The Kirkland City Council held a regular meeting on April 18, 2023, starting with a joint study session with the Planning Commission at 5:30 p.m. and the regular meeting at 7:30 p.m., adjourning at 10:27 p.m. The meeting covered a range of topics including a joint work program discussion, multiple unanimous approvals, a detailed briefing on the Kirkland Way low bridge safety, and an electric leaf blower initiative resolution with several amendments.
Okay. I'd like to call an order the city council meeting of April the eighteenth, two thousand twenty-three. Tonight's meeting is a hybrid meeting starting with a joint study session meeting with the planning commission. Welcome. Community members are welcome to join us either in person or remotely through Zoom or by telephone. Clerk, will you please call the rule for both the city council members and the planning commission? Councilmember Nixon. Councilmember Curtis. Council Member Falcone. Here. Here. Commission member Heiser. Here. Commission member Rutherford. Here. Commission member single. Here. Commission member Tim Chisholm. Great. Okay, as I mentioned, our study session tonight is a special joint meeting with the planning commission. After our study session, we will be meeting an executive session session to discuss two issues. First, the potential acquisition of real property and second, potential litigation. If you're a member of the public joining us by Zoom this evening, please exit and log off the Zoom feature during our executive session. So we have a brave presentation that Alison Syk, our deputy director of planning and building is going to make. So, first just wanted to show all of you, planning commissioners and council members what we've completed that was on the 22 to 24 planning work program, and it's it's several things, tree code amendments, which we still have ongoing work on, and we'll cover that a little bit. I'm not gonna read all of these to you, but we we've gotten quite a bit done. So there's several things that were on the last work program that you'll see have come off the draft work program for 23 to 25 because we have completed them. Um, the next category is just some projects that were on the last work program that we're still working on now. So we've started work on these, we're continuing work on them now. Um, that's the station area plan, the urban center designation, which is nearing completion. Um, the comprehensive plan update, of course, wireless uh service facility regulation updates. We're taking that to hearing in May, so that's getting close. Um, community initiated amendment requests, we're just starting work on those. Those all uh kind of follow along with the comp plan update process, and then the miscellaneous code amendments, which council is actually um hopefully taking action on later tonight. There's a few projects that were on the 22 to 24 work program that we haven't started yet. Um, and in the memo, we discuss a little bit some of the factors as to why we haven't been able to start work on those yet. So you'll see them continue in the current work uh draft work program. So some things follow through as just kind of an annual renewal, so sustainability master plan implementation, urban forestry work program implementation. Some of the ones that we haven't started that we thought we might have by now are uh the amendment uh review to look at increasing school capacity citywide, um updates to our geohazard regulations, um, looking at affordable housing incentives and parking policies, those are two things where we think we'll lay the policy groundwork with those with the comp plan update, and so kind of pushing zoning code amendments on those two items until we talk about bigger policy implications with the comp plan update, and then the sign code update is another one that we haven't started work on yet. There's a few projects that were on the 22 to 24 work program that we've taken off the draft 23 to 25 work program because they either just we've got a lot of stuff that we want to do, and so we had a discussion with planning commission over a couple different meetings about were there any projects that really are kind of lower in priority now when we start talking about adding new work to our program. Um so those you see on the screen, the homes point overlay updates, um, the Norkirk and Highlands Light Industrial Study really isn't necessary anymore because we've done that work with the station area plan, and then um the CKC design guidelines and regulations is another one we've talked about with the station area plan a lot as it relates to a good portion of the CKC through downtown. Um so it could it could go back on the work program at some point, but at this point we've taken it off the 23 to 25 draft work program. And then we've added a few new projects into the 23 to 25 uh planning work program. Um you'll see them on the screen. I won't go through all of them, but uh did want to highlight missing middle and ADU optimization. Um, and on the next one, just kind of some of the general guidance we got from planning commission over our discussions with them at their retreat in February, and then at another study session um, I think in March, um, was just that planning commission, and I'll let you all um discuss more specifically, but I think what staff really heard from planning commission was that looking at our middle housing and ADU regulations and trying to really increase the uptake of those was a priority and kind of the utmost priority, and it should be the next new project. And so that's how we tried to draft the the draft work program in front of you. Um, increasing school capacity was another high priority, trying to figure out how we can do that and make sure it's there when the school district needs it. Um, and then also any projects that could potentially be getting in the way of enabling housing production are ones that we should be looking for opportunities to get the work done sooner rather than later. Um, and then also I think the the feedback that staff heard from planning commission was that as we look at how we tackle the work program that we need to be identifying opportunities to streamline where we can.