MOSS BAY NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION

     Welcome - Don Winters & Mark Eliasen:  Welcome and we are here to learn more about local issues. Want to recognize Deputy Mayor Joan McBride for coming to the meeting.

• Development proposal for a 6-unit multifamily project at 403 2nd Ave. S.– Anne Van Dyne, ([email protected]) Tangent Architects: Size is below the standard for a neighborhood meeting, (10 units or more require a meeting) but they wanted to update the neighborhood on what is going on. 4th St S and 2nd Ave South.  They are applying for a zoning permit to build a 6 unit townhome project.  There is currently an existing small house on the lot.  Across from some townhomes.  Zoning is 6D already – no variance needed.  Using the affordable housing incentive.  One unit will be affordable housing.  This allows for two additional units as an incentive bonus.  All units will be the same in design and construction.  However, the affordable units have restrictions on how much they can be rented for or sold for.  They will remain affordable for 30 years – so if sold they must be sold under the affordable housing guidelines.  Must be sold to someone who makes less than 80% of the median income in King County.  If leased then renter must make less than 50% median income.  Common open space between the units with recreational areas – probably grilling and picnic areas.  Trees every 10 feet.  Garage is sunk – 12 parking spaces.  Interior storage areas in garage.  Two story units.  Each unit has their own entry way and deck on the second floor.  Not sure yet if they are sale or rental.  May be a combination of both.  Michael Jaklin is the owner of the site.  
• Traffic, Parking & Transit issues in Kirkland – Daryl Grigsby Director of Public Works Department will discuss the infrastructure topics and answer your questions:  
  • Signal at Third and Kirkland: Balancing issues with the Park and Transit Center and Condos and the Hotels.  A lot of traffic and pedestrians.  Signal is part of the Transit Center project and they are paying for part of it.  Opening bids for the project are going out on Friday, November 21st.  Expecting a lot of bids due to the economy and hoping to have the project done by March 30, 2009.  Might go longer – wiring is the key issue, but anticipating being done by March.  If anything slips they will let us know.
  • Transit Center: 90% done with design.  Construction will start in November, 2009 and should be completed by November 2010.  Will follow same routes they do now.  Hoping this will be a key link between Peter Kirk Park and Park Lane and downtown.  During the height of construction there will be one lane Northbound and no Southbound lane for most of the year.  Coordination with other building plans.  Sewer pumping (King County) building behind Papa John’s Pizza place and Library expansion will also be done at that time. There will be a new sewer line and this will result in streets being torn up.  This will also result in the loss of about 40 parking stalls total for the duration of the plans.  The parking across from Wendy’s will need to be used for bus staging.  Will also lose some spots on Park Lane.  Some bus routes (like 255) will now go up Central to 6th as opposed to State.  Kirkland Wednesday market will not be on Park Lane next year because of this.  Library garage will remain open.  If you have issues with the proposed bus routes contact the Kirkland transportation commission of the city or King County Transit. 
  • Does Kirkland manage the electrical grid?  No, there is a franchise from the City.  Electrical grid has not been upgraded and some condos have had issues.  Daryl will follow up with the electric company.
  • Central Way: Has the narrowing of the street achieved its objectives which were to make it more pedestrian friendly, providing more parking, and calming traffic.  No hard statistics, but seems to have worked well and is a more pleasant environment.  Parking is used.  Antidotal evidence shows it works.  Did this result in any traffic backups because of this?  At peak times there is some backup, but it flows fairly quickly.   Only usually really bad if there is an accident on the I-405 so people get off to go up Market.
  • Comment made that pedestrian crossing areas are too distracting and there are a lot of close calls.  However, point was made that people are stopping more often and further back.  As long as you are paying attention it works.  One by Park Lane blinks too long.  Needs to be adjusted.  City Council is out in front of other places in the Nation.  Have 30 in pavement flashing lights and 70 places with flags.  This is many more than other cities.  Take it to Make it was 8% usage initially.  Did a marketing survey on why people did not use them.  Changed signage on buckets and usage has gone up 67%.  Flags are $4 each – replace a flag about 5 times a year- spend about $5,000 annually on flags.  Puget Sound grant paid for the marketing survey.
  • Plans to improve intersection in front of Heritage Hall – Market and Central.  Will look at this to see if anything can be done.
  • The City approved the new Solid Waste rate effective January 1, 2009.  Has an incentive for recycling for signal family homes.  96, 64, 35 gallon recycling bin sizes.  There will now be linear.  The smaller bin you use – the less you pay.  The 35 gallon bin rate is going down and the 64  and 96 gallon bin rates are going up.  So the more you recycle the more you can save. 
  • Houghton parking lot – is this lot being misused by local office workers? Supposed to be for park use, but since lot is not strictly enforced it is being misused.  The city will follow up with the Parks department on enforcement.
  • Sidewalks: Both sides of Kirkland Way between 5th and 6th street is in poor shape.  Tree roots keep growing up and the sideway is very uneven.  What will be done about this?  Other sidewalks are bad as well.  The dilemma is the trees and had a City Council session on this issue.  Do want to have trees – have a lot of benefits with environment issues, traffic calming benefits and rainwater absorption.   But trees do have root issues for sidewalks.  Thought about moving the sidewalk out – take away the parking so that the trees would be back from sidewalk.  Decided not to do this.  Also thought about doing rubber sidewalk that bends with the root structure– pilot project.  Want to see how it works before putting it in elsewhere.  On 103rd at the moment.  So what is the best thing to do and how can the city pay for it?
  • State and 68th and on LakeView drive – planters and brush – who maintains these?  Property owner is responsible.  If there is no property owner present then Kirkland grounds crew will clean it.  If a complaint is made then a letter is sent to the owner to have them clean it up.  However, with the current budget cutbacks that are being planned some of the medians and other grounds areas there will be cutbacks and you may see some dwindling areas of care.  One suggestion made was to get volunteer groups to take care of these issues.  Might be some Union issues with volunteers taking over.
  • If you have public works issues e-mail the Moss Bay association and they will pass them on.
  • Park Lane  – Kari Page, Kirkland Neighborhood Coordinator :  Park Lane from Lake to 3rd .  Issues are sidewalks are cracking, tree roots are showing and what do we want Park Lane to look and feel like.  Since there is a lot of construction going on now is a good time.  There is no funding at the moment.  Got together a group of Stakeholders including business owners, reps from Moss Bay Association, the library, the transit commission, parking board and residents.  What did people like and dislike?  
    • Enhance Park Lane as a destination
    • Accommodate diverse retail – not just restaurants or galleries.
    • Accommodate all forms of access – walking, driving, bikes
    • High performance landscape
    • Make the section up by Antique Mall match lower Park Ave
  • Three kinds of streets proposed – Most likely be a hybrid of these ideas.
    • Hybrid– lots of walking, but still cars – two way street on Main and Third and will not lose parking
    • Festival street – no curbs – more space for tents and areas.  Lose parking
    • Complete street – slow down cars but still allow them.  Make it easier to understand that it is a one way street.
  • Looking to improve intersection at Main and Park.  What kinds of trees would be appropriate for upper section of Park Lane.  Have an arborist report to see how existing trees can be replaced as they age and are no longer viable.  Will be slowly replaced.  Trees will stay in some form or another.
  • Hoping to have the recommendation for the final vision by December and will send it out.
  • For more information check out the Park Lane Page: http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/depart/Public_Works/Capital_Improvements/Park_Lane.htm 

• New regulations that will impact property within 200 feet of Lake Washington – Teresa Swan, Senior Planner, City of Kirkland: 30 years ago the City adopted Shoreline regulations.  Has not been updated since.  The State passed the Shoreline Management Act which requires Cities to update their plans and regulations.  Salmon is an issue, as is use and shoreline access.  There can be no net loss.  Any new additions cannot cause any net loss of access.  Does not impact existing areas, but anything new or a teardown and rebuilding will be subject to the new regulations.   City is looking to see what they can do to replace piers and other bulkheads.  Trying to improve the habitat for the Lake.  Making changes to the zoning code to make sure they are consistent with the new Shoreline standards.  Need to update Shoreline program to be consistent with the new Department of Ecology regulations on wetlands protection.  Will be an open house in the Spring for people to make recommendations  Planning commission is looking at these and then it will go to the City Council for approval and then the Department of Ecology will need to sign off.  Some Cities have already gone and had to go back and make changes.  About 80% of the Shoreline currently is bulkheads and walls.  Not the best situation for the ecology.  Will work with what we have and try to improve where we can – most shoreline homes have lawns next to the shore.  Department of Ecology would like to see more natural vegetation.  Only would be an issue if you are re-development.  If you want new bulkhead you will have to prove that you need it.  If not, a soft shoreline will be put into place. For example gravel or logs.  Need to make sure they are well designed in order to stand up to the high winds, but if well designed the softer shorelines can be effective.  Shoreline regulations planning can be found on the website at:  http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/depart/Planning/Code_Updates/Shoreline_Master_Program_Update.htm These do effect everything within 200 feet of the shore.  Will be several meetings in the spring and you can send comments any time.   Probably no major changes – just slow changes as people renovate.  If you do renovate your pier it might need to be narrowed and changed to a more open grating. Vegetation needs to be low.  Fencing people need to be able to see through.  30% of the property needs to have a view corridor.  Is there a study or a chart showing where the salmon are?  If you do not know the path then how can you justify these regulations?  What is the City going to do?  Answer is that the City is responding to the Department of Ecology and they are the ones setting the regulations and their goal is to bring back the salmon.  If Kirkland has no spawning areas in Kirkland then why do we need to have such restrictions?  Answer is the State wants to improve them to bring them back.  Question does the State have a map?  City will find out or you can request maps from the State Department of Ecology http://www.wdfw.wa.gov/hab/release.htm  
• Neighborhood projects:
  • ParkPlace Update –  Carolyn Hayek – for over a year the Planning Commission has been looking at ParkPlace.  Vote of 5 to 2 to approve the rezone of ParkPlace for eight stories.  Has a lot of restrictions and suggestions.  This is a recommendation to the City Council.  The Council will need to vote on this.  For documents you can see the Planning Commissions website http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/depart/Planning/Planning_Commission.htm or Kirkland Views article: http://www.kirklandviews.com/2008/11/17/planning-commission-to-recommend-approval-of-kirkland-parkplace-par-and-costco-gas-station-par/  Planning commission has tried to make this green and good for the community, but cannot mandate everything.  Have tried to make this as foolproof as possible.  If the City Council does approve then Moss Bay will bring Touchstone back in to show final plans.
  • Costco adding a gas station to their North end and the Planning Commission is recommending that this be approved as well.  This is the only Costco in the state without a gas station.  Both ParkPlace and Costco gas station should be voted on by the City Council in December.
  • B of A building has reached a settlement and a 5 story will be built with some changes.  For details check out Kirkland Views at: http://www.kirklandviews.com/2008/11/05/settlement-bank-of-america-site-to-be-developed/ 
  • Google is taking all three buildings and sublease one of the three buildings.  The manager of the Google site will be coming to the next meeting in January.  Had a tour, but it was just a shell at that time.  Been working on the site 6 days a week on the buildout.
  • McLeod project – may just be from Hectors to Tully’s.  Might leave section from Tully’s to Ben and Jerry’s intact.  However, project is having financing issues so no firm plans.
  • The KDA – Kirkland Downtown Association is taking donations to help get the Christmas lights back up.  You can e-mail them at [email protected] for details

Welcome - Don Winters & Mark Eliasen:  Thank you for coming on the nicest day of the month.  If you want to get involved with planning please contact Mark or Don and they welcome your interest and ideas for topics.

• BNSF Rail Line – Rail and Trail or Just Trail with No Rail? – Leading proponents of the alternatives will discuss the options and answer your questions: Had another group come in and talk to us before the property was set.  Now the Port of Seattle has purchased the land and this will have an impact on Kirkland .  There are two groups with different ideas of what to do with the land and we have both sides:
• BNSF Part One: Kristin Trace – Eastside Trail Advocates – want to turn the rail line into a bike/pedestrian commuter path.  No rail.  Port of Seattle owns it.  King County wants to develop a trail. 
  • Why non-motorized trail – people want to live and work here- do not just end up here.  Choose to live here.  Cost effective.  Believe it will help with traffic as people will bike more.  Preserve the small town feel here in Kirkland .  Hooks up to the current paths.  Believes trail will bring people to Kirkland – much like the Burke-Gillman trail.  Because of the wide grade it is a good bike commuter path. 
  • Does not believe the train would benefit Kirkland .  Would be used more by people North to commute South through Kirkland .
  • Almost 2,000 people commute by bike and since it will hook into the Burke-Gillman trail it will allow people to commute into Seattle by bike
  • Train would cost an estimated $300 million and there are many points in which it would be difficult or impossible to have both bike/pedestrian and train.  Trains would increase traffic problems because the train crosses major roads and would back up traffic.
  • Rail path is near 4 schools in Kirkland and it might be a safety issue for kids crossing roads
  • Eastside trail advocates wants an interim trail – no train until all of the issues are covered (money, ridership, etc).  Put the trail in now and use it that way until the issues are covered.
  • Company most likely to be awarded to use the contract has indicated that they are likely to use diesel engines.  Packets containing information and cost analysis and types of vehicles can be obtained from the group.  Shows why it might work in San Diego , but not here and why.  Also can obtain a letter from the City of Snohomish showing why they do not want the rail.
  • http://www.eastsidetrailadvocates.org/ - local grassroots group.  Working to stay informed and ensure that all planning is out in the open. 
• BNSF  Part Two:  Tom Jones:  Cascadia/Discovery Institute – local public think tank that are involved in local transportation issues.  Tom is a transportation engineer consultant with a contract to Cascadia. 
  • Argued for the purchase of the property and believe that it should be used for both rail and trail and does not operate in opposition to any group.  As a 501©(3) entity they cannot benefit from this or operate it they are just here to bring ideas to the table.
  • BNSF applied to NTSB to abandon the rail line and no longer operate trains on the line.  It is currently an active freight train corridor.  If the  NTSB approves the abandonment then the Port of Seattle will buy it and the land will be rail banked which means if needed even if rails have been ripped up rails could be put back in the future per federal regulations.
  • Sound Transit has $50 million in the proposition we are voting on in November that will pay for part of this rail corridor.
  • Port had 5 informational meetings.  Not hearings.  Official hearing on the issue will be held in Jan-June 2009.
  • Cascadia has a vision of what is possible.  Does not exclude the trail, but does include the rail.  They feel an inexpensive, utilitarian transit option that will be the best use for everyone in the region – not just Kirkland .
  • There are issues for cities around the corridor and they should be addressed – safety, crime, traffic issues, noise, property values.  Investigated some of the issues- so far they have not be able to find one fatality on the corridor to date.  Probably are – but none has shown up.  Crime – spoke to a doctorial dissertation candidate who is exploring crime and transit and her studies have found that crime goes down when transit goes in – more lighting, traffic, security, etc.  Property values- when rail is going in property values go down and once the rail goes in the usual go back up.  Most studies will not address these issues- they will just address ridership and cost.  There has not yet been an investment grade ridership study nor a great cost study as yet.
  • Shows picture of San Luis Obispo corridor with trail and rail co-existing. 
  • Showed video of Oceanside/Escondido rail line.  Shows the DMU which is the type of vehicle that might be used on the line to show how quiet the train could be.   Run by two bus engines.  Showed safety fences to keep people off line.  Has pedestrian overpasses.  Buy tickets from Kiosks.  Random fare checks.  This was shown to illustrate what might be put in.  Showed that train crossing an intersection the crossing took 47 seconds.   Welded rail – continuous so no click-clack.
• BNSF: Part Three Questions
  • How much – including grade separations will be about $280 million.
  • However – estimate versus real cost usually is not close.  Usually costs more.
  • Asks Cascadia how are they supporting trail – did not show possibility of rail and trail together – question as to where would the money come from? 
  • There are nine pinch points where the corridor is less than 100 feet wide – some places where it is closer to 30-50 feet.  Making it harder to have both.
  • Bob Sternoff – asked the Eastside trail people if they know the history of the thoughts of people on the trail – in the past the people living along the route were opposed to trail as well – about 8 years ago.  Pointed out all of the same issues as with rail – so he advised them to go back and look at the history too – just to see how ideas have changed.  City of Kirkland Parks department has memos and plans on this from years ago if you are interested in the history. About 14 years ago Kirkland wanted to put in a trail there within the City limits – along with the rail with the consent of BNSF.  Did not go anywhere.
  • How many stations would there be – 8 on the line. 
  • Would all trains run the full route?  Point was made that some is Sound Transit and some is Snohomish County .  Needs to be a partnership between the two cities. 
  • What would the tracks be?  Will the tracks fit the trains of the future?  Answer – rail is a standard gauge – so different kinds of trains will run on the tracks.
  • Please note you do not get to vote on this specific issue – make your views known directly to the Port of Seattle .  Make note of the hearings next Spring and make your thoughts known.
  • How many trains would be bought, when would they run?  Where will they pass?  These are estimates – train each direction every 30 minutes for 16 hours.  This is the maximum amount.  This is just a proposal. It would be about 8 or 9 trains.  Three passing sites from Bellevue to Snohomish.
  • If you want to make your views known talk to your City Council, Port of Seattle , King County (Ron Sims says he supports), State Rep.
  • CA ( Oceanside ) 22 miles long – double track – did not have a trail and they are adding it now.  $400 million for the 22 miles.  That one is still an active freight line at night.
  • Some ways to fund include transportation funding districts.  Might be able to tie into an theoretical proposed electrical vehicle charging site at the South Kirkland park and ride.
  • Disagreement between the Tom and Kristin  as to the potential rider base and if the area between Snohomish and Renton is similar to Oceanside CA .  Kristin does not believe the areas are similar.
  • Cascadia is hosting a trip including two local residents to see how it works in Oceanside .  If you are interested contact representative Ron Hunter.
  • Comment was made we need more public transportation.  Eastside believes we do need more as well – but thinks buses are the answer.
  • How would bikes and pedestrians cross the crossing?   Answer – they would have to wait for traffic lights.  You just have to wait.  Maybe in the future there might be money for over or underpasses. 
  • Made the point to see how quick the crossings are in Portland.   
  • What is Cascadia’s role – they are here to look at regional transportation issues.  Funded in part by Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.  Do not take money from train companies.  Just look at what they believe is the best way to provide transportation in the area.  Cascadia stated that people down along Lake Washington and they like the idea according to them.  If Kirkland people do not want it there are ways to bypass Kirkland
  • For more information on Eastside Trail Advocates go to: http://www.eastsidetrailadvocates.org/
  • For more information on Cascadia go to: http://www.cascadiaproject.org/transportationWashington/
• Personal Security, Crime and Identity Theft Prevention for Kirkland Residents – Officer Alan O’Neil, Kirkland Police Department 
  • Identity Theft – has anyone here been a victim of identity theft.  No one here as yet.  
  • How does this usually start –people get bills for accounts they do not have, creditors call for accounts you do not have.
  • How do they get your information?  Ordering things on the Internet on unsecure sites.  Phishing – you get a random e-mail from a Bank or company saying you need to verify your information – this is a scam.  Do not reply.  If you get one call your bank – do not reply to them.  From your mail.  If you do not have a shedder get one.  Bob Sternoff is suggesting a shredding day – get a company to come and have a day shred all their documents.   Just use your number.  Now they can clone your card.
  • How do you protect yourself?  Run your credit report frequently to see if there are errors or fraud or things you have not charged.
  • Best to stay on top of as it is hard to fix.   Good website on how to manage and fix these issues: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/
  • Call the Kirkland Police department – they will take a report and you can use this to help repair the charges.  If you know quickly enough sometimes the police can run the surveillance tapes and see who is picking up the people.
  • Do not give your card number to telemarketers.  They often are phishing as well looking for your information.
  • If you are skeptical call the BBB or the AG’s office.  You can report this to the police and they will start a file and can follow up.
  • Some banks are good about working with people and others are not as good.  Some card companies call you to verify charges.  Also debit cards are not as protected as credit cards.  
  • Banking online is a little safer as some people are stealing checks from the mail and washing them and re-writing them.  Do not put checks in unlocked mailboxes.    If you want your own locked mailbox you need to work with the local post office to get one.
  • Do not carry your Social Security card with you.  If you do not want to provide your SSN you may not have to. http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10002.html#protect 
  • Donotcall.gov  - to opt out of telemarketers. 
  • Local crime – what information is available about local crime statistics?  How can I get this information?  What data is available.  If you want to know vehicle prowls, etc.  Answer-  getting new software to help track.  If you go up to the Press board in City Hall you can check the list.
  • City does try to alert the public if there are a lot of incidents.  Try to get it out in the news and local papers.  Problem is it is moving target.  
  • Call the police if you hear something suspicious.  Do not wait until the morning.  Sometimes they can stop the incident. 
  • Is anything being done about Downtown crime?  Using more walking patrols.  Limited staff.  Try to keep 5 to 6 officers on at night and one Sergeant.  Have to patrol the entire city as well as downtown.  During the summer there is an emphasis on foot patrol.  Try to keep a visible presence.  Doing some undercover work as well.  Looking into what is going on in the Parks.  Considering staggered closing times for the bars.
  • How safe is Peter Kirk park at night? Lots of juveniles.  Answer – Kirkland is safe.  Which is why there is a lot of property crime because people leave their doors unlocked.  However very low incidents of violent crimes.
  • What are the incidents that are occurring the park?  What are the natures of most of the crimes – some drugs, some petty theft – more at the transit center.  
• Announcements: 
  • PACE Race for prostate cancer will be held on Sunday, November 2nd.  If you are interested in signing up or volunteering check out https://secure.getmeregistered.com/get_information.php?event_id=1732
  • CERT: Interested in learning how to protect yourself and the community?  The Kirkland fire department is offering an 8 week series of classes on how to react in an emergency situation.  Classes are Wednesday nights and one Saturday starting on September 17th.  For more information or to register go to: http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/depart/Fire_and_Building/prepare/cert.htm
  • Market Supper – Kirkland Wednesday Market – September 17th.  A harvest dinner to benefit the Kirkland Market and raise funds to help relocate the Market next year while the Transit Center is being built.  For more details go to: http://www.kirklandwednesdaymarket.org/events.htm
• Neighborhood Projects:
  • Google – taken occupancy of building to start building out interior spaces.  May start moving employees in around February at the earliest. 
  • Bank of America – Project has been rejected by the City Council. SRM has appealed the council rejection in Superior Court.
  • McLeod Project – Project is approved and building permits have been applied for, but project is currently on hold.  No current start date.
  • Nettleton project – 26 houses approved.  The site work is underway.  Home construction will be phased. Some homes have already been pre-sold.
  • US Bank – no current plans.   May be waiting to see if building moratorium goes through.
  • Chaffey building:  Has had a preliminary meeting with DRB to propose a 4 story mixed use building.
  • 323 Lake Street S.  For sale for $3.4 million – zoned single family
  • 2nd Ave and State – will not build until a tenant is found.  One possibility is a health club.  Asked question if neighborhood would have issue – answer no if there is adequate parking.
  • ParkPlace – still with Planning commission.  City Council has study sessions on proposed variances in October and November.  October 22nd and 23rd there will be public hearings.  December 16th Council meeting – possible ruling on proposal. 
  • Unitarian church.  Renovation to be complete in November.  Bottom to be used for daycare center.
  • Library:  Will not start remodel until January at earliest.  Signed an agreement with ParkPlace books to use part of space for holds and limited computer use and functions.  Hoping to be able to keep holding story times in Downtown.  Partnering with churches and daycare centers.  If you know a location please contact library

Welcome: 

• Bill Anspach update from the meeting with the  Parking Advisory Board as the Stakeholder from the Moss Bay Association.  Issues covered – PAB recommended making the April 16th and 24th had two meetings to determine what we wanted to charge for parking in the evening.  Goal was consistency and easy to understand.  Four 30 minute free spots in the two lots, handicapped parking, and three hour parking during the day.  Evenings – (5-9) $1 an hour.  This is the recommendation going to the Council.  Implementing mid to late Fall 
• Ken Dueker added the PAB is giving back something in that parking will be free now during the day.  

 

• Walk Around Kirkland: David Ramsay, Kirkland City Manager< >Since there is an appeal David cannot talk about the Bank of America project and the McLeod project –quasi-judicial state and the members of the  Council and the staff cannot talk about the project.  David will leave ParkPlace to TouchstoneNorth – Annexation – is the city going to annex the Juanita, Kings Gate and North Hill?  City Council meeting tomorrow, and from a preliminary straw poll it appears that the vote tomorrow will go 4-3 and annexation will not happen. Hard decision because it is two goods points of view.  Counties should provide main infrastructure and Cities take over local services.  So for good public policy Kirkland should take it over.  However, for good fiscal policy the city does not think it should take it over.  The State offered additional fund to cover 10 years of the gap in revenue for costs of services.  Problem remained of what to do after 10 years.  It appears that it is the right thing to do, but it is not fiscally possible and that is what David believes will be said tomorrow night in the meeting. Fiscal state of the city- budget is facing serious problems.  Two year budget cycle.  The 09-10 budget is what is being planned now.  The General Fund is abut $120 Million over two years.  Projecting a $6 million shortfall and they are working to cover the gap.  The General Fund covers things like parks, police, etc.  The shortfall comes from lack of growth and the level of dependency on sales taxes.  Costco has opened stores in Bellevue and Redmond taking sales taxes and Toyota dealership is moving out of town taking revenue too.  Tools to cover this are reductions in services and increases in other forms of revenue.  What services to cut? Kirkland gets good reviews on services and the public does not want to see any cut and wants other services.  Trying to identify lower priority services.  Police and Fire are 60% of the budget.  Cannot cut streets.  People want parks.  Council is looking to engage the community to identify areas people are willing to cut.What fiscal responsibility does Kirkland have for the transit center?  None – all coming from Sound Transit.Pension system for City employees – is this an issue?  Yes, Kirkland pays well and it takes a large part of their budget.  This is one of the areas Kirkland is looking at – medical benefits, compensation overall may take a hit.  Police and Fire are Unionized and if an agreement cannot be reached it will go to arbitration.  Will the increase Seattle just gave impact Kirkland?  Probably and there are issues in recruiting – competitive and hard to find the right people to fit the job.  Need to pay near the top in order to attract and retain officers.  Noted by member that Kirkland employees are excellent and do their jobs well.Income enhancements- what will these be?  Looking to increase sales tax and what will happen with Totem Lake MallTotem Lake Mall – sorry condition and getting worse.  A REIT bought the mall 4 years ago and there were high hopes to get it turned around.  Good mixed use project but it is 2 ½ years later and nothing has happened.  The REIT is trying to attract tenants.  The number one revenue source is sales tax and that is what the city is hoping to increase and attract.  The REIT developers still say they are coming in a month or two (David will believe that when they show up).Other revenue opportunities – property tax or utility taxes could be increase.Development revenue from construction is important, but that work is winding down.Were people willing to have the taxes raised – some were.  City is also considering a head tax on employees.  The business license fee was hard to get through and since there are many small employers Kirkland has to be careful how it goes after businesses. Avoiding B & O (business and operations) tax that other nearby cities have.Juanita Village –  It has improved a lot in the past 10 years.  Third phase is coming into place and Juanita Beach Park is coming along.  Metropolitan Market is coming into Houghton area – taking over Houghton Market.  Google is coming in 180,000 square feet of office space on 6th St. S.Nokia is coming into ParkPlace.  David hopes we are creating a niche for high quality tech firms who care about quality of place.Transit Center- signal at 3rd and Kirkland is under design.  Should be under construction early 2009.  Transit Center itself is under re-design and should get underway in summer 2009Park lane and what to do about sidewalks and trees.  Want to enhance the areas and needs to improve it and improve the sidewalks without hurting the trees.Peter Kirk Park – concerns about inappropriate behavior and the City is working on the issues.  If you have concerns please call with details.  The Chief of Police is putting more officers and undercover officers there and please let them know if the issues do not improve.   Want to enforce proper behavior without hassling people who are just hanging out.Park Place – who would hear an appeal if one was file?  Looks like the Council will hear it.  Problem is the current Design Review Board only has 3 members and so cannot operate effectively.  What will happen?  Going to be discussed at the Council meeting tomorrow.Comment made that all the sidewalks downtown – not just Park Lane need help.  David agrees and once a solution is developed then they will start looking for funding.8 of the top 10 tax revenue generators are car dealers.  Construction is large, but they are single shots.  Toyota of Kirkland is moving to old  Graham Steel site – is it part of Kirkland? No it is part of the area under consideration for annexation, so Kirkland would lose that sales tax revenue, around 500K/year.    Question was raised can Kirkland just annex small areas?  It depends were allowed to cherry pick in the past to choose areas that would pay for themselves.  Comment made that hoops to jump through to get permits to build in Kirkland are too burdensome and if Kirkland wants to encourage development shouldn’t they make it easier?  Two parts – high standards – which Kirkland does not want to drop – and process – which should be streamlined, but Kirkland actually rates high in process.  Announcements:< >Moss Bay BBQ –Glenn Peterson and Sarah Andeen are heading up the effort.  July 21st – first ever BBQ.  Do not usually have a meeting in July so we thought we would have a BBQ instead of a regular meeting.  We have funds to spend on food.  Will be here on the patio from 5:30 or so.  Bring your own beverages.  Going to have a band – Mud Junket and a few announcements.  Looking for a few volunteers and a few people with BBQ grills.  Keep checking the website if for details.Memorial Day – Seven Hills of Kirkland should have 1,500 bikers – please be aware of the bikers and if you want to help out the troops at the water stations and such please volunteer.  Will be starting around 5:30 am.  Please come on down. http://www.7hillskirkland.com/ June 10th anniversary of the Kirkland Performance Center  and on June 8th there is a full day of free performances. Library Update -  Library will be shutting in October for remodeling and a small outpost will be set up in ParkPlace books for holds and such.Park Place Re-Development: A.P. Hurd from Touchstone Corporation 
  • Been developing a mixed used proposal for the past 18 months.  Been looking at the Downtown Strategic Plan and how could they help meet these needs – including parking, need for pedestrian connection, strong retail, need for office space, need for more retail.  In order to meet these goals they hired retail consultant Bob Gibbs.   < >Need critical mass – must be able to do all their shopping there 300,000 square feetNeeds to be complementary not competitive to downtownWant smaller local and regional stores with only a few national storesWant stores where you can find what you need – basic suppliesLead to a larger QFC with more hardware, etc.Not spoken to other tenants because there do not yet have approval for the mixed use plan.  Will speak to them once (if ) approval is granted.Pedestrian friendly – how can it be made for people to walk.  Wanted to try to put all the parking underground  Want a few roads through the place.  Makes people feel more comfortable – if you make the cars go slower it helps to connect peopleLots of open space that is different from a Park – just to people watch or sit and have a coffee or listen to a band or view art or see fountains.  Want to have a good open lively space.This is expensive – in order to make this work need to go to 8 stories for office space in order to pay for this.  Needs a zoning amendment.  Working through the process now.  Had 5 public meetings.  The height is an issue and people are concerned.  Touchstone is trying to work to make it as inviting as possible to pay for all of this and yet still have the density needed to pay for this.  If they cannot get the approval for the office space then they cannot do the project.  Retail is slow to stabilize.  Offices pay back faster.  Being reviewed by the Planning Commission on June 12th.  If you have thoughts please come.  Then City Council needs to sign off.  Hoping to have a decision by the end of the year.  Comments – need to bring the site up out of a bowl  - to have ground level match the street.  The overall height will be about 120 feet because retail sites tend to be higher.  Also office heights tend to be about 11 – 13 feet per floor.  This allows for better lighting and ventilation.  These will be sustainable buildings and will be environmentally friendly and this means they do need to be higher .Developed a site plan and a massing study.  This gets expensive with plans and bills and they will not fully develop all the building until approval is granted.  This is why in the mock ups the office buildings are fairly plain and boring  - just to show where the buildings will be and how they will fit in the site.Setback from the street/park is supposed to be 20 feet. Only one corner is not at 20 feet because it is city owned.  The rest of the development setbacks average 35 feet.  Because of the uncertainty with the city they have also submitted an office only alternative.  This is just to hedge their bets.  Not to try to force the City's hand, but they need to recoup their investment – so if the mixed use is not approved then it will be turned into an all office park.   It will be a nice office park – a few restaurants and one or two small stores to serve the offices.  This proposal will be at about 70 feet high. In Phase I of alternative, QFC would remain as-is. Unsure about what happens in Phase II of alternative.1.8 million square feet.  1.2 million of office 300,000 retail and 300,000 hotel and sports club comprise the mixed use development. Number of office workers is about 4,300 with a maximum of about 4,800.  This will require 3,500 parking spaces and how do you bring that many people into the city and where do they park. If you want to read all about the environmental impact there is a 350 page pdf document on the City website that covers this http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/__shared/assets/Environmental_Impact_Statement_Draft8338.pdfIf there is mixed use you will see that the office peak parking nees, the shopping peak, the hotel peak and the movie peak do not usually overlap.  So there can be an overlap in the use of parking spaces allowing you to provide less parking.As a developer they need to be able to attract tenants - so it is to their benefit to provide enough parking.  Parking will be fee based, but if you shop it can be validated.  Traffic - No action alternative - what will the traffic be in 10 years if no action is taken and what will the traffic be like in 10 years if the amendment is granted?  Based on this study the developer is charged impact fees to offset the additional traffic.  Retail might lower traffic as people do not have to drive to Bellevue.  The office space is where the traffic will be increased.  Been working on ways to get people into the office complex from the 405- and it will be going opposite Kirkland commuters.  When FileNet opened here 20% of their employees lived in Kirkland and 80% lived elsewhere and 5 years later 80% of employees lived in Kirkland.   Touchstone sees this happening with the ParkPlace development too.Will alternative transportation be encouraged?  Yes, they are talking to Sound Transit and will be working to encourage use of mass transit. Will have bike racks, showers for bikers, encourage employers to offer bus passes, etc.Only if they do not get the private amendment request will they do they pure office.  As long as they get the request they will do the mixed use.QFC has been moved and they want to keep it a little further away from other retail and keep the parking handy for the QFC.  It may be a little further from Kirkland way, but it has to be that way.Looking to break ground in late 2009-2010 in the absolute best case scenario.  Phase One will not be done until 2114 at the best.  Are hoping to keep any tenants who want to stay - like Pancake House.$800,000 million investmentJune 12th - planning commission meeting on this.Neighborhood Projects:
    • "Nettleton Site" project (old Green Funeral Home) - 25 new homes on State Street - moving forward next week
    • CamWest will be removing an outbuilding and the addition on the back of the Nettleton home in preparation for the move. The original house will be moved south after site work is completed.
    • Pace site – CamWest, the owner and the State Department of Ecology have reached an agreement on a new cleanup approach. The process should start moving and CamWest could start development as early as late 2009.
    • Andy Loos of SRM Development was contacted and told us that the Google site on 6th St. S. has been turned over to Google for interior improvement and they will be moving in late 2008. 
    • SRM will be demolishing the Assembly of God church building at 2nd Ave S and State in June. Construction will start when a tenant has been secured.
    • Second Ave South and State - demolishing church building, but are going to hold the property until they have a buyer.
    • B of A project - appeal was granted by the City Council. SRM will reassess the project once the Council publishes its findings in writing, which is slated to happen at the May 20 Council meeting. 
    • Merrill Gardens will be complete by year end. This is at the old Kirkland Pub site, east of the Bank of America.
    • IMAN Center Mosque on State Street is being remodeled but footprint and height will stay the same but with more windows
    • 10th Ave South - "10th and State" - seven houses will be build and three foundations are poured.  More information coming.
    • Second Ave. S. and Lake - Chafey what is happening? In holding until DRB is back up and running.  Probably mixed use.

Moss Bay Co-Chair Mark Eliasen called the meeting to order.Stephanie Day, Kirkland's Emergency Services Coordinator, gave a presentation on that topic. Stephanie presented a PowerPoint that outlined the City's program. 

• There is a web site -- http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/depart/Fire_and_Building/prepare.htm -- that will be used in time of emergency. 
• Kirkland has a designated shelter team trained and ready to deploy. 
• Stephanie described the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) and how citizens can be trained. The CERT class is a 7 week course that involves 29 hours of training, including training putting out real fires. Next class starts April 9 6-9PM. There are 200 Kirkland graduates so far – 10 from Moss Bay. 
• MYN (Map Your Neighborhood) is a 90 minute program that trains citizens to take action on their block such as shutting off gas, water etc. Next MYN training will be April 7. 
• Stephanie also described ARES, the Amateur Radio Emergency Service, which can be a critical link in an emergency which knocks out power and phones.

City Councilmember Bob Sternoff, a regular at our meetings, informed us that the new traffic signal for the intersection of Third St. and Kirkland Ave. is scheduled to be engineered soon, with the contract to be let in late summer. The light should be installed by the end of 2008.
Dick Beazell – Executive Director, Kirkland Downtown Association, was our next guest speaker. Dick thanked the Moss Bay Neighborhood Association for donating $$ for the flower program, and Centennial trees, which are doing quite well at the corner of Main St. and Park Lane. Dick had some "business news flashes" for us

• New bike shop
• George's Place was purchased by  George’s son, Pete, who is remodeling and expanding. The restaurant will be open for dinner and have a lounge when it's completed.
• Trellis (at the Heathman Kirkland Hotel) was named a top restaurant by Bon Appetite magazine.
• Downtown landlords are looking at business plans and trying to identify tenants that will be stable and successful.
• Downtown detailers – Looking for volunteers to help keep downtown tidy.
• Clean Sweep – May 3 is the traditional town clean up

Jodi Bardanelli - Kirkland's new Wednesday Market Manager - spoke next. The market will be opening on May 9 and run for 5 1/2 months. The hours are 2-7. New features this year will include a pork shop, an oyster booth, a fresh pasta stand, and a honey purveyor. There will be 60 total booths, with artist booths limited to 12.
Steve Lerian, Executive Director of the  Kirkland Performance Center, reported on that organization. Due to good attendance and good contributions from the community, KPC is on a solid financial footing with a balanced budget and only limited support from the City. Steve told us how KPC created a "four legged" model of operation (production, national acts, community resource and education programs) that has been very successful and has been emulated by other performance centers. KPC will have its 10 year anniversary celebration June 8.
Cindy Zech, Moss Bay's liaison to the Park Board, reported on Heritage Park -- awaiting funding for the next two phases of improvements -- and how the Transit Center will effect Peter Kirk Park. A slice of the park (the berm along third base line) will be taken from the park and included in the Transit Center. 
Bea Nahon, representing CIVIK, a group opposed to the size of the Bank of America project, briefed us on that issue. Bea mentioned that the project has received Design Review Board and Planning approval, but that CIVIK has an appeal in progress that will be heard by City Council April 15.
Moss Bay Co-Chair Don Winters updated us on the McCleod proposal, slated for the east side of Lake St. The project received Design Review Board approval on April 11 and is now in the permitting phase. A project proposed for the US Bank site on Central Way has gone through a pre-submittal process with Planning, but there is no further news at this time.

• Next Meeting - Monday May 19th 7 pm at Heritage Hall. City Manager Dave Ramsay will give his "State of the City" report.

Welcome from Don Winters and Mark Eliasen

• Thanks for coming and braving the weather and ignoring the State of the Union . Please note that the meeting is usually on the third Monday not the fourth, but due to a conflict we had to move it this week.
• Encourage anyone who wants to get involved to send an e-mail.  Please get involved.  Use neighborhood resources to get information about new projects.  Either you can talk to builders to get information or ask Moss Bay Association and we will bring it up.
• Current Issues in Kirkland - Mayor Jim Lauinger  - Chair of HopeLink, on City Council for two terms and mayor for two terms. 
  • Recognized Councilpersons Bob Sternoff and Jessica Greenway
  • Wants to make it clear that these are his thoughts on the state of the City
  • City Finances and what the challenges are in obtaining adequate funding.  Reads newspapers in other jurisdictions for ideas.  Problems are the same all over.  Problems with development and growth and obtaining enough funding.  Checked out old book - Megatrends - and looked at the shift between a representative democracy and a participatory democracy.  Kirkland has shifted to being a participatory democracy - which is good and bad.
  • Sales Tax - had a great first half of the year.  From both retail and development and even with hospital equipment growth.  We were 10% over in July.  Then 5 months of tax revenue that was below projections.  0.6% increase over 2006 for 11 months.  Food and Drink were up about 4% - which is down from the normal 5%, but still good.  Service sector was up 3.3%.  Again not bad - slightly below average (only about 10% of total).  Development was down about 15% - less happening at the hospital and the I-405 construction.  So the drop in contracting is what really pushed us down.  Auto sales were still strong - finished up about 10% up for the year overall, but by the end of the year even they were slowing.  Sales tax in dollar amounts still doing better than 2003-2005.
• Jessica Greenway - we are heading into an economic downturn.  Much of the City revenue is dependent on sales tax so there is a growing concern that we will not have enough money to maintain basic city services.  Bob concurred.
• Mayor indicated that they did not want to adjust the sales tax to adjust for swings in the economy - so it means that we have to plan.  This has impacts for long term projects and most projects come in well over budget - mainly due to increases in material costs such as concrete and asphalt.  Jessica was making the point that we are competing with building projects all over the country and the City does get competitive bids - the bids are coming back much higher than originally budgeted for. 
• Bob indicated that overall there are rising costs each year such as wage, health, and general increases  and so we need the sales tax to continue to rise to ensure that the city can continue to provide basic services.
• Mayor states that there is an increasing demand for more services such as more police and staff.  But unwillingness to raise taxes to pay for this - so there is a tension in the budget. Faster rate of expenditure than increases in revenue.  City is locked into labor contracts - which means they are locked into wage increases.  There is at a minimum of 4-6% increase each year for expenditures and an average of 1% increase in property tax.  The sales tax has been making up the difference until now. 
• Hard to keep hiring people, providing new services, funding annexation, and continuing to develop the city.
• Going from a manufacturing economy to a service economy.  We have more chorographer then metal casters - etc (from the NYT magazine).  So what should Kirkland do to capitalize on this trend?  Don't chase sales tax dollars.  Look at other sources of revenue.  Survey - what is your city going to be doing about improving revenue - answer from most - mixed use retail. 
• However- of the top 25 jobs in King County about 13 of the top 25 could not afford to live in Kirkland . So we are limiting ourselves as to who can live here.
• Meeting the Mayor was in with the other Eastside mayors today he realized that you need to make about $22 an hour to afford to live in a basic apartment here.  So this turns Kirkland in to a commuter city.  We are looking at transportation issues as people will now live in other cities.  Many places you cannot afford to live and work in the same community.   
• Need to shift thinking to how can we bring in better paying jobs?  City is looking to partner with high tech companies.
• Want to develop community wealth.  Looking to develop Totem Lake and other areas - but carefully so as not to negatively impact close in neighborhoods.
• Want young two income families - maybe not Union jobs, but rather high tech jobs as they are going to be the foundation of the growth of the City.  Want to save light industrial lands.  Make sure it does not go away - allowed Google to come in.  They are a good fit - not only office, but commute at off hours.  Looking to build a different model for community wealth.
• Feb 2002 report on Growth without Growth - Brookings Report - those communities in the 1990's that just wanted jobs - any jobs got hurt.  Those that focused on specific high tech jobs did much better as the infrastructure requirements are lower.
• Need to stop chasing sales tax revenue and look at alternative forms of growth.
• Question and Answers - please note he may not be able to comment on anything specifically in front of the council at the moment
  • How does the property tax work?  As our assessments go up the taxes go up.  So has Kirkland profited from the boom?  Answer - City really gets most revenue from new units.  Do not get much from the appreciation in general.  Goes to other areas - not to Kirkland .  Most of the property tax revenue is allocated to other areas - Debt allocation, EMT, Schools, King County , Library, Etc.  Kirkland has about a 1% increase each year and that is only about $130,000 annually. 
  • Comment - unrealistic about property taxes - if the valuation is not helping you then need to increase the percentage of taxes.  So must raise. Mayor's response is he would rather renew our enthusiasm for the public sector and need to fund a better transportation system and infrastructure.  We are not providing amenities.  Need a quality of life.  The consumer economy is hurting this as we are failing to fund major projects.  Need to do this and the funding will come if we get the jobs that will help pay for it.  City is also raising utility fees and impact fees.
  • How will bringing in these jobs help raise revenue?  These jobs with people with young families and houses will go shopping in Kirkland (which is why redeveloping Totem Lake is critical) and this will raise the sales tax revenue.  Kirkland has great demographics to leverage.  But we have strong competition. 
  • Annexation - good jobs in the annexation area?  Mayor - we have four more months of study.  There will be a lot of strain to the city resources.  Some will still be there even without annexation, but that would exacerbate the situation.  Need to run the numbers hard - if we cannot figure out how to afford it we will not do it. Some of the advantages would be a bigger tax base for a bigger tax base for capital services. 
  • ParkPlace really bring in 4,000 new jobs?  Mayor - appreciative of plans but city is really studying to make sure the floorplate will be correct.  It will be designed for high tech companies - needs to be the right mix of retail, infrastructure and services.
  • What is Kirkland doing to make the city greener?  With the development are we changing the building codes and transportation footprints.  Mayor - yes - we are taking steps to put together a sustainable committee to address these issues.  Need the people with experience to ensure we will be on the cutting edge.  Looking at LED lights for the city.  Bob added that this is a major issue for the council and everything is being looked at in light of these concerns.
  • Who owns the Park and Ride?  Bellevue and Kirkland .  Looking at things to do around that area.  Looking at maybe some housing developments.
  • After Lake and Central stopped it was made clear that the City needed a clear cut vision for Kirkland - what is this vision and is there something coming?  Mayor - there was a committee and they did a decent job and they put something out there that needs to be looked at again and talked about.
• Eastside Rail Program
  • The Burlington Northern (BNSF) rail line runs along the east side of the Moss Bay Neighborhood.   King County was talking about buying the rail line.  That fell through.  Port of Seattle is now looking at buying it.  Been several proposals - hiking, commuter rail, etc. The Cascadia Center has a plan that want to combined the two.  Hiking trails and commuter rails. Bruce Agnew and Tom Jones presenting
  • http://www.cascadiaprospectus.org/2008/01/get_on_board_with_eastside_com.php
  • The Eastside Trailway Partnership is a 501c4 non-profit created by the Cascadia Center to raise public and private funds for a pilot route between Snohomish and Bellevue on the tracks to be purchased by the Port of Seattle.
  •  The Cascadia Center does not want to build the rail system, but wants to build a consensus and a development plan, create a cost analysis, and do things like pay for a study on the viability of the tracks and hopefully in the future a ridership study.  Property cost $103 Million which is a good deal for 42 miles of track.
  • Sat in on the Puget Sound Transit committee study and the rails and trails program.  The report was voted against because it recommended taking up too much of the track.  Voted for Ron Sims proposal which kept the rail and incorporated its use.  Want to use it for commuter rail.  
  • With the Port taking over, the Center believes that we can get commuter rails and trails sharing the space within our lifetime and by using a Public/Private partnership.  For example the cities would raise the money for the stations.
  • Puget Sound Regional Study - 42 mile corridor - study breaks down the challenges.
  • Kirkland area is addressed specifically in the presentation.  Shows how the North/South line would intersect with trails already here.
  • Shows the kind of car that would run on the line.  Basically like a trolley.  Can operate on train tracks or can go offline and operate as a streetcar.  Would have bike racks and run on biodiesel.
  • Tom Jones stressed that the corridor should be kept in the public hands, and be prevented from being sold off into parcels.  Agreement on that.  Not much else can be agreed upon.  Some want to remove all tracks.  This group believes there is precedent for having both trails and rails operate effectively together.
  • Cars for train - no locomotive - operated by an engine under the front.  Much quieter and can accelerate faster.  Can link two cars together and would have enough capacity. 
  • Some argue there is not enough ridership to warrant the cost.  Study has showed that the current rails and ties would need to be replaced.  Estimate is that replacing it (as long as the current track is in place) is $800,000 per mile.  Cost goes up exponentially if the old track is removed first.  New track is much quieter. 
  • Would have park and rides and would be transportation hubs to things like the Microsoft connector.  Be real transportation centers and maybe even tie some retail to the areas near the stations.
  • Noise is a concern and the trains that would run within the cities can operate quieter.  Uses technology to improve crossings so that there does not need to be a whistle when the train is crossing. 
  • Might connect to Sound Transit and Everett and the Sounder trains and Amtrak.  Could connect to the Airport or even up to Vancouver . 
  • Dedicate to putting a trail in along with the trains.  Snohomish to Bellevue is likely the first place to start.  Then down to Renton .  405 construction is the sticking point.
  • Costs - new track would be $37 million for the track $35 million for trains $200,000 per station.  About $55 for the trails.  Total cost would be about $200-250 million.  Might be some additional environmental impact costs. 
  • Questions
    • Single track?  Yes.  can operate in both directions and does not need to turn around.  Trains would probably operate once an hour.  About 10 stations.   Takes about 3-5 minutes at each station. 
    • What happens when you get to Renton ?  Where do I go? Answer it would connect to Sound Transit and the airport.   What happens in Bellevue ?  How do I get to the mall?  Talking about running a bus or even these trains can operate like streetcars and can run into some of the cities.
    • What about hitting traffic crossings?  Cannot keep stopping traffic that frequently.  So maybe needs to put in some overpasses.
    • How do they operate - on biodiesel.  Somewhat green.  People want to know if it could be electric.  Reply is that it would be too expensive.  Reply is that current diesel is cleaning burning.  Carries 180 people.  Less cars on the 405.  Will explore other greener options too.
    • 5 train sets - train one way or the other every 45 minutes. 
    • Will be community hearings to figure out what they want.  Where they want their stations.  What do they want for connections, etc.  Get local community groups involved for some of the funding and also developers to help fund construction of park and rides, retail, etc.  Each community would be different and could determine what it looks like in their area.
    • Point made that it would be a crime to lose this opportunity as once the rails go away it is dead.  Suggested that everyone call the Port Commission and recommend that they pass the deal.
    • One suggestion was made to turn it into a paved bus corridor.  Answer - no train carries more people and they are planning on working with the regional bus providers to tie to those services.
    • Looking at places for taxis and also plug in places for electric cars.  Would allow private shuttle buses to run into the transit centers.
    • Starting community meetings in Bellevue to determine what the local communities want and to make sure the right questions are asked.  This will be held on the 19th of Feb at 6:30 at the Bellevue Public Libraries.  Visit their website at http://www.eastsiderailnow.org/ Encourage people to come to that meeting.
    • Because Prop 1 was voted down there will be a $2 billion excess by 2020 that must be spent on the Eastside.  Some of the funds are there.  Need to take an affirmative action with the Port to ensure that the Eastside gets what they need.  Port wants to get some freight redundancy. 
    • Encourages the development of a local Kirkland committee to start exploring how the rail would interact with the city.
    • Not saying that no houses will need to be taken, but this is one way to limit the impact.
    • Are others using these cars and where are they built?  Yes, other communities ( Portland , San Diego , Austin ) are implementing these cars and the cars are built near Sacramento and Golden, Co.
    • Operating costs- these operate at lower costs per Sounder or Amtrak.  Claim that they are almost self sufficient at ridership loads of 60%.  Due to lower operating costs.
    • Need to increase capacity - answer is that there will be passing sitings and also can link more cars together.  With the GPS's in place these can effectively control the tracks.
• Kari Page - Neighborhood Action Program - started the process of what projects to get voted on for the community.  Been around for 9 years.  Had 41 requests.  Some were taken off because the city could do them, some cost too much.  Have the list and we can now do everything on the list for $25,900
  • New crosswalk
  • New street lights on Lake Washington Blvd
  • Signs on Lake Washington showing the whole walk
  • Putting in a bench and more pots for Downtown
• Question - are we going to be environmentally friendly with the new lights.  Kari will check that out.
• Neighborhood Projects
  • Andy Luce - doing several projects including Google and they are on schedule for the summer.  Building on 2nd ave South - on the market and has a buyer.  Project going in should be a two story office development.  Still up in the air so if you hear anything let us know.  Merrill Gardens is underway.  B of A project is 5 stories with setbacks.  At the Design Review and has passed.  Is at the appeal phase.  This project is 55 feet tall.  The McCloud project is 4 stories and 54 feet.  Difference is because B of A is residential and Cloud is office.  Camwest is going to be 25 homes.  Not sure when that will be put underway.
• Bea Nahon spoke about getting involved with Downtown developments and learning more.  If you want to get involved and keep up with downtown projects in general e-mail her at [email protected] or to participate in the appeal to the Design Review Board on the Bank of America/Merrill Gardens project contact Citizens for a Vibrant Kirkland at [email protected]
• Collected donations for Hopelink
• Next Meeting - Monday March 17th 7 pm at Heritage Hall