Carnation's City Hall Moved South This Fall. Here's Where Everything Is Now.

At the Oct. 6 Carnation City Council meeting, Deputy Mayor Jessica Merizan signed her name on the "Carnation" sign. The sign had been taken down so it could leave the old City Hall with everyone else. It was the last council meeting in the big green building at 4621 Tolt Ave. The building went up in 1947 and has housed the fire station, the police station and City Hall over the years, according to the Snoqualmie Valley Record.

The move also shifted Carnation's city business toward the south end of Tolt Avenue. The city's daily business now happens near the south end of town, and the permanent campus is still being built. The city says it expects that campus to "energize the south side of town." The errands went there first.

Your city errands now start at 4248 Tolt Ave.

The city's temporary headquarters is the Municipal Services Center, or MSC. It's in a unit of the 85 Degrees development at 4248 Tolt Ave., across the street from where the new city hall will go. The Valley Record had the address wrong at first and corrected it a day later, so check any saved note or map pin from mid-October.

Plan around the lunch closure. The MSC closes from noon to 1 p.m. every weekday, so a lunch-hour errand won't work. For parking, use the street on Eugene Street or Stossel Avenue. ADA spaces are inside the 85 Degrees development, and one spot behind the unit is held for quick drop-offs.

The building itself is also new. The city's 2025 staff report describes 85 Degrees as a mixed-use project of 43 units in 14 buildings: nine live/work units along Tolt Avenue and 34 townhomes on the rest of the site. City services are in one of those live/work units. The city bought it for $540,000 and is discussing what to do with it once it's no longer needed as the MSC.

Council meets in a fire station, and committees meet over coffee

During the transition, Carnation's public meetings are spread around town. Full City Council meetings are at Eastside Fire & Rescue Station 85, 3600 Tolt Ave. That's farther south than the MSC. Council committee meetings move between locations, including Kelsey's Koffee and the Sno-Valley Senior Center. The city says to check upcoming council agendas for each meeting's location.

So for the next several months, "Where's the meeting?" won't have one standing answer. If you follow a particular committee, check the agenda before you head out.

Why the south end, and why now

The permanent answer is at the corner of State Route 203 and NE 40th Street, at the south end of town. The city broke ground there in late April and expects to finish in summer 2027. The lot includes the historic Lord house, built in 1911, which will hold the city's administrative offices.

The campus plan includes:

• Staff offices and resident services, including passport processing
• Chambers for City Council meetings
• A shared space for local community groups
• A covered waiting area for the bus stop, meant to encourage transit use

The Valley Record's groundbreaking coverage in May also listed a community garden and a walking path.

That explains the MSC's location. The city's interim office is right across the street from the construction, so moving into the new campus next year will mean crossing the street.

The green building's next chapter is a clinic

The old City Hall isn't going to sit empty as a landmark. Pinnacle Holdings LLC bought the building, and plans call for a rural medical clinic offering primary and specialty care.

Its upstairs offices have also hosted community groups over the years. The city's communications manager, Ashlyn Farnworth, listed several: the Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance, the Snoqualmie Valley Amateur Radio Club, A Supportive Community for All, Sno-Valley Tilth and the Tolt Art Studio. "Our beloved big, green building has a storied history," Farnworth told the Snoqualmie Valley Record. The campus's shared community-group space is designed for that kind of use.

The north end lost a landmark of its own

This fall's other big change on Tolt Avenue had nothing to do with the city. Blake's Pizzeria & Ice Cream in Tolt Town Center closed after almost four decades. Its last day of regular hours was Sept. 30, and a farewell open house followed on Oct. 2. Greg Dunham opened it in 1987 as a 1950s-themed pizza parlor. The "Blake's on the Lake" neon sign came from an earlier restaurant he ran on Lake Washington, as the Snoqualmie Valley Record recounted.

Co-owner Emma Redman told the Valley Record that closing felt better than selling to strangers: "All good things have to come to an end."

That leaves one less casual weeknight dinner in town, which makes the smaller recurring options more useful this month.

Weeknight food this November

The Smoothie Shack in downtown Carnation is hosting Thursday food-truck nights from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. According to the Valley Record's community calendar, the November dates are:

1. Thursday, Nov. 5: L'Italiano
2. Thursday, Nov. 12: Levantine Cuisine
3. Thursday, Nov. 19: Joe Barry's Good Eats

Outside the downtown core, Carnation Farms opened a butcher counter at its farm stand on Sept. 5, according to the Valley Record. The counter is open Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The farm stand opens Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you're cooking for Thanksgiving, its hours run through the long weekend.

December, in date order

The holiday season builds over two weekends, from a concert near the old City Hall to a farm market out on Carnation Farm Road.

The Carnation Chamber of Commerce runs Christmas in Carnation, and this is the event's ninth year. The Chamber lists Santa's grand arrival, professional photos with Santa, a holiday Vendor Village of handcrafted gifts from local makers, hot cocoa, coffee and seasonal treats, family activities, and the lighting of Carnation's community Christmas tree. The tree lighting is part of the afternoon program, not a separate event. The City of Carnation's event listing has the 1 to 6 p.m. hours.

The Carnation Farms market page went up last December, so confirm the details with the farm before you go. The Chamber's calendar also lists a Holiday Art Market at Northwest Art Center on Dec. 12 and 13.

Next summer, the city expects to finish the campus across from the MSC, and Carnation's services will move once more, across the street from where they are now. Until then, the address to remember is 4248 Tolt Ave., weekdays, with a lunch break from noon to 1.

Construction like the new campus can change how a town lays out, and that affects home values. If you're curious how that might apply to your home, Realtor Keren can walk you through it over coffee at Kelsey's or a call. Start by tapping "Get Your Home Value" for a current estimate.