OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Redmond Planning Commission Meeting - June 25, 2026

City Council — Thursday, June 25, 2026
BodyRedmond, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateThursday, June 25, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:09

All right.

0:10

Welcome to the June 10th, 2026 meeting of the Redmond Planning Commission.

0:15

I'd like to call this meeting to order.

0:17

We'll start with a roll call.

0:19

Commissioner Parna.

0:21

Commissioner Copley.

0:23

Present.

0:23

Commissioner Coleman.

0:25

Present.

0:25

Commissioner Van Nyman.

0:28

Present.

0:29

Vice Chair Whittier.

0:31

Present.

0:31

And I am Chair Weston.

0:33

Commissioner Gagne's excuse tonight.

0:36

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

0:38

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

0:43

Before we approve the agenda, I want to make two small changes.

0:47

The first is there is a numbering typo, so we had a like ghost number six.

0:52

We're going to fix that.

0:53

And the second is I'd like to swap items five and seven according to the current numbering.

0:59

Um so that we can get Glenn home.

1:01

Um do I have an emotion for the amended agenda.

1:09

So moved.

1:10

Second.

1:11

All in favor?

1:12

Aye.

1:12

Aye.

1:13

Aye.

1:15

Thank you.

1:15

That's approved.

1:17

And any corrections to the meeting summary from last time.

1:20

All right.

1:21

In that case, I look for a motion to approve the meeting minutes from June 10th, 2026.

1:25

So moved.

1:28

Second.

1:29

All in favor?

1:30

Aye.

1:31

Aye.

1:31

All right.

1:32

That's approved.

1:34

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

1:38

This is for any topic that's not related to our public hearing later tonight on the 2026 code amendments.

1:43

Um I'd like to remind speakers that written materials should be mailed for review instead of displayed at the podium.

1:48

And we'll keep our comments to three minutes.

1:51

Who do we have?

1:53

Uh David M.

1:55

And as a reminder, say your full name and address, please.

1:58

Thank you.

2:00

Good evening, Commissioners.

2:02

I'm David Morton, Redmond 98053.

2:05

I've commented on PFAS contamination of Redmond's drinking water supply wells one and two and on the DTG recycle site as a plausible PFAS contamination source.

2:17

I want to place that concern within a broader structural pattern.

2:21

Redmond 2050 commits to protecting critical aquifer recharge areas or caras, yet development pressure on caras is intensifying with no formal managed aquifer recharge program to offset it.

2:36

The proposal to consolidate manufacturing park and business park designations into new industrial zones would concentrate some of Redmond's most intensive industrial land uses directly on or adjacent to the CARAs in southeast Redmond.

2:52

It's been suggested that suitable industrial parcels are scar scarce in Redmond, meaning demand for newly zoned industrial lands will be intense.

3:02

Meanwhile, Redmond is marketing it itself as a hub for aerospace and space sector startups.

3:09

These uses routinely work with propellants, solvents, and specialty coatings, including PFAS-based hydraulic fluids and surface treatments that carry real groundwater risk if not carefully managed.

3:23

That combination, new industrial zoning space sector, recruitment, and CARA overlap deserves environmental scrutiny, including an assessment of cumulative groundwater risk.

3:34

At minimum, environmental review of industrial rezoning should model hydro geologic pathways from proposed industrial sites to the municipal supply wells.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████20%
Transportation Safety████████████12%
Public Engagement████████████12%
Environmental Protection███████7%
Active Transportation█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Redmond Planning Commission Meeting - June 25, 2026

This is a summary of the Redmond Planning Commission meeting held on June 25, 2026. The transcript references June 10, 2026, but per the official record the meeting date is June 25, 2026. The meeting covered approval of the annual comprehensive plan docket and the 2026 code cleanup package, along with public comments and staff updates.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the amended agenda (moving item 5 and 7, fixing a numbering typo) unanimously.
  • Approved the meeting minutes from June 10, 2026 (as referenced in transcript) unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • David Morton (Redmond 98053) commented on PFAS contamination risks to drinking water wells from industrial rezoning, particularly near critical aquifer recharge areas (CARAs). He requested environmental scrutiny, hydrogeologic modeling, and pre-construction baseline testing of monitoring well 25 using EPA Method 1633.
  • David Morton also commented on the 2026 code cleanup: he questioned the removal of the comprehensive plan as an independent consistency criterion (RZC 21.76.070B) and asked if the comprehensive plan would still serve as interpretive guidance. He also noted the 20% residential open space requirement (RZC 21.36.300C) was accidentally omitted and asked how long it was absent and if any projects were reviewed without it.

Discussion Items

  • 2026-2027 Annual Comprehensive Plan Docket

    • Staff (Glenn Coyle) requested closure of written public comment, a vote on the recommendation to approve the docket, and approval of the draft report. All items were approved unanimously.

  • 2026 Annual Code Cleanup

    • Staff (Lauren Alpert) presented the issues matrix addressing commissioners' questions:
      • Development agreements: clarified voluntary nature and binding effect.
      • Open space: clarified that public right-of-way and sidewalks cannot count toward required open space; only dedicated open space counts.
      • Parking confusion: resolved.
      • Sustainability regulations: no change in intent.
      • Removal of comprehensive plan from RZC 21.76: staff explained that the Growth Management Act and Redmond Zoning Code already implement the comprehensive plan, and that legislative intent (RZC 21.02) will be added to the record to clarify that the comprehensive plan guides interpretation when the code is silent.
    • Commissioner Van Nyman expressed satisfaction with the explanation.
    • The commission voted to create a recommendation and report approving the 2026 annual code cleanup (unanimous).
    • The commission also voted to cancel the July 8 study session and approve the report at the July 22 meeting (unanimous).

Key Outcomes

  • Vote on 2026-2027 Annual Comprehensive Plan Docket: Motion to approve the recommendation and report passed unanimously.
  • Vote on 2026 Annual Code Cleanup: Motion to create a recommendation and report approving the cleanup passed unanimously.
  • Meeting Cancellation: The July 8, 2026 study session will be cancelled; the code cleanup report will be finalized on July 22, 2026.
  • Staff Updates:
    • Speed study survey and interactive map for pedestrian/bicycle/speeding issues.
    • Tree code update (Let's Connect Redmond).
    • Grid capacity study presented to City Council.
    • Temporary non-commercial signs: Council adopted Planning Commission's recommendation to prohibit signs in roundabouts, permit in medians, and not implement a permit system now (may revisit).
    • New state e-bike law (Commissioner Coleman raised).
    • Welcome to new commissioners joining.

Note: The meeting transcript states June 10, 2026, but the official meeting date per instruction is June 25, 2026. Discrepancy noted.

Meeting Transcript

All right. Welcome to the June 10th, 2026 meeting of the Redmond Planning Commission. I'd like to call this meeting to order. We'll start with a roll call. Commissioner Parna. Commissioner Copley. Present. Commissioner Coleman. Present. Commissioner Van Nyman. Present. Vice Chair Whittier. Present. And I am Chair Weston. Commissioner Gagne's excuse tonight. I'd like to thank the following staff for being present tonight. Lauren Alpert, Jeff Churchill, Glenn Coyle, and Chris Wyatt. Before we approve the agenda, I want to make two small changes. The first is there is a numbering typo, so we had a like ghost number six. We're going to fix that. And the second is I'd like to swap items five and seven according to the current numbering. Um so that we can get Glenn home. Um do I have an emotion for the amended agenda. So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Thank you. That's approved. And any corrections to the meeting summary from last time. All right. In that case, I look for a motion to approve the meeting minutes from June 10th, 2026. So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye. Aye. All right. That's approved. And now it's time for us to hear public comment and items from the audience. This is for any topic that's not related to our public hearing later tonight on the 2026 code amendments. Um I'd like to remind speakers that written materials should be mailed for review instead of displayed at the podium. And we'll keep our comments to three minutes. Who do we have? Uh David M. And as a reminder, say your full name and address, please. Thank you. Good evening, Commissioners.

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