Eastside Benefits From Microsoft Pledge

The news Microsoft is willing to pledge $25 million in grants to address homelessness and $475 million in loans for low- and middle-income development projects is welcome.  However it’s not clear how they'll decide which developers get the loans and how Microsoft expects them to be repaid and with what interest.

It’s also noteworthy a recent Bellevue survey reported that 64% of residents considered traffic problems as their major concern; nearly four times the 17% concerned about affordable housing.  A major reason for their congestion concern is undoubtedly the nearly 40,000 Microsoft workers who commute through the area to and from their Redmond Campus.  Any east side resident attempting to use the area roadways from West Lake Sammamish to 140^th will encounter huge lines of traffic for several hours every morning and afternoon.

Yet Microsoft plans to provide room for 8000 more workers with an additional 2.5 million square feet and by renovating another 6.7 million square feet.  Redmond Mayor Marchione wants those employees to “live where they work”; maybe not an attractive option for either those already living there or for many current or future Microsoft workers.    

Redmond however has a far more effective way of reducing area's current and future congestion.  The city council could use the building permit approval process for Microsoft’s expansion to limit the number of parking stalls on the Redmond Campus. 

Microsoft should be required to pledge part of the $500 million to greatly expand its current Connector program.  An April 12^th 2009 Seattle Times reported 3000 daily trips are taken by Microsoft employees on the 53 Connectors buses' nineteen routes.  The buses provided Wi-Fi access to make commute time “productive time”.

Whatever improvements they’ve made since then, Connector should be expanded to where 30,000 employees are able to use the routes to make commute time “productive time”.  They could contract with Sound Transit to provide vans or buses with access to Wi-Fi for Microsoft workers during peak commute.  The Redmond city council could “encourage” them to do so by limiting Redmond Campus parking to 20,000 stalls. 

Microsoft could initially establish routes for vans or buses to within walking distance of where workers with compatible schedules live or schedules could be revised to fit routes.  The likely shorter routes for the vans would probably allow 2 or 3 routes each morning and afternoon. 

They could later decide to construct their own park and ride lots with express bus routes to Redmond campus.  The costs for doing so would probably be less than what their underground parking on campus will cost.

The bottom line is the east side would benefit it at least part of the $500 million is spent on expanding Connector.  The Redmond City Council should use the permitting process to “encourage” them.