accessible enhanced amenity spaces (PEAS).
    • Fences (Lauren Alpert): Updates to Chapter 2124 to improve clarity, consolidate neighborhood requirements, update fence height figures, create a new section for retaining walls (2125), and add placeholder for terraced retaining walls. Public comments on legacy fences were noted.
    • Legislative Conformance (Jeff Churchill): Seven state bills requiring code updates: HB 1757 (residential conversions), lot splitting (new mini short plat), SB 5559 (unit lot subdivisions), SB 5509 (child care facilities), two bills on parking (reducing off-street parking requirements for various uses), and SB 5611 (permit timelines and binding site plans). Staff also proposed code cleanups, including final plat approval via administrative process, correcting math errors, updating TDR chapter, clarifying co-living provisions, and fixing references in the Overlake incentive program.
  • Commissioner Questions: Commissioners raised issues including exclusion of barbed wire and razor wire near parks, legal nonconforming fences, daycare spacing requirements, co-living ambiguity, parking study expert qualifications, and detailed questions about business use classifications. Staff will address these in an issue matrix for the February 25 public hearing.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved: Motion to approve the report to City Council on the 6900 188th Ave NE land use and zoning map amendments (unanimous).
  • Next Steps: Public hearing on the 2026 Code Amendment Series is scheduled for February 25, 2026; a study session and potential recommendation to Council will follow on March 11, 2026.
  • Commissioner Updates:
    • Chair Weston reported to City Council on the Commission's work, answered queries on environmental protections, and noted Councilmember Forsyth's request to consult former Design Review Board members on architectural design standards.
    • Commissioners disclosed new board memberships: Commissioner Varadharajan joined the board of Together Center; Commissioner Copley joined the Manahale Foundation (affordable housing developer).
    • Commissioner Varadharajan requested a staff briefing on the Cascade Water Alliance report when released, given PFAS and well protection concerns.
    • Staff noted that the Transportation Master Plan and related amendments were approved by Council on February 3, 2026.
  • No action taken on public comments regarding PFAS testing; Chair Weston will explore appropriate venues for a collective letter from the Commission, and commissioners were encouraged to submit individual comments to Council.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Welcome to the February 11th, 2026 meeting of the Redmond Planning Commission. I'd like to call the meeting to order. We'll start with a roll call. Commissioner Aparna. Present. Commissioner Copley. Present. Commissioner Coleman. Present. Commissioner Ganyer. Present. Commissioner Van Nyman. Vice Chair Woodyer. Present. And I am Chair Weston. I'd like to thank the following staff for being present tonight. Jeff Churchill, Glenn Coyle, Lauren Alpert, Kim Deeds, and Chris Wyatt. I look for a motion to approve the agenda. So moved. Second. All in favor. Aye. Aye. All right. That's approved. And any corrections to the meeting summary from last time. All right. Then I look for a motion to approve the meeting summary from January 14th, 2026. So mate. Second. Second. All in favor. Aye. Aye. Aye. All right. That's also approved. It's now time for us to hear public comment and items from the audience. Glenn, who do we have tonight? We have three people signed up. The first is David Morton. All right. And just a reminder to please keep your comments to three minutes and to start with your name and address. Good evening, Commissioners. I'm David Morton, Redmond, 98053. I'd like to discuss a critical land use issue that affects Redmond's drinking water aquifer and may cause PFAS contamination in wells one and two. Last week I testified before City Council about PFOS levels exceeding EPA's four parts per trillion standard in these wells. Tonight I want to focus on the land use aspect of this problem, specifically the Evans Creek relocation project and the DTG recycle site, formerly Allwood Recycling. The DTG site sits within Redmond's Critical Aqui for Recharge Area 1 or CARA 1, where groundwater contamination can reach municipal supply wells in under five years.

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