Town Center Plan 2008 (Amended 2020)

Why does the City Council want 15-story towers and 4,000 housing units?

In 2020, the City Council's Town Center plan called for buildings up to six stories and 2,000 housing units. It calls for a mix of cottages, townhouses, detached single and multifamily homes. No towers are mentioned.

Why is the City Council trying to change this plan?

Read the Town Center Plan from the City's website.

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📣 The Votes Are In on the Sammamish Town Center Plan — What’s Next?

The Votes Are In on the Sammamish Town Center Plan City Council Passes Action Alternative (4,000 units, 85’ buildings) Before the final vote was accepted, Councilmember Kent Treen presented three alternative motions: 1. A hybrid option that would keep the 2,000-unit cap. Councilmember Lam seconded the motion. After discussion, the Council voted 6–1 against approving it. 2. Two additional alternatives were also introduced by Councilmember Treen but did not receive a second and therefore did not move forward. At the July 15, 2025 Sammamish City Council meeting, the Council voted on the future of the Town Center. They were asked to select one of three proposed alternatives: Proposed Options: 1. No Action Alternative Keeps the current cap of 2,000 housing units. Likely results in mostly townhomes and fewer community amenities such as retail, restaurants, and civic spaces. 2. Action Alternative Allows up to 4,000 units with a mix of apartments and condos, plus retail, restaurant, and...

A Dearth of Public Transit

The supporters of the supersized Town center hope that it will attract transit serving the Link station in Marymoor as well as a future Link station in Issaquah. This proposal has been part of the Town Center plan for some time now. However, when it comes to transit, the realities are quite different from what was initially proposed. Sammamish is considered a transit desert due to its limited public transportation options. There is only one Metro line with service at 30-minute intervals, which runs along 228th Street and goes to Overlake. The Metro development plan does not show any increase in service to the Sammamish area until 2029. Sound Transit operates under a 20-year plan that stretches until 2045, but it includes no service to Sammamish. However, there is a proposed Park and Ride facility located on 228th or Sahale Way, which will be built by 2045. The Sound Transit plan never starts new projects between ballot measures, and it has a history of missing its project timelines and...

No Plan for Affordable Housing

The City Council has repeatedly said that Sammamish is required to have affordable housing. True. They have also repeatedly said that a 4000 unit Town Center is required to provide affordable housing. Not true. Sammamish has a Growth Management Act requirement to plan for, accommodate and enable affordable housing, but not just any affordable housing . Sammamish has been allocated a target of 1549 units of Extremely Low Income Housing. The Draft Town Center Plan and Draft Code Amendment provide nothing for this housing that is not already in the Comprehensive Plan and current Municipal Code. Who qualifies for Extremely Low Income Housing? This category could include people making less than minimum wage, some part time workers and people with only government benefit income. Eligible income is less than $33,000 for one person. Household income can be approximately $4000 higher per person for larger households. Most of the potential tenants will need support services for disabilit...

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