Preston Village Development Plan

Preston Village & King County Councils, Preston, Washington

We completed a detailed analysis of environmental, land use, recreation, transportation, urban design, and development guidelines for a village overlay plan for an historic rural activity center along the Interstate 90 Greenway corridor for the Preston Community Council.

Preston is an historic mill town that is located within the proposed I-90 Greenway Corridor between Issaquah and North Bend . Most of the original mill town buildings, and some descendents of the original settlers, still remain.

In recent years, the land surrounding the I-90 interchange at Preston was developed into industrial parks providing warehouse, distribution, and some light manufacturing assembly activities that market the surrounding Puget Sound Region. These buildings were built to contemporary scales and finishes - contrasting dramatically with the older wooden single family buildings that were erected in the adjacent historic district.

With the permission of the King County Council and the assistance of county staff, the Preston Community Council undertook this cooperative planning effort to resolve a detailed village plan for the affected area that would satisfy all parties.

Our planning process incorporated a where residents and property owners met to delineate issues, define problems and opportunities, review and critique alternatives, and select final property-specific overlay zoning and urban design guidelines.

We used a participatory, illustrative approach to resolve detailed land use planning conflicts. We also developed illustrative urban design guidelines for the protection and preservation of the historic character, rural setting and unique environmental attributes.

The King County Council adopted the village development plan and funded the acquisition and development of an historic museum on the original saw mill site – a key component of the village implementation program.