Bellevue Reporter, January 09, 2015

Page 1

[ 05 ]

Record bird count

Eastside Audubon Society records 97 species of birds during Christmas count

Sports

[ 10 ]

Defense propels Saints

BELLEVUE

BELLEVUEREPORTER.COM

News

REPORTER FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2015

Former Starbucks chief bemoans $15 wage BY BRANDON MACZ BELLEVUE REPORTER

Interlake puts the pressure on Rams in 63-43 victory over Mount Rainier

Sports [11 ]

Comeback not enough

Howard Behar warned Solutions Summit attendees Wednesday that a forthcoming $15 minimum wage in Seattle will have negative impacts for the local economy. The former Starbucks Coffee president

foresees price increases on goods and services and a move to eliminate part-time employment. Behar was joined by other opponents to Seattle’s minimum wage spike during a panel discussion at the Washington Policy Center’s two-day statewide conference, convening in Bel-

levue on Wednesday. The former Starbucks executive criticized Seattle Mayor Ed Murray and labor unions for pushing through the city’s new minimum wage — to be phased in over several years based on the size of an employer’s workforce — and called on small and mid-sized businesses

to bring a unified voice to the debate because large companies won’t. “There was this great argument in Seattle about how much the minimum wage was going to lift the economy,” Behar said. “I don’t have a college degree, HOWARD BEHAR

SEE WAGE, 12

Affordable housing to open in March Group

questions light rail impact

BY BRANDON MACZ BELLEVUE REPORTER

Newport’s three-game winning streak snapped as Issaquah thwarts rally

History

[ 12 ]

Early Bellevue family

Early settlers Aaron Jr. and Ann Mercer one of first families to settle area.

@BelReporter

The Low Income Housing Institute will begin taking applications later this month for pre-leasing its 57-unit affordable workforce housing complex in downtown Bellevue, slated for completion in early March. Construction of the apartment building, which will provide families and individuals at 60 percent or less of the area median income with workforce housing, began last January at 204 111th Ave. S.E. “I think what’s really great is that half of the units will be very affordable to families living at 30 percent of the area median income,” said Sharon Lee, LIHI executive director. The Bellevue Apartments project — a final name for the complex is yet to be decided — includes 12 units for homeless families and individuals, a minimum of eight for veterans and three for families with children with developmental disabilities. Lee said LIHI has an area manager who will handle

BY BRANDON MACZ BELLEVUE REPORTER

A group of Bellevue community leaders that includes a former mayor and the Kemper Development Company is asking the Washington State Shorelines Hearings Board to vacate permits issued to Sound Transit for constructing a portion of its light rail line and transit station in the Mercer Slough Nature Park. In their 89-page petition to the state shorelines board, the group argues Sound Transit’s plans for East Link along Bellevue Way and the west portion of the slough will cause permanent environmental impacts to the nature park. The petitioners further claim the Bellevue City Council was not aware of the impacts when it signed a memorandum of understanding with Sound Transit for the project. Brandon Macz, Bellevue Reporter

SEE HOUSING, 8

A 57-unit affordable housing complex in downtown is slated to open in March.

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SEE LIGHT RAIL, 3

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