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3/12/2018 Mail - [EMAIL REDACTED] 1/2 Development at 15252 NE 51st St, Redmond Dear Mr. Zakhareyev: I have responded to the questions in your email. Please see below. Sincerely, Ramin Pazooki Local Agency and Development Services Manager Washington State Department of Transportation 15700 Dayton Avenue North, NB82 240 PO Box 330310 Seattle, WA 981339710 Tel. (206) 4404710 From: Eugene Zakhareyev [mailto:[EMAIL REDACTED]] Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2014 11:16 PM To: Pazooki, Ramin Cc: Eng, Lorena Subject: Development at 15252 NE 51st St, Redmond Dear Mr. Pazooki, I am contacting you on behalf of the 60+ members of the Friends of Overlake neighborhood group concerning the land use application for the planned development of a 20,000 sq. ft. religious facility at 15252 NE 51st St., Redmond. We understand your department has been involved in evaluating this development because the site borders WA 520, and the property's driveway is adjacent to the highway ramp in the area of limited access. As part of our conversations with City of Redmond, we have reviewed past correspondence WS DOT had with the previous and current land use applicants (see attached letters) and would like to raise few concerns. First, can you please clarify WS DOT's position on the limited access on NE 51st St.? In two WS DOT letters dated 16 Jul, 2008 and 27 Feb, 2009 (to previous owner Dave McCann and owner's architect Nazim Nice, respectively) WS DOT did not permit any modifications to the property driveway, citing limited access. However in a letter from DOT to the City of Redmond dated 24 Aug 2012, WS DOT states that the limited access belongs to the City of Redmond. We would like to understand why WS DOT repeatedly denied requests to modify property access in the past but permits limited access for the current application. The limited access area where the driveway is located was conveyed to the City in 1991. Commercial access is not allowed onto limited access areas. The difference between this case and the previous cases that you referred to is that the City does not consider religious establishments; i.e. churches and mosques, as commercial establishments and as a result, the City may allow the access to the mosque through the existing driveway if they Pazooki, Ramin <[EMAIL REDACTED]> Tue 8/5/2014 3:48 PM COR To:[EMAIL REDACTED] <[EMAIL REDACTED]>; Cc:Eng, Lorena <[EMAIL REDACTED]>; ---PAGE BREAK--- 3/12/2018 Mail - [EMAIL REDACTED] 2/2 choose to do so, as long as the rest of the requirements stated in the WSDOT Design Manual chapter 530.10(2) have also been fulfilled. The City is responsible to insure that the requirements of this chapter are followed. Secondly, the current applicant has supplied a traffic study to WS DOT (see attached study document), and WS DOT has based its letter dated 24th Aug 2012 on data presented in the traffic study. However, the public comments generated during the City of Redmond's land use application raised many questions about the traffic study's data, including an attached detailed review by Traffic Engineering Northwest (commissioned by Microsoft) citing gross inconsistencies in the study's methodology and data. Additional information as well as updated study data may be available from the City of Redmond. WSDOT received and reviewed a traffic study from the City of Redmond, dated June 5, 2012, upon which we based our August 24th, 2012 comment letter. The June 5, 2012 submittal is the most recent we have received from the City of Redmond. As the city is the SEPA lead agency for this proposal, we defer to their determination as to the sufficiency of the traffic analysis report. If there is an updated traffic study, the City has to formally submit it to WSDOT and request our review. For our purpose of reviewing the potential traffic operations effect of added volume at the proposed driveway, the location of the driveway and its proximity to adjacent intersections are the most relevant factors. These factors are the reason for our recommendation to restrict an access at this location to right-in/right-out. Third, given that the site is locked in by residential neighbors on two sides and NE 51st St. on a third, the only place for the development's drainage to go is into the ditch owned by WS DOT on the west of the site. However, Sound Transit East Link Light Rail project identified this area as potential location for ST3 development, so any development on the site may compromise the future expansion of light rail. Can you please help us understand WS DOT's process of approving drainage onto the site, and what impact the development and/or drainage may have on the viability of the Light Rail development project at that location? Any drainage flow from this development onto WSDOT property would be subject to our review. We have not received any drainage plans for review. We will inquire about it from the City to insure the drainage plans will be submitted to us for review. Friends of Overlake strongly believe that the proposed development will adversely affect traffic on NE 51st St. and on entrance ramps to WA 520, and that it will complicate the further development of transport infrastructure in the area. It falls under WS DOT's charter to prevent such effects, so we want to make sure the City of Redmond and the project applicant have kept WS DOT apprised of all the facts, and that WS DOT is actively engaged in this proposal. Please let us know whether you require additional information. Thank you, Eugene Zakhareyev on behalf of Friends of Overlake