Clyde Hill News: Police deploy drone
Also: Planning Commission to discuss considering variance expiry rules this year; Bellevue explores lower speed limit
Clyde Hill Police added a drone to their arsenal of public safety tools last week. Residents from Yarrow Point and Clyde Hill bought the thermal-camera equipped drone and donated it to the police after conversations with officers and police leadership about the need. Here’s a video of the first flight:
(Video of Officer Cameron Hanson at the controls courtesy of Yarrow Point Mayor Katy Harris)
If you’re interested in opportunities like this one to help Clyde Hill PD, please let me know and I will connect you with the group.
Also, garbage and recycle pick-up day in Clyde Hill will be switching to Wednesdays city-wide starting April 17:
Disclaimer: while I am a councilmember on the Clyde Hill City Council, I write this newsletter in my capacity as an individual resident. Any opinions expressed are my own and not necessarily the position of the city. City information and references here are from public sources. I welcome email responses — and if the topic is about city business I will respond from my city email account.
Planning Commission’s “Action items”
Next week, the Planning Commission will consider whether to amend their workplan and discuss a change related to expirations of variances this year.
According to a document included with the meeting agenda published last week (link)
The City Council unanimously referred a proposed revision of CHMC [Clyde Hill Municipal Code] 17.72.040 to the Planning Commission (PC) in January 2023. This item is on the PC’s… workplan for 3Q 2025.
The memo recommends considering the change as early as March 2024, rather than summer 2025, noting that the City Council spent six minutes on the topic.
The proposed change to the municipal code involves what happens to a variance in the event that the buildings and structures are “damaged, destroyed or demolished.” (link). According to the document in the agenda:
As currently written and enforced, “all special exceptions or variances previously granted shall immediately lapse and become null and void” in the event a property is substantially damaged or destroyed.
Under the proposed change, this code would apply only to residential land use. Variances for non-residential properties (schools, government and commercial properties) would not expire in the event of substantial damage or destruction.
Bellevue to consider 20 mph speed limit
The City of Bellevue is considering reducing the speed limit on local streets from 25 mph to 20 mph.
“Speeding on local streets is the top concern heard from residents regarding traffic safety,” according to a memo on the city’s website (link).
A local news source (link) reported that “Surrey Downs, East Bellevue Greenway, and a portion of Eastgate are three neighborhoods that have already seen speed limits reduced to 20 mph from 2020 through 2022.”
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Dean Hachamovitch