Snovalleystar070116

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YOUR LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER SERVING SNOQUALMIE AND NORTH BEND

FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2016

SNO★VALLEY

STAR

ROWING TO VICTORY Mount Si alum helps Gonzaga women’s crew make history Page 10

Fireworks rule bans aerials BY STUART MILLER smiller@snovalleystar.com

This Fourth of July will be the first holiday with a ban on aerial fireworks in the City of Snoqualmie. It will also be the first year with a professional community fireworks display. The Snoqualmie City Council unanimously voted to ban aerial fireworks within the city limits in February 2015. The ban came after a large house fire on Fourth of July 2014 that was determined to be caused by an aerial firework. Per state law, the ban could not take effect until this year. While the city has banned individuals from shooting fireworks, it has permitted a professional fireworks display and community event at Snoqualmie Community Park called “Red, White and Boom.” The free event will feature food vendors, music, bounce houses and other entertainment starting at 7 p.m., said Jeff Mihal, an organizer of the event. Around 9:45 p.m., or when it’s dark SEE FIREWORKS, PAGE 5

GREG FARRAR | gfarrar@snovalleystar.com

Many of the residential homes in Pulte Homes’ Sammamish Ridge development known as Highland Vista, such as these lots at Southeast Klaus Street and Wilde Avenue Southeast, have been sold before foundations have even been dug.

A tale of two cities’ growth rate BY STUART MILLER

smiller@snovalleystar.com

The cities of Snoqualmie and North Bend are at odds with the Puget Sound Regional Council’s prescribed growth rate, and it’s causing some growing pains.

The PSRC is a body that regulates four counties in the Puget Sound area, including King County. The regional council adopted a growing plan, called Vision 2040, for the region in 2008 to try to plan for and responsibly manage the fast-growing Puget

Sound area. In Vision 2040, it slated small cities, including Snoqualmie and North Bend, to take 5 percent of the growth in the next 20 years, with larger cities like Seattle and Bellevue taking 73 percent, according to a recent Seattle Times report.

From 2009 to 2015, Snoqualmie grew from 8,692 people to an estimated 13,169, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. That is a 51.5 percent population growth, an average of 8.6 percent per SEE GROWTH, PAGE 3

Safeway, Bartell Drugs coming to Snoqualmie Ridge

Safeway and Bartell Drugs are coming to Snoqualmie Ridge’s new shopping center in 2017. The stores are expected to open in mid-summer as the primary tenants in Ridge Plaza, the center at Douglas Avenue and Snoqualmie Parkway. “The addition of a 43,000-square-foot grocery store, food establishments, and 14,000-square-foot drug store will further serve Snoqualmie’s growing popu-

lation, which is now over 13,000,” Mayor Matt Larson said in a news release. “Not only will these new businesses help meet the needs of our residents, but the boost in sales tax will help support and protect our local City services.” The Safeway store’s exterior, designed by Fuller Sears architects, will reflect the aesthetic theme of Snoqualmie Ridge. The store interior will boast wall-to-wall specialty

departments, including a Starbucks with a light-filled seating area and an indoor/ outdoor fireplace, full-service deli with a fresh sushi bar, expanded wine department with premier selections, and full service meat, bakery and floral departments. Safeway will also be including its top-tier produce department, abundant with organic and local fruits and vegetables. The store will also

include a six-pump fuel station. The new store will employ 125-150 people, and will be seeking applicants for full-time and part-time positions two months before it opens its doors. Bartell Drugs’ new store will feature a selection of thousands of popular health, beauty and lifestyle products, and a convenient drive-through pharmacy window. It will also continue Bartell’s commit-

ment of offering locally-made SEE NEW STORES, PAGE 3

Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER


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