OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting – September 3, 2024

City Council — Tuesday, September 3, 2024
BodyKirkland, Washington
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, September 3, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 4:58:47

Transcript — Verbatim
0:43

I'd like to call the order.

0:44

The city council meeting is September 3rd, 2024.

0:48

Welcome back to chambers, everyone, and welcome back to school.

0:52

So some of us have been quite busy.

0:55

So our study session tonight is on two items.

0:59

First, we will review the preliminary 2025-2030 capital improvement program.

1:05

Second is a briefing on the 2044 comprehensive plan guiding principles and housing element.

1:12

We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at 7:30.

1:16

City manager.

1:17

Okay.

1:17

Thank you, Mayor Martin Council.

1:19

Welcome back, everybody.

1:20

So I have a first and a last to announce before we get in.

1:23

So our first uh Kathy Anderson, our clerk, unfortunately, is sick.

1:26

So we have our very first official uh action as a city clerk from our deputy city clerk, Emily Ferguson.

1:33

So we're excited to have her tonight, and she's ready to go.

1:35

We're excited.

1:36

So welcome, Emily.

1:38

And then sadly, we also have a last.

1:40

We're talking about the CIP today, and Rod Steitzer, our Capital Projects Manager.

1:44

As you know, I've mentioned to the council will be leaving us to go to be the public works director for the City of Burian.

1:51

And he has given us two decades of outstanding service to the city.

1:55

We will be missing him very much, but we're just really grateful for all he's done for us and excited to have him here for his last presentation.

2:01

So thank you.

2:02

Thank you, Rod.

2:03

We're gonna say nice things about you at the end of your presentation.

2:06

So I was so eager to get started, and I'm out of practice.

2:10

We've I forgot to call roll.

2:13

Councilmember Tim Chizin.

2:16

Here.

2:17

Councilmember Black?

2:18

Here.

2:19

Councilmember Sweet?

2:20

Here.

2:20

Councilmember Falcone.

2:22

Here.

2:22

Councilmember Pascal?

2:24

Here.

2:24

Deputy Mayor Arnold.

2:26

Here.

2:26

Mayor Curtis.

2:27

Here.

2:28

Thank you.

2:29

All right, we'll start again.

2:30

And with that, we will start off.

2:32

We have our first topic for about the next 45 minutes.

2:34

Is your preliminary look at the capital improvement project list?

2:38

This is going to come back to you as you'll hear at the very end of the presentation several times, but for tonight we're looking for council feedback and initial questions and comments.

2:45

And then the second half, we'll come back and talk about the housing element when that is finished.

2:49

So I'm gonna go ahead and turn it over to Kevin Pelstring, our interim financial planning manager.

2:52

And he has a whole cast of thousands to help us with the project list, including Rod Steitzer and Jessica Clam, uh, who's our senior financial analyst.

3:01

Kevin.

3:04

All right, good evening, council.

3:06

Madam Mayor, Deputy Mayor, uh, City Manager, and um folks in the audience, our um constituents.

3:13

Um I just want to address the elephant in the room.

3:16

I don't have a British accent, but I promise you you can still trust me on the budget.

3:21

So just take that for what it is.

3:23

Um but we have uh so first off, I want to say yes, thank you to Rod Steitzer for all he's given to uh the CIP over the past couple of decades.

3:32

Um he's certainly been helpful in this as well.

3:36

Um and also thank you to Jessica Clem, who I think this is her first uh it is her first city council presentation, so uh be gentle with her.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Capital Improvement Planning███████████11%
Procedural██████████10%
Public Engagement██████████10%
Transportation█████████9%
Housing█████████9%
Affordable Housing███████7%
Technology and Innovation███████7%
Legal And Compliance███████7%
Parks and Recreation████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Kirkland City Council Regular Meeting – September 3, 2024

The Kirkland City Council held a study session at 5:30 p.m. and regular meeting at 7:30 p.m. on September 3, 2024. The study session covered the Preliminary 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and a briefing on the 2044 Comprehensive Plan Housing Element. The regular meeting included honors, public comments, a petition, consent calendar, and business items. Key actions included approval of zoning code amendments, a motion to hold a public hearing on ballot initiatives, and a referral of a petition regarding the Michaels property.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved minutes of August 7, 2024 regular meeting.
  • Acknowledged payroll ($10,764,114.05) and bills ($15,707,070.93).
  • Acknowledged claims from Patrick Joseph Fitzpatrick, Natalie Sampson, and Mike Stack.
  • Awarded a $1,022,400.00 construction contract to Reed Trucking and Excavating, Inc. for the 132nd Avenue NE Pedestrian Improvements project.
  • Awarded a $574,650.00 contract to Always Active Services LLC for the 2024 Annual Replacement of Aging/Failing Infrastructure, with $135,935 from Surface Water Reserves.
  • Acknowledged proclamations for Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and National Recovery Month.
  • Acknowledged resignation of Park Board member Tara Bobbarjung.
  • Approved Resolution R-5640 for an interlocal agreement with Bothell.
  • Acknowledged various reports: 2024 First and Second Quarter Planning Implementation Activities, Third Quarter IT Operations Update, Second Quarter Fire Department Dashboard, July 2024 Sales Tax Report, and Procurement Report.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Twenty community members addressed the council. Speakers expressed a range of positions on growth, affordable housing, and the 2044 Comprehensive Plan.
  • Richard Carlson (economist) argued that market-rate housing would not create affordability and urged caution on rezoning.
  • Arjang Tahmasebie criticized the planning process, alleging influence by groups like Livable Kirkland and insufficient community input.
  • Kurt Dresner explained the Downs-Thompson paradox, advocating for viable alternatives to driving.
  • Katie Malik opposed surplus land policies for parks and schools.
  • Kathy Jacobs (50-year resident) asked to scale back density plans to areas with existing transit.
  • Ashish Amarnath noted the current public comment procedure limits perspectives.
  • Bev Marcus urged inclusion of Land Use Element 2.4 without restrictive language.
  • Neil Lebeck supported studying increased density near transit corridors.
  • Arash Ghaderi raised concerns about transparency and community engagement.
  • Gary Greenberg questioned transparency regarding property acquisition for the K-line.
  • Kyle Sullivan supported studying density along transit corridors.
  • Sarah Jokar Deris argued Kirkland will never be affordable but should partner with experts.
  • David Haines spoke on synthetic turf health concerns and supported more housing.
  • Additional speakers commented on the Attain Housing-Hopelink merger, recycling pilot program, and petition.

Discussion Items

  • Preliminary 2025-2030 Capital Improvement Program Review: Interim Financial Planning Manager Kevin Pelstring, Capital Projects Manager Rod Steitzer, and Senior Financial Analyst Jessica Clem presented. Council discussed funding priorities, including park improvements (Marina Park dock, Peter Kirk Pool renovation, field upgrades), transportation projects (SAP implementation, 124th Avenue NE widening), and facilities condition assessment. Council member questions focused on transparency of programmatic funding and integration of ongoing planning.
  • 2044 Comprehensive Plan Housing Element Briefing (moved to Business): Senior Planner Scott Guter presented revisions to the Housing Element draft, Housing Inventory and Analysis, and Policy Implementation Plan. Council members offered comments on policies related to infrastructure, transit corridors, and affordability. The discussion was moved to the regular meeting as item 9D.
  • Miscellaneous Zoning Code Amendments: Senior Planners Lindsay Levine and LeAndra Baker-Lewis presented two ordinances: O-4881 (zoning text amendments) and O-4882 (zoning map amendment). The amendments included removal of restrictive subsections for two parcels, wireless facility code updates, and inclusion of parcels in the Goat Hill overlay zone.
  • Transportation Concurrency and Level of Service Overview: Transportation Manager Doug McIntyre provided an overview of Kirkland's concurrency program, emphasizing multimodal level of service and intersection delay standards. Council members noted the complexity and expressed interest in future improvements.
  • City Council Policies and Procedures Discussion: Deputy City Manager Julie Underwood and Communications Program Manager David Wolbrecht led discussions on regional and committee reports, public comment procedures (including time limits and digital presentations), and social media policies. Council discussed possible changes but deferred action on social media to early 2025.

Key Outcomes

  • Motion to amend agenda: Moved item 3.b. (Housing Element briefing) to Business as item 9.d. for further discussion. Passed 7-0.
  • Petition G-24-242: Motion to accept and refer to staff for follow-up. Passed 7-0.
  • Ordinance O-4881: Approved 7-0.
  • Ordinance O-4882: Approved 7-0.
  • Motion to hold public hearing and consider opposition to state ballot initiatives: Councilmember Black moved to prepare a resolution opposing Initiative 2117 and to hold a public hearing at an appropriate meeting. Deputy Mayor Arnold amended to include Initiative 2066. Both amendments and the main motion passed 7-0.
  • Motion to move Housing Element discussion to Business: Passed 7-0.
  • Director on social media policies: Staff to return with options in January 2025.
  • Board and commission application process: Staff to explore possible disclosure requirements and return with options.

Meeting Transcript

I'd like to call the order. The city council meeting is September 3rd, 2024. Welcome back to chambers, everyone, and welcome back to school. So some of us have been quite busy. So our study session tonight is on two items. First, we will review the preliminary 2025-2030 capital improvement program. Second is a briefing on the 2044 comprehensive plan guiding principles and housing element. We expect to reconvene our regular meeting at 7:30. City manager. Okay. Thank you, Mayor Martin Council. Welcome back, everybody. So I have a first and a last to announce before we get in. So our first uh Kathy Anderson, our clerk, unfortunately, is sick. So we have our very first official uh action as a city clerk from our deputy city clerk, Emily Ferguson. So we're excited to have her tonight, and she's ready to go. We're excited. So welcome, Emily. And then sadly, we also have a last. We're talking about the CIP today, and Rod Steitzer, our Capital Projects Manager. As you know, I've mentioned to the council will be leaving us to go to be the public works director for the City of Burian. And he has given us two decades of outstanding service to the city. We will be missing him very much, but we're just really grateful for all he's done for us and excited to have him here for his last presentation. So thank you. Thank you, Rod. We're gonna say nice things about you at the end of your presentation. So I was so eager to get started, and I'm out of practice. We've I forgot to call roll. Councilmember Tim Chizin. Here. Councilmember Black? Here. Councilmember Sweet? Here. Councilmember Falcone. Here. Councilmember Pascal? Here. Deputy Mayor Arnold. Here. Mayor Curtis. Here. Thank you. All right, we'll start again. And with that, we will start off. We have our first topic for about the next 45 minutes. Is your preliminary look at the capital improvement project list? This is going to come back to you as you'll hear at the very end of the presentation several times, but for tonight we're looking for council feedback and initial questions and comments. And then the second half, we'll come back and talk about the housing element when that is finished. So I'm gonna go ahead and turn it over to Kevin Pelstring, our interim financial planning manager.

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