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SPORTS | Newport, Bellevue look to keep records perfect on gridiron [14]
Business | New Bellevue store learn about and try gourmet coffee and espresso systems FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2013 before they buy [9]
Schools | Sammamish High School student turns screen printing experience into gold [12]
Spiritwood neighbors get emergency ordinance, victory BY CELINA KAREIVA BELLEVUE REPORTER
On Monday, the Bellevue City Council passed a new emergency interim ordinance to address a housing model that has taken off in Bellevue. Concerns about the growing prevalence of multi-room rentals in single-family homes was first brought to
the attention of council in June of this year by Spiritwood neighbors. “Three and a half months later we’re acting on it,” said councilmember John Chelminiak, one of a number of councilmembers, city staff and candidates who toured Spiritwood to find themselves in agreement with residents that the housing model
required an urgent solution. “We promised that we’d give you a good close look at it and I think we’ve delivered on that.” In May, residents noticed that at least five of the houses in their cul-de-sac had been purchased and renovated by investors. One home in particular, which neighbors referred to as a “mega house,” had been
outfitted with eight bedrooms. The structure dwarfed all adjacent homes. Neighbors reported seeing Craigslist postings and suspected the houses were functioning as informal “dorms” because Bellevue College had recently added additional four-year SEE SPIRITWOOD, 16
Pot zoning – where will Bellevue put it? BY BRANDON MACZ BELLEVUE REPORTER
Saffi has performed on a hoop suspended from the ceiling and been shot out of a cannon, just to name a few acts. She’s also extremely practiced in the art of making audience members “ooh and ahh,” having taken this talent to the stages of Teatro ZinZanni, Moisture Festival and Cirque Dreams Illumination.
Bellevue City Council members don't want to block recreational marijuana sales here, but they are looking at ways to head off where the four approved retail stores in the city can be located. The Washington State Liquor Control Board anticipates approving rules for growing, processing and selling recreational marijuana on Oct. 16 to take effect 30 days after, said WSLCB spokesman Mikhail Carpenter. A tentative date for prospective marijuana retailers, producers and processors to apply for licensure is Nov. 18. King County has been approved for 61 retail outlets out of the 334 to be allowed statewide based on population and consumption data compiled by the Rand Corporation, a subcontractor through the liquor board's consultant, BOTEC. There also will be 11 at-large stores that would be allotted to unallocated areas across Washington. “We anticipate we will get more applications than there are licenses," Carpenter said, "which means there will probably be a lottery to decide who would get a license.” Voter-approved Initiative 502, which legalized small amounts of marijuana for adults, does not allow cities to prohibit the opening of retail stores, but does prevent the shops from being 1,000 linear feet from areas where children congregate, such as schools, playgrounds, parks and recreation and public transit centers. The city of Bellevue has been under an interim zoning ordinance regarding medical marijuana "collective gardens" for the past 18 months to avoid harming residential neighborhoods by only allowing them in zoned light industrial, general commercial and medical areas. Councilmembers will receive further recommendations from the planning commission Oct. 7 where a discussion about recreational zoning locations also will occur, said Emily Christensen, city communications director. “We've kind of been waiting for the state liquor board to determine how the permits would be issued, and the
SEE CIRCUS, 16
SEE POT ZONING, 7
Saffi Watson has taken her contortionist and gymnastic talents to the stage at Teatro ZinZanni. COURTESY PHOTO, Teatro ZinZanni
Bellevue girl finds circus skills a hit BY GABRIELLE NOMURA SPECIAL TO THE BELLEVUE REPORTER
For the majority of 12 year olds, extracurricular activities are all about self-improvement: Mastering the art of shooting a ball through a basket, speaking a new language or learning a dance move. Saffi Watson, a Tillicum Middle School sixth-grader and Bellevue resident, knows all about practice.
The talented contortionist and gymnast can hold her limbs in an evermoving sculpture, like a living work of origami art. Saffi’s hands know the floor well; she’s used to resting her entire body weight on them in a variety of poses. In these handstands, her ballerina-like feet hover high above her head. With a smile on her face, she radiates warmth and poise during her performances.
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