Claudia Balducci, King County Councilmember for the 6th District
King County provides our justice system, transportation, community health, and natural resources for the region. ST3 passed during elections, and will include 116 miles of light rail in total, once complete. Currently working on Metro’s long range plan with better connections and faster commutes. The Bellevue part of the Eastside Rail Corridor will begin development that connects the Cross Kirkland Corridor through the Wilburton tunnel, and eventually to Renton. 2015/2016 General budget is $1.5M. The large sources of budget comes from property tax and sales tax. Almost 75% is dedicated to public safety. We currently have a $400M shortfall to maintain roads and bridges. Kelly Rider, Housing Development Consortium (HDC) Government Relations and Policy Director She will talk to us about the current state of affordable housing on the Eastside and the role of ARCH Eastside Housing's Trust Fund. HDC has 130 members from non-profit, for profit, and government agencies – including ARCH – all focusing on affordable housing. HDC is focused on low income residents. The federal definition of affordable is 30% of income or less for housing; 50% of income or more towards housing is considered burdened. In 2016, the area medium income in King County for a four person household is $90,000. HDC focuses on people earning 60% or less of the area medium income. ARCH is a government agency that administers affordable housing units, funding, and programs. Cities on the Eastside contribute a budget line item to ARCH’s trust fund. HDC advocates for affordable housing, and for cities to increase their contributions to ARCH. At its inception in the 1990’s, ARCH asked Eastside cities to contribute a total of $1M - $2M annually. That hasn’t increased since. HDC’s goal is to increase funding to $6M per year. Moss Bay's Neighborhood Safety Program and Neighborhood Grant We submitted our top two voted projects to the Neighborhood Safety Program. A panel will evaluate the projects on January 10, 2017 based on cost, feasibility, and need. They submit the top ranked projects to the City Council to approve. Aimee will follow up on the Neighborhood Matching Grant program and how we can participate. Developer activity in Moss Bay Spring 2017 – 780 feet of water and sewer line will be replaced on 2nd St S and 3rd Ave S. The road will be closed except to emergency vehicles and local traffic. Traffic signals will be added on 6th St S at Kirkland Way, and at and 9th Ave S. The work at 6h St S will begin in Spring 2017, and will have a major impact on traffic access during development. If we notice damage to streets caused by developer activity, we can call the city and notify them. The city may require the developer to redo patches and other road work. 6th St S is slated to be repaved in about 3 years. It is longer than we’d like because heavy trucks will use that route for development activity at Kirkland Urban, and will add to the damage. KAN (Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods) If anyone is interested in participating in the city’s the Sign Review process, reply to contact@mossbay.org. Chief Cherie Harris – Kirkland Chief of Police since April 2016
She started her career at Washington State University, then moved to Monroe before joining the Kirkland department over four years ago. Approach to her job as chief: listening to the officers, demonstrating that she cares, making sure they have equipment. One way she demonstrates that she’s gone out on SWAT calls and investigations to be present with the officers. For the last three years, the top calls for service are: 1. Collisions 2. Car prowls, vehicle thefts (typically when something valuable is left in sight). 3. Residential burglaries Tip: if you park on the street with your garage door opener in your car and it is broken into, the thief can get into your garage. If you have an unlocked door from the garage to the house, you are at risk for burglary. Drug crimes: There are crimes related to drugs. There have been fatal overdoses of heroin of young people. The fire department is working on carrying overdose antidotes. There have been very few calls related to Kirkland’s marijuana stores. The Department is finishing a 5+ year Strategic Plan. One aspect of the plan calls for looking at the data for every call for service to problem solve. One goal is to become more involved in the community. One idea is to have an online system to report crimes that don’t require a police officer to show up and take a report. For example, if a car appeared to be broken into but nothing was stolen, you could report it online. Recruiting and Retention: In the past, turnover was very low. But there have been 11 retirements and people moving for other opportunities. Eight positions have been hired and are going through the police academy. There are 98 officers and can hire two “over-hires” because of the number of people reaching retirement age. There are 20 staff members at the jail. Audra Weber has been Kirkland’s neighborhood resource officer. She will go back to patrol until the department increases staffing. Tip: you can call the business line or email police@kirklandwa.gov for questions or when you want to discuss something about policing. Houghton/Everest Neighborhood Center and 6th Street Corridor Angela Ruggeri is in the Planning Department responsible for this project and the plan is at http://www.kirklandwa.gov/ depart/planning/Development_ Info/projects/he6th.htm Marcia Wagoner from 3 Square Blocks – Consulting Company Hired by Kirkland City Planning Department to do public outreach. The goal is to update the Comprehensive Plan, update zoning regulations, and address Transportation issues. For example, the PCC grocery store wants to redevelop to add more space. This initiative is to help determine what could be possible. Right now, businesses are zoned for up to 30 feet in height. The citywide survey is open until October 28, 2016 at https://he6.metroquest.com There have been over 500 responses, with about 10% from Moss Bay. Results so far: · People want retail and restaurants. Don’t want offices and housing. However, Moss Bay’s results were higher for including mixed-use retail/housing. Most preferred small scale buildings with public spaces. · High interest in traffic controls for bikes and pedestrians. In November (2nd or 3rd), there will be a community workshop at Northwest University, to review survey findings, review pros and cons of land use and transportation options. The Planning Commission will review the Comprehensive Plan and Zoning November – January. The Transportation Commission will review and prioritize in the same time period. The recommendations will be presented to the City Council in early 2017. If you have questions about any city topic, or want to make a complaint or request, visit http://www.kirklandwa.gov/City_Services/question.htm KAN Update The city is putting on a program for residents on January 9, 2016 at the Kirkland Performance Center. The focus is on neighborhoods and topics that concern residents within each neighborhood. The featured speaker is Peter Kageyama, who is highly respected as a dynamic speaker with skills in making neighborhoods more meaningful. http://www.Fortheloveofcities.com Neighborhood Safety Program Must have our top 2 neighborhood ideas are by November 3rd. We will email the MBNA email list a survey monkey of the top ideas to have people vote on their top 2 preferences. Go to this site to request a project.
Kirkland Development Update In Development: · Kirkland Urban (former Park Place site) – Two office buildings 375,000 (square feet) with retail and restaurants, plus 185 homes. · Park and Main – Mixed use building with retail on the Park Lane side, and 128 homes. · State Street Lofts – 4 homes at the corner of State and NE 68th · Two developments nearing completion: at 7th Ave S and at the intersection of State Street and 4th Ave S; both about 30 homes. Planning Stage: · Areta is adding an extension to their current building with 70 apartment units. · The former Bungee office building near QFC will become 184 units in a mixed-use building. Don Winters called the meeting to order. We had a turnout of about 40 members.
Karen Kitsis, Sound Transit Senior Planning & Project Development Manager, was our first guest. Karen showed us the existing Sound Transit system as well as the planned extensions that will come in the 3rd wave of development called ST3. The average tax increase for ST3 will be about $200 per household. There is a study planned for the Cross Kirkland Corridor, but no current plans for transit on the trail. A light rail line from Bellevue to the South Kirkland Park and Ride is being considered as part of ST3. Seth! Leary, Education Director of Kirkland Arts Center, cleared up some of the mystery surrounding that organization. The Center has been located in the historic 1889 Peter Kirk building on Market St. since 1962. The art gallery at the Center is open to he public and is free of charge. There are five art shows put on per year. The Center offers 65 classes per quarter in ceramics, oil, acrylic, water color, print making, photography, 3D animation, drawing and jewelry. They hold their Art Beat Gala every October, a major fund raising auction. Kari Page updated us on Kirkland's Neighborhood Safety Program. Kari outlined the 2016 program projects. Moss Bay's two projects, stairs to the Cross Kirkland Corridor at the Corner 2nd Ave and 10th Street, and a crosswalk entrance to Marina Park from the south side of Kirkland Ave, have been approved for funding and should be completed in 2017. Aimee Voelz told us that Leadership Eastside has launched a civic incubator program to address issues on the Eastside. Aimee is participating in the Affordable Housing Committee. Election were held for the officers of the Moss Bay Neighborhood Association. Don Winters announced that he is retiring after 13 years as co-chair. Two new co-chairs, Dan Ryan and Aimee Voelz, were unanimously elected. Bea Nahon was elected as secretary, and Leslie Keller, who has been treasurer since 1997, was re-elected. Don Winters gave a brief update on development projects in Moss Bay. A new project in the works is Areté II, which would be located at 330 4th St. It would be a mix of office, apartments and residential suites (sometimes known as apodments), with 70 residential units. Robert Pantley is the developer. Robert's Areté on Central Way, a 290 unit complex, was recently completed. Our next meeting will be September 19, 2016. Don Winters called the meeting to order. We had a great turnout of about 50 members.
Dave Tomson of SRM Development was our first guest. Google has moved into their new building on 7th Ave. S. There will be a ribbon cutting on Feb 16 at 11AM with City and Google officials as well as Governor Inslee. Moss Bay residents are invited. The City will be installing two traffic signals on 6th St. S. this summer -- one at Kirkland Way and another at 9th Ave. S. The new lighted "Google" sign on the building facing 7th Ave. S. will be turned off daily at 9PM to avoid annoying neighbors. SRM has purchased Moss Bay Storage on 5th Place S. No immediate plans. Ed Segat of Continental Properties told us about their new mixed use project on the "Antique Mall" site at 114 Main St. There will be 4 stories with 128 residential apartments over one floor, approx. 13,000 sq ft, of retail. There will be 20 studio apartments, 35 1 bedroom, 57 1 bedroom/Den units, and 16 2 bedroom apartments. The units will average 785 sq ft. There will be 212 underground parking stalls and 46 pay retail stalls which will be available to the public. The project is slated to be completed by the end of 2017. Jenna Higgins, Kirkland's Recycling Program Coordinator, briefed us on the new plastic bag ban, which goes into effect March 1. Stores will not be providing plastic bags and there will be a 5 cent charge allowed for paper. More info here. Glenn Peterson mentioned that Summerfest, which will take place Aug 12 and 13, is in need of volunteers for a steering committee. Kari Page explained the Neighborhood Safety Program and how the two projects we voted for are now candidates to be funded by the City. The City Council will make the decision on April 19 and the projects should be implemented by June 2017. Our number one project is stairs to the Cross Kirkland Corridor near the corner of 2nd Ave. and 10th St. We discussed the option of moving the location to nearby Kirkland Way where it might be more visible and used by more people. Our second project is improved sidewalk and a crosswalk at the west end of Kirkland Ave. This would provide a more pedestrian friendly entry to Marina Park. Kari mentioned that stairs from the CKC to 68th St. in Houghton are under construction. Don Winters reviewed a number of development projects that are planned or underway. The 27 unit "401 State" project is under construction and 5 units have been sold. The 76 unit Capri Kirkland, on the old White Swan site on Central Way, is completed and apartments and retail spaces are leasing. The 290 unit "apodment" development, Areté (Crab Cracker site), also on Central, is nearing completion and some tenants have moved in. A 20 unit development, "The Walk", on 7th Ave. S. is under construction. A new project, "State Street Lofts", is in the planning stage. The project will be 4 stand-alone residential "cluster homes" on the northeast corner of State St. and NE 68th St. KAN report -- The Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods provided input via their spillover parking efforts that resulted in the City Council approving a new ordinance that makes it a violation to park in front of a mailbox from 8AM until 5PM. Our next meeting will be March 21, 2016. Don Winters called the meeting to order. We had a great turnout of about 70 members.
Kirkland City Manager Kurt Triplett addressed the Sound Transit 3 options that could affect Kirkland and the Cross Kirkland Corridor. The City is particularly interested in an option to put Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on the corridor. Light rail is currently one option, but BRT has more flexibility. For more information check the City's Nov 9 ST3 Update. Kurt mentioned that on Thursday, November 19, 2015, the City is hosting an Open House and Community Update at the Kirkland Performance Center (350 Kirkland Avenue) from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Staff will be available to answer questions about high capacity transit from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. A formal presentation by City officials will begin at 7:30 p.m. The ST3 transit package will be up for a region-wide ballot measure in November 2016. Bea Nahon, Moss Bay's representative to the Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods (KAN) told us that KAN is having a public meeting on the ST3 issue. The meeting will be held Nov 23 at Heritage Hall. Bea will give the Moss Bay feedback at that time, and there will be an opportunity for public comment. Maura O'Brien of the Washington State Department of Ecology reported on the cleanup of the contaminated Pace site at 500 7th Ave. S. (now home to Google phase 2). After years of cleanup attempts the site is now free of contaminants and is on the verge of being "delisted". Before that happens there will be a public comment period from Dec 4, 2015 - Jan 4, 2016. For a lot more information, check the Pace National Site fact sheet that Maura has provided to Moss Bay. Bill Pollard of Talon Private Capital updated us on the Park Place redevelopment. The new center will be called Kirkland Urban to reflect the change in character of the project. Visit kirklandurban.com for a lot of information and some great graphics. Bill mentioned that in conjunction with the project there will be a new traffic signal at 5th St. and Central Way. The new center will create 2500 new jobs. There will be 300 new apartments that will rent for about $3 per square foot. Construction of phase 1 will start in Jan 2016 and end Dec 2017. Phase 2 will start in Jan 2018, and there will be a total of 4 years construction time for the entire project. Kari Page, Kirkland's Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator, briefed us on the 2016 Neighborhood Safety Program. We can possibly have a project approved for up to $50,000 that would improve safety or accessibility. A new crosswalk and improved walkway at 2nd Ave and Kirkland Way, improved walkway on the south side of Kirkland Ave and a park sign at Marina Park are a couple of suggestions that have been submitted so far. Kari suggested submitting your project idea in the “Suggest a Project” interactive map by the end of 2015. Two new traffic signals that were part of SRM's Google phase 2 project will be installed at Kirkland Way and 6th St S and 9th Ave S and 6th. Construction will start in summer 2016. New sidewalks are under construction along 6th St S between Google and Kirkland Ave. A new access path and bridge that will connect the Cross Kirkland Corridor with the Houghton Center (Metropolitan Market) is well under way and should be finished within a month. Our next meeting will be January 18, 2016, 7PM at Heritage Hall, 203 Market St. We hope to have a presentation on the Park Lane Mixed Use project (Antique Mall site) which is four stories of residential over one floor of retail. The project has cleared design review. You can view Design Review documents with plans here Part 1 | Part 2 City Council Meeting with the Moss Bay and Lakeview Neighborhood Associations Submitted Questions/Comments (19) Meeting Date: September 21, 2015
Planning: 1. You definitely need to consult/seek input from neighborhoods that will be affected by projects the council approves. The Potala project on Lake Wash. Blvd. was badly bungled—it seems all Kirkland governing groups mishandled this from the start. Clearly, the city council was challenged beyond its ability to comprehend fully the project and its community impact. Keep in mind, you are there to serve the residents of Kirkland, not impose upon them your preferences. Response: Thank you for your comments. Following is an update on the status of the project: The Potala Village project is subject to existing City development regulations and the City is legally obligated to review the project under those regulations. The Design Review Board (DRB) is reviewing the latest Potala Village proposal now. The applicant has been to the DRB twice already and is scheduled to return on October 19. If the applicant is not ready with revised plans on the 19, the meeting will be continued to November 16. The DRB reviews projects for consistency with the design guidelines for pedestrian‐oriented business districts. Once the design review process is complete, the building permit application will be reviewed by staff to be sure it is consistent with all Zoning, Building and other applicable regulations. 2. I have a concern about the possible change in the height of proposed developments in the downtown area of Kirkland; i.e. Park place and the Microsoft bldg. on Kirkland Way. I recently attended the Design Review mtg. on August 17 and was very disheartened by the scope and massive development plan which included buildings of 160' (eight levels plus two levels of screened features on top; buildings looked like college dorms and govt/military buildings). The current code of five levels allows for development in line with current downtown features and maintains the Kirkland feel. In addition, I am worried about the overall Parkplace retail scope and the impact on the waterfront/marina/Lake street/Central Ave. small retail businesses; there is an increase in empty building space already. The Lake St./Central Ave./Park Lane/marina businesses are critical to the Kirkland Community and vision of a vibrant core for the patrons. The Parkplace proposal is simply too big and creates a potential negative impact on existing downtown features. The Council has a responsibility to balance vital business plans for both areas necessary to maintain the development of downtown features and desirability of living here. The developers need to rethink the scope and future economic trends as well as the water features in light of the drought and water usage reductions. Traffic flow is a huge issue and a sensitivity to capacity for downtown residents is paramount when development is approved. My overriding concern is the height of the new developments. I support the current height code of five levels for new developments in the downtown Kirkland neighborhoods and request that the City Council maintain this requirement. Response: The Parkplace development has gone through a long process to evaluate the height, size and possible impacts of the proposal. The increase in height from 5 stories to 8 stories (115’ maximum) was approved and became part of the Zoning Code regulations in 2008. The project which is now before the Design Review Board is less dense than the original project that was approved by the DRB in 2010. The City Council Meeting with the Moss Bay and Lakeview Neighborhood Associations Submitted Questions/Comments (19) Meeting Date: September 21, 2015 Page 2 DRB reviews projects for consistency with the design guidelines for the area where the project is located. In the case of Parkplace, there is a special Master Plan and also Design Guidelines for the site. There has also been an environmental Impact Statement, Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Addendum to the Environmental Impact Statement completed to evaluate the impacts (including traffic impacts) of this project. A proposed change in the regulations pertaining to the MRM (“Microsoft Building”) proposal will be considered by the City Council at a study session on October 6. The current code allows 5 stories and up to 67’. The applicant is asking that this be changed to 5 stories of residential over ground floor retail (6 stories total) while maintaining the 67’ height limit. The Planning Commission is also recommending that five stories of office over ground floor retail be allowed (6 stories total) and that the height limit for office over retail be 80’. The proposed changes would only be allowed if specific public amenities are provided. The environmental impacts of the MRM project have been analyzed in a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. The zoning and master plan for Parkplace was completed in 2008 and included extensive public involvement. The height and uses were approved at that time, with a recent amendment to allow residential. The project is now with the Design Review Board that reviews the proposed project against adopted design standards. You can provide comments to the Design Review Board. 3. A person shall have the right to seek to preserve and restore views which existed at any time since he or she purchased or occupied a property, when such views are from the primary living or entertainment areas of his/her residence and have subsequently been unreasonably obstructed by the growth of trees. Methods of relief that may be granted include pruning, thinning, windowing, topping, or removal of the tree. The tree owner needs to cooperate with the person whose views are being obstructed. A process needs to be established in the Kirkland Municipal code to address this issue. Please visit The City of Medina Municipal Code chapter 18.16 which has the process clearly laid out. Thanks! Response: The City Council has discussed this issue before and has decided not to try to regulate private view protection due the complications of doing so and potential conflicts with efforts to preserve the City’s tree canopy. The City has chosen to protect certain public views, for example along the Lake Washington shoreline south of the downtown where developers are required to keep 30% of the property width maintained as a view corridor between Lake Washington Boulevard the lake. 4. Design Review Board: The Walk condo/houses don't conform to the style and charm of the neighborhood. Did they have to pass a design review? And if so, why were they allowed? What can be done in the future? Response: The Walk project (7th Avenue South west of Google & north of Lakeview Elementary) is not located in an area subject to design review. Project review by the City is based on existing codes such as height, setbacks, lot coverage, etc. The City’s current design review program is limited to a number of mixed‐use areas in Kirkland, such as Totem Lake, Downtown, Juanita, and the 85th Street Corridor. Page 3 5. What is the schedule for Parkplace and what is happening with tenants? Response: The Parkplace project is in the midst of the Design Review Board’s review. It is expected that the Design Review Board process will be complete by the end of the year. The existing retail tenants, except for the QFC, are beginning to move to new locations outside of Parkplace. QFC will remain until its new store in Phase One of the redevelopment is completed. It is expected that the other tenants will be gone by the beginning of the year, so that demolition and construction can begin. 6. Please provide an update on the antique mall site, what is planned, and when will it be redeveloped. Response: A Design Review Board application for the site is currently being reviewed by the City. The project proposal is for a five story mixed use structure with ground floor retail and residential units above. The Design Review Board reviewed the project’s design at their September 8 Meeting and the applicant is scheduled to return to the Board at their October 19 meeting. The September 8 DRB Packet can be reviewed here: http://www.kirklandwa.gov/depart/planning/Boards_and_Commissions/DRB_Meeting_Information.htm 7. I first raised the issue of HEDGES AS FENCES at the Council meeting on May 4, 2010. We have spoken on the phone a couple of times when you first joined the Council and I hope you remember me. The former Mayor, Mrs. J. McBride, subsequently came to my house and said she was sure something could be done. Nothing has been done. The 140 + Leyland Cypress trees that were planted across three properties between 3rd St. and State St. were planted to circumnavigate the City of Kirkland's fence height restrictions. Instead of building a fence, one was planted that can GROW to a height of 65 ft. and beyond. These trees have no place in an urban landscape. The ones in question have robbed my neighbors and me of our precious lake, mountains and sunset views, and subsequently have affected our property values. Those views and values were intrinsic in the desire to purchase here in the first place. I ask that you and the Council consider adding a statute to the City ordinances that would protect homeowners such as myself from this egregious method of obtaining privacy at someone else's expense. Response: You are correct that a hedge is not subject to the same height limits as a fence. If the City Council wished to institute a hedge height limit, it would also need to amend the zoning code and include a clear definition of what constitutes a hedge to allow for uniform enforcement. As noted in an earlier question, the City Council has decided not to try to regulate private view protection due the complications of doing so. 8. How does the development review process work and how is public input used? Response: There are a number of different review process established in the zoning code. For many buildings, the only requirement is to obtain a building permit. The permit application is reviewed by City staff for compliance with all applicable regulations, including compliance with zoning regulations, building codes and public works standards. Although public comments may be submitted, public notice is not provided and the role of the staff review is to assure that the applications meet adopted development regulations. Some types of applications, for example the subdivision of land into multiple lots, require approval by the Planning Director or a Hearing Examiner, with a formal opportunity for public comment. Although there is some discretion with these types of applications, the main focus is still to determine whether the application complies with adopted regulations. Within many of the City’s business districts, developments above a specific size threshold require review and approval by the City’s Design Review Board (DRB), a group of volunteer design professionals Page 4 appointed by the City Council. The DRB holds public hearings to receive public input. The DRB is charged with determining whether an application is consistent with design guidelines adopted by the City Council. The design guidelines do not dictate a preferred style of architecture, but generally address the overall massing of a building within the maximum height and minimum setbacks prescribed by the zoning. A few types of applications require approval by the City Council, most significantly Planned Unit Developments (PUD) which are proposals to build in a way that doesn’t strictly comply with the normal development standards, but which purports to provide superior public benefits. A public hearing is held by the Hearing Director and the Examiner prepares a recommendation to the City Council. If you’d like further information about the different types of development review procedures, please contact Planning and Building Director Eric Shields at eshields@kirklandwa.gov. 9. The parking study had poor methodology, how does the City oversee consultant’s work? Response: The parking study was performed using a rigorous methodology to establish the actual parking demand from individual developments during peak parking periods. The work of our consultants was overseen by a City staff member assigned to the project. If you have further questions about the study please contact Planning Supervisor Jon Regala at jregala@kirklandwa.gov. 10. Is the City considering a renaming or rebranding of the downtown Kirkland area? Response: A new name was suggested by a citizen and was considered by the Planning Commission, but the Commission did not express an interest in pursuing the idea. Public Works: 11. When can we expect to see updates to residential sidewalks? (There have been numerous updates to main arteries in Moss Bay.) I live on a street with lots of walking traffic yet only a few homes actually have sidewalks. Many residents with no sidewalks park perpendicular to their homes making dodging vehicles a challenge. In addition, there are a couple of areas of sidewalk that have lifted due to tree roots. I have more than once tripped on them. Much of the walking traffic is by Google employees and once the new building is open, walking traffic will likely increase. Someone had said that sidewalks are only installed in new developments. Then please explain to me why 2+ new homes on my street have no sidewalks. I am unable to make the meeting and would appreciate receiving an email response. Response: Thank you for your questions. The Public Works Department has reviewed your questions and can offer the following: When can we expect to see updates to residential sidewalks? Most residential streets without sidewalks are improved as new development occurs. The City does install some sidewalks on residential streets in areas that are school walk routes or that connect major pedestrian networks. For specific details in your area, please contact Rosalie Wessels in the Public Works Department at 425‐587‐3803. Ms. Wessels can tell you if there are plans to install sidewalks in your area in the near future, either through current development activity or planned work by the City. What can you do if you notice a sidewalk with a tripping hazard? Please contact Public Works Maintenance and Operations at 425‐587‐3900 and ask that staff inspect the sidewalk with tripping hazard. Also, please be aware your input is particularly helpful at this time, because the Public Works Department is in the process of doing a comprehensive inventory of all City sidewalks, identifying maintenance needs and priorities. Page 5 Why is there no sidewalk in front of some new houses that were built in my neighborhood? There are portions of the Moss Bay Neighborhood that have code adopted standards requiring sidewalk on only one side of the street (due to the narrow widths of the existing public rights‐of‐way). If you can contact Rosalie Wessels of the Public Works Department (425‐587‐3900) and let her know which houses do not have sidewalks, Ms. Wessels can research the address and let you know why the homes do not have sidewalks. 12. During rush hour more and more people are zipping up NE 64th St and down 103rd Ave NE in order to essentially cut in line at NE 68th St and 103rd Ave light. The main problem is this is a residential neighborhood with a lot of kids around. The drivers don’t have to stop since there are no Stop signs, and only the traffic circle at NE 67th and 103rd. The traffic circle was installed to be a ‘calming device’ to slow drivers down, but the majority of the cut through drivers are zipping down 103rd at 40+ MPH and many actually seem to speed up through the traffic circle. Many of these drivers don’t even check to see if there is any East West traffic entering the circle because they seem to assume the North South traffic has the right of way and the other drivers will be the ones yielding. Is it possible to replace the Yield signs for the North/South traffic with Stop signs? Response: Public Works staff will evaluate this request. Typically, there is no traffic control at a traffic circle; traffic entering the circle is required to yield to vehicles that are already in the circle. At some locations, however, we’ve left the yield or stop signs that were present before the circles were installed. For more information, contact Traffic Control Coordinator Kathy Robertson at krobertson@kirklandwa.gov or (425‐587‐3870). 13. What is happening with parking especially along Central and Lake WA Blvd? Response: Right now there are no changes contemplated for parking along Central Way or Lake Washington Boulevard. Other parking changes have been made, such as new signing to encourage parking at City Hall, opening Lake Avenue West to parking for downtown employees, expanding pay parking in the Lake and Central lot, adding time limits to Market Street between Central Way and 6th Avenue and improving the library garage with cleaning, painting and improved security. Public Works staff is continuing to investigate the possibilities of new supply both at the Lake and Central lot and on the property to the South of City Hall. For more information, contact Stephen Padua at spadua@kirklandwa.gov or (425‐587‐3871). 14. Please provide an update on stairs at Houghton trestle. Response: The concrete steps and bicycle runnel will be located on the southeastern corner of the NE 68th Street and Cross Kirkland Corridor bridge/crossing. The stair connection was the top priority funded by the Neighborhood Safety Program in June of 2015. The project is currently in design and is anticipated to be complete late this year (or early 2016). For more information, contact Kari Page, Neighborhood Outreach Coordinator, KPage@kirklandwa.gov or call 425‐587‐3011. 15. Safety on 5th Place: Now that Google finished paving, pedestrians are walking in the street. What can be done for pedestrian and bike safety, such as signs or methods of forcing them into sidewalks or bike lanes? Once the 800 Google employees occupy the new building, can the city do a site review along 7th, 6th and 5th Place down to State Street to assess traffic and safety and make adjustments if needed. Also, the sign “Don't park on the pavement” should be removed! Response: Public Works staff would be happy to do a review of traffic safety once the Google project is complete and additional employees are in place. Staff was unable to find the “Don’t park on the pavement” sign and is checking with the requestor to see if it has been removed. For more information, contact Iris Cabrera at icabrera@kirklandwa.gov or (425‐587‐3866). Page 6 16. Railroad Ave and Kirkland Way Intersection: the request to address pedestrian/car safety was not selected for the Neighborhood Safety Program grant and was shot down as a CIP project. The safety issues still need to be addressed. Response: One of the changes to the proposed CIP is additional funding for expanded safety programs. This provides flexible funding that can be used to make safety improvements, and the Railroad Ave/Kirkland Way intersection seems like a good candidate. A list of projects has not yet been identified. We know that this is high on the list for the neighborhood and also for KAN. For more information please contact David Godfrey at dgodfrey@kirklandwa.gov or (425‐587‐3865). The following questions were asked at the meeting and needed additional clarification from staff: 1. When will the Parking study be complete? Response: The Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods has organized a task force that is first looking at the causes and effects of spillover parking in Kirkland neighborhoods. They recently completed a survey gathering data observed by Kirkland residents from all neighborhoods. They expect the next steps will be to use the data gathered to look for solutions to recommend to the City for possible implementation. The timeline is not certain and they will be discussing this further at their upcoming meeting in mid‐November. This is not a City administered study; however, staff anticipates eventually receiving policy recommendations from KAN for further study by City staff. For more information about parking, in general, contact David Godfrey, Transportation Manager at 425‐ 587‐3865 or email DGodfrey@kirklandwa.gov. 2. How long is a building permit good? Response: Commercial and multi‐family building permits are good for three years, single‐family building permits are good for two years, trade permits (electrical, plumbing and mechanical) associated with a building permit are good for the length of the building permit. Standalone trade permits are good for one year. We do have penalties for owners that build a single‐family house (or addition) and do not get the outside finished within two years. This is to minimize the impacts of construction to the neighbors. 3. Why was Home Grown allowed to have so much outdoor seating? Response: As part of the Design Review of the Bank of America project, it was anticipated that the tenant would have outdoor seating. The seating area is located on private property. Staff has measured the distance between the railing and curb and determined that the area meets the minimum distance for walking. Don Winters called the meeting to order. We had a turnout of about 50 members.
Penny Sweet, Kirkland City Councilmember and Deputy Mayor, gave a "State of the City" briefing, with an emphasis on Moss Bay. Councilmember Toby Nixon assisted with the presentation. Penny owns a business in Moss Bay and organizes several events downtown. Penny told us that the Kirkland's financial situation is good and that the City has been responsible about setting aside money to fully fund next year's budget. A focus of the Council is economic development -- with Google expansion, Park Place and Totem Lake redevelopments leading the way. The Council is pursuing the goal of the "ten minute neighborhood", where residents live within walking distance of amenities. Downtown parking is a struggle that will get worse before it gets better due to construction that will close lots at the Antique Mall site and other locations. Penny thinks aggressive action to alleviate the situation is in order, including opening up Lake Ave. W. to parking, enforcing employee parking rules and adding space in the library lot and auxiliary lot at Marina Park. Penny talked about the City Work Plan. Kirkland is working with Sound Transit to get some kind of transportation on the Cross Kirkland Corridor. The City is also looking to distribute fire stations in the annexation areas so that there is a five minute response time. You can suggest a capital project on the city web site by following this link. The ARC (Aquatics Recreation Community Center) will be on the ballot in 2015 to decide if we will pay for it with taxes. The City is looking into creating a women's shelter, and also creating "Healthy Kirkland" plans for employees in an effort to reduce escalating health insurance costs. Sally Otten of the recently formed Kirkland Parks Foundation -- an organization founded to preserve and enhance parks -- told us how the foundation wants to build a picnic shelter at Waverly Beach Park. They are currently raising funds for this and you can contribute by visiting their web site. We revived our "Neighborhood Business Segment" with Alvin Loh of Jobventon as our guest. Alvin has lived in Kirkland since 2005 and co-founded the company that helps small and midsize companies find qualified job applicants through Jobvention's unique technology. Rather than operate from an office, for the past two years Alvin and his business partner have worked out of Caffe Rococo on Park Lane from 10am - 12pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. This keeps overhead costs down and connects them with their desired demographic as their business grows. Alvin can be reached at alvin@jobvention.com or stop by to meet him at Caffe Rococo! Matt and Joe Razore or MRM Capital were our next guests. MRM plans to redevelop their property at 434 Kirkland Ave. They are looking to change the zoning on the site to allow more residential. Currently only a small percentage of residential is allowed. They propose to build 5 stories of residential over 1 floor of retail, with the possibility of a hardware store or pharmacy as anchor tenant. Bea Nahon, Moss Bay's rep to KAN, mentioned KAN's new web site, kirklandkan.org. KAN meets the second Wednesday of each month. Bea mentioned that we need Moss Bay members to report volunteer hours to go towards our grant, which we intend to donate to Kirkland's 4th of July celebration. Sharon Hoglund, a long time member of Moss Bay, mentioned the Kiwanis Pancake Breakfast to be held May 23. Aimee Voelz mentioned the Neighborhood Safety Program ideas that were selected for funding by the City. Our next meeting will be held Sept 21, 2015 at Heritage Hall, 203 Market St. Don Winters called the meeting to order. We had a turnout of about 40 members. City Council Member Shelley Kloba was in attendance.
Rosalie Wessels of the Kirkland Parks Board updated us on the A.R.C Center. Juanita Beach Park is no longer under consideration for the location of the ARC. A site with good access and 7 acres is necessary. Two sites being looked at are the Christ Church site near the Kirkland Justice Center and privately owned parcels at Totem Lake. The City Council has expressed interest in exploring a ballot measure that would propose the creation of a Metropolitan Park District (MPD) to finance the ARC Center and to have it on the ballot as early as November 2015. Rosalie discussed a pilot program for off-leash dog hours in specific parks, with Peter Kirk in Moss Bay as one possibility. 26 acre Edith Moulton Park in north Juanita is being developed in phases with trails and facilities. Philly Hoshko, City of Kirkland Special Projects Coordinator, briefed us on the Downtown Parking Study. On Jan 6 the parking study was presented to City Council. The Council surveyed the public on nine options, the results of which can be found here. Recommendations will go to the City Council on April 7. Don Winters gave a photo slide show on the history of railroading in Kirkland. Trains ran in Kirkland from 1891 through 2007, operated by the Northern Pacific Railway which merged into Burlington Northern in 1970. Don's photos included the Kirkland RR station, bridges, trains, and wrecks. The possibility of placing historical markers on the trail is being explored. Kari Page presented a slide show on the Cross Kirkland Corridor, the new trail which has been built on the old rail bed. The "interim trail" with a compacted fine gravel surface, rebuilt bridges, fencing of dangerous and sensitive areas, signage, access points and trash cans, has been finished, and is open to the public. The police will be patrolling the trail using two electric UTVs (Utility Terrain Vehicles) that were purchased with grant money. Some exciting news is that Bellevue is considering extending the trail southward into that city as far as NE 4th St. Katie Cava of the Kirkland Parks Dept. told us about the Green Kirkland Partnership, which seeks volunteers to rid Kirkland parks of invasive species and to restore native plants. In 2014 2365 volunteers spend 8900 hours working on this effort. There are 26 Green Kirkland Stewards who have been trained to lead volunteer efforts. There will be an open house at Heritage Hall on March 24 to get community feedback on the 20 year plan which is in development. In addition, a Green Steward Orientation will be held May 9, 2015 10-2 PM at McAuliffe Park. Don Winters mentioned that the "Hector's Project" is undergoing some changes. One floor of parking in the building to be built behind Hector's will be moved underground and replaced with a floor of office space. Several other relatively minor changes will be made. A new timeline would see the project being finished by the end of 2016 or early 2017. The Potala Village lawsuits are over and the project will be limited to 59 units. The project is in Design Review. Our next meeting will be May 18, 2015 7PM at Heritage Hall, 203 Market. St. Don Winters called the meeting to order. We had a turnout of about 40 members. Melinda O'Rourke again brought delicious cookies she baked at home. City Council Members Dave Asher and Shelley Kloba were in attendance.
Greg Arms of Milestone Northwest gave us an informative presentation on his project "The Walk", whish is located at 314 7th Ave. S. There will be 20 detached 3 story homes, each with 4 or 5 bedrooms and tentatively priced from $850 - $950,000. The units will include 2 car garages and will be 2600-2900 sq ft in size. Construction has started and the project should be finished by Sept, 2016. The project will include 8 guest parking spots. Greg mentioned that he may want to reroute the walkway to the Lakeview school yard that currently meanders through the Moss Bay Vista condo property. Greg can be contacted at 206-817-4192 or greg@milestonenw.com Bill Pollard of Talon Private Capital gave us more details (in addition to what we learned at our last meeting) on the proposed redevelopment of Park Place. Talon hopes to start the project in 2016 after design and review by the DRB. Construction is expected to last 3-5 years. Phase 1 of the project will be the construction of a new QFC with multi-family housing above. Talon has provided a Park Place FAQ, with very detailed information on this project. At the Jan 29 Planning Commission meeting, Talon will make recommendations to the City Council on the zoning text changes that they are requesting which include: * Increase allowed residential square footage from 10% of total gross floor area to 30%. * Include a 10% affordable housing requirement if residential percentage is increased. * Allow one drive through facility for a bank or related financial service. * Increase the movie theater incentive from 10% to 20% of required retail square footage There are links on the Planning Commission web page to site plans and other info on this project. Kari Page briefed us on the Cross Kirkland Corridor, which is set for a soft opening "12th Man Party" on Jan. 31, and a grand opening in April. Flashing beacon crosswalks, school connections, fencing and a compacted crushed rock surface are all in place. The Google segment will be closed until June, 2015, but a detour is in place. Kari covered the Neighborhood Safety Program. Moss Bay decided on two projects to submit -- Stairs to the street from the CKC to NE 68th St., and new sidewalk, crosswalk and other improvements on the north side of Kirkland Ave. just east of 6th St. S. Our application for these possible projects is in progress. We can apply for $3,135 in Matching Grants for the City for a use of our choice. Support for Kirkland's 4th of July celebration, or possible use for improved neighborhood communications were the ideas approved by those attending. We would need to apply by Jan 31, 2015. Jeanne Large of the newly formed "Solarize Kirkland" (chapter of Solarize Washington) organization, told us how the group helps private citizens, companies, and public buildings to negotiate the purchase and installation solar panels. The City can install public solar panels and citizens can invest in them, getting money back in their electric bills. Bea Nahon, our rep to and co-chair of the Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods (KAN) gave the following report: · KAN meets on the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 7PM at City Hall in the Peter Kirk room. All are welcome to attend and it’s a great way to learn what is going on in all neighborhoods and in the City. · There is interest by the 4 neighborhoods that adjoin the Houghton Neighborhood Business District (intersection of NE 70th and 108th Ave NE). The Central Houghton Neighborhood Association has invited our neighborhood, Everest and Lakeview to meet with them so that we can all discuss common goals, issues and vision for this important area. The first meeting will be on Wednesday 4/1/15 at 7PM at Fire Station 22 on 108th Ave NE and in future “even” months. · The Totem Lake Mall may actually be about to be sold to a developer! The purchaser is Centercal which proposes to develop it with retail, office and housing. Representatives from Centercal will be at KAN at its next meeting (2/11/15) so please come to learn more. · As part of the Kirkland 2035 process, all Neighborhood Plans are having an interim update. Ours was the first to go before the Planning Commission and thus far, there are no changes to the current draft. It will next go to a Public Hearing at the Planning Commission in a few months, and then to City Council. Thank you to everyone in our Neighborhood who has participated in this process and to City Planning Supervisor Jeremy McMahan who is our assigned staff for this project. · We hope to know more in the near future about Designated Urban Centers and how our downtown core might qualify. This could lead to more funding for things like roads and other infrastructure. Totem Lake has this designation already as do some other locations in King County. · The City Council is looking at preliminary options for Downtown parking and had an initial report presented to it in early January. A stakeholder input process is the next step and then it will be back to Council later this year for further consideration. · KAN has organized a Communications Workshop, led by Karen Story from the Highlands Neighborhood. The workshop will be on January 29 at 7PM at City Hall. Don, Aimee and Bea will attend and all are welcome to join us. · Mayor Walen and City Manager Triplett will present the State of the City for neighborhoods on February 25 at 7PM at City Hall and we encourage all to attend. Don Winters reported on a couple of projects. The "Wells Fargo" mixed use project on Central Way is still in the planning stages as Polygon Development and the bank work out the details. Potala Village is again in limbo awaiting a State Supreme Court decision on the number of units that will be allowed. Our next meeting will be March 16, 2015 7PM at Heritage Hall, 203 Market. St. Don Winters called the meeting to order. We had a turnout of about 60 members. Melinda O'Rourke brought delicious cookies she baked at home. City Council Member Toby Nixon was in attendance.
Our first guest was Jim Neal of Talon Private Capital. Talon is teaming with Prudential Insurance, the owner of Park Place, to redevelop the site after a previous attempt by Touchstone did not go forward. The new plans are for 650,000 square feet of office space, 300,000 square feet of apartment space in 250 units, and 210,000 square feet of retail and entertainment on the 11-acre property. Compared to the Touchstone plan, the changes include a 50 percent reduction in office space, the addition of multi-family housing and the elimination of a previously approved hotel. Before the master plan can be approved by the Kirkland City Council, however, Talon must seek zoning changes to accommodate the amount of apartment space, approximately 30 percent of the total. Current zoning allows for only 10 percent. There will be a new QFC, and an 8 screen movie complex. Building height will range up to 8 stories. Plans also sets aside two acres of open space and plazas. Goal is to start by March 2016, with about 20 months of construction. Scott and Michelle Holm told us about their plans to open a craft brewery, Chainline Brewing, on 6th St. S., north of the Google Phase I campus. The space will back up to the Cross Kirkland Corridor and an outside deck accessible from the trail will be available to sample the beer. The beer will be brewed using a Czech 10 hectoliter brewing system they found on the island of Kochi in southern Japan. Their beers will range from Wit beers and stouts to IPAs. They have set up a Kickstarter campaign to help them with cost overuns encountered when building their deck over city utilities. If you would like to contribute follow this link. They hope to open for business in January. City of Kirkland planner Jeremy McMahan briefed us on the Moss Bay Neighborhood Plan update. Our Neighborhood Plan, part of Kirkland's Comprehensive Plan, hasn't been updated in years. It is now undergoing an "interim update". Here is a link to the suggested edits so far. If you have comments or suggestions, send them to Jeremy at JMcMahan@kirklandwa.gov and copy Don Winters at donw@mossbay.org The comments should be submitted by Dec 8, 2014 in order to be considered for incorporation into the update. If you would like to meet with the Moss Bay board on the edits, contact Don about that also. Kari Page, Kirkland's Neighborhood Services Coordinator, gave us a PowerPoint and discussion of the Neighborhood Safety Program. The City may fund up to two safety-related projects of our choosing in Moss Bay, costing up to $50,000. This can be a crosswalk, walkway, bicycle lane or similar. We need to choose one or two projects by Dec 15 and get our application in by Feb 9, 2015. Aimee Voelz is our MBNA point person for this program. Kari also mentioned that the Park Lane renovation is getting close. The public can meet with the project contractors on January 8, at two times, either 10AM or 6PM at the Kirkland Libary. Bea Nahon, our rep to the Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods (KAN) reminded us that the City’s Neighborhood Matching Grant applications are due soon and we are eligible to apply for approximately $3,000 for a project that would help our neighborhood. Please see the website for more info about this program and what items qualify. We will need to vote on our desired project at our January 2015 meeting so if you are interested in working with the Board on this process, please contact Don Winters at donw@mossbay.org. She also let us know that the City Council will be considering the initial report from its Parking Study (regarding downtown parking) in January, and they will also be considering the proposed changes which would reduce parking requirements for multi-family housing. KAN will also be having a joint meeting with the Park Board on December 10 to discuss the proposed Aquatic and Recreation Community Center and the siting process. She also let us know that KAN held its elections and the new Co-Chairs are Lisa McConnell (Central Houghton) and Bea Nahon, and Secretary is Karen Story (Highlands) Bea also noted that there’s a “For Sale” sign on the Antique Mall site – for more information, see www.kirklandcbdoffering.com Jeanne Large mentioned that she is part of a group trying to organize a "Solarize Kirkland" chapter of Solarize Washington. The goal is to install solar panels that can power a building and be sold back to the electric company. Jeanne also mentioned Styrofest, a program through which you can recycle styrofoam and other plastic packaging materials. The event takes place at the Kirkland Public Works Maintenance Center parking lot, 915 8th St., every 4th weekend of most months, starting Friday at 5PM and ending Monday at 6AM. Our next meeting will be Jan 19, 2015 7PM at Heritage Hall, 203 Market. St. |