City Releases 2030 Rendering of Overlake Neighborhood

The City of Redmond has revealed an artist’s rendering of what the Overlake urban center might look like in 2030. Over the last several years, the city sought input from residents and those who work and own businesses and property to envision their preferred future for this area.

The rendering, which was revealed to the city council at its Tuesday study session, shows the Overlake urban center as a:

• Place where residents walk from their homes to their jobs or to patronize neighborhood shops and services
• Neighborhood with three major parks, two of which also serve as regional stormwater management facilities, and all of which serve as an important green contrast to the surrounding urban development
• Place served by frequent and convenient light rail service connecting Overlake to downtown Redmond and the region that is also comfortable for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists

This vision is the result of years of planning and design around the topics of land use, transportation, parks and utilities. In particular, it caps a year-long process to set design standards for area streets. As can be seen in the rendering, the streets will provide ample pedestrian amenities, bicycle facilities—including paths separated from vehicle traffic—and a new network of streets to allow for improved circulation.

Although the transformation of the area will take place over decades, the City is providing a catalyst for private development by starting two stormwater projects later this year. These projects, a retrofit of some streets with rain gardens and the construction of a large stormwater detention vault, are critical to achieving the vision for Overlake.

More information about the future of Overlake is available at www.redmond.gov/OverlakeVision.

— From a City of Redmond news release