A PROGRESSIVE COMMUNITY DESIGNED TO CREATE LASTING VALUE FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS

Community. Environmental stewardship. Sustainability. These core principles guided a new way of thinking and led to a new kind of lifestyle for more than 7,000 people living in Issaquah today.

It’s called New Urbanism, a land use and urban planning concept that developers, home builders and industry experts around the country are currently exploring. And, many of them are turning to Issaquah Highlands as a successful model. In the early 1990’s, the area we now know as Issaquah Highlands was envisioned to encompass five-acre lots—with one single-family home per lot—over its entire 2,200 acres.

Port Blakely chose instead to create a high density urban village: one that integrated homes, a shopping and commercial district, public services, a Park & Ride, more than 10 miles of hiking trails, and more than 100 acres for parks, recreation and sports fields.

By concentrating all development in only 734 acres, Port Blakely le more than 1,400 acres undeveloped. As a result, roughly two-thirds of the total land originally available will never be developed. When fully completed, Issaquah Highlands, could include up to 4,540 residences and up to 3.035 million square feet of commercial/retail space.

Planning and construction in Issaquah Highlands also emphasized environmentally responsible practices in land development and in buildings. Today, the community has the greatest number of “Built Green” homes in a single development in the Pacific Northwest.

Equally important, a community ethic was formed as residents embraced a “Living Green” lifestyle, encouraging each other to find ways to live lightly on the planet. Blakely Hall serves as a central gathering place for many community events. It is owned by the Highlands Council, a non-profit dedicated to building community and enhancing quality of life.