Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting - July 16, 2024

The Kirkland City Council met on July 16, 2024, beginning with a 5:30 p.m. study session and reconvening for a 7:30 p.m. regular meeting in the City Council Chamber. All seven councilmembers were present: Mayor Kelli Curtis, Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold, and Councilmembers Neal Black, Amy Falcone, Jon Pascal, Penny Sweet, and John Tymczyszyn. The study session covered the Transportation Strategic Plan (TSP)/Transportation Element update and the Houghton Village Development Plan update. The regular meeting included public comment, a consent calendar, adoption of Goat Hill zoning amendments, approval of a city flag creation process, reports, and a closed session. There were no honors, proclamations, public hearings, or special presentations.

Study Session: Transportation Strategic Plan and Transportation Element

• Public Works Transportation Planner Kim Scrivner and Transportation Manager Doug McIntyre presented the draft TSP and Transportation Element for the K2044 Comprehensive Plan update, including the fiscally constrained 20-year project list, level-of-service standards, and the concurrency framework.
• Council discussed Washington's requirements: the state requires cities to address level of service but does not mandate vehicle-delay analysis. Several councilmembers requested a future, deeper conversation on concurrency, road widening versus roundabouts and other delay-management tools, and alignment with the city's broader values.
• Public engagement results for the project list showed 417 projects received comments, with only 18 having negative comments outweighing positive ones; the 132nd Street protected bike lane project was among the most-commented and mostly positive.
• Staff outlined a tight schedule: a draft TSP to the Transportation Commission in September, a public hearing in late September, and Council consideration in October.
• Councilmember Jon Pascal offered detailed comments on the functional classification map and the level-of-service table and asked that level-of-service policies be self-contained in the Transportation Element rather than referencing administrative policies that can be changed without Council approval.

Study Session: Houghton Village Development Plan Update

• Deputy Planning and Building Director Allison Zike, Mithun partner Heidi Oien, and ECONorthwest partner Tyler Bump presented the update. The city purchased the Houghton Village property in 2022; a development plan is targeted for Council adoption by the end of 2024, with Council check-ins in September and October.
• An open house the previous evening drew up to about 70 community members. Staff posted feedback boards and preference survey data online.
• Market analysis for a one-mile study area showed an average asking rent of about $2,800 per unit in 2024 year-to-date, up 15% since 2019, with declining vacancy. Condo/townhome sale prices rose 130% since 2019 to approximately $988,000, and single-unit ownership averaged about $1.6 million, up 65%. Retail asking rents were about $45–46 per square foot with 3.2% vacancy.
• Tyler Bump explained that alternative ownership models, such as community land trusts and cooperatives, could preserve affordability and community-serving space, and that city ownership of the site creates a rare opportunity for those outcomes.
• Councilmembers generally supported exploring community benefits and affordable housing, with Neal Black emphasizing the need to hear from development partners about what mix is feasible. John Tymczyszyn raised access to affordable groceries in the neighborhood; Jon Pascal expressed caution about government involvement in development; Deputy Mayor Jay Arnold cited the Together Center in Redmond as a model. Staff confirmed they have contacted the property owner to the north.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the July 2, 2024 regular meeting.
• Acknowledged the audit of accounts: payroll $4,468,074.88; bills $7,536,892.39.
• Acknowledged claims for damages from Kevin Middleton and Edward Steward.
• Approved Resolution R-5638, amending the City Council Policies and Procedures Manual.
• Authorized City Manager execution of the RapidRide K-Line Record of Support for the NE 85th Street location, speed, and reliability treatment.
• Authorized advertising the Stores to Shores Greenway project for bids.
• Motion by Councilmember Neal Black, seconded by Councilmember Penny Sweet. Motion carried 7-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Luke Travis supported more affordable housing, describing his own ability to live in Kirkland through cottage housing and urging the council to help workers such as his barista mother stay in the city.
• Dylan Hanson, a real estate agent, supported proposed zoning changes along key transit corridors, saying many clients are priced out of Kirkland and that the city lacks enough "missing middle" housing.
• Kurt Dresner supported adding homes along transit corridors and connected current housing decisions to Kirkland's history of exclusion; he said teachers and service workers should be able to live in the community.
• Eddie Nieves opposed the proposed housing changes, arguing that building more housing has not produced more affordable rents in Kirkland or other cities and that infrastructure has not kept pace.
• Stephen Clarke said Goat Hill's core problem is access, not landslides or drainage, and argued the proposed 50% to 40% floor area ratio/lot coverage reduction would not solve traffic; he suggested studying a possible northern access route.
• Martin Stoddard opposed the current comprehensive plan format, saying it overreaches on density while underachieving on affordability and transit, and urged a more nuanced, stepwise plan.
• Kyle Sullivan said Houghton Village presents an opportunity to provide community needs less likely to be met by private development and asked for more concrete options.
• Karen Lightfeldt, a Goat Hill resident, asked for the moratorium to be extended or for road fixes, especially hairpin turns and a blind spot, and described long delays caused by construction trucks and the stormwater project.
• Alex Krimkevich opposed the comprehensive plan's density proposals, arguing density increases tend to make cities more expensive and that the council is neglecting current residents.
• Alex Zimmerman made remarks that Mayor Kelli Curtis said were hurtful and offensive; the mayor stated the council does not condone those statements and remains committed to a safe, inclusive, welcoming Kirkland.
• Josh Friedmann, representing Montpunk Management, asked the council to reconsider the tightened lot coverage and/or floor area ratio limits on Goat Hill, saying they would exclude most middle housing types and reduce housing capacity and property values.
• Gianna Deleon, a high school student living on Goat Hill, described dangerous driving conditions, frequent truck blockages, and safety concerns for new drivers.
• Noel Knappett, a longtime Kirkland resident, opposed the current pace of development, criticized the city's Houghton Village redevelopment decision, and said major development decisions should be put to a public vote.

Business: Goat Hill Zoning Amendments

• Planning and Building Director Adam Weinstein and Planning Supervisor Denise Russell presented Ordinance O-4879, creating a Goat Hill Overlay Zone for RSA-zoned parcels. The ordinance reduces maximum lot coverage and floor area ratio from 50% to 40%, eliminates most middle housing types and detached ADUs, allows one attached ADU per single-family home with one off-street parking space, adds a minimum $50,000 performance bond for construction-related issues, and requires native vegetation seeding on sites left undisturbed for 30 days.
• Staff said the development moratorium would end at midnight on August 6, 2024 if the ordinance was adopted. They also presented a white paper on a possible road improvement district and alternative emergency access.
• Council discussion included a recognized mapping error excluding two parcels from the overlay; staff said those parcels would be added through a September miscellaneous code amendment package and that the technical analysis had included them. Council also discussed HB 1110's critical-areas exception, the legality of extending the moratorium, and the need for future road-access feasibility work through the CIP process.

Business: City Flag Creation Process

• Communications Program Manager David Wolbrecht presented the revised Resolution R-5636, declaring the council's intent to create an official city flag and directing the City Manager to develop it with community and Council collaboration.
• The revised process includes an online submission and discussion platform, an open application for a K-Flag advisory group of up to 12 members, removal of a community poll, and a timeline running from an August/September launch through March 2025 potential adoption.
• Councilmembers discussed ensuring a diverse K-Flag selection and asked that artists have the option to revise or withdraw their designs. Resolution R-5636 was moved by Councilmember Penny Sweet, seconded by Councilmember Amy Falcone, and carried 7-0.

Reports and Closed Session

• Councilmembers gave regional and committee updates, including the Kirkland Uncorked event, the Celebrate Kirkland July 4th event, farmers markets, the upcoming Little League Junior Softball World Series, National Night Out on August 6, a clean state audit exit conference, and the upcoming Connections Crisis Clinic opening.
• City Manager Kurt Triplett reported that the Houghton Park and Play pump track would be available by the next weekend, with an August 8 ribbon-cutting celebration planned. He thanked IT staff for recovery from a cyber incident and reported that all major systems were back online. He also reported that Theo finished last in the Corgi races.
• The council held a closed session beginning at 9:45 p.m. and returned at 10:15 p.m. only to adjourn. The agenda and minutes list the closed session as collective bargaining, while the mayor's spoken announcement in the transcript referred to potential litigation; the record is inconsistent on this point.

Key Outcomes

• Consent calendar approved 7-0.
• Ordinance O-4879 (Goat Hill Overlay Zone) approved 7-0; moratorium ends August 6, 2024; omitted parcels to be added in September; road-access options to be considered during CIP discussions.
• Resolution R-5636 (city flag creation process) approved 7-0.
• Study session feedback will be incorporated into the TSP/Transportation Element and the ongoing Houghton Village development plan; next Council check-ins are scheduled for September and October.
• The meeting was adjourned at 10:15 p.m.