City Designates Historic District, Landmarks, Sets Leary Way Height Limit

REDMOND, WA-The City Council voted yesterday to preserve some of the city’s character. In a triple-whammy ordinance, the city placed historic landmark status on 16 properties, created an historic design district and set a height limit along Leary Way, one of the city’s oldest streets.

The historic landmark designation Downtown will enforce special design standards for new construction or renovation to reflect the area’s history. The historic landmark status essentially does the same thing to specific buildings all over the city, but also makes available property tax breaks and other incentives in exchange for the inconvenience. Finally, the height restriction limits construction along Leary Way to three stories, thereby maintaining the street’s historic integrity.