VOL. 18, NO. 8
NEWCASTLE’S LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER
FRIDAY, AUGUST 5, 2016
N EWCASTLE
FOOTBALL AND FUN
NEWS
Liberty and Hazen welcome youngsters to their summer football camps Page 15
City Council enacts moratorium on new development downtown BY CHRISTINA CORRALES-TOY ccorrales-toy@newcastle-news.com
Newcastle is putting the brakes on any new development in the downtown corridor. The City Council enacted a
moratorium on development activity in the area known as the Community Business Center, essentially closing its doors to new project permits for the next six months as it gets a handle on zoning regulations and plans for the CBC.
Financing plan set for purchase of City Hall building
“This is a very important step that we need to take to ensure that any future development meets the vision that we would like to see,” Newcastle City Councilman Allen Dauterman said. The move comes as residents
have raised concerns about the current pace and style of development in Newcastle, City Manager Rob Wyman said. He highlighted the 80-unit Newcastle Way apartment project, which sits in the CBC zone, as one development that
caught residents by surprise. Neighbors felt blind-sided, believing that the space, zoned as “Office,” would be used for just that, Newport Woods resident Jessaca Jacobson told the SEE MORATORIUM, PAGE 16
THE MAGIC OF MUSIC
BY CHRISTINA CORRALES-TOY ccorrales-toy@newcastle-news.com
The City of Newcastle will use bonds and three separate funds to finance its controversial purchase of the City Hall building. The City Council approved a budget amendment to pay for the $1.75 million down payment on the $6.9 million purchase, withdrawing $1.25 million from the cumulative reserve fund, $300,000 from the surface water fund and $200,000 from the general fund. Newcastle will incur debt to pay for the rest by issuing limited-tax general-obligation bonds. The logic of the purchase was still under debate as councilmembers had what amounted to their “last bite of the apple” regarding the acquisition at their July 19 meeting. SEE PURCHASE, PAGE 16
CHRISTINA CORRALES-TOY | ccorrales-toy@newcastle-news.com
Country singer Jessica Lynne mingles and sings with the Lake Boren Park crowd at her Concerts in the Park performance on July 27. There’s just one concert left in the city’s annual summer series. See more photos, Page 11.
Historical society receives funds for cemetery work BY CHRISTINA CORRALES-TOY ccorrales-toy@newcastle-news.com
One of the region’s oldest cemeteries is getting a small financial boost, thanks to the Metropolitan King County
Council. It’s not much, but the council set aside $1,000 in its budget for the Newcastle Historical Society to fund improvements to the Newcastle Cemetery. “I am glad that this legislation supports the preserva-
tion of a key piece of the City of Newcastle’s history,” King County Council Vice Chairman Reagan Dunn said in a statement. “Protecting and improving one of our region’s oldest cemeteries is an important investment for connecting
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future generations with the stories of those that came before them.” The Newcastle Historical Society is not yet sure how it will use the funds, but if
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SEE CEMETERY, PAGE 10
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