City Officials Present Vision for Downtown Development

Excitement was in the air at Redmond City Hall on Wednesday evening as city officials presented information and gathered feedback on several public development projects.

The open house included remarks by Mayor John Marchione and a video presentation on the city's plans for the new downtown park. Attendees were invited to offer their ideas and feedback on several projects, including the Redmond Central Connector, Cleveland Street improvements and more.

What's your vision for downtown Redmond? Tell us in the comments section.

Randy Randolph, who lives in the River Trails neighborhood in downtown Redmond, said he's been excited with the recent addition of shops and restaurants in the central area, especially Top Pot Doughnuts and MOD Pizza.

Randolph said he thinks the planned conversion of Cleveland Street and Redmond Way to two-way traffic will help make the downtown area even more vibrant.

"It just makes for a better business environment for the shops down there," he said.

Fran Wessling said she was most interested in plans for the new downtown park. She applauded the city for considering various demographics with its planning for the space thus far, adding that she hopes the park will appeal to a wide variety of ages.

Wessling said she frequently walks from her home near Microsoft to downtown Redmond and looks forward to the completion of both the park and pedestrian-friendly projects like the Redmond Central Connector.

"As they continue to develop the walking spaces downtown, I think that'll make it even more attractive" to pedestrians, she said.

The city recently launched a new web page, redmond.gov/community, with detailed information on all the downtown projects and contact information for those who would like to provide feedback.

Officials are also in the process of creating several YouTube videos about the various projects. You can view them at the links above or by checking out the videos attached to this post.

Correction: An earlier version of this story provided an incorrect last name for Randy Randolph. Redmond Patch regrets the error.