Under Redmond’s 2025 zoning code rewrite (effective June 28, 2025):
| Scenario | Height | FAR | Building Size | Units (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 60 ft | 4.5 | ~125,500 sf | ~150 |
| With incentives | 85 ft | 6.5 | ~181,000 sf | ~220 |
| TOD Focus Area | 144 ft | 8.0 | ~223,000 sf | ~300-400 |
The Downtown Redmond light rail station opened May 10, 2025. The OFH is near the station, potentially qualifying for TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) treatment — the most permissive zoning category.
| Entity | Address |
|---|---|
| Old Fire House Teen Center | 16510 NE 79th St, Redmond, WA 98052 |
| Nelson Legacy Group LLC | 16508 NE 79th St, Redmond, WA 98052 |
Nelson Legacy Group’s corporate office is physically adjacent to the Old Fire House.
Nelson Legacy Group owns approximately 22 contiguous acres in downtown Redmond:
- Boot-shaped parcel extending west to the Sammamish River, north to NE 85th Street, south to Redmond Way
- Includes Redmond Center (QFC, Trader Joe’s), Redmond Mall, and surrounding properties
- Phase 1 (“The Charles”): 246-251 units, 8 stories, completed and leasing at 8005/8065 161st Ave NE
- Phase 2: 88 units + 20,000 sf office at 16001 Redmond Way, 6 stories
- Development partner: Trammell Crow Residential
- Has a formal Development Agreement with the City of Redmond (Project LAND-2018-01067)
| Donor | Role at NLG | Amount | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Nelson III | Managing Member | $1,000 | 2019-06-07 |
| William Nelson III | Managing Member | $1,000 | 2019-09-11 |
| Michael Nelson | Managing Member | $1,000 | 2019-06-07 |
| Michael Nelson | Managing Member | $1,000 | 2019-09-11 |
| Brian Nelson | Managing Member | $1,000 | 2019-09-11 |
| Mary Morrow | Managing Member | $1,000 | 2019-06-07 |
| Mary Morrow | Managing Member | $1,000 | 2019-09-11 |
| Mary Morrow | Owner | $250 | 2023-02-07 |
| Janet McCann | Managing Member | $1,000 | 2019-06-07 |
| Janet McCann | Managing Member | $1,000 | 2019-09-11 |
| Thomas Markl | CEO | $375 + $625 | 2019-06-07 |
| Thomas Markl | CEO | $500 | 2022-08-04 |
| Nelson Legacy Group (org) | Organization | $250 | 2015-05-28 |
| TOTAL | $11,000+ |
Nelson Legacy Group is Mayor Birney’s single largest donor bloc.
NLG holds three seats on the OneRedmond Board of Directors:
1. Tim Overland — CEO — Board Secretary
2. Amy Webber — Registered Agent — Board Member
3. Mary Nelson Morrow — Managing Member — Past President of OneRedmond
No other single company has three board seats.
OneRedmond is a 501(c)(6) business league (EIN 46-0535220) serving as the City of Redmond’s official economic development partner. The City approved $300,000 in contracts to OneRedmond for 2025-2026.
| Name | Company | Board Role | Birney Donor? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Yoon | Mill Creek Residential | President & Chairman | Yes ($125) |
| Angela Rozmyn | Natural & Built Environments | Vice President | Yes ($400) |
| Ryan Baumgartner | SCS | Treasurer | — |
| Tim Overland | Nelson Legacy Group | Secretary | Via NLG bloc |
| Michael Mattmiller | Microsoft | Past President | — |
| Angela Birney | City of Redmond | At-Large | IS the recipient |
| Vanessa Kritzer | City of Redmond | Public Sector Partner | IS a council member |
| Katie Kendall | McCullough Hill PLLC | Member | — |
| Ken Nelson | Davis Wright Tremaine | Member | — |
| Amy Webber | Nelson Legacy Group | Member | Via NLG bloc |
| Matt Larson | Puget Sound Energy | Member | — |
| Lauren Paolini | AT&T | Member | — |
| Keri Pravitz | Amazon | Member | — |
| Barb Wilson | Microsoft | Member | Yes ($125) |
Key observations:
- The Mayor sits on the same board as the developer next door to the property being demolished
- A sitting Council member (Kritzer) also sits on the board
- The Chairman (Yoon) runs development for Mill Creek Residential — 700+ units built in Redmond
- The VP (Rozmyn) works for a development entitlement firm
- Two land use attorneys on the board (Kendall — LUPA/SEPA specialist; Nelson — development law)
- The Secretary (Overland) runs the company whose office is next door to the OFH
| Company | Board Member(s) | Known Redmond Projects |
|---|---|---|
| Nelson Legacy Group | Overland, Webber, Morrow | 22-acre downtown redevelopment, 330+ units, dev agreement with city |
| Mill Creek Residential | Steve Yoon (Chairman) | Modera Overlake (288 units), Modera River Trail (233 units), Modera Redmond — 700+ units |
| Natural & Built Environments | Angela Rozmyn (VP) | Development entitlement consulting |
The OFH sits in the middle of one of the most intensively developing corridors in downtown Redmond:
| Address | Entity | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 16510 NE 79th | OLD FIRE HOUSE | Teen center (to be demolished) |
| 16508 NE 79th | Nelson Legacy Group HQ | Developer office |
| 16544/16550 NE 79th | Station House Lofts LLC | 197-unit, 6-story apartment |
| 16424 NE 79th | City of Redmond | City-owned property |
| 16551 NE 79th | City of Redmond | City-owned property |
| 16450 Redmond Way | Legacy Partners — “The Triangle” | 195-unit, 6-story luxury apartments |
| NE 85th / 161st | Nelson Legacy — “The Charles” | 251-unit, 8-story mixed-use |
| Cleveland St area | Legacy Partners — Eastline Grand/Central | 623 units, 6-story |
| 16725 Cleveland | Plymouth Housing | 100-unit, $5.5M city property given free |
The OFH is one of the last low-density parcels on this stretch. A 0.64-acre lot in this location, under current zoning, is worth millions to any developer.
The user reports Keith Birney has a small IT company. Investigation found:
- No Washington state business registration under “Keith Birney” (Secretary of State, DOR)
- No entity found at SOS, OpenGovWA, or business lookup databases
- 2024 F1 filing lists no employer for Keith — a change from the 2020 filing (Facebook)
- If a company exists, it is either unregistered, registered under a different name, or structured to avoid standard disclosure
| Patent | Title | Assignee | Grant Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| US7502773 | Page indexing employing reference information | Microsoft Corporation | Mar 9, 2010 |
| (second patent) | (web/search related) | Microsoft Corporation | Mar 10, 2009 |
Co-inventors include: Andrew S. Laucius, Darren A. Shakib, Eytan D. Seidman, Jonathan Forbes — all Microsoft Bing/Search division.
| Patent | Title | Assignee |
|---|---|---|
| (user notifications) | Content item relationships and notifications | Facebook, Inc. |
Co-inventors: Daniel Giambalvo, Christopher Gist, Ashish Wahi
| Category | Total | Key Donors |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate / Development | $15,000+ | Nelson Legacy Group bloc ($11K+), MainStreet Property Group, Toll Brothers, Shelter Holdings, Wallace Properties, Quarterra, Mill Creek |
| Real Estate PACs | $3,000 | WA Realtors PAC ($2,000), NAIOP Commercial RE PAC ($1,000) |
| Construction / Utilities | $2,500 | CAMS Construction ($1,000), Cascade Utilities ($1,000), PSE ($500) |
| Tech Companies | $4,350+ | Amazon corporate ($1,000), Microsoft employees (~$3,350) |
| Corporate / Out-of-State | $3,450+ | AT&T Dallas ($1,000), Waste Management Houston ($1,450), Comcast Philadelphia ($1,000) |
| Political / Establishment | $3,000+ | State Rep Amy Walen ($1,000), Council member Tanika Padhye ($1,100), various elected officials |
| Labor / PACs | $4,500 | Firefighters ($1,000), Laborers 242 ($500), Carpenters ($750), UA Pipe ($500), others |
Three corporations with direct financial interests in Redmond city decisions donated from out-of-state headquarters:
| Corporation | HQ | Total to Birney | City Relationship |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waste Management | Houston, TX | $1,450 (maxed 2023) | Exclusive garbage contract 2016-2025, no competitive bid since 1994 |
| AT&T | Dallas, TX | $1,000 | Board seat on OneRedmond (Lauren Paolini) |
| Comcast | Philadelphia, PA | $1,000 | Corporate |
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Last competitive bid for solid waste services in Redmond |
| 2015 Aug 18 | Council approves new 10-year WM contract — directly negotiated, no RFP |
| 2015 Dec 7 | WM donates $400 to outgoing Mayor Marchione |
| 2016 Jan 1 | New WM contract begins (10 years, exclusive) |
| 2019 Sep 11 | WM Houston donates $250 to Birney’s mayoral campaign |
| 2023 Apr-Aug | WM Houston donates $1,200 (maxed out — initial $1,500 refunded $300) |
| 2024 Aug 5 | Council votes to replace WM with Recology (first competitive process in 30 years) |
| 2026 Jan 1 | WM contract ends, Recology takes over |
WM tried to give $1,500 for Birney’s 2023 re-election — $300 over the legal limit. They maxed out at $1,200 after being forced to refund the excess.
WM also donated $3,650+ to State Rep Amy Walen (48th District covering Redmond), who herself contributed $1,000 to Birney.
| Donor | Location | Total | Connection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janet McCann | Santa Barbara, CA | $3,200+ | NLG Managing Member — maxed out both cycles |
| Fairbourne Properties LLC | Chicago, IL | $375 | Real estate |
Janet McCann is a Managing Member of Nelson Legacy Group — the developer next door to OFH. She donated from California in both 2019 and 2023, maxing out both times.
Money flows from developers → Birney campaign → Birney sits on OneRedmond board with those same developers → City property decisions benefit developers → developers build
In January-February 2024, the City of Redmond accepted a 100-unit Plymouth Housing homeless shelter project at 16725 Cleveland Street (downtown Redmond) after Kenmore rejected it:
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Timeline | 22 days from Kenmore rejection to Redmond approval |
| Public hearings | Zero |
| Public input | None |
| RFP process | None |
| Property value | $5.5 million — transferred to Plymouth Housing for free |
| Additional city commitment | $3+ million |
| Key players | Birney, Salahuddin, Derek Wing (PR) |
| Disclosure | Emails obtained by journalist Jonathan Choe (Fix Homelessness) |
| Salahuddin quote | Called opponents “NIMBYs” in text messages |
| Media treatment | Plymouth Housing banned journalists from groundbreaking |
| OneRedmond connection | Plymouth Housing is a OneRedmond member organization |
| Pattern | Plymouth Housing | Old Fire House |
|---|---|---|
| Public input | None | Closure with <3 weeks notice |
| Decision transparency | Behind closed doors | “It was decided” — passive voice |
| Property disposition | $5.5M given free | $5M property — demolished |
| Email concealment | Records obtained via PRA showed coordination | 911+ emails provably withheld from PRA |
| Channel switching | Text messages revealed coordination | 45 “give me a call” instances |
| PR coordination | Derek Wing providing cover | DeLarme/Maher manufactured quotes & embargoed materials |
| Key players | Birney, Salahuddin | Birney (ghost), Salahuddin (ghost) |
| OneRedmond link | Plymouth is OneRedmond member | NLG is next door, 3 board seats |
Osman Salahuddin (osalahuddin@redmond.gov) appears in both the Plymouth Housing scandal and the OFH production:
- OFH: 298 emails addressed to him, 105 reply-to proofs of withheld outgoing emails, zero produced
- Plymouth: Called opponents “NIMBYs” in text messages obtained by journalists
Steve Fields was an elected City Council member (Position #2), not a city employee. His sfields@redmond.gov address was his official council email.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2015 | Ran for Mayor, lost to John Marchione by 817 votes |
| 2017 | Won City Council Position #2 |
| 2019 | Ran for Mayor again, lost to Birney ($24K vs $105K) |
| 2021 | Re-elected to council, beating Birney-backed candidate |
| 2025 Mar | On council during entire OFH closure — received 325 emails |
| 2025 Nov | Lost council seat to Vivek Prakriya |
| 2026 Jan | No longer on council |
| Metric | Count |
|---|---|
| Emails addressed TO Fields | 325 |
| Reply-to proofs (withheld outgoing) | 114 |
| Outgoing emails produced | 0 |
Fields was a sitting council member during the OFH closure. He later campaigned on making a motion to restore teen services that passed 7-0. His 114 proven withheld outgoing emails likely contain council deliberations about the closure decision.
He is the political opponent of the mayor whose donors are next door to the property being demolished, and his emails about that property were withheld from the PRA production.
In March 2020 — Birney’s first 90 days as mayor — five Redmond Fire Department command staff, including Fire Chief Tommy Smith, tested positive for COVID-19. The administration’s response established the information-control playbook later used for the OFH closure:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Mar 2, 2020 | Mayor Birney declares Proclamation of Local Emergency — suspends normal purchasing/procurement oversight |
| Mar 6-12, 2020 | 5 fire command staff test positive for COVID; city closes facilities |
| Mar 30, 2020 | Whistleblower email alleges COO Maxine Whattam directed staff to stay quiet about positive tests |
| Apr 8, 2020 | KUOW publishes: “Redmond fire chief, other leaders told to stay quiet about having coronavirus” |
| Apr 9-10, 2020 | Birney orders external investigation |
| May 29, 2020 | Birney tells Chief Smith she is “dissatisfied with his performance” — he will be terminated |
| Jun 23, 2020 | City announces Smith’s departure |
| Jul 7, 2020 | Investigation delivered — cost: $49,999.99 (one penny under $50K oversight threshold) |
| Jul 2020 | Investigator: Whattam told Smith to “just hold on for now” re: disclosure |
| Jul 2020 | Investigation partly used to identify the whistleblower — city spent $50K partly hunting the leaker |
| Jul 2020 | Chief Smith receives $95,778 separation payment (6 months’ salary) |
| Jul 2020 | Smith signs non-disparagement clause barring criticism of any city employees |
The external investigation was contracted to Jayne Freeman for exactly $49,999.99 — one penny under the $50,000 threshold that would require additional procurement oversight. This threshold sensitivity demonstrates awareness of and intent to circumvent oversight mechanisms.
| Pattern | COVID Cover-Up (2020) | OFH Closure (2025) |
|---|---|---|
| Information suppression | “Stay quiet” directive to staff | Closure announced with <3 weeks notice |
| Manufactured messaging | City-controlled narrative after leak | DeLarme/Maher press operation, embargoed materials |
| Whistleblower retaliation | $50K investigation to find leaker; Chief fired | Steve Fields’ emails withheld from PRA |
| Financial silencing | $95,778 hush payment + NDA | 4,109 attachments stripped, 911+ emails withheld |
| Emergency powers | Emergency declaration suspended procurement rules | Used building “emergency” to justify closure |
| Channel switching | Verbal directives (“just hold on”) | 45 “give me a call” instances in PRA production |
| Key players | Birney, Whattam | Birney (ghost entity), Salahuddin (ghost entity) |
The administration’s playbook was established in its first 90 days and repeated identically five years later.
| Date | Political | Development | Information Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 2019 | Birney wins election | ||
| Nov 11-30, 2019 | Medium shell network created (15+ accounts in 19 days) | ||
| Nov 19, 2019 | Lame duck council passes: | Ord. 2978 (zoning amendments); Ord. 2980 (Proctor Willows 170-unit dev agreement) | Ord. 2979: Dissolves the Redmond Public Corporation — transfers all assets to City |
| Dec 3, 2019 | More ordinances: | Ord. 2985 (HB 1406 affordable housing sales tax capture); Ord. 2993 (property acquisition for road serving downtown corridor) | Ord. 2982 (cultural resources procedures — NOT extending protection to OFH) |
| Dec 17, 2019 | Birney sworn in with new council members Forsyth, Kritzer | Birney announces “communication initiative” |
| Date | Political | Development | Information Control |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2020 | Term begins | ||
| Feb 26, 2020 | OneRedmond Economic Outlook Summit — 200+ attendees at Microsoft. Robert Pantley (Natural & Built Environments, Rozmyn’s firm) on panel | ||
| Mar 2, 2020 | Emergency declaration — procurement oversight suspended | ||
| Mar 30, 2020 | Whistleblower reveals COVID cover-up | ||
| Apr 2020 | KUOW publishes; investigation ordered | ||
| 2020 | NLG files LAND-2020-00891 (244 units adjacent to OFH) | ||
| Apr 7, 2020 | Res. 1530: Sound Transit station assets declared surplus — frees property for development | ||
| Jun 16, 2020 | Ord. 3003: COVID land use flexibility; Larkin plat approval | ||
| Jul 2020 | Woodside 170 units approved | Fire Chief fired; $50K investigation; $96K hush payment | |
| Oct 6, 2020 | Res. 1538: Redmond 2050 Comprehensive Plan review launched — leads to OFH upzone | ||
| Dec 2020 | COVID interim regulations extended |
The emergency declaration (Mar 2, 2020) suspended normal purchasing requirements. Any contracts awarded under this authority bypassed competitive bidding and standard oversight. The vendor payment records from this period would reveal who benefited.
The Redmond Public Corporation was dissolved on Nov 19, 2019 (Ord. 2979) — 14 days after the election, during the lame-duck session. What assets did it hold? Were they real property? This requires investigation.
NLG filed its 244-unit development in 2020 — Birney’s first year. The project (LAND-2020-00891) is adjacent to the OFH on NLG’s 22-acre assembly.
Redmond 2050 (Res. 1538, Oct 2020) launched the comprehensive plan review that ultimately produced the zoning changes allowing 144ft/FAR 8.0 at the OFH site. This process began in Birney’s first year.
The data portal went dark. Redmond’s open data portal at data.redmond.gov now redirects to Socrata’s generic homepage. Vendor payment data that was previously public is no longer accessible.
| Date | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Facility Condition Assessment completed | Building scores 3.4/5 (moderate) |
| 2024 Jul-Aug | Daniel Kenny legal work (3rd installment) | Property transactions, Plymouth Housing, Transfer Option Agreement |
| 2024 Fall | Additional assessments ordered | “Failing roof” findings come AFTER closure decision |
| 2025 Feb | Internal OFH planning phase begins | 578 emails, team check-in meetings, talking points drafted |
| 2025 Feb 18 | OFH team check-in meeting notes | 110-email orphan thread — original missing |
| 2025 Mar 4 | Channel switching day | Kyle Muir sends two “give me a call” messages in 2 minutes about “the OFH email” |
| 2025 Mar 4 | Demolition Questions thread | “It was decided” — Freya Reiger; “No such decision” — Loreen Hamilton |
| 2025 Mar 6-7 | Manufactured messaging | DeLarme drafts news release, Maher rewrites quote, Pratt verifies |
| 2025 Mar 10 | Embargoed materials released | DeLarme sends “PDF of all embargoed materials for tomorrow AM” |
| 2025 Mar 11 | Public announcement | 784 emails — peak day. News release goes live. |
| 2025 Mar 11-25 | Public backlash | Community organizing, petition, media coverage |
| 2025 Mar 25 | City Council meeting | 886 emails — highest volume day. Public comment. |
| 2025 Mar 30 | PRA production effectively ends | Only 12 unrelated emails after this date |
| 2025 Apr 27 | Council study session | OFH building future discussed |
| 2025 May 10 | Downtown Redmond light rail opens | Dramatically increases property value in OFH area |
| 2025 Jun 28 | New zoning code effective | Downtown Core now allows 144 ft / FAR 8.0 in TOD areas |
| 2025 Jul 22 | Council study session | Additional assessments presented (post-closure) |
| 2025 Oct | Stakeholder group recommends rebuild | 6 meetings, focus groups |
| 2025 Nov 18 | Council votes 6-0 to demolish and rebuild | Rebuild timeline and budget TBD |
| 2025 Nov | Steve Fields loses council seat | The ghost councilmember is removed from office |
The light rail station opened May 10, 2025 and the new zoning code took effect June 28, 2025 — both AFTER the OFH was closed in March 2025. The closure preceded the events that would maximize the property’s development value. The building’s “failing” condition was documented in assessments conducted AFTER the closure decision.
King County GIS: Does the Nelson Legacy Group 22-acre assembly include or border the OFH parcel? A parcel map would answer this definitively.
Keith Birney’s IT company: What is the entity name? Why is it not registered with the WA Secretary of State? Why does the 2024 F1 filing not list his employer? A prior Claude session reportedly found it — it may be registered under a different name, in a different state, or structured through a shell entity.
City contracts: Has the City of Redmond awarded any contracts to Keith Birney, any entity at 11027 166th Pl NE, or any entity connected to OneRedmond board members?
Pre-application conferences: Has anyone filed development inquiries with Redmond Development Services for the OFH parcel or adjacent parcels?
Executive sessions: Were there executive sessions where the OFH property disposition was discussed? Agendas and materials should be requested.
Stepherson Associates: Is this PR firm connected to any OneRedmond board members or developers?
The blank owner field: Why does the OFH parcel (16510 NE 79th) show no owner on public records databases when the adjacent city-owned property (16424 NE 79th) clearly shows “REDMOND CITY OF”?
Council member financial interests: Do any council members who voted 6-0 to demolish have financial connections to Nelson Legacy Group, Mill Creek Residential, Legacy Partners, or other nearby developers?
The “rebuild” commitment: The council voted to demolish and rebuild, but no budget or timeline was set. What prevents a future decision to sell the cleared lot instead of rebuilding?
Birney’s PDC filings: The 2024 financial disclosure needs detailed review. Keith’s employer disappearing from the filing is a significant change requiring explanation.
The Redmond Public Corporation: What assets did this entity hold before it was dissolved by Ord. 2979 (Nov 19, 2019, 14 days after election)? Did it hold real property? Where did those assets go?
Emergency procurement records: What contracts were awarded under the March 2020 emergency declaration? The emergency suspended normal purchasing oversight. Vendor payment records from March-December 2020 need review.
The $49,999.99 investigation contract: Was the Jayne Freeman investigation sole-sourced? The one-penny-under-$50K amount indicates deliberate circumvention of procurement thresholds.
Redmond open data portal: data.redmond.gov now redirects. When was this taken offline? What vendor payment data was previously available? Cached copies may exist on the Wayback Machine.
Waste Management contract history: 30 years of no-bid garbage contracts. What was the total value? Were there any modifications, amendments, or change orders during the Birney administration?
Keith Birney Medium network: Subpoena Medium for account creation records, IP addresses, and any private messages. All 30 accounts were created the week after the election. See MEDIUM_NETWORK_ANALYSIS.md for full details.
@json.knight backlink farm: Subpoena NameCheap for registrant identity behind 15+ fake persona domains. Subpoena Vacares LLC and MojoHost for hosting account details. See MEDIUM_NETWORK_ANALYSIS.md for full WHOIS analysis.
The Old Fire House Teen Center — a community institution since 1952, built by 75 volunteers — sits on a 0.64-acre lot in the hottest development corridor in downtown Redmond. The building next door is the corporate office of Nelson Legacy Group, the mayor’s largest donor, which owns 22 acres of surrounding property under active redevelopment and holds three seats on the city’s economic development board alongside the mayor herself.
The mayor’s campaign was funded 4-to-1 over her opponent by real estate developers, construction companies, and real estate PACs. That opponent — Steve Fields — later served on the council during the OFH closure, and his outgoing emails about it were provably withheld from the PRA production.
The closure was announced with less than three weeks’ notice, with manufactured press materials and embargoed talking points. The “failing building” assessments were conducted after the closure decision. The PRA production is 80% padding, with 911+ emails proven withheld, 4,109 attachments stripped, and an absolute cutoff after March 30, 2025.
This follows the identical pattern used for the Plymouth Housing project: no public input, behind-closed-doors decision, PR cover operation, and concealment of communications revealed only through public records requests.
The question is not whether the Old Fire House will be demolished. The council voted 6-0 for that. The question is: who benefits from what happens to that land next, and who decided this before the public was told?
All campaign finance data sourced from Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) filings and data.wa.gov open data portal. Property data from King County Assessor records and city-data.com. Corporate registrations from Washington Secretary of State. Board composition from OneRedmond public website. All sources are public records.