Business View Magazine | December 2018

324 325 COVINGTON, WASHINGTON JEFF WAGNER MAYOR PREFERRED VENDOR n LakePointe shoplakepointe.com, www.oakpointe.com Southeast of Seattle is the growing community of Covington, where 214 acres of lake front property is being transformed into the region’s newest mixed-use upscale lifestyle center planned for up to 1.4 million square feet of retail space and 1,700 residen- tial units. LakePointe is a celebration of what the future holds for the area, anchored by forward trending retailers, great restaurants, entertainment venues, hospitality, professional and healthcare services. Centered around a 20-acre lake, LakePointe offers the perfect balance be- tween public and private spaces, indoor and outdoor, needs and wants of the people of Covington and the surround- ing area. It’s a social focal point that serves as a retail center, urban park and community gathering place; creating a beautiful ebb and flow to daily life. Lake- Pointe will be more than just a place to visit and enjoy…you may even choose to make it the centerpiece of your Live- Work-Play lifestyle and call LakePointe home! was a housing development providing 200 units of affordable housing and 150 units of housing for seniors, right in our downtown.” Covington has a 56-bed hospital and emergency room, operated byMultiCare Corporation,which serves the City and the surrounding region.Another healthcare facility,ValleyMedical, in partnership with the University of Washington Healthcare Sys- tem, has an urgent care building close to the site of the Town Center project and is planning an expan- sion for more medical facilities.Those two health- care entities provide many jobs and services to Covington and other communities in King County . Transportation and traffic issues are a major con- cern in the Puget Sound region, and Covington is no exception.The main thoroughfare heading toward the neighboring city of Maple Valley is a two-lane highway that has an average daily traffic count of about 42,000 vehicles,which cre- ates significant congestion. So, Covington is currently in property acquisition to wid- en that road for a 1.5 mile stretch.The state contributed $13 million for that project, along with smaller local contributions. “That large infrastruc- ture project is underway, and just a fewweeks ago, we had a ribbon cutting and grand opening of an $8.5 million park,” says Bolli.“City Council has been working tirelessly to secure funds to get Covington Community Park going. Phase one was completed four years ago, and phase two has just been completed,with an out- door amphitheater, playground facility, tennis courts, parking, and it will incorporate some public art.The park also connects with about a mile and a half of trail system into some open space.” Covington Mayor, Jeff Wagner, chimes in on the slate of projects that are transforming Covington.“When we worked on the develop- ment for LakePointe, and with the Town Center, and all our infra- structure items, and the Community Park, and the MultiCare new medical center, it’s not only been a great partnership with each indi- vidual developer, but we got our citizens involved, too.When work- ing with OakPointe for our LakePointe development,we all came together with compromises to make sure we were doing what’s right for the City, our residents, and the five-to-ten-mile radius that property is going to draw from.” As for sustainability, the Mayor adds,“At our Covington Community Park,we put green living roofs on several of the facilities, incorpo- rated rain gardens, and left many existing trees. It’s been a long time coming.The City, literally, planted seeds 15 years ago to get that park going.And the Town Center, over seven years, has seen a con- tinuous change in what we want to see with this vision.” Certainly,with all the community support, dedicated partners, and long-term planning efforts, the young City of Covington has a brilliant future ahead!