Snoqualmie hotel, retail development moving forward despite opposition from some community members

The City of Snoqualmie recently put more information about the new 99-room hotel and retail/office space development planned for the corner of Center Street and Snoqualmie Parkway on its website.

Read our earlier story about the development HERE.

On March 13th the Snoqualmie city council authorized Mayor Larson to execute a development agreement allowing a hotel, restaurant, retail, and office space to be built on the 4 acre lot in the Snoqualmie Ridge Business Park – across from Chase Bank.

From the city’s website:

“Tourism is Snoqualmie’s primary industry. More than 2.2 million tourists visit Snoqualmie Falls each year. Having the option to stay overnight at a moderately-priced hotel would encourage many travelers to have longer stays and return visits to Snoqualmie. The hotel will be a moderately-priced Hampton by Hilton.

In addition to providing accommodations, the development will provide expanded retail options and services for Snoqualmie residents; will support other Snoqualmie restaurants, retail, and services used by hotel guests; and will provide diversified revenue for the City future infrastructure, public safety, city services, and staffing needs.”

The planned development is facing opposition from some community members, with the hotel’s height and proximity to Snoqualmie Parkway points of contention, as well as the lack of notification to residents living within 500 feet of the project.

As currently planned, buildings will essentially front Snoqualmie Parkway – something the city’s planning department said was necessary due to a Puget Sound Energy power line easement that prevents buildings from being constructed  on approximately 50% of the 4-acre land parcel. [Much of the unbuildable portion is located farther from the Parkway.]

Because the buildings will be close to the Parkway, the city is requesting modular design standards on the rear of the hotel, requiring the higher design standards usually reserved for the front of buildings, as well as easy connections to sidewalks in an effort to draw hotel patrons out and into nearby city businesses.

The hotel will be 4 and 5 stories, with the 5-story area located on the downslope of the property closer to the Fairway Ave intersection.  The existing 50 foot, raised land buffer with tall trees that borders the Snoqualmie Parkway sidewalk will be removed for the hotel and retail buildings. A new driveway entrance will also be added to the property from Snoqualmie Parkway – similar to the one installed for the nearby grocery store development under construction.

The group opposed to the development presented renderings to the city council before the March decision and has also circulated the renderings to residents. City officials say the depiction is not accurate of what will be built.

Rendering Circulated by Opposition

The new information added to the city’s website also contains the conceptual renderings from the presentation made to the city council by the developer. Some of the renderings are pictured below and can help residents better understand what the actual development will look like.

Construction could start this spring/summer.

To see the all specs of the planned development and conceptual renderings see the City of Snoqualmie Hotel/Retail Development website page.

Retail setback diagram

Hotel east wing setback diagram

Site Slope Diagram

Development Site Analysis

Front View of development

Main Entrance to Development

Rear/side of Hotel

5-story/recessed area of hotel, pool location 

Two-story,Retail/office building

Back view of retail building and outdoor patio

Outdoor Plaza area adjacent to retail building at corner of Center Street

 

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Comments

    1. I think these projects usually take about a year once construction starts, after clearing and grading work.

  • Hi Danna – the city’s depiction is not accurate of the placement and relative size to the homes across the street. The architect provided that perspective for their proposed hotel in Issaquah, why won’t they do that for Snoqualmie. All of their pictures give no perspective in relationship to the residents.

    1. I would reach out to Mark Hofman – city Community Development Director and ask him to request such a depiction from the developer. The renderings in the story are not the city’s depictions, but renderings from the developer from his presentation.

      1. Thanks Danna for the suggestion – I did ask Mark Hofman for that perspective, he said he would do that – a while back and has never provided that perspective. I first asked for that perspective February 9th at the planning commission meeting, again in a meeting with Matt Larson and Mark Hofman before the city council meeting in a PowerPoint presentation, and other times in numerous email threads. I have been emailing, providing PowerPoint presentations, speaking at meetings to city staff, city council, and the mayor at least 15 times about the proximity of the hotel to the 117 property owners – asking for the sight analysis and the fact that the city did not mail them notice about the hotel – the city is required to mail property owners within 500 feet a notice for projects like this – after 15 times of emails and presentations – finally Mark Hofman admits they made a mistake, but the city won’t stop the project and allow the property owners to appeal the project. I don’t believe it was a mistake – the message could not have been clearer.

        1. This sounds like a potential lawsuit against the city if they are indeed required to notify the homeowners. Any lawyers out there that want to take this on? Our city council has gone rogue… and is out of control. I look forward to voting them all out. A prime piece of property in the center of town that will have no utility for actual citizens, and will be way too high, and way too close to the Parkway. Why is the city council so willing to lower our standards?

  • Is there a way to send you the Issaquah example – so that an image can be included in the comments?

    1. I don’t have a way to add photos to comments…. you can post it in a comment to the share of the story on the LS Facebook page though.

    2. Hi Peggy, can you post that on FB somewhere so that we can all see it? I think one of the problems is the way this was all handled with the residents of our fine community. For instance, the Shell station on the corner of Douglas and Snoqualmie Parkway looks quite nice and very much in keeping with our community. I don’t feel like these renditions they are providing us of the future Hampton Inn look very appealing. They appear very boxy with not much architectural interest . If we have to be accepting of this large structure, it would be great to have some input about the overall look. More stacked stone or even better, river rock, along with more wood, similar to Salish Lodge. That look would be in keeping with our community. I’m sorry to say this, but Hampton Inn’s have a cheap appearance. They are relatively inexpensive to stay, and they reflect that in their exteriors. They look very commercial and don’t have an inviting look to them. What can we as residents of this community do about that? We’ve had to put up with it being shoved down our throat to begin with. Just seems quite unfair to those opposed to it. If residents were made to feel like they were part of it with certain choices, I think it would make a big difference in the way we feel about the encroachment of this large structure in our community. The prices that we are now paying for real estate here are incredible and in keeping with that I think we should have a high-end hotel, something exclusive. This will attract people that can afford it, not riffraff. Let’s not be cheap, just because it might be a little less for family to stay during the holidays. All the other months of the year we will have to be living with this. I’m someone who has lived a lot of places and bought and sold a great deal of real estate. I’m getting the feeling that a lot of the people that are speaking up are quite young and lack experience. That’s OK we all have to start somewhere that’s part of life. I’m not here to make anyone feel bad just stating the obvious.

  • It is not at all attractive. The setback is insufficient and it should not be 5 stories tall. The people who live here should not have their quality of life diminished for the sake of visitors.

  • That sounds hideously large and out of character for even the Ridge area. Why is it so large? Snoqualmie Valley is an attractive area but I don’t see it as a major tourist destination to support that large of a venue.

  • 0n our way to looking like the hideous Issaquah plateau:(
    Mayor and city council need to go… enough of the Kingdom building

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