We opened the meeting with a moment of silence to honor veterans.
Kirkland Urban Update Bill Leedom, the Director of Investments at Talon Private Capital, gave us an update on Kirkland Urban:
Hopelink Tom Kreinbring shared information about Hopelink and new additions to the Turkey Trot fun run:
Crossing Kirkland 2019 The 3rd annual Crossing Kirkland community event will be held September 7, 2019. It will shrink from 6 to 3 locations to make it easier to visit all event stations along the Cross Kirkland Corridor. The leadership team is seeking volunteers for Station Captain roles. Email contact@mossbay.org if you are interested. Developer Update
Bike Sharing in Kirkland Assistant City Manager Jim Lopez presented information about the potential for regulated bike-sharing in Kirkland. We already have Lime bikes in Kirkland because they are established in neighboring towns. The City is determining whether to formally regulate Lime bikes in a pilot program to exert some control over the ability to move bikes causing clutter and other concerns. If the pilot program moves forward, there is not expected to be a cost to the City; in fact it may generate revenue. If there were costs, they would be for government-subsidized docking stations, which is not part of the pilot plan. Another option is to paint white-striped areas designated for parking bikes. If approved, the bikes are expected to be an all-electric fleet (pedaling takes less effort). City Council is actively seeking resident input:
Off-Leash Dog Areas Jim Lopez led us through a discussion on the possibility of expanding off-leash dog areas. By City law, only the Ethan Moulton Park's fenced-in dog trail and Jasper Park allow dogs off-leash. The City is considering options that include creating additional off-leash locations and/or having designated hours for pets to be off-leash in certain areas of parks. The City now has an animal control officer that provides enforcement. The current enforcement policy is:
City Council is seeking resident input:
Tony Leavitt, Senior Planner with City of Kirkland provided information about two development projects near and in our neighborhood:
Kurt Triplett, City Manager, delivered an informational presentation on the community safety ballot measure to be voted on during the November 2018 general election:
Bea Nahon shared an update:
Amanda Judd gave a Crossing Kirkland recap:
Neighborhood Safety Program:
1. Kirkland Safe
1. Short-term Rental Ordinance
It was great to see a big turnout for our City Council Candidates Forum. The entire agenda was dedicated to the event.
We started the evening with a moment of silence to remember the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. We then heard a short talk from each candidate, followed by candidates each answering one question submitted by Moss Bay neighbors. We concluded with time for candidates and residents to mingle. Penny Sweet was unable to make it and provided a statement that was read during the forum. Candidates in attendance were:
Our next meeting will be November 13, 2017, at 7pm at Heritage Hall. King County Metro Update from Julie Paone, Transportation Planner at King County Metro
Totem Lake Development update from Kirkland’s Planning Department
For the Love of Kirkland event In January, Kirkland hosted a popular event that generated inspiring ideas for developing community connections. A group of attendees have planned a community-building event called Crossing Kirkland that will take place on September 9, 2017. They are envisioning stations for food and activities set up at different points along the CKC, hosted by each neighborhood association. Sign up to volunteer at http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080d4fa9a729a6fe3-project Update on matching grant project
Officer elections
Future agenda topics and summer social meeting
NORCOM – 911 Dispatch Information
Jeremy Henshaw, Acting Supervisor of NORCOM (North East King County Regional Public Safety Communication Agency), explained how the 911 dispatch system for police and fire departments operates. NORCOM answers both 911 and non-emergency numbers for Kirkland and other East King County cities. NORCOM answers both lines as 911, asking each caller if it is an emergency, and responds accordingly. If you call from a landline, the contact information associated with the number is captured. Cellphone calls don’t automatically provide NORCOM with addresses, and they are trained to help quickly identify where to send help if you don’t know your precise location. If you wish to remain anonymous, immediately tell NORCOM when you are connected. Once they ask your name, it becomes part of the record. They can make a note in the system that you want to be anonymous. King County has some of the quickest response rates for medical emergencies. The survival rate for heart attacks is about 65% compared to other parts of the country with rates as low as 5%. Other agencies visit NORCOM for training due to their outstanding response times. Jon Pascal – Newest City Council Member John was appointed to the council to replace Shelley Kloba, who stepped down after her election to the state Legislature. His appointment lasts until the November 2017 elections, which he will participate in to keep his seat. He is Chair of the Public Works, Parks, and Human Services Commission. John’s previous experience with the City includes serving as a transportation commissioner, a planning commissioner, as the Chair of the Finn Hill Neighborhood Alliance, and on KAN’s board (Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods). As a Council Member, his priorities include:
Houghton Everest Neighborhood Center and 6th Street Corridor Lisa McConnell provided information about Houghton and Everest plans and City zoning. In 2009, the Houghton neighborhood began updating their neighborhood plan, including the business center. Since both Houghton and Everest span the business district, they joined together to ensure consistency. Currently the Neighborhood plan and Kirkland’s zoning for the area don’t match. Current City zoning only allows two stories for businesses. The neighborhood plan allows three to five stories. One of the largest factors is how to reconcile the two plans, but there are also many decisions that can be made during this process, including setbacks, design reviews, and density. More information can be found on Kirkland’s webpage for the project. If you have feedback or questions, you are encouraged to attend a community Open House at 6pm on March 23, at City Hall. At 7pm, a joint Public Hearing will take place with the Planning Commission and Houghton Community Council. Transit Plans The Transit Route 255 in Kirkland (along with other Eastside routes) will stop at the UW station starting in the autumn of 2018 instead of going directly to downtown Seattle. There will be an Open House in Kirkland about changes to transit. March 28, 2017, 6 – 8pm at Kirkland City Hall. You can find out more and take an online survey on King County’s Metro website. For the Love of Kirkland Projects To sign up to participate in the community projects proposed at the For the Love of Kirkland event, visit http://www.kirklandkan.org/resources.html. Matching Grant Volunteer Hours Moss Bay is eligible for up to $3,266 in matching grant funds from the City, which we voted to put towards a sign at Marina Park. To earn the grant, we need to complete 138 volunteer hours. Any hours Moss Bay residents volunteered since January 1, 2017 count, and we want to capture them all! Email contact@mossbay.org with your name, date and description of activity, and hours volunteered. For future qualifying activities:
Kirkland Senior Council and Resource Guide Syd Mack told us about the Kirkland’s Senior Council, which meets monthly and advocates for senior residents. One of their activities is an Art Show for creative works by residents age 50 or better, which is hosted annually at Merrill Gardens. The Senior Council publishes a guide with all types of resources seniors may need, including housing, medical, emergency information, legal resources, transportation and more. Physical copies of the guide can be picked up at PCC or made available to you upon request. An online version is continuously updated on the Senior Council website. Moss Bay Meeting Notes – January 9, 2017
Update on Affordable Housing from Kurt Triplett, Kirkland City Manager Kirkland’s City Council has prioritized Affordable Housing as a top issue for 2017, and the related transportation issues that come with it. People who work in Kirkland but can’t afford to live here are frequently commuting in single passenger cars because there aren’t practical bus routes. One aspect of Sound Transit 3 that impacts Kirkland is the Rapid bus ride from Everett to Burien, which will be implemented by 2024. Kirkland is addressing affordable housing in multiple ways, including:
Update from Bill Leedom, Talon Development for Kirkland Urban Phase One is currently in development. It includes 185 apartment units, 402,000 square feet of office space, 1,700 parking spaces, 92,000 square feet of new retail space. Tenants:
Neighborhood Matching Grant We voted to apply for Kirkland’s 2017/2018 Matching Grant program and to use the funds to build a kiosk at Marina Park that highlights Moss Bay’s history. For example, explaining the ferry schedule and clock. If funds are left over, we will donate them to Kirklands 4th of July celebration. The city allocates funds to neighborhoods based on population. Up to $3,266 is available to Moss Bay. To earn the funds, residents must either donate cash that is matched dollar-to-dollar, or contribute volunteer hours, that are valued at $21.79 per hour and must be logged and submitted to the city. Details about the Matching Grant program are on the city’s website here. Aimee Voelz will complete the application due by January 31, 2017. If you want to participate in defining the kiosk project for the application, email contact@mossbay.org. We will reach out to Moss Bay neighbors through these emails, our website, and Facebook page for help on volunteering projects and donations. Developer activity Kirkland The Potalla Village site is for sale. The maximum number of housing units is 58, and the current plan allows retail on the ground floor. Whoever purchases could build the existing plan, but is not required to. 42 multi-family housing projects are in the pipeline in Kirkland. The development at the lower Totem Lake Mall is slated to open by the end of 2017. The Antique Mall site is targeted for completion in May/June 2018. KAN (Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods) The Kirkland Alliance of Neighborhoods and the City of Kirkland are excited to invite you to attend a free, three-hour Neighborhood Forum led by acclaimed community engagement expert Peter Kageyama, author of For the Love of Cities and Love Where You Live. The event, called “For the Love of Kirkland,” will be held Monday, January 23 from 5:30 to 8:45 pm at Google. Dinner will be catered by Deru. Space is limited, so please RSVP right away. RSVP here: https://loveofkirkland.eventbrite.com Our next meeting is March 13, 2017. 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. |