Redmond City Council rushed to approve the free public land transfer, yet is struggling to come up with the legal justification for their decision.
REDMOND, WA, March 22, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ — It took the Redmond City Council only seven days to approve the transfer of public land to a private entity. However, despite over a month passing, the city council has yet to provide the public with the legal justification behind the free land transfer.
On Tuesday, March 19, community members packed the Redmond City Council meeting room to express their frustration about the council’s hasty decision to give away public land in downtown Redmond to Plymouth Housing, a non-profit organization with $321 million in assets according to their 2022 Form 990 filing.
One common frustration voiced by those who spoke on Tuesday night was the lack of transparency. People questioned the legality of the public land transfer to Plymouth Housing during the council meeting, and some followed up with emails to the council seeking clarification.
The council’s complete silence or lack of response to this essential and valid question from community members has raised red flags about the legality of the land transfer. At the special meeting on February 13, no questions were asked about laws permitting free public land transfer. It seems that everyone who voted for the approval of the land transfer knew exactly which law they were following. Council President Vanessa Kritzer made the motion to approve the land transfer, and Councilmember Malissa Stuart seconded the motion. Yet both have remained silent, facing the community’s inquiries.
One would expect the councilmembers to have the answer at their fingertips. On the contrary, they seem to struggle to come up with a legal justification for their decision. Community members vow to keep pressing the council until they get to the bottom of this matter.
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