Redmond is putting serious money behind its behind-the-scenes operations, buying a 9.1-acre site for a new Maintenance and Operations Center and shelling out roughly $38.5 million to a commercial seller for the land. The city plans to build a modern campus to replace its cramped service yard that now hosts fleet, parks and utility crews, with design work kicking off this year, construction targeted for 2028 and full operations expected by 2030.
The City Council signed off on the purchase at its June 2 meeting, according to the City of Redmond. City officials say buying the new property allows them to rebuild the Maintenance and Operations Center without disrupting essential services. In the city’s announcement, Mayor Angela Birney called the acquisition “an important investment in the people and the infrastructure that keep our city running.” Redmond plans to use a progressive design-build approach that brings designers and contractors in early to help refine the project’s scope, schedule and budget.
A council memo posted on Redmond Legistar pegs the total acquisition cost at $38,521,707 and identifies the property as 18816 NE Union Hill Road, a 9.1-acre parcel previously used by HM Pacific Northwest. The memo notes the city provided a $1 million earnest money payment that will be credited at closing, and describes the purchase as the first major milestone in the Maintenance and Operations Center campus redevelopment.
Campus scope and services
The new MOC is expected to house mechanics, street maintenance crews and other operations staff, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal. City leaders say a purpose-built campus should boost efficiency, safety and sustainability compared with the current yard. Bringing both the designer and the contractor on board through the progressive design-build model is intended to give the city clearer cost and schedule information before shovels hit the ground.
Why the city moved off the old site
Redmond says its current MOC at 18080 NE 76th Street is undersized and includes buildings from the 1970s, which makes it increasingly difficult to serve a growing city. Moving to a new property also avoids lengthy temporary relocations of staff and equipment, the City of Redmond noted. The city’s release counts roughly 150 employees and seasonal workers based at the MOC and outlines the vast portfolio they maintain, from hundreds of miles of streets and sidewalks to water infrastructure, underscoring why space and logistics matter. Officials argue that rebuilding on a separate site keeps relocation costs down and lowers the risk of service interruptions during construction.
Seller and environmental context
The seller, HM Pacific Northwest, is an affiliate of Heidelberg Materials, which operates aggregate and asphalt businesses across the region. Records from the Washington Department of Ecology show HM Pacific Northwest has worked with state regulators on cleanup and permitting issues at other Northwest properties, a type of background municipal buyers typically review as part of large land transactions.
Price, funding and next steps
Council documents indicate the purchase price factors in the earnest money credit and that funding for the acquisition has been included in Redmond’s Capital Improvements Plan since 2018, according to Redmond Legistar. Design work is scheduled to begin this year, and the city says the project team will brief the council quarterly as the MOC moves through design toward a 2028 construction start. Officials note that total project costs will be refined as the design advances and scope details are nailed down.
City leaders expect the new campus to modernize Redmond’s out-of-view operations and ease some of the logistical headaches that come with maintaining a growing community. Staff plan to share more detailed designs and updated cost estimates over the next 18 to 24 months as the progressive design-build process moves the project toward construction.
