Redmond approves MOC site purchase and advances design‑build work to replace aging maintenance campus

The Redmond City Council on June 2 approved the purchase of a more than 10‑acre parcel at 18816 Northeast Union Hill Road for a new municipal Maintenance and Operations Center (MOC) and approved a progressive design–build (PDB) contract amendment to advance validation and early procurement work.

Public Works Director Aaron Bert told the council the city's existing MOC no longer meets operational needs for a growing city; the new site will accommodate public‑works, parks and facilities operations for the next 50 to 75 years. The acquisition was approved on the consent agenda by voice vote, 7–0.

During consent‑item discussion, resident David Morton flagged that the Highleberg property sits within CARA‑1 (the city’s most protective Critical Aquifer Recharge Area) and is roughly 600 feet west of a former recycling site where firefighting foam containing PFAS may have been used. Morton urged the council to include targeted PFAS groundwater testing and stormwater designs that enhance — not diminish — aquifer recharge as part of project due diligence. Councilmembers asked staff how stormwater and retention infrastructure would be used to protect groundwater; Director Bert pointed to an existing city‑owned retention pond on the northwest corner of the site and described routine stormwater protections built into validation plans.

Separately, council approved AM 26‑092, a progressive design‑build contract amendment with Lease Crutcher Lewis that provides capacity to validate the project on the newly acquired site and to procure long‑lead materials (for example, structural steel and critical equipment). Council President Stewart said the PDB approach and the contract amendment will allow the city to lock in necessary long‑lead items and begin validation while further design decisions return to council later.

Both votes were unanimous. Councilmembers stressed environmental due diligence — including targeted groundwater testing — and asked staff to return with implementation details, reporting milestones and assurances that stormwater design will preserve or improve CARA recharge.