Gun violence trends in King County
Page 5
Legend meets fans
REPORTER ISSAQUAH
SOUND PUBLISHING, INC.
Page 15
ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2019
Tiny home villages offer a path toward permanent housing
Issaquah considers new funding method for transportation improvement projects
Beginning talks happening on Eastside village partnership.
The city has assumed control of the Transportation Benefit District.
By Ashley Hiruko
By Evan Pappas
ahiruko@soundpublishing.com
epappas@soundpublishing.com
At one point it may have been considered a radical idea, but for those sleeping under bridges, on park benches or in cars, a wooden structure with a roof, door and lock offers a secure and dry place to sleep. The idea has become more common. Tiny houses have been built and placed in villages emerging up and down Interstate 5. As a result, advocates say tiny house residents have found a path to not only permanent housing but toward reclaiming a sense of dignity. Count Us In, an annual pointin-time count, found a total of 11,199 people experiencing homelessness in 2019 in King County. That included 5,971 people living sheltered and 5,228 people living unsheltered. Some 30 miles east of Seattle, two small wooden structures sat at the Sallal Grange. Construction began on June 8, but the houses were not the first crafted in North Bend. In 2015 — in partnership with the service providers Low Income Housing Institute (LIHI) and Nickelsville — a tiny home was built and delivered to the Nickelsville village in Seattle. “We’re trying to raise awareness,” said Alexis Kaplan, event organizer for the Sallal Grange. “That’s why we want to do this build here.” Kaplan was busy rushing around outside on that sunny Saturday of June 15. It was a day dedicated to building the two structures. At the hands of See TINY, Page 6
Issaquah partnered with Sammamish due to the joint interest in the health of the creek and the habitat it provides for wildlife. In particular, much of the habitat that supports Kokanee salmon spawning grounds is in the Issaquah section of the watershed. Geosyntec Consultants will evaluate the condition of the watershed including water quality, erosion prevention, flooding risk and habitat health before coming up with a prioritized list of projects to improve the area. The consultant contract totals $328,860, and Issaquah’s
The Issaquah City Council has voted to assume the powers of the Transportation Benefit District to secure funding for the upcoming 2020-2025 Capital Improvement Plan. The Issaquah Transportation Benefit District (TBD) was formed in January 2018. As an independent taxing district that covers the entirety of the city, the TBD can leverage several methods to generate revenue for transportation related projects. Gene Paul, city of Issaquah management analyst, said TBDs were created by the state in 1987 to give governments revenue-generating options for transportation projects. While Issaquah’s TBD has not yet been used for revenue generation, it is seen as a source of revenue for the future. “Any TBD has an option to use a number of tools — the most common (tool) is vehicle license fees or car tabs, or a small portion of sales tax,” Paul said. “Issaquah has not levied any of these revenue sources.” TBDs are created as a separate legal entity from the city, but are governed by the city council. In 2015, state Legislature allowed cities to assume control of taxing districts. At the June 17 city council meeting, the council approved the assumption of the TBD. With the district now part of the city, Paul said TBD activity can be discussed and progressed in normal city operations. No
See CREEK, Page 6
See CITY, Page 6
COURTESY IMAGE
A map of the Laughing Jacobs Creek watershed area as it sits between Sammamish and Issaquah.
Issaquah and Sammamish partner for watershed analysis Salmon habitat health to be examined. By Evan Pappas epappas@soundpublishing.com
Laughing Jacobs Creek, running from Sammamish to Issaquah, will be the site of the latest collaboration between the two cities intended to assess the environmental health of the watershed. At the June 17 Issaquah City Council meeting, an interagency agreement (IAA) was approved to partner with the city of Sammamish to develop a basin plan for Laughing Jacobs Creek. Allen Quynn, senior stormwater engineer at the city of
Issaquah, said Laughing Jacobs Creek sits at a nexus between Sammamish, Issaquah and unincorporated King County. The majority of the 3,600-acre watershed area is in Sammamish and flows off the plateau into Issaquah’s jurisdiction. The city of Sammamish contacted Issaquah in 2018 with news that they would be hiring a consultant to develop a basin plan for the watershed area. According to Quynn, Sammamish proposed an IAA to have both cities partner on the plan. Because about 10 percent of the watershed area is in Issaquah, the city will reimburse the equivalent portion of the cost for the consultant contract.