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Council candidates talk budget, neighborhoods, transportation BY CELINA KAREIVA BELLEVUE REPORTER
Bellevue’s budget, neighborhoods and transportation were on the minds of candidates for City Council as the Bellevue Downtown Association hosted a candidate forum Tuesday night at the Bellevue Westin. The Lyndon Heywood Conrad Lee Steve Kasner event was held in partnership with Sound Publishing. All six candidates for the three posiKasner and Kevin Wallace for Position 4, tions on the November ballot attended the and Lynne Robinson and Vandana Slatter forum, including Mayor Conrad Lee and for Position 6. Lyndon Heywood for Position 2, Steve Publisher William Shaw of the Reporter
agreed Bellevue was at the pinnacle of its transformation, with innovation, business and development accelerating rapidly and neighborhoods facing a unique set of growing pains. “Bellevue 1.0 has been great,” said Slatter, an Indian American who Kevin Wallace Lynne Robinson Vandana Slatter immigrated from Canada. “I think there is a Bellevue 2.0 out there. Forty-one percent of our city is ethnic moderated the forum, which included and 30 percent is foreign-born. As a one several from the audience. Though ideas and experience varied widely, most candidates at the forum SEE FORUM, 20
Trammell Crow buys downtown Bellevue site for $24.1 million
CleanScapes asks city to reconsider proposed solid waste contract
BY CELINA KAREIVA
BELLEVUE REPORTER
BY CELINA KAREIVA
BELLEVUE REPORTER
Dallas-based real estate company Trammell Crow purchased a 1.5-acre site in downtown Bellevue for $24.1 million Tuesday. The site, located at 833 108th Ave. NE, is part of what is known as Washington Square, where Wasatch Properties built two condo towers. Plans include a 19-story office building, expected to break ground in April. Trammell Crow partnered with Principal Real Estate Investors of Des Moines, Iowa, on what will be a 462,000 square-foot office building, within a block of the Bellevue Transit Center. “The inventory of large, contiguous blocks of space is very limited and our new development is timed to meet the projected job growth,” said Craig Dobbs, senior vice president with Trammell Crow's Seattle business unit, in a statement. The building will feature street-level retail along 108th Avenue and a twostory lobby. “As the supply continues to decrease in our other Bellevue investments and demand ramps up, the delivery of this building is well positioned,” said Jay Fisher, assistant managing
Trammell Crow plans a 19-story office tower downtown. COURTESY PHOTO director with Principal Real Estate Investors. “Our other buildings in the market have performed well over the years and this investment furthers our objective of investing in growing markets with a strong base of technology and traditional office users.” Lease Crutcher Lewis will be the general contractor on the project and
LMN Architects of Seattle will design the tower; CBRE will handle leasing. Trammell Crow also has recently re-entered the Seattle market, opening an office in October of last year, after the economic downturn closed 30 years of operations in 2008. In January the company purchased a biotech research facility on First Hill.
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Earlier this month, garbage collection company CleanScapes lost a proposed contract to Republic Services, Bellevue’s current garbage hauler. Now the company, which was the lower of the two bidders, is asking the city to reconsider. “Ultimately, there was a process that was laid out and that CleanScapes followed and scored highest on, but that was disregarded,” said Kevin Kelly, a spokesperson for the company. A letter submitted by CleanScapes’ attorney James Greenfield, to city attorney Lori Riordan called the decision “arbitrary” and “contrary to law.” CleanScapes claims they not only scored better than their competitor, but offer cheaper service. Republic Services’ price tag for the seven years of service came to $19.8 million, compared to CleanScapes’ $17.9 million. Two councilmembers recused themselves from a vote—Kevin Wallace and John Chelminiak because of past business relationships with individuals from Republic Services. The five who did vote— Claudia Balducci, Mayor Conrad Lee, Don Davidson and Jennifer Robertson—did so unanimously. “When I read through the contract to find that staff recommended CleanScapes be awarded the contract,” said Bellevue resident and former business owner Eleanor Schroeder, addressing city council on Sept. 16, “CleanScapes in every way scored higher and in addition was less expensive for us, the taxpayer. However, for some strange reason, and I don’t understand, you all made the unanimous decision to award it to Republic Services.” Republic Services has contracted with the city for more
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